Work environments

No reply, and I think I might know why. I share my mentor's calendar and it says they have appointments until noon. Perhaps that's why he did not reply... that seems to be what I observed as their management style.

I also realized they sent an email to all of the interns saying that they would get back with an update this Monday, about a meeting later this week. No update. If it was because no one was free for a meeting, they should have at least pointed that out on Monday. Send a quick note, takes a couple of minutes.

I read articles about why people quit their internships, and I also read about toxic work environments. If you keep going to jobs in toxic work environments, it's not going to be good as you can get stuck, and carry negative experiences with you to a new environment. This is why I need to find a better work environment, a more happy one, like the one I had at my job when I was still in school. (Actually, I had two jobs, and both of those jobs were amazing.) Only when the real world came, the environment was meh.

Call to action for now would be, if my mentor calls, then we'll meet. I decided not to call because if my mentor did care, he would have replied to my e-mail. If he doesn't call, I'll just assume we are meeting on Monday as per our discussion yesterday.

I have decided I will stick with the job unless my mentor is really reluctant to change things/be clear. I think if I resign, they might not pay me, and that's not something I want to have challenges with. It's actually really uncertain now if I will be paid at all/timely.

Am I just staying for the pay? I'm really not getting any benefit from this other than that. The reason why most interns quit their internships is because they can find better jobs, and the internship didn't provide benefit to them all. It's sad that if you put it on your resume, it's good, because it shows work experience. But you know what? I don't think that's justified, you still need to share stories of your experience there, and if you didn't benefit at all, what kind of stories could you share? Although, maybe some interns like that, having an internship that didn't benefit them but looks good on their resume. I'm definitely not one of those interns.

I kind of wish the program was reverted back to the old style, where the program paid and was the employer. I think that would be much easier, because then I could have someone to address my concerns to... all I have right now is an HR personnel who is a volunteer and not even a board member anymore. How is that helpful at all?

I think I'm going to call up the other company that I had postponed for after my internship. They have graphic design internship positions, but I have no idea if it's paid or unpaid. I think, at this rate, I would prefer the internship as a whole because I need experience with graphic design, but not for more than a couple of hours per week/few hours per month. If I can get a part-time job with it, then it would be okay if it was unpaid. Hmm.

After this internship, I think I should stay away from internships with small non-profits/small companies.

Hm.

I know I need to be positive about this, but I am starting to think if I can keep on working with my mentor after observing how they manage...

I really want to resign and find a new job.

Might be better if they could find a new intern for this position with actual expertise in the field, because that is what they wanted in the first place, right?

Technically a lot of companies are still on holidays right now, it's very odd how as a non-profit, they aren't on holidays either. A lot of non-profits usually take the holiday, but I suppose it's because the organization does not offer a 'service' like other non-profits do.

I still haven't received a response from my mentor about tomorrow. They have probably seen my e-mail. I technically would not mind meeting until next week, but because I offered to meet tomorrow, I want to know if we can.

I really hope I get interviews this week and the following weeks.

If it really doesn't end up working out, then I think I will resign. I have potential freelance projects in the new year, so I can work on those until I find new employment.

I really need to get paid.

Okay, it's time to get the ball rolling.

Some miscommunication issues happened earlier today.

I am not allowed to telecommute anymore because it's actually a requirement of my program to work in an office for all hours. I wish my mentor had stated this before, then all of this misinterpretation would not occur and I would have come in this week.

I was originally going to meet next week with my mentor, but I suggested tomorrow now. Waiting for a response. I want to clear things up and work out these communication issues.

Things I will address:

- Document or letter addressing pay dates/pay roll, hours, pay and the position and employer.
- Hours of working, right now it's 10 - 6, but I have volunteer commitments on certain days and cannot fulfill this requirement, trying to work it out since it was approved before to work at home for a bit and then come in and leave early.. but I don't think that's going to work, so I am trying to see if a 35 hour work week would work instead.
- Schedule of meetings/follow-up: I need to find out what my mentor's schedule is like, as I expect they would follow-up when they say they will, but from the last few weeks, it has not been happening
- Expectations of the role, and of the learning process - Each month I have to fill out a progress report of what I learned, what could be improved and how my progress is... I definitely need to bring this up and let my mentor know that I would like training in this role, from someone with expertise or from training courses. I don't think my mentor can provide any of this for me... but perhaps I would still be allowed to research


I will call my mentor tomorrow morning to confirm the meeting tomorrow. This is so frustrating. I don't know why this internship is so stressful, it really shouldn't be.

I am applying for jobs as much as I can. I hope I can find something very soon, within the next two weeks would be ideal.

I need to be positive, though. I will find something for sure! No more stress!

Looking at other opportunities...

After working at my internship for almost three weeks... I can conclude a few things:

1) I will not receive formal training. Already three weeks in, and no training. I think that ship has sailed.
2) Is there a point to stay in this internship, other than the pay? At the end of each month I have to fill out a report saying what I have learned. I haven't learned anything except from myself...
3) This internship solely helps the employer and not me. My employer thinks I have a solid bg in this area, and that's probably why they aren't training me. D:
4) This organization has no clue how to train for this role... that is why they have an intern.

So yup... I am looking for other opportunities.

A nice opportunity came up. It's a starting point but it's at an agency, and that is exactly what I wanted to do. Get my foot in the door at an agency, learn the ropes and apply them and grow within the company.

I just feel like this internship is kind of pointless for me... I thought in internships you were supposed to learn from someone who has expertise in that field for your role. Perhaps that's only for current students though. Thankful my practicum during my school days had a requirement where the employer needed 5 years of expertise in the field you are interning for... so if this was a practicum, it would not qualify.

I am really disappointed but all I can do right now is keep applying for other opportunities and hold it out until I find something.

Job hunting~

Already into the third week of my internship, and there's a lot of management issues already...

Basically, my mentor is not that helpful and is not really giving me the training I require. My mentor focuses on the direction for the company, but with my very small background in this area, it is very difficult for me to do what I need to do . I have not received any formal training for my actual position. And this isn't even a work kind of job, it's an internship! I am so confused. But I now have the impression my mentor isn't really a mentor... although he does give the flexibility of what responsibilities I can take care of, that's pretty sweet.

I have been keeping up my job hunt lately but have only been applying to one or two jobs a week. I think I should step up my game and start applying to at least one each day. The reason why it's so sparse is because I am only applying to things I really want... but I suppose I should apply to jobs that I want and would help me grow in a company.

During this internship, I have realized what I really enjoy, graphic design. I don't know why, but it's actually something I have enjoyed doing since I was a teen. Being able to place design objects in a way that is appealing/communicates your message is very intriguing. The creativity surge that I get from it, is really awesome. This is a totally different feeling than I get when I am doing social media. But it's the same feeling I get when I am representing at tradeshows, or doing a video edit on a scripted video. I really think that is what my passion is... and I think if I can find a job that has all of this, I will be a very happy employee!

I am going to aim to find a new position in the new year, hopefully within a few weeks or a month. I have already heard that some interns have not completed their internship at the company, so I think going to new employment should be okay since it's an internship, and the goal is well, for the intern to find a full-time job, right?

I also hope I can work with awesome managers. I have had a few awesome managers in the past. What made them awesome was that they were flexible, they listened, and they communicated well and would provide assistance when needed. They were very thorough in their instructions and they were very easy to get along with. They didn't micromanage either.

But as of lately, I have not had a very good experience with managers. They either micromanage like crazy, give very vague instructions, do not train, do not explain things when asked, do not follow-up when they say they will at a certain time, and don't communicate very well, get angry easily, worry too much, etc... I know it's pretty tough to be a manager, so this may be well out of their hands, but the key is definitely communication and trusting your employees.

What direction?

After I posted my last blog post, I happened to check my Spam folder in my work-related e-mail. There I found an e-mail that was sent to me on the Friday before asking me to come in for an interview for an internship I had applied to the past week. Had I not checked my spam, I might have missed out on the opportunity.

I was asked to come in on the following Tuesday. I was given the internship right away! Apparently they did have an intern ready to go, but they did not meet the eligibility requirements... only two people applied, so I guess they asked me afterwards.

I started working at the beginning of this week. So far it's okay, I was reading a lot of background stuff, and now I get to actually work and make plans. It's pretty cool, but at the same time I am not too sure what I am doing.

But hopefully I will get the chance to learn from my mentor.

The internship is for a few months, so I will be building experience. But at the same time I am still applying to jobs here and there, and still waiting to hear back from some. I am being more selective at this point, only applying to relevant jobs with the career I have in mind. I am hoping I can have a job lined up after my internship is completed.

The internship is currently a work-at-home role at the moment. Initially, I did not know this until I had accepted the job and came in for training. I did know that we did not have a permanent office, and that I would be working with multiple offices, but I guess the other office isn't really available to use for everyday. This would usually really bother me, because a) I prefer to work in an office because it keeps work separate from personal/comfort stuff and b) I focus much better in an office and actually feel like I am working. But, because this is an internship in an area I need to develop skills in and would help my career path, I decided I can be okay with this for a while. My mentor is working on getting an office, so I won't be office-less for too long.

I am a little disappointed because I did want a social aspect... but I can't expect much in a small organization. In the future, when more interns are hired though, I will be able to have that culture. So working at home for now is okay, because the social culture isn't really present. My mentor works from home as well. We only have meetings from time to time.

While doing this internship and reading this article about traveling and working abroad to meet your dreams, I thought of the direction I want to go in... I wonder. I want to be able to follow my dreams and fulfill my passions. I want to be in a great happy career and travel lots, experience fun times with my family and friends. But how do I do that?

I also want to go back to school too. Let's face it, even though studying is a drag, school was fun. I like learning in general, but studying was always a bit of a challenge for me, but it paid off. But I want to be able to take what I study and be able to implement that into my ideal career as well. When I did my degree, I was only thinking about my interests at the time and didn't really think of what would be interesting and make sense to have a job in... my dreams have changed since then, because I don't have those goals anymore but I've made new ones along the way. I want to be able to put my degree and a new course or program or certificate, etc... together, and make that a career. I think it would work.


For now, I'll see how this internship goes and what opportunities it will take me to explore.

Hmm

I really need to find a job soon.

But I really can't give up and settle for less. I still look at admin positions and I'm curious as to what kind of companies these positions are for, and how big the company is... I'm gauging for the room for growth. That's really important if I decide to take a position that isn't really to my liking, but a foot in the door.

I've been trying to apply to at least one job per day. The waiting game is long, but I have to keep active. I will find a good job very soon!!

I'm also considering temp jobs for only a few months or weeks. I need some income right now and it'd be a good way of getting to know new companies. Kind of like an internship, but not really, and paid. :)

I haven't heard back from the marketing company yet... I hope I'm not out of the running.

I'm just going to keep applying to interesting jobs and get interviews. :) No settling for less!

Chin up!

I declined the job offer I had after talking with a few people about it... it definitely wasn't the right fit, and I couldn't ignore the red flags. Culture is important and I shouldn't take a position if it doesn't fit. Also, I'm very determined to find a job I will be happy with, and I wouldn't want to put the burden on the company if I needed to resign right away. So I would've started today if I had accepted. Back to job hunting.

Since then, a lot of things have been looking good. I'm currently in consideration for a marketing job for a marketing consultant's client, I'm not sure what stage I am at right now in the interview process, but it looks pretty good. They're asking me a lot of questions about my experience. But the thing is I don't know too much about whether it's a right fit. I think it's a part-time position based on the job ads that they have posted on sites, but I'm not even sure if it's an ongoing position. Seems like a position for a month or a few months. Also, one of the requirements listed was a drivers license, which I don't have, but when I had the phone interview, I think the interviewer said they might be able to get around that, and asked if I use public transportation. I know this job has a lot of locations I would need to get to, in other cities... so I don't know, but it looks like they are still considering me.

Also, today I received a response to my intern ad. There's a company looking for an intern, unpaid right now but they said there will be paid opportunities in February. I replied with a resume and my portfolio as per their request, so hopefully we can work something out. I really would like to learn more about marketing and the possibility for a paid opportunity is also really awesome! Hopefully the hours are reasonable, I will still need to work a job in the mean time.

I also applied to one job today, so hopefully I can get an interview soon!!! I applied to a few positions a while ago, but their due dates aren't until the first week of December. I am trying to reach my goal of finding an opportunity before the holiday season, and be able to have an offer for the new year.

Ahhhhhhhhh

I got the offer.

I am so wishy washy right now.

A part of me today was saying I should accept the position because I don't have other offers, and I need to pay bills.

Another part of me saw the job postings that I really want to apply for and said to decline the offer and wait.

Playing the waiting game is tough because it's unpredictable.

I could take the job, but I'd feel horrible and would burn bridges if I found something right away. But then if I don't take the job, I don't know when I'll find a job.

Also, I despise admin work so, so much. But it's only for four hours a day, so it's not as bad as it was before.

This wouldn't be so tough if I had at least a week to think about it. But I only have a day...

I asked myself why I accepted my previous jobs.

Here's why:

My last contract job: It paid well, and I was desperate for a job. Red flag was during the interview and on my very first day.

My startup job: I took it because I thought it'd be a good opportunity to grow... and I wanted a mentor. It just wasn't the right fit. It also paid really low with no benefits.

My first job: I didn't know anything about the workforce, so of course I accepted.

I also realized my last two jobs I had very little time to think about the offer. My last contract job I only had 3 hours... 3 hours! I wassn't in the right mindset to ask necessary questions about my boss's presence, etc.

But I'm glad I got the opportunity for this position to ask my questions.

I also asked questions after getting the offer. No benefits... but there's room for growth.

Also, social media and video editing right now is a no-no.

I want to wait for a better opportunity.

I really, really do.

Ambivalence

I had my interview today and came out of it feeling ambivalent.

The first flag was the floor it was located on... a floor full of construction. I managed to find my way to the office where it was tucked away in the corner. The office looks a bit old school from the outside. I stepped in and see one of the staff outside of his office, I close the door and the interviewer comes out to greet me. We started the interview right away, I was there 15 minutes early.

The interview asked a lot of questions about management style and asked me to outline my experience, what my managers would say about me, what I do for volunteering... etc. He then mentioned the social media and video aspect of the job, and said it's no guarantee but they do want to hire someone to take care of that stuff. I did cringe a bit there.

It came to my turn to ask questions. I asked more about the position and if it was new, found out that the previous admin left during her maternity leave... and she worked there for a few years. The past year they've had two people cover the position. I'm wondering if those people are also being considered for the role? Unless they left... then that's something I would like to inquire about if I get the offer. I then asked about company culture and success in the role. This is the part that stunned me. Basically, the culture is very similar to what I've experience in the past... I'm actually looking for a more team-environment where I can still be social. It's nice the staff are in the office everyday, however they're in their own offices... so it's very similar to one of my past jobs where eveyone was in their own office. It's also a small company too, not many staff. To be successful in the role is to be autonomous.

I feel like this is what most reception/office admin positions expect... D: Blah. I want to get out of that, but at least it's much better than my previous job.

Here's the part where I'm ambivalent... the culture really prides on open communication and the exchange of ideas. There's no hierarchy, so even the highest of the owners is available to chat on the phone, and ideas are always welcome. I really like that aspect, not a lot of companies I've worked for in the past are open to that.

The interviewer asked me again about scheduling and whether this fits. I managed to find out why the position was PT... it's mainly because it was to accommodate the schedule of the previous admin, but there is a potential for FT, if there's more work to do. So for example, if I get the chance to do the social media and video editing for the company, then that could help lead it to FT.

But I think deep inside of me I am cringing at the office admin part. He referred to one of my past roles and said the duties I fulfilled would be what I would be taking care of at the company. Yikes.

It's a company with rapid growth, which I find really appealing to work for... but ahhh I don't know. I should have asked if there's room for growth...

I was asked to send my references after the interview. I sent a thank you letter and my refs and received an e-mail back saying the interviewer will be contacting my refs tomorrow and will follow-up.

I said I'd be available this Thursday to start. I should have said I'd need a week or two weeks instead. If I get the offer, I definitely want to think about it.

It pays much better than a lot of jobs, but I think I could do better, but the experience building and having a permanent position is very tempting. Aiyeeee.

New plan

I was able to get an interview this upcoming Monday! It's an admin job, but the employer sounds very open to having me help with social media and video for the company as well. I'm very excited and I hope I can ace the interview.

The phone interview was on Thursday, and was pretty interesting. Basically the interviewer started off by asking me what my schedule was like and why I was open to a PT position. Then they asked about my admin experience and said I matched 70% of what they were looking for. Afterwards, I was advised they would be sending an email by the end of the day to let candidates know if they made it to the next round of face-to-face interviews. I then asked my question and then the interviewer was scrolling through my resume and asked me about my social media experience, then they noticed my video editing experience as well. Then they admitted they went on a tangent and that this talk could be saved for an in-person interview if I was selected... then instantly, the interviewer changed their mind and just scheduled me right then for an in-person interview this Monday! I'm pretty excited because the company is really interesting and I'm happy they found my other skills valuable to them. I'll have to emphasize them for sure when they ask why I should be hired.

I need to practice more for my interview. I'm going to wake up early tomorrow (today) and the day of and do a rehearsal. I need to remember some stories to tell and be as positive as I can be and myself!

I also need to iron my clothes and shine my shoes. Hopefully the weather will be good too!

My new plan is to first, get a job so I can be financially secure again and build my experience. I'm then going to start building my portfolio in web design, graphic design, social media and video production as much as I can on a part time basis. Then take that experience and apply that to work!

I really hope I can get a new job before the end of the month. I know I can, I know I can! :D

Internship route?

For the last few days, I've been reflecting on my current circumstances, the job market, and why I haven't gotten pass the interview stage.

Basically, my requirements right now for a job are: happiness over everything, working in a team environment in an office. Those are my requirements. Sounds pretty simple, right? It's so complex because the happiness is based on what industry the company is, and the kind of role.

All the jobs I interviewed for in the last month were jobs I was VERY interested in, But I didn't get them. One of them said it had to do with my experience, and the other just said it was because of the job pressure. I could've handled the latter better during my interview, because I did work in a very pressuring environment in my last job. Sigh. But it was a PT position, so I guess it's okay I wasn't chosen. The experience one, that's something I need to improve. 

Now... a lot of the jobs I've looked at require a lot of years of experience... but also they're within a role I've never really performed before. I've decided I might go ahead and try to do a post-graduation internship. But this is where my cold-emailing/calling skills will come into place. A lot of places require interns to still be in school, but I have seen instances were people outside of school could still intern.

Of course, a lot of internships are unpaid. That's totally fine if it's just for a few days/hours a week. If I can get the chance to prove that I'd be worthy of their workforce, it's a good deal. 

The thing is, with internships, they're usually for a few months or even longer... I wouldn't be able to sustain my finances for more than a few months. But... I have seen instances where people do get a job after their internship at the same company. But sometimes that can take a few months or even a year.

So what to do, really? 

I need to work in an office. I absolutely cannot work at home because I don't have a home office, and this is a place of comfort and relaxing AFTER work. There's a lot of internships floating around that have work at home internships, but I don't like that. Because of this reason and also because there's no real way they can really gauge how you work in an office/with people. So, no, absolutely no.

Hopefully I can find something really soon!! 

Losing hope :(

I think the goal now is to find a FT job... any FT job that isn't selling something.

I thought about this, and realized having a FT job is more secure than what I'm doing now (no job/side jobs). It's secure because it'll be FT, and I can keep working the job until I find something better.

Or it can be an awesome FT job and I won't want to find something better. <---basically a="" aiming="" am="" been="" but="" challenge.="" for="" i="" it="" p="" s="" what="">
I'm looking at admin jobs. Sigh. I need to stop it, but I'm looking at the FT ones. I realize people have to start somewhere, and a few of my friends did start at reception jobs... and worked their way up. I need to learn this mentality that I will grow professionally. I will be able to take my experience and move up.

I'm being more picky though, trying to find ones that aren't office admin. I want to be a department admin instead. I don't want to order office supplies, greet guests and answer the reception phone. :(

Also, the thing with admin jobs is sometimes there's absolutely nothing to do. Some companies are okay with you reading a book, but there's a lot of companies who aren't. I really don't like being bored. When there's nothing to do, of course you could socialize with your co-workers, talk to them to pass the time. A lot of my past positions I didn't have that luxury... I was usually working alone :( I want to work in a team environment.

I'm going to keep my head up high and apply for lots of FT jobs.

I also thought about going back to my old routine, where I worked both a FT and a PT job. Except this time it won't be PT, it'll be more freelancing/casual. This way I can still develop in my field and be able to take that experience forward.

C'mon, I can do it! I have one more week to meet my goal. I can do this.

Phone call

I got my answer via phone call yesterday evening. My heart was pounding when I picked up the phone and heard the recruiter call. They rejected me over the phone. I'm disappointed I didn't get the position. But they said I interviewed well which was good, and they'll keep my resume on file as they will have more opportunities in February.

Today I was trying to update my resume to apply for a position and I had accidentally applied before I could update my resume. So I called the recruiter to ask if there was anything I could do. She informed me that I could resubmit my resume by email and she immediately asked what salary range I was looking for... Because she didn't have a chance to look at my application, I just gave her a range and she said the position definitely fits that range and that she will pass my resume on to her colleague who is taking care of that position. I'm hoping I will get a call! Another position was posted shortly after that I'm interested in, so I'm going to apply in the morning. My goal is to get a new job within the next two weeks! I know I can do it!

Waiting

A lot of the job postings in the past week haven't been of the jobs I would like to apply for. I have to keep telling myself to stop looking at administrative work, because it's easy to do, but I need to be selected and find a job I'd be happy with.

I followed up again today about the interview I had. No immediate response, hopefully I can hear something before the end of the week. I'm also hoping to get call backs for interviews. Job hunting can be so tough in this field/industry...

Ideally I'd like to get into marketing/media, so that's the type of job I'm looking at right now. There's a lot of entry-level, no experience positions being posted, but I had an interview at one of those agencies and it didn't feel right at all. Lots of red flags.


I'm hoping there will be a lot of postings I can apply to this week. I haven't been meeting my quota of one application per day. :( It's really hard to be selective, but I really shouldn't settle for less. A lot of my friends love their jobs, and I want to be like that too. Love my job.

Freelancing is ok for building experience, but it's really unstructured at the moment, and the work I get varies.

Schedule

I really need to get my shit together.

For the past month I haven't stuck with a proper schedule for anything, which is probably why I'm having such a difficult time figuring out things/doing things I should be doing.

I do have a schedule for what days I do certain projects, but that's not enough. I need something that's by the hour.

My current schedule is mostly sleeping around 3am or 5am, and then waking up at 1pm, unless I have to go out, which I would wake up around 11am.

Obviously these times are pretty darn late, so I've been trying to improve lately, but my body gets really tired so I end up taking a nap... then the cycle continues.

I know I take naps because I'm just bored. I don't have motivation to do the work I need to do, which was my fault in the first place for accepting this work. :( But I need to make money/get a real job.

Tomorrow I've got a meeting with a friend on a video project we're doing. Originally it was scheduled for the morning, but I've asked to reschedule for the afternoon, so we'll meet then. I did that because waking up early is a challenge for me. But you know what? Starting tomorrow, I'll aim to wake up around 9:30AM, and then slowly aim to wake up around 8AM... etc.

As for my sleeping pattern, I will aim for earlier.

For my schedule, it should play out like this:

9:30AM - get up and get ready to work
10:00AM - eat breakfast
11:00AM - work
12:00PM - have lunch
1:00PM - Work or do whatever needs to be done during that day
12:00AM - go to bed

That's how it should be. But on some days it's not like that because I have to work with other people's schedules. Here goes to trying to stick to this schedule! I need structure in my daily life. Fit in there job hunting as well! (That can be the 'work' part if I don't have anything to work on.)

In other news, the position the recruiter contacted me for, went to their first candidate, as they were no longer taking interview candidates in. Makes sense I guess, since the position started/starts this week. I also haven't heard from my interview yet, I'm thinking of following up again next Monday, but perhaps to the hiring manager this time. I usually get some kind of notification after an interview after following up... but I haven't heard anything. I'm hoping it's just because they are busy, and not because someone is away, or that they really don't want to let me know.

I've been contacting a bunch of agencies to ask if they're hiring, let's see if they will reply. I also applied to a job posted from a recruiter, so maybe that will turn up too. It's really hard not to just give in and settle for anything, but I need to remember if I do that, would I be willing to stay in that position for a few years? I definitely need to be sure that when I apply, I will be happy. Because if I apply even though I don't think the job will be that great, and I do get an interview and an offer, then well, you know me, I'd be very inclined to take the offer because that's usually the only offer.

I applied for a position yesterday as well, at a company I had interviewed for a while back, but didn't get the position because it was being reworked. I've been networking with a contact from there, so I'm hoping I can get an interview!

Red flag vs. experience

I realized that no matter how much I keep telling myself I won't make the same mistake of accepting something that isn't of my standards, I still do it!

I am currently doing some freelance work, that's really not helping me except to gain extra cash on the side. :( I accepted it out of the moment, when I should have said, "Sorry, no, I don't work on these projects." or rather, "The amount offered isn't going to work." I think what also bugs me so much is that I don't have a lot of time to work on it, like I did with a previous project of this type. These kinds of projects are really personal and sensitive too, so it would've been more helpful if we briefed on a background... but that's my fault for not asking more questions.

Maybe I should've just said, "I only work with local companies. I hope you can understand, but I can try to find you someone else."

But my first mistake was replying to the request even when it mentioned the type of videos I would be working on.

Ahhhh.

Why am I so silly?

The only thing I can do now is, work on the first project and complete it. Then afterwards I'll determine if I can work on the other projects.

In the future, I'm definitely going to think about the type of project first, and then get to it. Maybe I just felt like I had to accept, because the client needed these videos done right away and had a backlog.

I asked for an extension by e-mail but I haven't gotten a response. :( I will just try to finish this one project as soon as I can. Then I'll go from there.

Anyway, there's good news. Today I was called by a recruiter for a position I was actually interested in. It's funny because I was going to call them about it to apply... but they happened to call me!

I applied right after being given the job description. It's an assistant position but in an industry I want to work in. The position is temporary, and would start sometime next week. If my cover letter and resume are great, then they'll arrange an interview. The recruiter said she'll get back to me tomorrow.

Still waiting on the other job though. Hmmm. Everyone I've spoken to say jobs usually take longer than usual to get back to... but from my experience I usually get the response right when they say they would respond.

Hoping for good prospects/news

Tomorrow will be the mid-week point that the interviewer advised me they'll be making a decision. I will hear good news! Yes!

I also have a freelancing gig too. I said I would get a project in by this Thursday, so I'm going to start working on it tomorrow after volunteering.

Then I'll apply for some job postings I found today and over the weekend. Must be positive! I will find a good job. :)

At least I know...

I didn't hear anything yesterday, so I followed-up with an email. A few minutes later, I was notified I wasn't short-listed for the test and that there were over 100 applicants. I thanked them and asked for some feedback, they advised it was the depth and breadth of my experience... so I guess I've learned a lesson... I can definitely get the interview, but I got to make sure I back it up all the time with experience. I think experience is what a lot of people are looking for nowadays. Sure, if you're a great fit for the company, that is great, but sometimes I feel companies don't want to spend extra time training n a lot of things for one candidate, that another candidate already has experience in.

This is why I want to get my foot in the door and gain experience in the field I want to be in, so that I can be experienced to get those dream jobs.

But of course, this is a case-by-case thing, and not all companies/positions are like that. Some people will hire even if you don't have much experience. It really depends on the other candidates.

Despite being disappointed, I received good news. Today, I managed to speak with the recruiter for another job. I did the phone interview, and immediately she asked me to come in for an in-person interview, next week! I'm stoked because I am a fan of this organization, and the position is very relevant to my field, and uses my education, as well as my background.

After all these interviews I've gone through, I feel like I can just truly be myself from now on, and stop worrying so much, and just do what's right for me, but of course focus on telling how my experience will benefit the company.

I was doing a lot of research into the position and of those who have held it in the past. It looks like not a lot of people are in the position for very long, and move onto other positions. Gah. I wonder why that is. Maybe it's too stressful? Or they were on a contract? Or they went on a maternity leave (there was a gap in their work experience for about a year until their next position)?

Well, worrying doesn't help so, I'm going to not worry. I'm going to take some time tomorrow and throughout Friday/the weekend to research and rehearse. I'll think of some good questions as well.

I need to study for my casual job too. Then have training on Friday for a few hours. Also need to finish editing my project and then start editing my next project. Is this what YouTubers feel like when they edit videos often?

Paniku!

The end of Monday rolls in and... I have not heard back from the interview.

They did say "Monday" or "Tuesday", and I guess that usually means they will pick the later day, as it gives them more time to make a decision. Right?

I also tried to get in touch with a phone interview I was going to have today. They called me on Friday and left a message, then this afternoon I wasn't near my phone... so I called back and left a message. I called again a couple hours later and no one picked up, so I left it at that, hoping they would see my message and call me back. They did say they would be busy.

I'll get up early tomorrow and give them a call around noon if I don't hear anything. It's really motivating that I am getting call backs! :)

Job hunting can be so stressful... it's been a month, wow.

I really hope I hear back from both companies tomorrow.

Should do stuff...

Had my interview today for the digital marketing position. I think it went well? It wasn't what I had expected, the interviewer didn't ask a lot of questions and it was mostly questions about whether I could use a certain kind of operating system, and if I had experience in certain things. Then like 5 minutes into the interview he asked me if I had any questions... that raised an alert for me because I thought that indicated the interview was going to end short... but I guess maybe this is another interview approach where they already know everything they need to know on your resume, and just ask any questions that they're not sure of. I took this opportunity to ask as many questions as I needed, to get as much information about the position, what things were essential and about the company. He handled my questions with grace which was really awesome. I also managed to showcase my portfolio a few times... I thought he would have asked for it, but since we were on the topics of writing and graphics, I asked politely if I could show the portfolio to him and he was very open to that.

Overall, I didn't feel HORRIBLE, so that was good. And I got to talk during the interview too, instead of the interviewer just talking. There have been so many interviews that I went to where the interviewer would do most of the talking, which would lessen my chances of the job since I could not speak and backup my skills and experience, I really wanted to make sure this was not one of those interviews.

Early next week they will be asking candidates to do a test, real life videography, that's pretty cool. At first I was kind of surprised by it, but I think I could do it with no problem! I have been visualizing that they will contact me.

I sent a thank you letter to the interview, along with my portfolio samples as well. To be honest, I'm hoping it will help me out too, there was a few things I wanted to mention in the interview, so I mentioned it there. I forgot to ask some more questions in my thank you letter... ahhh. I also had another comment I wanted to add, but I will ask next week after the assessment test. :) I feel a little unsettled because I had prepared a lot to answer tough questions to backup my skills, and didn't really get to use it.

However, I made sure I made a good impression. :D He also advised me on their hiring process with students, that they hire for personality and not because of the student's GPA or prestigious background. I thought that was really interesting, and would kind of explain why his interview questions were really short. I think he's trying to get a sense of who I am that is why he asked me if I had any questions. I really love it when interviewers allow you to ask a lot of questions during the interview. You find out a lot more about the position and the company, and then you have the chance to have a conversation with the interviewer.

Another concern was that the interviewer didn't write anything down when I talked...and he told me there were a lot of people who applied for the position. He even told me the turnover of marketing positions... I love how transparent that is, makes the company more appealing to work for.

My friend was hired for her personality, I'm hoping I can do the same too.

Also, I think I'm officially going to start filming YouTube videos next week for my channel! I have a few ideas lined up.

Training

Had my first training session yesterday for my new contract work, it was pretty cool, I learned a lot of stuff about SEO that I didn't know. I love it when I learn something new at work :)

I spent most of my day today logging footage for a volunteer video I have to finish editing. I was hoping to get it done today, but didn't realize I had 86 clips to log, so I'm going to spread out my editing to one more day. I also need to prep more for my upcoming interview next week. I am super excited. I'm really hoping I can get this job.

It's nice that I'm keeping busy for the next few days, but I also want to get out and socialize and eat some yummy food and drink some bubbletea! I don't have an income (not yet) right now so I've been keeping my socializing to a minimum since it usually (mostly) is going out for food or for a paid activity.

I realize this post is only about 2% training... I mainly chose the title because that was the first thought that popped into my head when thinking about what to write. My next training session is next week and I've already got some research to do on my own.

Freelancing + Interview

Wow, my last entry was about a week and a half ago, a lot has happened since then.

First, I just signed on to be a sub-contractor for a company doing digital media/marketing work. Pretty cool, I get to do what I'm good at/want to do and learn new things! Right now it's kind of like freelancing work, so I'll be working when there is client work to do. Need to go through training soon, not sure when it will be, could be later today!

The position may go into full-time if there's more work to do.

On the other hand, I managed to get an interview for a digital marketing position doing everything I love. The interview is at a company that my friend works at, and she also referred me as well. Pretty cool considering how I got an interview a few hours after submitting my application. It's good to know I can write a decent application! :) I've got less than a week to prepare, so I'm going to do my absolute best. Having this position would be a dream come true, and would be my first real FT job in the real world! I feel like I would learn a lot in the position too, and I'd be working within a team, which is something I've always desired to work with since my previous positions.

As for the other positions I haven't heard back from... I found out they posted a new posting and clarified it's an internship. I think that's the best decision, since they were looking for a student in the first place. I didn't hear back from the freelancing gig at all, so I'm assuming they chose someone else, since they did say this week is when they would start working on their project.

I have one more video project for volunteering that I need to finish editing, and then I can focus on my ongoing volunteering project as well as my own projects. It shouldn't have taken me this long to get to it, but I was working on a lot of stuff in the last month, as well as I received some additional content to add to the video. I think I have my music laid out, so all I need to do is start editing soon. I'm hoping to complete it in a day.

Seeking job

A lot has happened.

I quit my job at the start-up. Just wasn't the right fit for me and too many icky things going on, so I didn't want to continue that position.

I've had one interview since then for a social media position, still waiting on it, but turns out it's an internship... which isn't what I'm looking for, I need to get paid to pay bills :( If I were still a student, the internship would be a great opportunity. They seemed like they could make it a paid position, but we'll see if they get back to me soon.

I haven't heard anything from the freelancing gig yet, they told me a week ago they would decide this week, but now it's Saturday. Perhaps I'm not shortlisted anymore or they're looking for more candidates, as I've seen several additional postings of the position, since. I'll follow up today.

Right now I've got a lot of video editing to do, which includes my recent trip to PAX 2014/Seattle and some volunteering projects. After I finish my first two projects, then I'll be left with my ongoing volunteer project, which will allow me to focus on applying for more jobs and going to interviews.

There's this one position in the arts community I could apply for... however it's an admin position. :( I know I have to get my foot in the door, but I am so sick of administrative positions, but then again all the ones I've held previously were for industries I wasn't really too interested in, but were curious of. Perhaps it could be different with this one? I know this would be a more casual environment so I would probably enjoy it more, and it's a FT, permanent position.... which means I could grow in the company, right? I think I will apply.

I just want to have a job where I am happy, learning, using my background and am getting paid decently or more. Also, a job where there is opportunity to grow.

Freelancing right now is hard for me because I need to learn how to branch out of my shell and reach out to other companies. I definitely need to do a search and ask companies if they're interested in video service.

I also don't want to be stuck doing admin work... it really takes a special person to do clerical work, and I'm not that person.

Job calls, please!! :)

Uncertain

Monday rolling around and currently awaiting good news about freelancing. Nothing as of yet. :S

Then cruised around the web and found a job posting that had almost the same title as mine and the exact same conditions and tasks...

Either my employer is dismissing me or I'm going to have a new colleague. Or I'm being moved to another position. I'll find out today when we talk in an hour's time. It's definitely a good opportunity for me to ask if I can just do one task and for part-time hours... I really want to focus on building my portfolio right now in freelancing, or get a FT job that makes me happy and is actually in the field I want to be in, and has training provided.

It's already 45 past 2... the freelance gig said they would get back to me either today or tomorrow, honestly I don't know. :S

In the meantime, I'm currently editing some videos right now for volunteering. I'm aiming to finish one project within the next two days. The other project will have to wait until next week.

No more picking silly jobs.

Prospects

I'll have to look at other graphic design prospects soon, as I didn't get the position I had interviewed for. Ultimately, they chose someone with more professional experience. 

On a better note, I may have a new freelance gig coming up in video production, so we'll see what that's like, next week. Also, volunteering got kicked up a notch now and I have a few due dates to meet very soon.

So... my actual job... yeah, I really don't think it's a good fit.

If my prospects go well, I may just quit the job. The freelancing gig would be for a month and I would be working everyday, so I don't think that would go well with this job, since it's FT.

I really don't see this job growing right now, which is why I want out... and I am not learning from any mentors... I am an employee, I need to be trained on how to do the job correctly.

Or I may just try to negotiate the position to be part-time... but I need to be cautious of what I say first, if I try to negotiate part-time and it doesn't really work, then I don't want it to be a sour relationship afterwards. 

At the same time, I am hoping I can find a stable job. Or at least more freelance gigs.

Hmm.

Thoughts

It's been a week since I started my new job. I'm really convinced it will be much better once everything is up and running... but right now it's not so good. I was asked to do a certain task while my boss goes on vacation. I am clueless on how to perform the task. She didn't train me at all for this, and I don't have a background in this field, so I just did what I could. I accepted the job with the thought of learning something new from the employer, not having to learn on my own...

I should really have brought this up yesterday when we had met. But I think I was afraid she would just tell me to Google it... because I really feel she doesn't know how to perform that task as well, and thinks I know how to do it.

Blah.

I went to my interview today. Felt not so great, stomach ache, and then I developed a headache after the interview. I think the beginning of the interview went swell, but maybe it was just okay towards the end of the interview. I wrote my thank you letters and sent them off. I will hear from them next week. Hopefully I'll get the job!

If I get the job, I'm not so sure how I will tell my employer, she's under the impression I can work 7 days a week, with varying hours... if I do that, there's not a lot of room to do other things. I feel so restricted.

I only accepted it because I had thought it would be good experience... also I don't want people to ask me why if I didn't accept, and I didn't want to be jobless.

I also have a lot of volunteer commitments too... I really need to talk to her about this. She seemed a bit confused when I had said I may not be available on the weekends, unless notified in advance. We'll be talking about it when she gets back.

To be honest, I don't see this position being FT. And why am I stuck doing administrative work??? Sigh.

I still have a headache...

New job, thoughts, interview...

Wow, it's been two months since my last post in June.. I have been up to so much since then.

First, I didn't get the job I had interviewed for in my last post, it sucks because it really sounded like a perfect fit for me... I think I got rejected because of my salary expectations. I realized since I was just starting, the salary wouldn't have been so bad. It's actually better than what I am currently making now, with my new job.

Yeah, I got a new job. My contract with my employer ended at the beginning of August, and I had this job offer on the table for the last few weeks. I accepted it, but I am still not entirely sure if I really want this job. It's with a start-up company and so far it's not as organized as it should be. Also, I am not making very much and the employer is very restricting and won't allow me to work a part-time job.... I need the extra income right now as this job is a significant decrease from my last salary. Also, even though I am just starting, the work is a little administrative so far and that's not what I had wanted in the first place.

I also feel like I'm not really being 'trained', I'm more being told the background and how things she go, but there is not a lot of showing me the process of how each thing should be done. I want to be walked through a few times so that I can be more comfortable working on my own. The employer usually asks me if I want to work together with them on it first or if I want to do it on my own.. I don't think that's how it's supposed to work on a new job. :(

The employer also seems a little inexperienced as well, so this is why I am not so sure about this position/company.

I had this kind of gut feeling before with my last job.. on the first day I panicked, and thought it was only the first day, so I should give it time. I did, and I was so miserable at that job.

I want to find a job where I am happy doing the work, learning lots, and receiving proper training and support.

I have an interview next week for a part-time position, and it's a new field I haven't worked in before, so it'll be so exciting if I get the job. I'm already working on putting a portfolio together for the interview. I hope it goes well!

For now, I will go through the training for this new job and see how it goes.

Anticiptation

It's on my mind so might as well get it out...

This week is when I find out if I got the job.

I always have to remember to just shove my thoughts of any job/interview onto the side so I don't get too worked up.

But it's hard with this one, because it's actually what I want to do.

Also, I feel uncomfortable with how the interview went.

I didn't really get the opportunity to talk a lot.. but I did learn a lot about the position. Which made me very excited, but still, I needed to prove why I am the best candidate.

I'm hoping that my thank you letter contributed to that. Really. That's also why I write thank you letters, to cover any bases that weren't covered in the interview.

I wonder when they will notify candidates...

The hiring manager didn't specify a certain day, just said 'next week' which is this week. It could be tomorrow, or the days after...

Maybe later in the week... he did mention they were busy with an event so they couldn't make the decision during the same week of my interview. So I'm guessing they'll take today (Monday) to discuss and then make the decision afterwards. I wonder who else would be involved in the hiring decision? I'm guessing HR or the department employees. I've never been part of the hiring process at any of the companies I've worked at... well a little bit, but nothing with discussion, so I don't really know how a decision is made.

I'm over thinking it.But hey maybe they could make the decision later today.


All I can do is wait.

Lots of stuff

Right now I should be sleeping as I have work in -7 hours and need to get up in about 6 hours, but I took a nap today because I had to wake up early after sleeping late for a friend's birthday lunch. We went out for some dutch pancakes and I had half a potato, onion, cheese pancake as well as half of my boyfriend's pecan, lemon, coconut and brown sugar pancake. I would've taken pictures but I was hungry since I woke up a bit later than I was supposed to and couldn't have breakfast and we also ended up waiting in line outside for an hour. It was Father's Day so there were soooo many families queued up to dine... longest line I've ever seen there and usually that place always has line-ups on the weekends, but never that long before! Our friend also got a birthday sundae and we were all pretty full but we all tried a little bit, the icecream was really good :)

Afterwards, my boyfriend and I went to go pick up his childhood friend from the airport who came all the way from the UK! It was really cool meeting him and after my boyfriend dropped me off at home and I was just so tired from the lack of sleep... and also from the food. I decided to game a little bit and watch some videos as well as research a little bit on hair dye. One of my friends dyed her hair and when I saw it today I had to ask what she used... I'm considering dying my hair the same colour, but I don't want it to be as bright, even though the brightness is really pretty, as I'm not sure if it'd be appropriate for work, but hey, it could be? Also, I don't know if having it that bright would look good on me, but I think I'll try out the same colour. I'm going to try to look for the product tomorrow during my lunch break.

I also learned some Japanese/did some review from a site I used last year to learn Japanese while I worked at my previous job. I feel like I really need to pick up the pace again, I've got all these resources around me: kanji book that I got for my birthday, two N3 vocab and grammar workbooks (I've actually done the first part of the grammar book so far, but I haven't practiced so I forgot it all...), a bunch of language discs I got from a few birthdays ago, and multiple online resources. You would think that after taking Japanese in university for 2 years that I'd be practicing/be somewhat comfortable with the language now, but there has been no motivation for me to retain since I worked at my previous company. Also, I'm working on multiple projects nowadays (website, video, volunteering) that I haven't really found the energy to review/study... My recent routine is watching videos with Japanese speakers and trying to get a jist of what they are saying without reading English subtitles, so far that's working decently but I need to be learning and trying out things myself. My goal is to be more advanced and comfortable speaking, listening, reading and writing (in that order?) within the next two years... might be a steep goal, but I already studied Japanese for two years, so technically it would be four... but if you count the half year I studied during work, then 2.5 years so almost 5 years for my goal...

I'm also starting to read more about socal media, how to use it effectively in marketing.. etc. I think it would be beneficial to know some background for future jobs and inteviews, since I didn't take any courses in marketing/social media before.

I've also been working on an intro video for my website in AE, and it has been fun so far. I want to release videos on my new youtube channel very soon, so I've been thinking of ideas but that's all I've been doing... I need to actually find a time to make the video, edit it and upload it.

So this is why I've made this post, to keep track of all the things I must do within this week/this month...

This week I need to:

• Finish my intro video for my website. For now I will start very simple and as I gain more experience and practice, I'll make an improved video. :)
• Study Japanese for about 30 minutes each day. The best way to do this is probably online until I feel comfortable getting back into the habit... so hopefully by next week or the week after I'll be doing my workbook stuff again. I'll also take a look at my kanji book and use my CDs.
• Make a video for my channel. Probably going to do this on Saturday or Friday. Need lots of daylight as I don't have a ring light yet. I just gotta figure out what I want to make a video of... I was thinking of a review video on a new brow product I purchased. :)
• Along with my reviews, start up a new blog or continue my blog... I need to get back into the blogging scene to get experience.

This month I need to:

• Read one book in it's entirety... I actually have a lot of ebooks that I've read parts of but haven't finished yet, and I have two books that I need to finish reading as well. One book I am halfway through but it has been like three years, and the other book I haven't really looked through much. I think the one book I will read first in it's entirety is the social media ebook, followed by the freelancing ebook I'm reading. 
• Finish editing my volunteer project. This is something I've been putting on hold because of lack of motivation and technical issues. The file won't open anymore so I need to solve that even though I thought I had resolved the issue a while back, but it's having the issue again. I might need to start over... T_T Probably going to devote next week or this weekend to this. Been putting this off for way too long but that's because I've been working on a number of things lately and well, I really like to enjoy my weekends as much as possible since I do work FT during the weekdays.

So this is what my week will look like:

Monday: Study Japanese, finish intro video, read book

Tuesday: Study Japanese, plan my youtube video, read book

Wednesday: Study Japanese, read book, plan?

Thursday: Study Japanese, read book

Friday: Study Japanese, read book, film video

Saturday: Study Japanese, film/edit video, read book

That looks pretty good for a week, right? This would be after work too, so it's actually a lot of stuff packed into the evening. 

Oh and I also need to work out too... forgot to factor that in. That's something I need to do everyday or ease in by doing every second day. I think I'll try blogilates :)

After typing up this post I feel a little bit tired? But not tired enough to go back to sleep... 

Back in the interview game

I got the interview for the job I submitted my video application for!

The interview was today and wow, I am so excited for this position, it is literally EVERYTHING that I would LOVE to do at work.

It includes video production, graphic design, social media, responding to customer reviews, etc... omg.

I just finished writing and sending my thank you letter to the interviewer. I won't get a response until next week, as they're busy with a sale this week.

I really hope I get this job. It's an hourly position that has a starting wage, but I let the hiring manager know what range I was expecting... I hope it wasn't too much, but the starting wage is lower than what I'm making right now. I don't mind if it's hourly, it really sounds like there's a truck load of work to do each day, so if I get lots of hours then I'm grand!

I really feel like the job fits what I do. I forgot to mention in the thank you letter that I really enjoy how they're building the position around the person they hire.... that's one of the things I'm very excited about.

It looks like they want someone to start soon... he didn't ask me when I could start so ahhh I didn't get the chance to tell him that my contract was ending at my current job, since he asked if I was employed...

In this post I just want to cover questions I want to ask if I do get the offer:

- Are there any health/dental benefits?
- When is the start date?
- What's the minimum/maximum number of hours I can/need to work?
- Do I get vacation time?
- How will you be measuring my performance within the first 60 - 90 days?
- What are the hours of shifts?
- Is there an opportunity to telecommute?
- Would I be working alone or within a team?
- Would I be working in a shared office or at a cubicle?
- What is your communication style?
- Is there opportunity for travel?
- Is there opportunity to attend outside events?
- What is the appropriate attire?

I probably have more questions but that's what I would ask initially. I'll add to this post if there's more.

I'm so stoked.

I was advised there were a lot of applicants, but only four people were selected for an interview because they followed the instructions.

:D Huzzah.

I haven't been this excited from an interview since my captioning job interview.

Applied

I spent the entire day working on my video application. It's been submitted, yay! However when I applied on Indeed it still demanded a resume attachment... so I attached that. Maybe I should have said in brackets that indeed wouldn't let me submit unless I attached one. Hopefully the employer doesn't think I can't follow directions :(

I also applied to a film job as well. I've actually met the president of the company before, but I don't know if she'll remember me... it's been two years since I last saw her. I hope they will consider me. :)

I've made sure to keep my portfolio updated too. Things are coming along and I've realized I really do love video production and editing!! It would be great if I can land a job that uses it most of the time. :D

I was thinking about the whole 8 more weeks until my contract is done.. and a part of me is saying I can definitely hold it out for that long. I just need to find ways of keeping myself sane and composed. I mean, as long as I'm doing things I enjoy in the meantime, I should be fine. But then again it's 7.5 hours a day at work... doing stuff I don't enjoy. :(

I'm really thinking about whether I should send that e-mail to my employment agency... Would they help me? Or would they report it to my assignment? Sigh, I don't know. I also don't want to quit without a backup, in the past it was easy because I was working a part-time job at the same time, so I could make that decision. However, now I only have one job... so I can't easily make that decision anymore. Also, I don't know how my family would react. Everyday I tell them work is 'okay' and I've given subtle hints that it's not very likeable. 8 weeks is a long time to stay at a workplace doing what you dislike...

Especially invoices, gosh I hate those so much with a passion. When I had the interview, they asked me straight up how I processed invoices at my previous job. Red flag right there. Then when they didn't give me the weekend to think it over, but three hours? That's another red flag. Also, when they said I wouldn't be with people that often... that was another red flag for me personally, because I wanted to work with others. Also, I had no idea my boss would be working from home. That's something I wasn't prepared for on my very first day and it went chaotic. Definitely need to make sure it doesn't happen again at my next workplace/job.

APPLY TO ALL THE JOBS!

Herro!

It's been a while since my last post.

I have been blogging, but I haven't been publishing. What I do at work sometimes when there's downtime is I blog offline on my iPod, then forget to publish it later. Probably shouldn't publish anyway, most of it is just me ranting about how bored I am at work. :(

So I'm having a bit of a dilemma. I really want to quit, like right now. However my contract is almost done at this assignment, so I should really hold it off. But at the same time I am so tired of micromanagement, repetitive admin work and miscommunication as well as the lack of socializing, that I am SO tempted to just quit very soon. I shouldn't, I really shouldn't. I need to wait for my next employment opportunity first before I can quit. It's soo hard, but I have to wait it out.

I'm purposely not asking for more work like I usually do, because what if I do get a new job soon? I wouldn't want too much on my plate and feel really awkward for leaving my contract early.

Then again, I've been applying to a lot of jobs (I try to apply to one everyday that I have time) but haven't gotten any interviews yet. I started my follow-up emails so hopefully I will get something soon. :)

I need to make a video resume tomorrow. There's a job that I want to apply for and they're not accepting a traditional resume. Time to roll up my sleeves and get to know AE a little better, too, so I can add nifty effects to my video resume. I've outlined the sections I want to cover, but now I need to come up with a script... hmmm. The posting didn't list a due date, so I am presuming it's ASAP, or until they can find suitable candidates... which is why I need to get started now. I also need good audio, so I'm going to purchase the Zoom H1 tomorrow. Hmm, not sure if I should purchase during my lunch break or after work... 

Gosh, I really want a new job.

I'll find one soon.

If I did quit now, I'd work really hard trying to freelance. I'd also probably find a part-time job. 

I've thought about going back to school as well. My contract ends in August, that would be perfect to go back to school in the Fall... but I don't know, I want work experience. 

I am just so sick of admin work. 

This time I mean it when I say I won't be applying to admin jobs anymore. The work is just so repetitive... I think I just don't like data entry... 

Temp or Full time?

So I've been at my job for almost three months now. I've thought about the holidays I want to take where I can go travel with family and friends. Working in a contract position covering for someone in an office really isn't the greatest, I can't make any big plans to go on a week or two vacation because someone always needs to be in the office. I'm alright with taking a day off but I really can't go anywhere. It got me thinking that maybe I should have tried temporary assignments where you work for a month or a few weeks because that way I could still job hunt but still take a vacation after or before an assignment. But then again it wouldn't work out for finances as much... I need. Fl time position that would allow me to take time off without me having to worry that no one will cover for me. I'm really hoping my next position isn't office admin because from my experience its really hard to get coverage for that. If I have to take up contract work again then it will either be for a weekly thing or a job that isn't an office admin. That's my only requirement to take on any future contract assignments. 

I've been applying to jobs and still need to apply for more. Really dislike office admin work.

I'm glad I have connections. There's this one hr job I will be applying to and I have a friend who brought it to my attention. It has similar duties to what I do now, so hopefully my experience will help my candidacy :) I also applied for an hr intern position at my friend's company, it hasn't been a week yet so ill follow up on Monday. 

I applied to some marketing positions and an unpaid internship. It'd be nice if I can get both the internship and a new job. Gotta keep applying this weekend!! 

Ideal

Sooooo it's been a while!

I managed to get my website up and running, but right now I'm not satisfied with the design so I've been conjuring up different graphics and such~ For now I have a really simple design that is clean... but I want it to be eye-catching and scream that I can offer graphic design and what not.

I haven't ordered my business cards yet. Still not satisfied with the design, but I might just go ahead with it. Need to use coupons for sure though, these can get pricey! I want glossy cards :3

I managed to get a phone interview from that one company I applied to. Waiting to hear back from them... the phone call was spontaneous, I didn't really have any time to prepare, they said the call would be 5 - 7 minutes, and it was, but I didn't expect it to be so detailed. They want to fill the position immediately too.

I applied for a few more jobs. One job was a job my friend told me about, but it's another contract, however, I'd get to work alongside others, so I applied. Hoping I can get the interview and job!

I'm currently overwhelmed by my video side project, but that's because I am inexperienced and have no idea how to research or where to go to get the supplies I need... but it's a good experience for my resume and portfolio!

Also got a new networking contact during the weekend, so yay, prospects :)

There's this one part-time job I'd like to apply for, as well as an unpaid intern job that looks very interesting, but I'm not too sure... it's hard to balance a part-time job with a full-time job, unless it's something that is casual or can be done in the evenings and weekends. The unpaid internship would be good experience and has very short work hours, so I might apply for it to gain experience. Hmm, what to do...

Lots to do

A month later and I'm back in the blogging routine again.

Work has been really slow lately. I had to ask for more things to do and then today I got a rush of work to do. At least it's easy to ask for more work... I really rather not be cleaning the cupboards/office... I did that waaaaay too often at my old job and that's why it wasn't the right fit for me. I wanted to do more meaningful work and tasks. In my current job I am doing that... but lately it's been a lot of data entry. Crazy amounts of data entry! Also, a lot of follow-up... I think I'm starting to get a feel that I don't really like doing these things much in a job. :(

I applied to a job the other day. Not sure when the last day to apply is, but I'm hoping to get an interview. It'd be nice to have an interview at a good timing that corresponds with my contract position, we'll have to see. The job I applied for was actually a job I applied to back in January. This time they changed the job requirements a little and the job title as well. A bit of the work is in my field and the other part of it is the type of work I am looking to do. I should start applying to more jobs soon, but it's really a challenge to get back into the habit of formatting and tweaking my application to showcase my abilities. Ahh.

My freelancing is starting to take off again. I've taken a volunteer position doing video editing/producing and I'm starting to send out messages to companies I'm interested in helping provide video services for. In order to fully showcase my digital media talents, I'm starting to look into purchasing web hosting and a domain for my portfolio/services. I'm hoping to make that purchase soon, as I've been researching a bit for the last few days and I've narrowed it down to one web host as of now that I'd like to go with... It was so hard at first to decide because a lot of web hosts have promotional deals, but after those deals are over, you end up having to pay the regular renewal rate if you decide to stay with the host after your term. The web host I'm fixated on right now has a lifetime discount, so that means I will pay the discount price each time I need to renew... basically the same price I would pay now, would be the same price I'd pay when I'd renew. It has all the features I'd want, so I think I'll go with them. My only curiosity is if I can still refuse not to renew after my term is up. I think I'll have to ask that question before I make my purchase...

After getting my website all worked out I plan to get new business cards as well. I'm debating whether I want the cards to say I'm a Freelance Video Editor, or if I want it to say Digital Media Specalist or something along those lines, so that I'm not just limited to working with video only... I'd like to provide services in social media, graphic design and video production/editing... I just need to build a portfolio in all the other media stuff before I can really decide. Well, I could decide the title for my cards now, but if I choose the more broad one then I would really need to showcase that afterwards. I plan on designing my business cards and then getting them printed by vistaprint.ca. I always get emails with coupons, so might as well use them. XD

So yeah... I've been keeping pretty busy lately.

Should probably start now...

It's been an interesting four weeks on the job. What I like about the job is that it's busy and not too slow (although this week has been a bit slow) but at least I got a sense of what each month is like while working there. I like how there's always a lot to do, but I think I need to ask for more work, although I found out that when I do ask for that, it happens lol so I need to be prepared to take on lots of work. The middle two weeks of the month are pretty busy, lots of reports need to be done and lots of requests need to be taken care of promptly. The last week is pretty busy too with invoicing and accruals too. I think the first week of the month is probably the slowest, but I think for this job it really depends on the requests coming in.

What I wish could improve at the job is having other people in the office with me. I think I've gotten to used to working in solitude in my last few jobs, but I've always had people around me. When I was job hunting, I was looking for a job that would allow me to work in an area that was surrounded by cubicle mates or office mates beside me, etc. I accepted this job because I needed it, but I also knew already that it wasn't what I was looking for in an environment... It's ben a challenge for me to get used to calling my co-workers on the phone every day throughout the day. I'm so used to having my emails replied to quickly, or just being able to get up and walk over to the person that I need to speak with. I need that again. I feel lonely.

Also, I'm getting a little concerned about company procedures. I wasn't presented with an employee handbook or anything because I'm a contractor and I'm employed by my recruiting company. I mean don't they have policies they'd like me to know about? :S I had to ask about casual fridays and I had to ask about which days they recognized as a holiday... it really irks me when I need to ask every single little thing. Sometimes I don't know what to ask about unless I'm told something, then I will ask more about it.

The point of these thoughts is well.. I think I'm not afraid to job hunt right now. My main goal was to secure a FT position. That means no contracts, no temp to perm Just perm, direct hire, that's what I would like. Also, my goal four months ago wasn't to get an admin job. And here I am... working in an admin job. Well, I guess it's not too admin-y, but I'm still doing reception work and taking care of office essentials, so it's still administrative work. I'm going to find a job in a field I want and doing the work I want to do. Time to start writing up cover letters and resumes again. If I can land an interview and get a new job, that's great.

What was holding me back was the fear that employers would cringe if they saw that I've been working only for a month for my current employer. But I would let them know I'm trying to secure FT employment, and do the best I can to wow them. Also, I wish I had gone to that interview I turned down three weeks ago... but oh well, I learned my lesson. And what's starting to make me hesitant now is that my company is starting to let requesters know my position... so I'd feel really bad if I took another position, they would have to start all over again. :S

But I now know that it's a contract and I'm not held back by anything. I need to apply to places and get that job that I know I'm capable of and that's FT.

There's the risk of bridges burning with this company, which I understand. But if I can land the job and do well, it'll be worth it.

Oh and it'd be really nice to be able to go on vacation too. Woring on contracts and in office admin jobs in particular, I've found that there's really no opportunity to go on a one week - two week vacation. Mainly because it's hard to find coverage for the role during a short time for a contract position, and also because it's office admin... and for this company in particular, I can't get coverage for my role in person, because there is no one else. o_o

What to do...

Lately I've been looking at volunteer and part-time opportunities in social media or marketing. I also want to look at graphic design opportunities as well, but I need to build a portfolio first.

There's a part-time job posting that would be perfect for me, but it requires 3 years of experience... and it's a day job. I would be able to go for an interview but if I got the job then I'd have to quit my contract. I don't think that would look good, but that's only on the notion that I do apply and do get an offer...

I'm still iffy about the job after my first week. I think I'll keep looking for other opportunities though. I just need to focus and remember the experience is essential to what I want to do in the future.

Hopefully I can find a volunteer opportunity soon, I want to build my skills and experience so it will be easier to transition to a new, full time job in the future. I really dislike admin work and I feel like I'm not learning a lot... I want to venture into full time into a realm where I find the work engaging and enjoyable.

I'd only do another contract if it was directly related in the field I want to be in (I think I've lost my passion for HR, but maybe later it will rekindle? :S), which is in film and video, communications, marketing, or digital media...

I'm hoping I can also find a good company to work with. A company that really values it's employees, the environment they work in, and provides incentives and assistance at all times. A company where there is structure, and organization. A company that will always listen and improve. I also want to work with people in the same department. I need to develop my people skills.

So grateful for blogs... can keep talking as much as I need to.

The New Job

I've been delaying this post for a while.

Mainly because my experience at my new job wasn't what I thought it'd be. Could be more of my lack of initiative to press on issues, but maybe it's them.

My first day... in a nutshell, was chaotic. In the morning, my manager briefly gave me a rundown of what I needed to do that day. WHAT I NEEDED TO DO THAT DAY!! It was obsurd, usually on the first day you're told to read a bunch of stuff and do a little filing, stuff that is easy... Okay, yes, the tasks I was given were menile. However... they became chaotic because I didn't have enough supplies/information to complete them until near the end of the day. Also, my manager left the office and won't be back until tomorrow. I managed somehow.

I was also told to phone other people in our intra offices. Okay, sure. But what I wasn't prepared for is that I'd be doing it most of the time, because I am the only staff... WHAT??? It feels just like my last job, where I was always on the phone being trained. I hate it. I really do. I want face-to-face interaction, I want co-workers that sit near me and I can talk to them about work and fun stuff. Can't do that here. :( It is a 6 month contract though, so I'm staying because of the skills and experience. Hopefully in my next job, I will be working together with lots of people, and won't really have to be trained on the phone all the time.

I feel like a hermit. When people actually do come in, I'm awkward. This probably because I don't spend a lot of time with people at work. And also because it just adds to my hermit personality...

After my first day, I was seriously considering quitting. Yup... everything was just all over the place, and no one really knew where the last person put things... I told my recruiter how I felt, and she told me to give the next day a try and let her know if it doesn't work out.

That day I also got a job interview call... I missed the call twice, because I was at work, then the third time I picked up after work had finished. I had to decline though... but I think back on it now, maybe I should have accepted it, it was a FT (no contract) position...

My second day went a little better. Got some training over the phone on our content management system, and I felt productive.

Today... was pretty blase. I felt like I sat at my desk not doing much for most of the time. I took the initiative to call my manager an hour ish before closing, and was able to get some training and questions answered.

Still not sure how I feel about the job... but I think I will feel much better when I actually get more training.

There are nice perks though.

My lunch is flexible, and apparently it was only supposed to be a half hour lunch, but I asked about an hour, and my manager said I could take an hour if I don't take breaks, or if I do take breaks, I'd have to stay half an hour longer. Makes sense. Also, on Fridays we get off early if we don't have work to do for the last half hour. Pretty good.

What I don't know is, if there is a casual Friday... I will have to ask tomorrow. Next Monday is a holiday too, but there hasn't been any announcement, so I'm unsure of that as well.

It's going to take me a while to get used to picking up the phone all the time to ask for help. At my previous jobs, I've always just used email or talked in person, and I find that email was easier for them and they would respond right away.

Here... people don't respond to their emails right away...
But they do for their phone, so I need to get used to it.

I emailed my recruiter today regarding my timesheet. Yay, paycheque soon :D

Such excite!

The recruiter got back to me on Thursday and advised me I'd have an interview with the client the next day.

I attended the interview. I thought it went pretty well but I was asked a few questions I wasn't too prepared for, but the interviewer praised me and said I was well prepared. She even gave me a little tour of the office. It's pretty nice, much smaller than what I've worked in before though. I found out the position is really similar to my previous job, which I do mind a little bit, but I was advised that it'd be very busy... so as long as I'm busy, I'm happy. There may be occasional slow periods though, but I was informed there would still be lots to do during that time.

The interview asked me a lot of behavioural questions, and told me a bit about the company and position. She would ask me a few times if I had any questions for her, and I had a few, but when she would ask I may have run a little dry. However I recalled on what she mentioned and asked her to check on my resume, I can't believe I did that. But I wanted to see how my job duties would be like in real time, so why not start on my own? I felt bad afterwards because she was doing it for free for me... when I would get paid to do this in the future, but I wrote a thank you letter to explain what I was thinking at that moment.

After the interview I went to go visit some friends for lunch breaks. While waiting for my friends, I received a call from the recruiter, asking me how I thought I did. I told her I thought it went well but I could have improved. She heard from the interview I was asked some hard questions, and that they would like to extend the offer to me. I asked for some time to think about it. The position starts immediately. I talked about it with my friends for a bit and then accepted it shortly after. I asked questions about attire and vacation days... and found out that the vacation weeks would not be approved as that was near my contract finish date. The recruiter asked me if I could start on Monday, but I asked if Tuesday would be okay since I need to work things out with my current employer. She said she would ask the manager and get back to me. 

She got back to me about half an hour later, and confirmed that Tuesday would be my start date. I have a feeling I could have pushed it for Wednesday, but I know the client wanted someone to start right away. I just don't know how I feel about resigning from my current employer so soon... I talked it over with a recruiting friend and I've decided to do the resignation on Monday before I leave the office that day. It might be a bit awkward, but I need to finish up a project. I also will try to finish an upcoming project too, and then I believe after those two projects I will be done my work.

At first I was very excited to get the job and accept. After hearing all the details about a busy environment, I quickly became infatuated. However, right now I'm sort of not sure, but I haven't work in it yet, so I really don't know much enough to judge. The recruiter said we'd talk after my first day to see if it's still a good fit or if it's not a good fit. 

When the interviewer told me the ideal start date, I couldn't say I could start within two weeks notice to my employer. I said I could start within that date. They smiled really enthusiastically. I took that as she may have thought I was desperate, or she really liked my answer. If the job could start later in the month, it would work for me, and it wouldn't feel awkward handing in my resignation. But it'll be awkward, it's so sudden for me, since I'm going to be at my part-time during the evenings and weekends until my last day of work there, so I got to do my best on Monday.

Interview with agency

I just got home from my interview with the agency for the EA position.

I got to the location 25 minutes early, so I went into the main building lobby to clean my shoes and take off my coat. Unfortunately, after trekking through the snow and slush... I didn't clean my boots off on the carpet well enough, so I feel really bad because I tracked mud all over the clean white floor in the lobby. I'm pretty sure the security woman was looking at me weirdly the entire time. T_T Maybe I should've offered to wipe it off... also, I didn't realize the wet naps I was using to wipe my shoes had suds in it.. that may have added to the problem. T_T

I decided to head up 5 minutes after to the agency, since I wanted to avoid awkwardness with the front desk. I got up to the floor and tried to search for a seating area so I could wait out the 10 minutes, since it's not good to come in 20 minutes, it can make the recruiter feel anxious about letting you in earlier than scheduled. I walked around and couldn't find a seat, so I tried to look for a washroom. The men's washroom didn't have a lock, but the women's had a combination lock... so I just stood in a corner. The security woman came up and I greeted her and she smiled at me. I'm pretty sure she was thinking I was weird for standing in the corner. 

8 minutes passed by and I decide to go in... At around 12:58 I met with the recruiter.

They didn't ask me a lot of questions about why I was interested, or why they should hire me, etc. It was more of what kind of environment am I comfortable working with, am I looking for a minimum of 6 months for employment, and what I did at my past and current jobs. I made sure to emphasize on points that I thought were relevant to the company and the position. It was hard to tell when I could speak, since it seemed like the recruiter did most of the speaking, but I got to speak and used it to my advantage. They also asked me what kind of environment I worked in at my previous job, was there a lot of down times, or was it busy because I was helping several departments...? I answered that half the month it would be busy, but the other half it would slow down, so I am looking to work in a fast-paced environment.

I also had to fill out a bunch of forms regarding workplace safety, hazards, a test on workplace health and safety, a background criminal check, an understanding of temporary assignment and of the employment guidelines. I learned that the recruiting agency would be my official employer, and that I am contracted out to the companies that I am doing work for. So that means if my employer decides to hire me FT, I need to let the agency know first. I found out that the position is available to take over a maternity leave. My question is that, for resume purposes, who do I put down on my resume as the company? Do I put the agency, or do I put the client company?

My resume and Microsoft office skills make me a viable match, according the recruiter. So that's great :) They're looking for someone who can get to work right away, so my skills would bring me on board well.

They've advised me that I will hear back around the end of this week if the client decides to hold a phone interview, or next week if the client wants to meet face-to-face. While phone interviews are great for appearance reasons, I'm not too keen on it since I can't see the other side and I always feel like I need to answer immediately, otherwise they might think I've dropped the call. I'd prefer face-to-face, but I won't mind the phone interview. 

I've written a thank you letter to the recruiter. Now to wait and read the documents they've handed to me. 

Eeep!

Alrighty, it's time to do a lot of rehearsing and preparation for my interview.

I've rehearsed a lot of different questions and answers that can pop up during the interview. I've also thought of some stories to match any differently worded or unexpected questions. I went through my resume, prepared my work references and gathered advice from some HR friends of mine.

I learned that the agency will try to match me to the job, so they'll go over my resume.

I need to iron my clothes, make my hair nice, and wake up early and head to the location early. I need to make a good impression.

I'm taking a little break right now, but I'm going to keep formulating answers to some questions and then keep on rehearsing. I can do this!

Interview :)

I followed-up with the company and they replied to me today saying they went with more qualified candidates who had more experience. Ahhh! I got rejected. I've definitely learned from this experience though, such as:

• Learn a little about the background of the type of company/the industry (learning about what the company is, but learn the elements)
• Following up is good, people won't leave you in the dark if you do
• For every answer that is inquiring about your knowledge of something, ALWAYS use an example from your experience, that way you they know you are saying what you mean because of your experience, also it shows how you would work in a similar situation

Onto exciting news! I got another interview. :) It's for an EA position and the interview is through a staffing agency. I don't know anything about the client, so I will definitely have to ask about them during the interview. 

My interview is next week, so I'm going to take some time this weekend to prepare. I've learned that I should be completely prepared, so I should prepare answers to a bunch of questions. I've read that recruitment agencies are like gatekeepers to the company, so they'll ask you about your expertise in a field and your skills. They might go with a behavioural interview approach to get the most of your experiences, so I'll make sure to prep for that as well. I also took some tests prior to the interview, so that will also show some knowledge of the needed software during the job. I don't know my scores though, so I'll have to ask during the interview.

I need to make a great and lasting impression on the recruiter so they can pitch me to the company and I can get the job. 

I can do this!