phone interview/ homeless to law school graduate

Jul. 16 Phone interview: I did a job interview on the phone today.  She called me on the time she said she would.  I did look up the address and the company.  The company was under the owner/ boss’s name, so I got all the info about the boss, but not the company.

She told me that it’s busy for 2 months of the year.  The rest of the year, I work 4 days a week.  I got a lot of information about this administrative assistant position.

Jul. 18 College song: Yesterday I was listening to Throwback Thursdays on the radio station Hot 107.  You know you’re old if you listen to old music.  Lol.  They were playing Kanye West’s song “All Falls Down.”  Here are the lyrics:

She has no idea what she's doing in college
That major that she majored in don't make no money
But she won't drop out, her parents will look at her funny
Now, tell me that ain't insecurrre
The concept of school seems so securrre
Sophmore three yearrrs aint picked a careerrr

Jul. 21 Possessions article: I found this Globe and Mail article “Would you pay for a care package from Bill Nye?” on Nov. 1, 2013.  This belongs in my business email because it’s about selling a product.  Here are some excerpts:

Architect Monica Adair was feeling guilty. She had fallen behind on sending scores of thank-you cards, including one to Spanish friends who hosted her in the late 1990s. Then, one day about four months ago, among bills and junk mail, a small package arrived on her doorstep.

She tore it open and found a long, rectangular wall organizer for holding cards, along with an earnest letter from Swiss designer Tina Roth Eisenberg on the importance of saying thanks. “What can you get in the mail that can change your life?” asks Adair, who lives in Saint John, N.B. “All of a sudden it arrived, and that’s exactly what happened.”

Adair is one of thousands across the world who receive missives from Quarterly, a website where regular folks pay $25, $50 or $100 to receive quarterly packages filled with items hand-picked by celebrities, bloggers and other public personalities. It’s one of an emerging market of subscription-style online services that deliver grab-bag-style parcels throughout the year, ranging from makeup (Birchbox) to coffee (Craft Coffee) to shoes (ShoeMint).

“In terms of raw emotional impact, the experience of getting good mail is unparalleled – e-mails, text messages, and tweets don’t even come close,” wrote Frechette in a public letter when the site launched. “Quarterly wants to recapture the romance and impact of a well-crafted package, but tie it into existing online communities in an organic way. We think there’s a hunger for analog experiences that complement digital ones.”

Style blogger Megan Collins says her Quarterly packages aim to help her fans and subscribers live more “intentional” yet “stylish” lives. “I think curation is the enemy of consumerism. I never feel like what I’m sending out is an advertisement or clutter,” she says. “Anything that disrupts your day, that makes you stop in your tracks, is a good thing. … It’s like you’re right back under the Christmas tree, or at your birthday party.”

“We are trying to make sense of who we are,” says Arsel. “And it’s normal to identify the stories that are attached to our objects as our stories, but now we’re actually buying those stories, fully formed.”

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/relationships/would-you-pay-for-a-care-package-from-bill-nye/article15189643/

My opinion: The last paragraph I will put into my inspirational quotes.  This product seems cool and fun, but I don’t want to buy stuff that I don't totally need.

Cam Gigandet: He played a bad guy on The OC and the movie Never Back Down.  This is related to my job email because he talks about the bad environment on The OC:

“I learned a lot.  But the things that I remember now- none of them are good.  It was only the third or fourth season.  Those kids were f---ing miserable.  They were just- they would not remember their lines on purpose.  They were young.”

My opinion: Really?  That reminds me of The Simpsons where the teachers go on strike.

Homer: If you don’t like your job, you don’t go on strike.  You just go in everyday and do it really half-ass.

Career changes: I was reading the Metro “The Unexpected majors of celebs” on Jun. 16, 2014.

Kourtney Kardashian: This reality star went to Arizona university degree with a bachelor in theatre arts and a minor in Spanish.

Ashton Kutcher: This actor planned to study biochemical engineering at the University of Iowa.

Carrie Underwood: This singer went to Oklahoma’s Northeaster State University with a bachelor’s degree in mass communications in 2006.

Jon Hamm: This Mad Men star was an English major at the University of Missouri and taught some middle school after graduation.

My opinion: I can totally see Hamm being a teacher.  He does look like a teacher.

Homeless to law school graduate: I was reading the Metro article “Ottawa woman’s journey from the streets to the law” by Trevor Greenway on Jun. 16, 2014.

Raphaelle Ferland was 16 yrs old and homeless with a substance abuse problem.  Now she’s 25 yrs old with a law degree.  She ran away from her troubled home and couch surfed.  She wants to become a criminal defense lawyer since she lived on the streets.

“You just can’t give up.  If you want something, there will be so many hurdles in your way.  But if you overcome those hurdles, the rewards are enormous.”

Jul. 23 Telemarketer: Today I went to an interview for a telemarketer position.  I have gotten a call from them before back in fall 2011.  In 2011, I was kind of hesitant, because it was a telemarketer job and not an office job.  It was also night shifts and it was in kind of a ghetto part of town.

In 2012, I worked at Telemarketer #1 and #2 job and it was competitive.  I was dismissed from both because I didn’t sell anything within the first 4 days.  It was in downtown. 

In 2014, I decided to go to the interview to see what it’s all about.  Don’t go making assumptions until you are actually there.  I was walking on the street, and I felt unsafe.  It was like 5pm and the sun is shining and bright.  The neighborhood wasn’t good.

The office was small and it was like Call Centre #2 and #6.  Low end.  There were nice paintings.  It was a seasonal position like Telemarketer #1 and #2 where the position lasts for like 6-8 months and then it ends.  Then the workers come back when the next season starts.

After I did the interview, and got all the information, I thought about it.  I did feel like trying Telemarketer #1 and #2 job again.  In those places, it was in downtown and that’s safer.

Aug. 12 Job interview: Today is my day off and I went to a job interview.  It was like 45 min long.  It was close to get to.  The hours are day time.  There are a few evenings and weekends, but they give you lots of notice. 

I went to their website and did a lot of research.  They asked good questions.  I learned a lot about the company.  There was a proofreading test at the end of it.  I did a couple of those before at other interviews.

There was a rapport between me and the interviewers.

Aug. 17: Last week I did another job interview.  He asked some really good questions to get to know me.  It seemed like a job I can achieve at.  The hours are day time and easy to get to.  There would be a second round of interviews.