job interview/ job articles/ entrepreneur

May 23 Job interview: Today was my day off and I went to a job interview.  It was for an office position.  I had to take 2 buses to get there.  I kind of dreaded going to it because it was far away, and it was cold and rainy today. I did go to it because I didn't want to put obstacles in front of myself.  I have emailed my resume and applied to that place multiple times before.  It wouldn't hurt if I went there and I could gain a job.  Or at least more job interview experience.  I feel good that I went to the interview because I learned more about the company. The woman I talked to asked me good questions like: "What do you look for when you apply for a job?"  She also asked if I have ever been asked to leave a job.  I guess it's to see how honest you are and if you are a good worker.  I told her about being laid off from 3 places. The interview was okay.  Now that I know the shifts, I then went home and looked up the bus schedules.  The buses work fine.  I can work here on the weekdays and the restaurant on the weekends. Inn: It's like that job interview I did at the inn a couple of weeks ago.  I applied there multiple times.  I did the interview and then I learned it wasn't really for me once I learned how the place was run.  The way they ran it was fine, just not for me. Telemarketer: I was thinking about that telemarketer job again.  The boss was nice and she asked me: "How do you feel about the job?"  She asked that each day I worked there.  I have worked at a lot of places, and nobody really asked me "How do you feel?"  They might ask "So what do you think of the job?" Job articles: I got these from Job Boom newsletter: "Business behavior: 10 Commandments of Business Behavior" is a fast and easy read.  Get names right, and if you don't know the answer that's okay.  What's not okay is if you don't even bother looking for the right answer. http://lifewise.canoe.ca/Microgalleries/Work/BusinessBehavior/2012/02/13/19374741.html?&pic=10 College degrees: Now here's a really good article: "What's a college degree worth?"  This is so informative because it has all these stats: Q: What's your advice to students who are trying to pick a major? A: If you become a petroleum engineer, you'll earn $90,000 out of college. If you become social worker, you will make $35,000. The differences are huge. The question is, what are you prepared for and what do you want to do? What are your interests? What are your abilities? Q: Are there other keys to financial success? A: Professionals like engineers, scientists and even financial types tend to have two careers. First, they have a technical career - they are a chemist, engineer, biologist, bank analyst. But then they have a second career as a manager. If you work in a job that's more technical, the odds that you will become a manager are much higher than if you become a schoolteacher. I can tell you, it's good to be the boss. You make a lot more money when you are in charge. http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Features/2012/04/30/pf-19698726.html Economy: Here is some news of the economy.  There is a 14.7% unemployment rate for 15-24 yrs old.  That's harsh for the summer job market. http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Politics/2012/03/09/19483161.html Business dining: Here's an article "Business Dining: Dos and don'ts."  I read it in 24 before, but it's still good tips. http://lifewise.canoe.ca/FoodDrink/2012/02/27/19430636.html May 24 Job search tip: My career counselor was right about how if I go to popular job sites like Job Bank and Kijiji, there is going to be lots of competition.  That's because everybody goes to those sites and apply to them.  When I do interviews that I find from those sites, the interviewers always say there are lots of applicants. I was at the telemarketer job and the boss said she put her ad on one of those sites and she got a lot of responses. May 25 Job rant: I've been thinking about this for a long time.  It has finally taken a toll on me.  I need to write about it so I can get over it and move on.  Have you heard of the saying "Insanity is doing the same thing over again and expecting different results"? I think I heard this on Angel and Faith guest-starred.  I probably heard it on Dr. Phil too.  Last month my sister said that to me about my job search.  I had thought of that saying about my job search before my sister said that.  I looked for an office assistant job for the entire year of 2011.  I was only working part-time at the restaurant and in the afternoons when I got home, I looked for an office job on the internet. I applied to several places like send 100 resumes a month, read the business section of the newspaper everyday, reading job articles.  I go to at least 1 interview a month.  Maximum of 9 interviews a month.  I was very focused and time-conscious of my free time to devote to getting an office job. You may even count 2010, but I was mainly looking more for a regular job like at a restaurant, and then an office assistant job. Lessons: A lesson I learned in high school was this: "In my case, I have to work hard and study more so I can barely pass and be average."  To pass math, I had to attend every class, and to have my sister tutor me and help me with my homework every night.  I have to go to my math tutor once a week so I can barely pass.  In 2006, when I got laid off from Call Centre #1, it took me 9 days to get a job at that office supply store.  In 2010, when I got laid off from the Soup place, it took me 8 months to get my restaurant job that I have now.  If you go to my blog, you can read how I struggled and was passing out 100 resumes a month.  I worked so hard just to get a regular job. Resume: In 2008, my friend Angela took a look at my resume and she made it look really good.  My resume looked kind of repetitive, so she put the same experience into one job title.  This year my friends Jessica and Michelle looked at it and gave me tips.  I also took a look at Jessica's resume.  Thanks for your help. Job tips: To all my friends: If I'm going the wrong path, tell me.  It's like that time in 2008 when I went to that staffing agency.  I was there for a couple of weeks doing interviews and mentioned it in my email/ blog.  Then I told my parents and they told me to stay away from staffing agencies because they make money off of you.  Go to the company directly and get a job there than through a staffing agency. I sent another email telling people to stay away from staffing agencies, and a couple of my friends told me that they knew those weren't good.  If they're not good, how come you didn't tell me?  Well my friend Cham told me she was going to a staffing agency and I told her to not go there.  If she listens to me, that's good. Entrepreneur: If my friends or anybody is going the wrong path and is going to make a bad decision, I would tell them.  Here's a hypothetical conversation: Person: I want to open my own store, like a video store. Me: Don't open a video store.  Nobody rents anymore because they're on Netflix.  Block Buster closed down and so is Rogers Video. Person: Then I'll open a book store. Me: Nobody buys books anymore.  They all get Kindles. Person: Then I'll open a computer store that sells laptops. Me: Nobody buys laptops, they all buy iPads. Methods: Back in 2010, I saw a psychic who told me that I over analyze and think too much.  So I do change my actions.  I think about something for a bit before I do it.  Then I do it.  Then I analyze and write about it. For example with my job search: 1. Read the job ad.  Think about it by seeing where the location is on Google Maps.  Do I qualify for it?  Am I interested in it? 2. Apply for the job.  If I get an interview, I research and prepare for it. 3. Do the interview. 4. Write and analyze the interview in my weekly email/ blog.