job interview/ The Year of New Directions

Dec. 20 Job interview: Today was my day off and I did a job interview.  It was average.   It was for a really big and good company.  I did my research on them, so when the interviewer asked, I read my notes to her. I felt the expectations were really high, and that you have to be really good to work there.  I have done interviews at other companies before, and they're more relaxed. Holiday job search: I read in 24 newspaper about doing your job search during the holidays.  I had read an article like this before a few yrs ago.  There are a lot of people and companies who slow down during this time because they're going on vacation.  There are also a lot of people and companies hiring right now for the new year. The message is: Don't stop looking for a job during the holidays.  A lot of people stop looking for a job right now, so you need to keep applying. I certainly am because I did a job interview the other day and today.  There aren't as many job ads posted on Kijiji recently. Dec. 21: I did an interview earlier this week, and I didn't get hired.  That's okay, because: 1. It was through a staffing agency.  I didn't know it though.  I was on the internet and found this job ad, and it didn't say: "Our client..." or mention it was a staffing agency, so I applied.  I got a call back, and then was told of the name and learned that it was a staffing agency. 2. I did the interview and learned about the position.  I can see myself getting hired and doing the training, and then not doing well in the position. 3. It seemed to be a very hard and demanding position.  I think a lot of people will say they're not interested in this kind of position because you have to be very aggressive. I was not a fit for it. Writer job: Today I applied for a writer position.  The ad was a week ago, but I still applied to it. Dec. 23 Health: I'm about being productive, working, and making money.  On Dec. 18, I got a call from Call Centre #6 to come to work the next day.  I turned them down.  On Dec. 19, I went to bed early.  I slept from 7:30pm-8:30pm.  I thought I was going to lay down for a few min. and rest, and then get up.  I wake up at 8:30, then go back to sleep until 10:30pm. Then for 1hr I was up and reading.  I was sick, but by sleeping, I was able to heal myself. Dec. 25: On Christmas Eve, I worked the morning and it was busy.  Today is Christmas, and it was so busy.  I was only supposed to work the morning, but they really needed me so I stayed until close.  It's not like I had anything I had to do. Dec. 26: Today wasn't really busy.  In 2010 when I worked at Restaurant #1, on Boxing Day, it was very busy.  In 2011 at Restaurant #2 (my current job), it was quiet.  This year was also quiet.  Dec. 27 The Year of New Directions: That's what I will call 2012.  In 2011, it was called the Year of the Office Job Search.  I got hired and tried out some news jobs this year.  I had written it down on a piece of paper to keep track of. 1. Switchboard: It was in March.  I did 1 day of job training/ shadowing and I realized I would have to study the system really hard.  It was only $11/hr and I could get paid for the same amount of money doing something easier.  What if this small company closed down?  Then I can't really use that knowledge in any other place.  So after that day, I really thought about the pros and cons.  I didn't take the position. 2. Survey person: It was in April.  It was supposed to be a 1 month long job.  It was okay. 3. Telemarketer #1: It was in May.  I wasn't good at selling over the phone, so I was dismissed. 4. Telemarketer #2: It was in June.  It was pretty much for the same company, but at a different location.  Same thing happened where I didn't sell anything.  At least I gave it a good shot. 5. Dental lab: It was in July.  I spent an entire day training/ job shadowing.  After 2 hrs, the boss asked what I thought about it.  I wasn't ready to make a decision.  After that talk, I consciously thought about the position as I was working.  This is the office job I wanted. I wasn't putting obstacles in front of myself, but I can really see myself not doing well at the position.  I didn't really like it.  The boss and the young women who trained me were nice, but I personally didn't think I was a good fit.  Good luck to them.  I don't regret not taking the job. 6. Newspaper: It was in September.  I tried out the job of selling newspaper subscriptions door-to-door.  It was a 4hr job shadowing/training.  I sold a few subscriptions.  I had signed a contract where I had to work 40hrs before I would get paid for all the subscriptions I sold.  I didn't like this position at all. 7. Call Centre #6: In Feb. I applied, but when they asked if I was available, I was unsure.  My restaurant had started extending my hrs.  I needed more information and then I did research.  They only needed me to work for a short amount of hrs a week and it turns out I could. I tried calling back a few times, but they never got back to me.  I stopped calling and pursued other job opportunities.  In Aug. I emailed my resume to them and they said, try again in the fall.  I did and got hired.  I only get 1 or 2 shifts a week, so it's not like I totally missed out on making extra money.  As you can see from the above list, I did get hired at other places and made money.  Or at the very least got some experience. Hospital food job: This was in May.  I did an interview with them, and a month later I got hired.  However, when we discussed availability, my hrs have increased at the restaurant.  After some discussion, they decided not to hire me because of my availability.  That's fine. Career research: I also took a month off my office job search, and researched a whole bunch of careers.  I haven't spent an entire month doing that before.  I have done career research before like for school and career investigation reports when I was applying to NAIT.  The last time I applied to NAIT was in 2005. Career counseling: Another different thing I tried was that I took some career counseling sessions this year at my college.  I have only done a couple of sessions with guidance counselors in high school.  In 2003, I was upgrading, and I wanted to get into NAIT's TV program.  I was in Eng. 30, and the min. requirement to get in was at least 65% in it or get a 75% in Eng. 33. The counselor said they look at Eng. 30 first, so I should stick with it instead of going into the lower class and getting a higher mark.  The other required class was math. Counseling: My Career Counselor at college then suggested I go to counseling.  I went there and that was another new direction.  I think it did help. Kelly Osbourne: I recently read an article about how she lost 69 pounds.  She said that she's happy, not because she lost the weight, but because she went to therapy.  After she sorted out and dealt with the issues on the inside, she then went to the gym and started working out really hard.  Jan. 1: Happy New Year!