My great big ol’ journey to the East begins today, but first I have to make a stop in the Midwest. I left most of my belongings in Missouri after I graduated because I didn’t know where I wanted to go, which, in retrospect, was probably not the greatest idea. Now that I’m moving to New York, I basically have to unload everything.

It’s an adventure! Right? You know, selling all your stuff, moving large boxes, that sort of thing.

Adventure! It’s what the kids are calling it these days, I hear. Whatever it is.

On the upside, I got an interview request last week. Forty applications sent out, one concrete interview request! I’m pretty excited about it (but not too excited. A Minnesota excited, if you will). At this rate, I’m feeling really good about my 400th application at this rate!

September 25, 2009 at 5:16 am | Uncategorized | No comment

Job Search Day 19

Resumes submitted: 23
Responses: 3 (two from internships [follow-up questions and a possible interview], one rejection from a real job)
Days until The Big Move begins: 21
Mid-call flushes since Aug. 27: 0

I’m pretty much at a halfway point here, about four weeks since I decided to move to New York and another four weeks until I’m settled in a hallway-sized room in Cobble Hill. I’m hopeful these next weeks will be more promising than the last few when it comes to searching for jobs. I haven’t had tons of luck so far, but the fact is, I feel like I’m learning with each job application. I’m learning how to best approach employers, to read the entire job description, to spell check two, three, four times, and most of all, not to be afraid to discuss my accomplishments.

I submitted my resume to JobFox the other day for a free critique, and they had some really great input. Among the things they mentioned, they said I should talk about results rather than just tasks on my application. I used the advice and overhauled my resume. All in all, I’m much more satisfied with what I have now, and I hope employers see the difference. So! Onward with the second half. I’m giving myself four months in New York. If I’m still unemployed by February 1, I’ll move elsewhere, tail between my legs, but at least I can say I tried.

September 4, 2009 at 8:40 pm | Uncategorized | No comment

So, I’m not gonna lie. I was sort of disappointed after my first rejection. It’s a different hearing a flat-out no, instead of just not hearing anything at all. I’d also been pretty interested in that job, too, so I think it was a little extra sad for me. In any case, I got over it pretty quickly and decided to stop looking at the huge media job boards, such as Mediabistro and Journalism Jobs. And I moved onto Craigslist.

For all its sketchiness in other places, New York’s Craigslist actually seems legit and full of freelance opportunities, which gives me a lot of hope. If nothing else, it looks like I could manage to at least pick up a job here or there, doing just about anything. I could edit if I wanted to, or I could design for print or web. So far, I’ve been applying for paid internships. Internships can lead to jobs, but they can also buy me more time. If I don’t like an internship, I can always keep applying for other jobs, and if nothing else, it’ll let me line my pockets for just a bit longer. I’ve even heard back from places! Which is fantastic! I’ve got a possible lead on a part-time paid (!) web design internship for an ad agency. I’m hoping my October move won’t be a dealbreaker.

There’s part of me that wonders, sometimes, if I’m maybe a bit overqualified for yet another internship (my fourth!), but we’re in a recession. But the fact is, I’m mostly a self-taught web designer with most of my learned skills in print design. I could definitely use some experience transitioning to Web. Plus, there’s still so much I need to learn. I keep meaning to teach myself Drupal and Joomla and a lot more JavaScript. I’m just pumped to hear positive things from anyone, anywhere.

August 29, 2009 at 10:32 am | jobhunt2k9 | No comment

I got my first rejection e-mail today. It was for a copy editing position with a nonprofit organization meant to help get better teachers to lower-income and minority schools. I’m a huge proponent of that sort of thing and felt like I was qualified, so it’s a bit of a downer that I didn’t even get an interview. I was pretty sure that job was fated from the start, though. I was probably marked from the first e-mail asking to whom I should address my cover letter. The response? The job description mentions it.

I asked twice. Oops.

Also, I may have failed to mention that I absent-mindedly answered their call on my way out of a public bathroom. I’d been waiting in line and someone cut in front of me. She looked to be pretty out of it, so I let her go and kept waiting. The phone rang, and since I had it in hand, I answered just as the line cutter flushed. Loudly. Like, The Flush That Rang ‘Round The World, Through My Phone, Across the East Coast and Into the Ear of a New York Nonprofit Staffer loud.

On the upside, I’ve still got a month, and now I know my applications aren’t just going out into this giant void. And that I should never, ever, under any circumstances answer a telephone in a bathroom, no matter how close I may be to the door. Never.

August 27, 2009 at 8:32 pm | jobhunt2k9 | No comment