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