A few years ago PiC asked me, out of the blue, words to the effect of “have you ever not gotten a job you applied for?” My answer, after careful consideration, was “no. I’ve gotten every job I’ve ever tried for.” At that time my response was 100% the truth. Back where I was raised I spent 20 years weaving my way through the IT community, making connections in many, many circles, being known for my skills, talent, passion for computers.
What I’m about to say… you can’t take it as me throwing a pity party. It’s my reality. Ok? I don’t want any of those “aww, poor Poppy! It’ll be ok soon!” comments. I’m just stating what I’m experiencing.
Here I am completely unknown. Here I have no connections. Here I have applied for more jobs than I’ve had in my entire life and gotten zero of them. Granted, I am actually being hunted now that my resume is up on Dice, but … so far the universe isn’t lining up for that perfect match.
A few days after I arrived I actually had a job interview, for which I got that manicure, and bought a dress, and bought eye liner, and bought mascara, and bought panty hose (shut UP), and bought heels. I got a Metro card for that interview. I rode the subway for that interview. I asked a stranger where a certain street in Manhattan was for that interview. I then got picked up by Dawg after that interview and we “celebrated” the completion of it by going snack shopping at the Super Stop & Shop while I was still in my dress and heels. I honestly thought I had at least a shot at the courtesy of that employer contacting me back with a “yes!” or a “sorry…” after receiving a full tour of the facility by the director of IT and a closing mention of “we’ll be notifying candidates of our decision [last] week.” But… nope.
Since then I’ve had two phone interviews from one company who clearly decided to say “thanks, but no thanks” by telling me the first person who interviewed me would call me back but she never did. I’m just not used to the rudeness. I’m sorry, but where I’m from it’s actually more rude to say you’ll call then never do it. As Teri Garr said in Tootsie, I’d like my pain now. Don’t lead me on that you’ll call if you won’t. Just a friendly suggestion from a job seeker who actually fills her days with other things than just finding a job, but keeps the job search going anyway.
Wednesday night Dawg’s dad semi-jokingly offered me a job for $10 an hour, and I realized then rudely said, “I made $10 an hour when I was 20″ to which he quickly responded, “money is money.” An excellent point, but I can’t get my mind off the fact that if I take a job that isn’t The Right Job then I’m not sure what I’m doing here. Yes, I’m here because I’ve found the love of my life and we’re going to live happily ever after… but, I’m really supposed to also get a job where I make the big bucks in a field with few job opportunities in the entire state of Vermont but what seems like a million here in New York. I know I’m the only one putting the pressure on myself, but I cannot believe I have been here for almost 3 weeks and I still have no solid leads on a place to work, especially considering the industry I work in and the timing of the year. This should be the time that people in my industry are desperate for talented, hard working, dedicated, intelligent, get-the-job-done-with-a-smile people like me.
I do believe that when the job is actually right it will magically be offered to me. And perhaps that is a mistake on my part.
After I come back to New York with the kittos I will be able to focus on a fiercer search for a job.
If I had my own IT department I’d totally hire you. In fact I’d even outsource it to New York so you wouldn’t have to move to the west coast.
Sadly, I don’t have much call for an IT department around my house. BUT IF I DID…well, you get the idea.
Damn. I guess it’s true what they say about NYC being tougher and all that!
Hey - I hope I am not being too forward, but seriously, if you’re willing to commute to Long Island, there are openings @ my employer (the train station is literally around the corner from my job….). If you’re interested, shoot me an e-mail and we’ll talk off-line. If there’s a match (because I don’t know your qualifications other than IT), I will forward your resume directly to the recruiters there. It really is an awesome place to work. You’re way too smart to not be working here. :)
Hi Poppy!
As a friendly voice who did the opposite of what you did (I moved from Manhattan to Vermont) I have to point out a few things about said job markets.
Competition in NYC is fierce, especially if you are going after something specialized. A job opens here in VT, 10 apply and 9 aren’t qualified. In NYC, 50 apply and half could be qualified, the other half are over-qualified. Dawg’s Dad is right, a job is a job. Once you get your foot in the door you can network and move around more. Little fish, big pond now. Things will be (things ARE) different.
You are there for the love of your life. Stay focused on your happiness in the relationship and the rest will follow naturally, really.
All the best~
Peace…………..
I
when you get all ferosh!!!
P.S.
Call the vet!
You need to follow up with these people - do not wait for them to call you.
Make calls, send emails, everything you can, and keep in touch with them until they give you an answer.
Job hunting sucks… which is probably why I haven’t done it in eleven years.
I like to believe everything happens for a reason. If you haven’t gotten one of the jobs you’ve applied for yet, it’s because a much better one is waiting around the corner for you. Good luck! Try not to stress; it’ll all work out. (You know this.)
What Avi said. Do any of your many contacts have NY contacts of their own?
I’ve never in my life had to apply for a job, but I’m about ready to walk out of the one I have - hell, living in my car sounds good right now.
Good luck, you’ll get there!
Avitable’s right. Don’t let them forget about you… email them thanking them for their time, follow up with a phone call a day or two later. Be agressive! The right job is waiting for you somewhere out there… you’ll know it when you interview for it. Good luck! =)
Looking for a job bites.
But maybe the right job hasn’t come to you yet. Hang in there.
I agree with Finn, finding a job bites bad.
Toronto is not NYC and I don’t have mad skills like you, but it’s been my experience (on both sides) that, while everyone says you have to be aggressive and do multiple call-backs, some employers do not appreciate being hassled on a regular basis.
Finding the right hire can be laborious & take more time than anticipated, for many different reasons (e.g. decision makers are on vacation, more interviews are (re)scheduled, they’re actually arguing about candidates, etc).
I usually keep my courteous follow-up to ONE call or email. After that, they can suck it (unless I really, really want to work for them). I try not to nag because I’ve actually seen it irritate execs & admin staff (”we advised you we’d call when we made our decision; therefore, we haven’t called because a decision hasn’t been made yet” was their polite way of saying “knock it off, dude”).
I just move on and keep interviewing and forget about the arses who don’t want to respond to my inquiries (Really? is it so frickin’ hard to say there’s a 2nd round of interviews or the boss is on holiday or we cut you from the short list?). I once accepted a job and two weeks after I started it, I got a callback with an offer from another place! I had to tell them they took too long to get back to me (and that made me realize I didn’t want to work for them anyway, so no loss there).
I am rambling & must stop now. Sorry.
Oh, for crying out loud, I had written back to every single person but then my browser crashed. I will write again, but in a while… have to go to the Amish market for chocolates.
Mmmm, Amish-Market-but-not-actually-Amish chocolates…
Vahid, and I really appreciate that you would if you could.
Britt, when the entire world lives in one place that apparently makes it harder to find a job. Who knew?
Robin, done. At least email #1.
Helen, such sage advice. And you’re right, I am here for the love of my life. I just hate feeling like the freeloader half of the relationship.
Dawg, you most of the time love when I’m ferosh.
Vet called, they told me to give the girls 1mg/1lb of Benadryl, and that was their only advice. Apparently common sense is my guide.
Avi, you’re right, of course. I guess I was a little more shell shocked by the move than I anticipated, things coming at me faster than I was ready for, but at the same time I am frustrated that the job thing isn’t resolved. Apparently I would like to eat my cake and have it too.
Stef, thanks. I think similarly to what you’re advising, I’m just not as good at patience as I’d hoped. And, really, it’s cutthroat here so I do need to play the game a little more than I have been.
Tugbug, I’m sorry you hate your job right now (again).
As for a contact, my friend in NH knows a recruiter in the area. He never got back to me after I sent my resume, so I’ll follow up with him next week. Also, I have a friend in VT who lived in Brooklyn a majority of her life and works in IT, so I’ll check with her.
SH, I’m very excited to get that “this is The One” feeling for my next job.
Finn, I hope you’re right, because otherwise that sucks that I let the right one go. And I’ve never really had to work at finding a job before, so I just need more discipline on the matter. I think Ripley staring at me to say, “um, Mama, it would be nice if you kept me in the lifestyle to which I am accustomed” will give me way more incentive.
Sour, I’ve helped hire A LOT of people, I know exactly how freaking annoying it is when prospectives “nag” you about the job. But, apparently here if you don’t at least nag a little then they think you’re not serious… murr. Ramble on, I enjoy the company.
I’ve also been mulling over emailing my contact at the place who didn’t offer me the job I interviewed in person for and asking “why didn’t you hire me?” as a way of knowing what I did “wrong” in the interview. I honestly think the answer will be “you weren’t the internal candidate who was already trying for the position” which I can’t do anything about, but if there is another answer I’d appreciate the feedback. Is this a good idea?
If you’re sure that they’re not going to call you back for another interview, emailing them to say that you were disappointed because you felt like you were a good fit and wanted to know in their honest opinion if there was a reason that a second interview wasn’t extended, that might work. They might never respond either.
I know someone who was rejected by postcard….
You know, you’ve got qualifications, so I’m not exactly worried. I think what you should do is to enjoy the time you have without job responsibilities. Who knows how much of that you’re getting in your lifetime ?
Login helps.
What?! You lived in Vermont - not France?!
My whole world just came crashing down! :P
Seriously.
You gotta be tougher for the tough market. Aggressive, don’t touch the Poppy aggressive.
xo
And if you ARE sure you’re not being hired, e-mail is the way to go asking for feedback - they can answer that on their own time and are not being interrupted by the phone.
I can so relate to how you’re feeling. When I first moved here last October, I thought for SURE I’d be hired within a month or two. Ummm yeah. We all know how that turned out. It was horrible.
Keep your chin up, keep trying and you’ll find the job that is right for you. I finally did, after 7 months…but I found it :)
I just got off the job hunting roller coaster. Ironically I got off right back at my old job. The one I quit for a reason and then sought back. The really ironic part is that it was a teaching job and I was going back for the money. I’m pretty sure no one in the history of time has ever sought a teaching job for the cash.
Best of luck. It will happen, it simply has to.
I’m watching this here too sugar–wishing with all my heart you both find your place —soon
I got a job once BECAUSE I made that call AFTER the interview. They had offered the job to someone else but realized he wasn’t the right fit. When I called to see if a decision had been made (unaware that they went with someone else) the job was mine.
Good luck.
sending all kinds of hire the poppy vibes to nyc.
i think i might be able to help. if you could send me your resume, i’ll email it to the folks i know in the city that may be able to put it at the top of the pile. can’t hurt, right?
The vet said to give them Benadryl? Like the over the counter antihistimine taken for allergies?