Hired!

At the request of my blog-friend, Rapparee from Sex Sells, I thought I wouldn't leave you all hanging about the triumphant end of my job search. I tried to sneak it into Good Humanity Sunday from a few weeks ago, but he caught me.

So just to recap, I lost my ever first grown-up job waaaaay back in December. And it sucked. I was also naive enough to think that my former boss wouldn't inhibit my new job search, costing me an excellent opportunity with a company I really admire. Dumb, I know.


Then while in the midst of fighting over unemployment benefits with my former company, (see a pattern of asshole behavior here?) I picked up a freelancing position at a really cool youth marketing agency. And by really cool, I mean too cool for me. I was so not trendy enough to work there. But they let me roll in at like 10:30 and I had complete control over the work I did, so I didn't mind being the only girl not wearing those ridiculous neon tights as pants.

The boyfriend, who is lucky enough to work in a job that offers overtime, was working 6 days a week to make up for my lost income. By mid February it was starting to wear on him. Dealing with me in a constant state of disappointment wasn't easy either. But he did it all without complaining or blaming me. And he absolutely kept me going when I let myself get frustrated.

[/lovey-doveyness]

So throughout all this, I was still looking for a full-time J-O-B. I tapped out most of my linkedin network and used Monster and craigslist as well. I even looked in the newspaper classifieds. (It felt old-timey and weird.) After seeing their ads during the Superbowl, I threw up my resume on CareerBuilder and then didn't give it much thought.

But a VP of human resources at my new job was using CareerBuilder to fill a position in a department due to a large growth of new business. (good sign: business growing despite recession) He liked my resume enough to call me in for an interview with the team, which went great. And then... nothing for like a week. He called back to tell me that they were in the midst of "reassessing the needs of the department" so it would take them some time for them to get back to me. Naturally, I thought he was giving me the runaround and I almost wanted to tell him that he should just be up front with me instead of stringing me along. I was mad.

Then another week went by and I realized that this was a place I really wanted to work at. I had gone on a lot of interviews since I didn't get that other job and this was the first one that I was really excited about. I sent over samples of the freelance work I was doing and reiterated my interest. And lo, I got a call back! And they wanted me! So I wrapped up my freelance work and started up last week.


Now, I can't tell if my first job was so horrendously bad or if this job is just fantastically good. I will reserve judgment until I at least can remember everyone's names. However, I just have to mention that my boss was considering taking on new business and she asked us, her subordinates, what we thought. I was really floored to have my opinion even considered, let alone sought out.

My birthday isn't for a couple of months, but I'm thinking that this is the chocolate fountain celebration type of job. Yay! (Watch video to understand what I just said.)

Good Humanity Sunday 3/16/08

This week's Proof of Good Humanity comes from MSNBC Health. The Janssens were fat - dangerously so. The old "finish your plate" command was killing off this family.

Nine years ago, eldest sibling Claudia Meyer ... had a stroke, and doctors said she'd never walk again. In 2003, youngest brother Bruce passed away at age 47 from a blood clot, and a little over 2 years later sister Valerie, 57, died suddenly from a heart attack.

Instead of letting unhealthy habits continue to pick off the remaining Janssens, they decided to do something about it: go for a walk. Yep, that's it. No crazy exercise regimen or raw food diets; they're just taking walks together. A group of 21 family members even walked a half-marathon together.

Over the miles, family members walked in small groups, catching up on news in their lives, sharing emotions, telling stories, and encouraging each other. "When my blisters started acting up at mile 6, Heidi distracted me with a game of 'let's see who we can catch ahead of us,'" says Lois. Even Claudia, back on her feet despite doctors' bleak prognosis 9 years ago, took part in the walk — 65 pounds lighter and feeling "twice as good as ever." For Nita, crossing the finish line with her sister-in-law Stephanie, who had been married to her brother Bruce, is a memory she will never forget. Heart disease may have claimed Bruce's life, but the Janssen family is walking toward a promising new future.

How great is that? Not only are they getting healthier, but they're doing it together. And they collectively lost almost 200lbs. Woah.

Bonus Sunday Proof: Less than 2 weeks after I got that freelancing job, I finally found the full-time position I was hoping for. Consider the job search tag officially closed!

Send me your proofs of good humanity! If you've found some on the interwebs, or would like me to post your good humanity story (maybe like my Subway Hero!) drop me an email at beagoodhuman11 at gmail dot com. I love to read them!

Good Humanity Sunday 3/9/08 - Celebrate!

This past week was pretty busy for me. You may have noticed that I didn't post anything. My proof of good humanity this week is that I found a freelance job that I really enjoy. After a lot of ups and downs, and much emotional hand-wringing, someone finally gave me another chance to prove how awesome I am. I'm still on the lookout for a full-time position that will satisfy my middle-class guilt, but this was just what I needed, in a talk-me-down-from-the-rooftop sort of way.

(Oh, and I promise to get back to posting 2 or 3x per week like you're used to. Sorry.)

Send me your own proofs of good humanity! I love to read them and I will likely post them on Sundays. Email to beagoodhuman11 at gmail dot com.

Cross your fingers!

So I'm going on another date with that superhot guy again. We chatted on the phone a few times, but I got the feeling that he wasn't really into me as much as I was into him. I went on a few dates with some other guys over the past few weeks, but I don't like them as much as him. Tomorrow I'm definitely going to convince him that we should totally be boyfriend and girlfriend.

Pros & Cons: Getting Fired

Pro: Plenty of time to wrap xmas presents!
Con: You returned most of them to pay your bills

Pro: You no longer have to go to a job you can't stand
Con: Not having any structure in your day can be scary

Pro: You're still young and cute enough to wait tables
Con: You have to put up with douchey cat-calls if you want good tips

Be a good employee

Or, how I can maintain some semblance of good humanity in my job search.

Have you ever thought about what you're actually trying to accomplish at work? Besides getting a paycheck, making your boss happy, making your clients/customers happy, etc. I used to work for a company in a particularly soulless industry. Our goals were plain: create situations where our undeserving clients could make even more money than they already have. We helped no one and did no good in the process. It was disgusting.

Besides my more pressing needs, like eating, getting laid, and not getting evicted, I really, really, really don't want to work for the same kind of clients again. I just need to know that my 40 hours (more like 50-60 if I'm honest) are contributing to something that matters to me. It's a little Gen Y, I know, but I can't help it if everyone has spent my whole life telling me that I'm special and that I should do what makes me happy.

Luckily my skillset is easily transferable to the non-profit sector. I'm also lucky to live in NYC, where tons NPs have corporate offices. Everyone says that NPs don't pay very much, but not very much > nothing! Also, I'm willing to sacrifice a few thousand in take-home pay if it means that I'm making a real difference blah blah blah bleeding heart, etc.

For the past 6 months, I've felt tremendously hypocritical. I try to be a good human and think of new ways to do so, but only on my own time. Then I go and spend like 11 hours every day getting paid to do just the opposite. It was getting hard to reconcile the two halves of my life into something I didn't hate. Does that make me naive? Over-idealistic? Probably. But honestly, there are enough people out there who are only concerned with getting paid. I don't need to be one of them.