20.1 Weeks

Parasite temping

2010-04-06T08:03:00.000-07:00

I finished a temp gig a week ago, and I feel like I am back at square one. This is week two of job hunting again. I'm really wondering about the wisdom of temping. While I have been in three different positions in the months after my layoff, my peers who were laid off at the same time as I have landed full time gigs.

In my last two temp gigs I wasn't referred to by my name but as 'the temp' most of the time. Being seen as disposable in a workforce where people are holding on by their fingernails is less than comforting. I found myself getting dangerously disillusioned in my last position

In the past temp gigs were not only a quick pay check but also a good way to get a foot in the door of a field I wouldn't typically consider. I've met great folks temping. But months later, and no full time job, and bills piling up I'm really wondering if this is best use of my time. Perhaps the worst part of temping is that it feels like a parasite. The work tends to pays just little enough to slowly drain my savings, so that now I need the temp work to stay a float.

So I'm starting all over again, this time with a couple job interviews under my belt, - we'll chock those up to practice- a bit more experience, and a lot more flexibility to take a position I wouldn't typically consider for a pay check and health insurance.

i'm a 32 year-old temp.

2010-02-23T12:20:00.000-08:00

not that i'm bitter, but that gee I'd really like to say that temping was one of those things I did in my twenties. I'm begining to shift my focus to looking for part-time non-profit work, it's about time I used that MSW right? But I'm going to need some help transitoning back into it, SO who needs a weekend volunteer?

Phew temping. .

2010-02-10T17:56:00.000-08:00

Phew temping~ Last week and the beginning of this week I was on a four-day return stint to my most recent temp position last week, and this week. Sadly on the last day I figured out that they were hoping I would fill in their admin assistant role. That job paid more, and had a much better commute. I’m kicking myself for not squeezing every little juicy detail out of my temp agency recruiter.

Today I started temping in the burbs, it’s a forty something minute commute for about a three to four month project. I’m relieved to no longer be juggling another temp position with interviews, drug tests, phone calls, and filling out forms for this position. The jury is still out on what I think of the job, but for the time being I really ought to find a way to keep the job hunt up.

Week 3 tempting temping

2010-02-02T09:19:00.000-08:00

One of the suggestions many of the job hunt books I’ve scanned have is to have at least three different job hunting techniques. By only using one or two techniques, they surmise, can lead a job hunter to disappointment, disillusionment, and ultimately a loss of hope that one will ever find meaningful employment ever again. So I’ve been treading carefully bopping between networking, working with recruiters (temp agencies), doing online searches, and taking some classes to hone my skills. Professionally, the only successful career transitions I have ever made have been with temp agencies. While I may not find the work the most rewarding, I do find that I tend to do well in the positions they place me in, and the pay is always better than unemployment.

This week (week 3, 17 more to go!) has lead to some opening among temp agencies, where I get a call from an agency, they rattle off some job description, and ask if I’m okay with them throwing my resume in. I always say ‘sure!’ I’m really can’t turn anything down, even if the work is just making copies and typing with my toes.

From prior temping experience, I know it’s difficult to keep my job hunt up, and I can no longer count on recruiters to find something better for me. Recruiters help get your foot in the door, to apply for a ‘real’ position with in mega-conglomeration corporations. But one cannot trust a recruiter to find a dream job. So tomorrow I start flipin’ copies again, and maybe on the purple line continue to do the work of figuring out what my “dream job” might be. Perhaps one of these mega-conglomeration corporations will have a position that will be good enough for now.

I leave you with this question, is there such thing as a “dream job”? Or is it like a unicorn, a myth we tell children to keep them in school? Or in this economy is it more of an endangered species, they used to exist but have all been killed off?

The Ten Keys to Success at Job and Career Fairs

2010-01-27T09:14:00.000-08:00

I'm heading to a career fair on Friday. There are three companies that have editorial openings, so I'm cramming on how to prepare for a job fair. This article seemed to hit all the points.

The Ten Keys to Success at Job and Career Fairs

Week 2 – really what do you do with CD’s now?

2010-01-26T09:13:00.000-08:00

A combination of boredom and winter madness has set in. Over the weekend I did things that I’d been putting off for a long time. I cleaned off the smallest of our bookshelves alphabetized the books by author, and removed the CDs. Now that my music collection is digital I see little reason to keep the cracked, dust lined cases around anymore. So I stashed the husband’s CDs into a Tupperware box, and listed most of my CDs on eBay. So if you’ve been waiting to get your hands on ‘TOTO- Past to Present 1977-1990’ in “mint condition” for $0.99 (wow a whole CD for the cost of one song on iTunes-that's a deal) now’s the time.

In this cleaning I discovered a handful of TAPES! I know somewhere in my piles of stuff there are boxes of mixed tapes (and a copy Milli Vanilli that Camila Sinden gave at my 13th birthday) that I don't have the heart to discard. At least we still have the archaic technology to play tapes still. It's times like these when I remember cleaning the attic with my father and finding old warped records, reel to reels, and boxes upon boxes of 8-tracks. This was in the early 90's when we sill had a reel-to-reel player but no record player, and we certainly didn't have an 8-track player. We live in a world where technology is changing every decade so that we have to re-purchase the songs that we love- tell me record companies aren't funding the evolving cycles. Our music becomes archived on instruments that are only relevant to the era they exists in. When do we stop consuming, and re-consuming the music we love? At least, at least, I live in a city where radio doesn't suck. Because even as I complain about the medias I consume music in, my love and need for quality radio stations has not changed.

Friday Grab Bag: Free Food, Samples, Magazines and Music

2010-01-22T11:36:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone! More free stuff:

Here’s a compilation of lots of free samples, magazines and other freebies available right now. Thanks to Kaley from Cha Ching on a Shoestring for her help in rounding up all of these freebies for you:

Free Samples

Free Sample Cream of Wheat

Free Uni Ball Pen

Free samples of Migraine Medicine, Baby formula and more.

Free Food

Free Bagel with Cream cheese from Brueggers

Restaurant Deals: Mc Donalds, Texas Longhorne, Dave & Busters, Noddles and Co and More

Printable Coupon: Buy One Get One Free Sunbelt Granola Bar

Printable Coupon: Free Gallon of Milk with Purchase

Godiva Rewards=Free Chocolate!

Quick Chek: FREE 6? Chicken Marsala Sub (NY & NJ)

FREE Slice of Pie with purchase of an entree at Marie Callenders

Miscellaneous

Three Free Shutterfly Cards

Free Turbotax, Kids Activity Ebook and Sample

Free Desk Calendar from Walgreens Photo ($9.99 Value)

Free Music (and other) Downloads

Free baby music download from Baby Einstein

Free baby music download from Munchkin

Free digital subscriptions to Popular Science and Saveur Magazine

Free Corinne Bailey Rae Download from Walmart

Twitter: Free 8 Song Christian Music Download

Giveaways

Bumbleride Indie stroller at Baby Goodbuys (ends today)

Happy Baby Food Prize Pack at Mrs. Money Saver

Happy Friday!

Post by: Common Sense with Money

Free Webcast: How to Land Copy Editing Work in Today's Marketplace

2010-01-22T09:23:00.001-08:00

Jobs and recruiting for media professionals in journalism, on-line content, book publishing, TV, radio, PR, graphic design, photography, and advertising

Posted using ShareThis

Week 1- Thursday

2010-01-21T12:51:00.000-08:00

I finished reading the aforementioned book. The author assigns quite a bit of homework, which I haven't done. But I keep promising myself I will do.

The book is chocked full of ways to stay fresh while hunting for jobs and has a handful of the charts that show the way employers find employees is the exact opposite ways most job hunters look for jobs! (More to come on that later). By far what has proved most helpful was the suggested day planner. From 9:30 to Noon do job hunting on line, Noon to 1:30 lunch & a NAP!, then 1:30 to 4 work on scouting opportunities at places that you think are interesting to work. I love that he advocates napping!

In other non-book reading related news, I got a promising e-mail from a ManPower Recruiter about two possible opening. He had my resume on file from MONTHS ago, and re-reviewed for a couple temp/ contract openings. We'll see how that plays out.

Week 1- Tuesday

2010-01-20T14:49:00.000-08:00

This week is a short week due to the Martin Luther King Day Holiday, and once the long weekend passed. I found it exceedingly difficult to get out of bed Tuesday morning, I fought back the thoughts of 'why bother' and got dressed to go to the gym. I hate the gym in January, but at least at 8:30 A.M. it's not nearly as bad as the crowds at 6 A.M. or even the crowds between 4 to 9 P.M.

Once home and showered I got to work, sorta. I filed for Unemployment, and then re-registered with the required Illinois Skills Match. I already have my COBRA and 401K roll over situated. I intended to spend the day reading "The Job-Hunter's Survival Guide" by Richard Bolles book, and doing the work with the book. Instead, I e-mailed all the temporary agencies I've signed up with to let them know I'm available again and tweaked my LinkedIN profile. Then I mopped the kitchen and spent a couple hours volunteering at an after-school program.

With the days remaining in this shortened week I'm planning on finishing Bolles' book, and cracking cracking "Do What You Are" by Tieger and Barron-Tieger. I'm somewhat avoiding internet searches right now, I want to get a better idea of what I'm looking for, and what's out there first.

Quick question: Has anyone checked out working for the census?