Don't Be A Waste, Volunteer

How are you spending all of your time these days? If you aren't working a part time job or a full time job, you're probably bored. Yes, job hunting can be a full time job, but when it's the summer time and things are slow, or things are just slow; you can't just sit on the couch. DON'T just sit on the couch. There are productive activities that you can do without spending money such as taking a walk, reading a book, learning a language, or even better-volunteer.

Everyday, I like millions of others, take the subway and see the numerous amounts of homeless people. There are homeless couples, pregnant women, people with animals, and more. It's all heartbreaking and when I think about all of the free time that people have that go to waste, I get really frustrated. As far as I'm concerned, everyone could use a little good karma and even more so, there are a lot of people that can use the help. If you're bored, there is something you can do to take up your time and do something nice for someone else, or many people. It's very easy.

Here's my four step program.

Step 1: Pick a cause
Step 2: Pick a location
Step 3: Pick a time commitment
Step 4: Pick an organization

Now, with so many different interests that you might have and causes that concern you, I'm sure that you're feeling a bit overwhelmed, but allow me to give you some resources that you can use. In terms of broad websites that you can use I would check out VolunteerMatch, United We Serve, Volunteering In America, or if you want to take a trip out of town, Cross-Cultural Solutions.

Looking for something more specific? Well, if you're a New Yorker, you should check out the ASPCA, CityMeals-On-Wheels, or The Trevor Project.

I know I'm feeling better already. It's time to stop having a pity party because you're jobless and go do something for someone who doesn't have a computer to read this on, let alone a home or someone to care about them.

Make me proud.  

   

Working At The Circus: Call Centers

Recently I joined a team of interviewers at a call center, but it feels like I joined the circus. For those of you who don’t know what a call center is, it’s a place filled with those annoying people that call you for surveys. You know, the one’s that you curse off on a regular basis. I used to do that, but now that I know what it’s like to be paid minimum wage to make hundreds of hopeless phone calls to folks that don’t want to be bothered by you, I have a new found respect for them. The reality is that most people that work in them, much like myself, have no choice with the current job market.

I have to say though, if you can hack it, it’s the easiest job to get.  As long as you went to high school and are literate, and well presentable you can get the job. At least, that is what happened to me. I was hired on the spot and incredibly relieved until I went through a 20 minute training, and then was thrown under the bus. The next six hours would be taken up by teenage boys cursing me out, incredibly passionate New Yorkers that now reside in Florida, frustrated old people, and those who just didn’t have the time to speak with me.

Sounds rewarding, right? I have a feeling I won’t last long.

Bosses: Insane Vs. Eccentric

When you first take on a position, it’s possible that knowing who your boss is might not be on the top of your priority list. For example, if you’re working for a major corporation, you might not even spend a lot of time with your boss because they will have many different employees to watch after, or maybe they have a lot of cred. However, when it comes down to actually staying in the position you’re in for an extended period of time especially, if the company is small and you’re the right hand man to the CEO, it absolutely matters not just who they are but how they treat their staff.

I’m here to tell you that during the interview process you will nine times out of 10 meet and speak with your potential boss and YOU should be paying attention.

Things that you should be watching out for:

1.    Are they nice?

2.    Are they dressed professionally?

3.    Do they have good interpersonal communication skills?

4.    What’s their cred?

5.    Are they dressed professionally?

6.    Do they seem “normal?”

7.    Are they sober?

These may seem like obvious questions that need to be answered, but clearly not everyone is looking into them because there are numerous websites where employees can complain about their employers. There IS a difference between someone who might be fun and eccentric, but brilliant and someone who is completely off, insane, and possibly strung out on whatever they can get their hands on.

Recently, I was offered a position as a brand representative that I was about to take with very little caution. First off, I found the position on Craigslist, which is a red flag already and secondly the CEO that I would be working with was a complete lunatic. He couldn’t sit still for literally more than five seconds; he was dressed in slacks that had broken belt loops and a sweaty t-shirt. Further more he seemed to be living in constant euphoria. Did I mention that he had a bunch of different companies and the one I would be working on was new? Granted, the idea had some genius behind it, but when I say genius I am speaking to the concept. Anyway, it wasn’t long until my mother sent me a link to several complaints about the gentleman that I was intending on working for. After a bit of light reading, I quickly sent an e-mail to him saying that I took on another position, but really I just had no interest in working for an unreliable and insane boss.

So, if they give you a bad vibe, have sketchy cred, or have a website dedicated to a hate group on them, turn down the job.

When In Doubt, Make A New Blog

Hello everyone. This is a blog for all of my fellow jobless 20-something-year-olds. For me, every day is an uphill battle. Every day I force myself to wake up at the crack of dawn to begin a full day of job-hunting. Yeah, I know you know what I'm talking about. It's time to stop being in denial - if you haven't already. To no surprise, the economy sucks and we have Wall Street to blame for it. I'm not going to spend time ranting about Wall Street...yet. What I'm going to talk about is the PAINFUL experience that I had yesterday, when on a second interview at a "blue chip company." I'm not going to sell them out even though I want to because they will continue to get away with what they did to me.

 

Well rested, I got out of bed and had my usual breakfast. Next, instead of heading back to bed with my laptop and typing in one of the typical job search URLs, I took a hot shower and dressed to the nines for what I thought would be a life-changing interview. Well, I guess that it was life changing, but not in the positive way I was hoping for. Full of marketing passion, I rushed out the door with a protein bar and a notepad to prepare for a day of observation. Now, my MAJOR mistake here was that I failed to ask what the observation entailed. ALERT: DO NOT OBSERVE A COMPANY WITHOUT ASKING WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING WITH THE COMPANY DURING YOUR OBSERVATION!

 

Fast forward. I walk into a Wall Street building and before I know it I am leaving the building with the person I am shadowing - off to an undisclosed location. Let's just say that I am very lucky that he wasn't a serial killer. Eventually, we ended up in some random part of Brooklyn going DOOR TO DOOR. That's right. Why was I so surprised you might ask? Well, this company offered a 12-month training program to become a manager. Apparently the initial phase of the entry-level marketing position involved learning about sales. Now, I understand that a lot of direct marketing has to do with word of mouth, but I was not prepared to go door to door in a sketchy neighborhood, for hours on end, in 100 degree weather, while wearing a suit. The heat soon made me incredibly ill and I decided that phase 1 was over – at least for me.

 

It took me 20 minutes (feeling like I was going to pass out,) before I found a town car, which abandoned me after I stopped it to RUN to a (broken) bathroom. Thankfully, a man took pity on me and helped me find a subway station.

 

I couldn't wait to shower and rest in bed once I got home and promised myself that I would never put myself in that position ever again. So, how do you make sure this doesn’t happen to you? This life lessons is to make sure you thoroughly read EVERYTHING on the company’s website and ask a million SMART questions before you even begin to think about walking in the door.

 

Good luck.