STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

Andrea Julia · Coach

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Farrah · Marc Jacobs

RE: I cried at the job placement agency

Andrea Julia · Coach

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-- Edited by Andrea Julia at 00:27, 2006-01-29

Elle · Hermes

I'm sorry honey! Man you are having a run of tough luck! The job market is sooooo bad right now - well, awful for job-seekers but awesome for employers because they basically have their pick! It took me more than 2 months to find a job after I got laid off in May- how long have you been looking? The right opportunity is out there for you. Just think of it this way - a company that's willing to take a chance on you is the one you want to work for, not some place that's going to make you jump through hoops and pigeon-hole you into a secretarial position (which you are obviously overqualified for). Before you go into your next interview, try to think of it as you interviewing them to see if it's a place that you would even want to work. You are in control! Goooooooo AJ!

Andrea Julia · Coach

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-- Edited by Andrea Julia at 00:27, 2006-01-29

esquiress · Marc Jacobs

oh sweetie. it'll be ok, i promise. we'll figure this out. first of all, you're not alone. right out of college i worked at a talent agency, first as a "floater" and then as an assistant--i was making $1500 a month plus time and a half for overtime. i had no car (didn't even have a driver's license) and lived in a hole in the wall apt. i shared w/ two roommates. thank god for my parents who took care of rent and bf at the time who took care of food and would drive me to work and my friends who'd pick me up. i was so lucky to have them but it wasn't easy.

anyway, back to you. let's just count your blessings for a second. first, you have a family situation that makes it possible for you to live at home. because of that you will never be homeless. second, you're young and healthy, this means the whole world is out there just wating for you to explore! third, we love you :). but most of all sweetie, you have you. you're beautiful, intelligent and motivated--you have such potential! it's just waiting to be realized is all.

ok so let's get specific. first, put the bad agency experience behind you (farrah's right, to hell w/ that guy). now, let's see if we can iron out some of the contradictions--ok you've said before that you have no wish to work and just want to make $ until you can get married and hopefully not have to work but we also know you're extremely motivated and a hard worker--this doesn't strike me as someone just waiting around for prince charming to come rescue her. you can rescue yourself, i know you can. you've just gotta figure out what it is you want to do and then go for it. if it's being a paralegal, start applying to firms, if they're rejecting you, ask them what you need to do to be considered and then go do it. forget this agency crap, go straight to the source. and don't give up--jobs are different than guys in that sense. with guys you just gotta have faith and hope the right one comes along, with jobs you gotta hustle. you can do it, i know you can.

For inspiration--

I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life's a bitch. You've got to go out and kick ass.
Maya Angelou

Andrea Julia · Coach

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-- Edited by Andrea Julia at 00:27, 2006-01-29

honey · Gucci

(hugs) i feel your pain. i went through a phase right after college where i literally hated my life. i wanted to live in nyc, and instead lived near princeton. i had a 2 hour commute each way and had no social life b/c i lived so far and had to make sure i could catch the last bus home. i lived with my brother who was a complete dick. if i needed him to take me somewhere i had to ask a week in advance, and print out directions even if it was a place like wal-mart. my life revolved around work, and the extent of my social life was my weekly foray to the supermarket.

the point is your 20's can sometimes suck ass. imo the hardest part of adult life is transitioning from home/college to the real world. essentially in college you immediately see rewards for what you do i.e. if you work hard and study you get good grades. but in the real world there's no direct connection between the amount of effort you put in and the rewards you reap, and that is incredibly frustrating.

in order to make things better i had to take matters into my own hands. the best thing to do is to take some time and really think about what is going to make you happy. and focus on the things that are within your control, and sometimes you have to take measures into your own hands. at that time, i realized that the first thing that would make me happy was moving out of my bros and closer to the city. i did it against my family's wishes and i ended up living with my psycho co-dependant friend and sleeping on her couch for two months until i could save up enough to afford my own place. it wasn't the perfect solution to the problem, but it was a definite improvement. right now, i'm not 100% happy, but i have realized what it is that i want to do with my life, made peace with my circumstances, b/c the truth is, it's never as bad as it seems.

if finding a new job is what you want, then really focus on it. not to say you haven't already, but maybe it's time to re-evaluate the way you're going about it. have you been looking in the nytimes? does your college have a job bank that you can search for postings (this might be the best method b/c you have more experience than the competition which automatically makes you a better candidate) maybe you could research law firms and call them and send them your resume. if i hear of any openings at my firm, i will definitely give you the heads up.

lastly, sometimes it is good to just cry and get it all out of your system. take a day and just wallow in self-pity and then pick yourself up and start over again. you are smart and talented and i know that there are good things in your future. sometimes it just takes a little (or a lot) of time.

Karina · Chanel

omg i am so sorry to hear this happened to you!!

geez where did you go interview - ajilon?

ayo · Coach

so sorry...

that really stinks and I feel your pain..

don't worry this will pass soon :(

in the meantime..

If you want I can hook you up with some people I know that do recruiting..

I think you mentioned you live in south jersey right? are you close enough to Philly? or are you closer to NY?

The most important thing is to not give up hope.....you just have to keep putting yourself out there till something happens..

I was going through a horrible job situation towards the end of last year...I went through 3 jobs in less than a year because I simply could not find the "perfect fit". The last situation was a complete nightmare..I honestly think my former boss was a sociopath (I'm not even going to go into details). In any case, I found another job and now I couldn't be happier...

During that period I was totally depressed...and I would shake my fist in the air and say "why me". I realize I was going through all of this to help shape me into a better person.

all of this isn't in vain, it is painful, it sucks, it is upsetting and depressing but t's merely shaping you into that person you are meant to be...when you finally get "the job" , all of this will start to make sense. That's what I tell myself when I'm going through a difficult situation it helps me continue to pick myself up and just go.

keep at it...continue to interview don't loose focus..things are going to get easier..

PM me if you want to let me know where your at..like I said...I know a few recruiters that I trust will not set you up with some crap! I'll be more than happy to give you their email addresses...

lsubatgirl · Gucci

Hey girl this is the story of my life!!! I can't seem to win either. I go to school, make great grades, am a hard worker and loyal and I get passed up for people who are rude, lazy, and don't last at the position for more than a year or two (in one case less than 6 months!!)

I've learned you can't really trust jobs on hotjobs.com or on aftercollege.com . There are just too many shady people using that site. I have had good luck talking with people on monster.com (just didn't like the position or location) but they seem more trustworthy if you want to go with someone online.

If you think you are missing the boat somewhere I'm going to suggest what my mom has been suggesting to me for over a year and I have yet to do it but I am making an appointment tomorrow morning when I can sit down and think it all out: Career Counseling/Career Coach. These are professionals that can sit down with you and prepare you for interviewing and career paths. They mock interview you and discet what you say and do during interviews. They can also help point you in the right direction.

I think applying to every law firm is a good idea. If nothing else it will get your name out. I wouldn't regret not taking that other job. If one liked you others will too and you can properly prepare yourself for the future and come up with questions and concerns. You can also try to research some of the firms so you know what they do and what there reputation is like. You don't want to take a paralegal position at a really bad firm.

Just keep your chin up and remember that things will turn around and if nothing else you can always talk with me

and we can get through it together.

Farrah · Marc Jacobs

quote:
Originally posted by: Andrea Julia
"If I am going to have to go to work every day, I at least want to make respectable money and not have to answer people's phones or get them coffee (not that I do that now) when personally, I feel I can do their job myself. "

Sweetheart, I make decent money I am not a secretary or assistant and I still have to answer my boss's phone. Sometimes that is just how the cookie crumbles. You have to start somewhere, we've all been in your shoes (well, not some of us, but you college girls will get there eventually

). Sometimes you have to bite the bullet and do something that you are not exactly thrilled about to get your foot in the door and get some good experience. I hated my first job, but I left with a 1 1/2 of experience from a very well respected consulting firm that looks amazing on my resume. I also left with letters of recommendation from graduates of places like Harvard, Duke and Northwestern's (Kellogg) Business Schools. Trust me we all feel your pain

.

Andrea Julia · Coach

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-- Edited by Andrea Julia at 00:27, 2006-01-29

Andrea Julia · Coach

quote:
Originally posted by: Karina
"omg i am so sorry to hear this happened to you!! geez where did you go interview - ajilon? "

What is ajilon? The place was called Tuttle Agency so you can all avoid it!

I have really appreciated everyone's help and support so far. Sometimes I think I am the only one that ever has these problems. It just seems like almost everyone I know has had it so easy. It makes me feel better to know others have gone through this and came out ahead.

Karina · Chanel

ajilon is this staffing firm in paramus - on rt 4 in the atrium building.. i have went there for full time jobs to part time jobs and NOTHING... they say ok we'll call you in a few days to confirm your appointment with the hiring company, and they NEVER call you back or return your calls.

Andrea Julia · Coach

quote:
Originally posted by: Karina
"ajilon is this staffing firm in paramus - on rt 4 in the atrium building.. i have went there for full time jobs to part time jobs and NOTHING... they say ok we'll call you in a few days to confirm your appointment with the hiring company, and they NEVER call you back or return your calls."

I think most of them are like that. I think their main goal is to make money by providing companies with overqualified people. I think they do this by making you feel like you can't get anything better or by making the jobs seem more exciting then they are.

When I was in college, I worked with this agency called The Employment Place in Midland Park. At the time, I just wanted a job that paid at least $9 per hour in an office. They were really good for that. They always had assignments for me and a lot of the companies wanted to hire me, but I wasn't really interested in that at the time. I kind of just liked temping and I had medical insurance through my parents so that wasn't an issue.

kenzie · Chanel

I completely understand your pain. No one wants to hire me either, unless it's a lousy retail job. I graduated with honors, won awards, did internships, developed an excellent portfolio for someone my age and still, it seems that I suck too much to anything but retail. I spend my days being treated like crap by people who probably didn't even graduate from high school and I hate it. I've pretty much resigned myself to the fact that this is my shitty life and I'll probably never get out of it. I'm not even sure what I want to do with myself anymore. I used have a clear career ambition but now the lines are all blurry.

I would tell you to hang in there, but I hate hearing that myself b/c I'm tired of hanging in there. I feel like I'm staring into a hopeless future. I have no advice, but just wanted to let you know that you aren't alone.

BTW, that guy at the agency sucked.

dot · Marc Jacobs

andreajulia - i totally understand what you're going through. it's a really tough market right now and early january is a really hard time to look for jobs. i just say keep your mind open. different size law firms have different kinds of legal secretary roles. there are support staff positions for all different levels of people that come with all different job descriptions. you'll find something really great! just keep your mind open and don't worry about idiots like that guy at the agency. people like that aren't going to help you get anywhere.

keep posting here! we'll be here for support!

Andrea Julia · Coach

Would you believe this asshole called me today? He said he had a great job for me. 2 FREAKIN' months later! I never heard from him at all since the day I went there. I just told him I had a great new job within my company and I wouldn't need his help. I'm kind of curious though what this guy thought a great job for me would be. I didn't even ask.

bex · Chanel

girl- i feel your pain- i do. i spent 7 months after i graduated college looking for a job. going into stupid agencies with false hope and a great score on a typing test. just looking for a marketing postion or an assistant to a marketing position... whatever....

finally ended up getting something that gave me some experience for a couple of years.

ended up getting something else that got me even better experience....

and this dec. i landed the dream job of a lifetime for me. it happens- just keep going and working and looking to better yourself. you believe in yourself and you'll make it happen!

good luck to you- i know how trying this period of life can be...