A Typical Rejection

Just curious if the email format and message below are familiar to you? I don't mean the company, but the at-a-distance, arm's length rejection. And might I add that I have applied to other jobs with them that were spot-on for a variety of reasons, most important that I am "completely qualified" at every level. My references are great and each time, I have been "regrettably denied."

"Dear Maryalice -

Thank you for your interest in the ********* Manager, Training Production position with ***.  We regret to inform you, however, that we have filled this position.  We appreciate your interest in opportunities with us, and encourage you to visit our Web site regularly to search and apply for additional opportunities that may be of interest to you. 

We wish you the best of success in your employment search.

Sincerely,

****Recruiting Services

Responses to this message are undeliverable and will not reach Recruiting.  Please do not reply.  **** is proud to be an equal opportunity employer."

For the month of January, I applied to 16 jobs. I have heard from 2. The one above came in today (you have to love a company whose HR representative is working on Saturday of Super Bowl weekend). You do notice there is no way to contact anyone about the rejection. Of course.

The second job, a virtual assistant position, I was accepted in less than two hours after applying. Before I started clicking in my information, I did some research and found red lights everywhere. Current and past employees by the dozens are warning potential employees. I always weigh that in with the other details I find. So, how does $2 a project work for anyone reading this? And once you "grab" an assignment because you were sitting in front of the computer screen and clicked first at 3 AM or 11 PM, if the VA company tells you it will only take 20 minutes and it takes 3 hours to do? Too bad. You will get your $2. Examples on the site are such jobs as calling a business person's doctors' offices to make appointments or setting up a personal finance sheet for an entrepreneur with data entry. I am desperate, but I just can't do this. At this point, all it would do is destroy any food stamps I get and still leave me in a dire financial crisis.

Please feel free to use the email form below if you'd like to know that VA company name for reference. I am not in the business of job-slamming in this blog. It is all about sharing the journey, the feelings, the struggles.

Hunkering down for the big storm and trying to stay calm. Any comforting words would be welcomed. Share and post a comment or two, Thanks for stopping by.

The Storyteller

Secret Celebrations

Each career promotion I earned was personally and quietly celebrated. For one such promotion, I purchased a ring I had looked at many times. I went out to eat at a small "Mom and Pop" place I have always enjoyed, and smiled that good things were happening. The ring (and celebration) was simple, not too expensive, and private, and each time I wore the ring, I felt good that I was making a difference in the lives of students and teachers.

Another time I was promoted, I decided what would serve me best was not a bauble (though tempting it was) but a technology tool to simplify my work. I purchased a second computer screen and loved the flexibility it gave me to view and complete work. Once again, not too expensive, but I was pleased I was in a place where I could afford it and each day I used it, I knew how I had gotten it. Life was good.

Still another career step saw me back at the tech store to invest in a tablet so my work could go anywhere. In retrospect, not sure this was the wisest move as it meant I had no excuse to put the work away. I could curl up in the comfortable chair in the evening and instead of resting, I continued to answer emails, make notes, send messages to teachers, and more. For me, it was joyfully never-ending.

The last job-related victory purchase I made was a door decoration, one I had looked at several times at a local florist. I have made many such things in my time, but this one I wanted to buy, the fruits of someone else's labor, and so I finally did. The florist asked what took me so long as she had seen me eye it more than once. I smiled. I didn't want her to know it was tied to my personal achievement and my silent heretofore unknown reward system.

I have always been immersed in my work. I counseled others to set limits, compartmentalize responsibilities, and make sure their priority lists were in the correct order - and work shouldn't be at the top.

For me, however, work was indeed at the top and I claimed it was my choice. I never complained and I felt good about what I was doing, justifying it was for the team, the school, the greater good.


The ring is tucked away in a jewelry box. I haven't worn it since it was clear I was not going to be celebrating a job-related victory for awhile. For some inexplicable reason, my current laptop stopped

Where are the Jobs?

Today I will spotlight places to look for job postings and I suspect for those who are following the blog and seeking employment, this one might be even more important than my personal journey.

The Internet has changed the face of job searches. Throughout these many months, I have never looked at the local newspaper. I haven't gone to the library hoping to find listings. As we all know, job postings are online. You start with making a list of every possible company who is connected in any way to your career goals, search for their sites online to locate their employment page, and bookmark, bookmark, bookmark.

Employment or career pages can be tucked underneath tab headings such as "About Us" or "Search," but often you really have to search the homepage using the site map if it is listed at the very bottom of the opening page. In a few instances, I have had to move into a site's "news" section or a "current" heading to find the link. I keep in mind the ease of locating their need for applicants when considering application. You have to wonder if it is a reflection of how important new employees are or how really tech-savvy their company is if the website isn't user-friendly. Just some food for thought.

These sites I am sharing, while dealing largely in online careers, also could have connections to office-based careers. Many will encourage you to log in and set up a profile, even attach your resume. This usually means you can create job alerts for types of jobs and locations in which you are interested. If you want daily updates, this is the way to go. Also, a few will give you enhanced information for a monthly fee. I would follow the site a month or so first to see if it meets your needs, then enlist on a month to month basis. After all, once employed, you won't need it to be roaming the Internet on your behalf and you don't want to use auto-renew status which you might forget to cancel if you get busy in a new position.

Authentic Jobs	http://www.authenticjobs.com/	Creative careers
Beyond	http://www.beyond.com/	Career networking & jobs
CareerBuilder	http://www.careerbuilder.com/	varied
Careerealism	http://www.careerealism.com/	Jobs & information
Elance	https://www.elance.com	Freelance jobs
Flex Jobs	http://www.flexjobs.com/	Remote, telecommute
HigherEdJobs	http://www.higheredjobs.com/	Higher education
Indeed	http://www.indeed.com/	varied
Monster	http://www.monster.com/	varied
National Council of NonProfits	https://www.councilofnonprofits.org/	Non-profits
On Ramps	http://www.on-ramps.com/	Exec, Admins
Opportunity Knocks	http://www.opportunityknocks.org/	varied
Rat Race Rebellion	http://www.ratracerebellion.com/	Full & PT
ScholarlyHires	http://www.scholarlyhires.com/	Higher education
Teachers-Teachers	https://www.teachers-teachers.com/	All teacher positions
TopSchoolJobs	http://www.topschooljobs.org/	Education Week listings
Virtual Vocations	http://www.virtualvocations.com/	All online, varied

Please share this information and if I have missed a site you have found helpful, let me know! I can add to the list and feature it for others to search.

Hear My Voice

I have written my entire life. Long before a tech keyboard made it all seem so easy, so slick, I scribbled and scrawled, flourished and erased, but made sure my pen touched paper almost daily (always a pen, never a pencil). I have developed illuminated journals, crayoned notebooks, miniature and over-sized chapbooks, and binders upon binders of pages protected by clear plastic sheets. So much time spent capturing thoughts, feelings, observations, and life. If you ever wondered if I loved you at age 10, it's there.

Some of my most meaningful writings have happened at times of crisis when the words rushed out, blood from a sliced artery, unchecked and raw. You most likely will never see those moments here. I remember one such journal that I tied and wrapped and hid behind a wallboard as I poured out my innermost pain. No one has seen it in person and I sure wouldn't deliver it up to the Internet. But I mention it because those writings are as formative as the dancing tales and family memoirs I have told.

A strong writer plays in the mud puddles of life. At times, I have giggled as I played. Other times I have been highly annoyed that the chapter I was writing was so messy and deeply soiled. But until I learned to let the writing flow unchecked, my voice didn't emerge. I can go back and look at earlier writings and flinch at both those which are painfully authentic and those which were hiding darker truths, sugar-coated yet somehow flat.

My goal is for Pottermom's Plume to deliver my authentic voice, whatever it is at any given time. I will re-script earlier writings to freshly share and write new to give voice to the here and now. My topics will include facing unemployment and the struggle it has been as I sit at my laptop daily to stay abreast of my field and hope someone will recognize my talents.


I will explore those things which have formed my life--carrying and raising three different but wonderful children, now engaged in creating another generation; parenting furry children through all their stages and now, in my in-home senior canine care center; enticing nature to come in closer so I can appreciate its essence and offered miracles;  and yes, the occasional rant on life through my eyes and even what I hope might be some philosophies by which others can benefit.

I hope you will read and comment. We need to engage in conversations so we know we are not alone, know our voices are not like trees falling in the forest. If I touch something you think will help others, please share. I want them to know they are not alone. I know how important that is.

Star Charts

   We waited until the sun had dropped far below the western horizon and all the trains had moved out of the switching station behind the newest dorm. Clutching the coarse, musky-smelling blanket, an Eveready flashlight, and a two inch thick, "full color, nicely illustrated, comprehensive 'Guide to the Night Skies,'" we carefully picked our way across the tracks to a grassy knoll just east of the football stadium. Talking in conspiratorial whispers, we spread out the blanket and flopped side by side, belly down, to locate and examine the correct star guides for that time of year.

     Dave had been excited when I said yes to a date to explore the skies. As an undergraduate scientist, astronomy was his hobby and passion. For me, however, stars were simply lights in the sky, an amateur’s misconception he planned to change. We had embarked upon our college journey at the same time from the same East Coast geographic area, leaning on the fact we had met one another at a college alumni gathering before arriving. Our friendship was quickly cemented and the simple truth was it was easy sharing each other’s company.

     He flipped through the pages, settling on the proper chart.

     "Ready?" Dave asked, his grin evident in the veiled lantern.

     "Absolutely, if you are!” was my enthusiastic response.

     He snapped off the intrusive light and, in silent agreement, we rolled to our backs to divine the mysteries of that clear spring sky.

     It was the first time I had stopped long enough in my life to really look up. Neither of us spoke, fearful of shattering the moment.

     Then... "See it? Do you see it?"

     Dave had zeroed in on the North Star and began patiently to give form to the rest of the points of light.

Cold Winter Evenings

Cold winter evenings bring a mixed response. It's good to wrap up in a family quilt, feel protected, safe. Often, however, the cold is both without and within, and no amount of cover-hugging changes the chill.

We all seek warmth in different ways. We do something nice, not really looking for compliments but hopeful in the process of doing good, goodness will come back to us. No guarantees, though. None at all. Or we read an article in current events, something heinous, beyond comprehension, and we reread it multiple times, looking for goodness tucked into the folded horrors. Sometimes we find one redeeming act; often, none surface. We make friends, share our heart, finally let the pale lights show through, and in the quiet, find we are forsaken or misunderstood.

Hearing Voices

I remember wondering if others could hear my thoughts as a child. I'd spend hours lying on my back in the grass under the old apple tree's canopy, "listening" to myself think, amazed at the voice, and pondering who was making that noise. Lest you assume this demonstrated paranoia or insanity, it was a passing phase, a time when I was learning to listen to myself rather than always be directed by others, to hear my own heart. It did startle my mother at first when I asked her if she too heard voices in her head, but her rapid series of questions soon clarified what I was asking and thus was born the concept of private thoughts and free will. Much older now, with my mother long gone and beyond ability to think, I am still fascinated by the constant chatter going on inside each of us. More critical is the understanding that, while my thoughts are private, honest, and true, driven by who and what I am and have done over my lifetime, others can still grab hold of these thoughts and diminish me, despite my efforts to prevent it.

Lies

Pinocchio, Symbol of Untruths

I was going to couch the title in synonyms--deception, misdirections, antitrust--and decided it just is what it is: lies. Our world is not only being diminished by lies, but lies have become the new truth. Decades ago I was coached in the subtle differences between big lies and white lies. Big lies darkened who you were, your integrity and acceptability, and depending on your religious upbringing, could land you in a very warm place for eternity should death come suddenly and unexpectedly. White lies were "tiny little, itsy bitty untruths" which were offered to protect someone's feelings or help you escape punishment. Punishment either didn't come because no one could tell the difference between your truths or lies (no one cared, the lie didn't hurt anyone, or you were a very good liar) or punishment was held in abeyance unless or until all the little white lies congealed into one big dark lie, at which point you needed to go back and reread the sentence dealing with eternity.

That was the way it was - no escaping punishment if caught or if you were a big-time, multiple-lying, chronic and hurtful offender. Now, lies have become, indeed, the new truth. While the intent to deceive is still inherent in the process (intent being the key word), liars abuse the process so skillfully it is a game, one in which the lines between truth and deceit are not only dimmed, but in the liar's mind, erased. "If I say it, I say it with sincerity and conviction, and therefore, it is true." Of course, should the liar be caught in the lie, the "new" lie to cover the first lie becomes the new truth. "Oh, that's right, I did take the blue Datsun, sir. I forgot. But it was sitting at the corner of 7th and Regis with the keys in the ignition and really, Officer, I was concerned that someone shady might victimize the owner, so I was going to turn it over.....but it was almost out of gas so I drove to this Shell station here where you stopped me." New lie; new truth. All bull.

The First of the L.L.A. List

I cut across town the back way as I headed to the office for a meeting a few winters ago so I could drop off a library book that was due. My mind was wandering through the details of the day ahead when one of Life's Little Absurdities (LLA) popped into view....

A young employee for a small auto repair shop was out by the edge of the road. He was walking back and forth across the business's driveway and when I passed him and realized what he was really doing, I had to smile. I wondered who assigned him the job of using a small glass salt shaker's contents to break up or dissolve the ice bank at the top of the driveway? It's the honest-to-goodness truth. You can't make up these things.