Hangin' In There...

That's pretty much what we're doing right now: just hangin' in there. I am still job hunting, but have had little to no luck. I'll admit, it's kind of hard not to get discouraged sometimes. At times it feels like we're doing everything right, and getting no results. Kyle is working as much as he can, I am job hunting like crazy, we're scrimping and saving, we're following every lead we can but seem to be getting nowhere. I guess that's not entirely true. I should be getting a small pay check for the two days that I did work. There was some delay in that, and I had to go out of my way to get paid at all, but we should be getting a check any day now. I never thought I'd be so glad to see $150. Anyway, this whole experience has been, well, a bit of a character building experience. I've amazed myself with my newly found grocery shopping skills. We normally spend about $60-$80 (depending on if we have to buy meat) a week on groceries, but these past 3-4 weeks, we have spent about $20-$30 on groceries each week! Kyle has had a great attitude about living off of peanut butter and jelly lunches, haha. Thanks to Auntie Kathy and Uncle Rich, we have had a good supply of meat for free:) One of the wedding gifts we received from them was a catalog of frozen meats of all kinds, fancy stuff too(!), and a gift card for any package out of the catalog:) We opted for a big package of non-fancy meat, and that has proven to be the most useful wedding gift we got! haha:) So thanks to them, our nutrition (at least our protein intake) has not suffered, lol. If only we could order a bit of morale to go with it. Don't get me wrong, we're not broke, suffering, or getting into debt of any kind. We're just...well, a little discouraged. When I lost my job, we didn't expect that it would take this long for me to find another one. Now we're wondering if I even will. Since we're planning on leaving the area in June or July, my chances of finding a good paying job get slimmer and slimmer the closer that draws. Most companies want long-term employees, and many temporary jobs don't pay anywhere near what I need to be making. Needless to say, this hunt can get a little frustrating. In the mean time, if anyone needs their house cleaned...*holds up windex*:-D

Job Hunt Update - Perhaps A Change of Scene?

Well, I suppose it's about time I updated you all on the job hunt:) To make a long story short, things fell through with the job I previously blogged about, and I am still hunting. I have recently started broadening my job search criteria. See, I have been told that, based on my resume, "my field" is...well...the front desk. However, while job hunting, numerous people have commented that most of my experience is in working with children. This morning it occurred to me that I don't even have all of my child-care experience on my resume! I only included the experience where I was formally employed! Come to find out, many listings posted by people seeking childcare also accept experience such as church ministries, camp counseling, etc.! Now, I love working with kids. I wouldn't say I'm an expert - I'm not a mom yet, so I won't try to claim to be an expert, haha. But I have spent two school years as a part-time, unpaid teacher's aide. I have worked for a day care. I have been involved in non-profit children's ministries. I've been a camp counselor. I've taught sunday school, been an AWANA leader, and been involved in children's musical programs. I've worked in the church nursery. Why am I not building on that?! I love working with kids! Why am I hunting for a job behind a front desk?? SO...while I'm still keeping the front-desk option open, I've started searching for job listing that are more kid-oriented. I've applied for a job as a full-time teacher's assistant at a preschool, and one as a full-time nanny. I'm really hoping to hear back from either or both of them. The tough part is that I don't have any child-care or children's education training, as in college units in that field. I'm really hoping that somebody out there (an individual, or private organization) will at least give me a chance...

Anyway...please continue to keep us in your prayers. We're still doing okay financially, but we can only go for so long without a steady income! Pray that a good opportunity comes along soon:) Thanks everyone!

Job Hunt Update!

Well, today I had another interview. I got there feeling like a windblown fraggle who'd just spent a half hour lost in downtown LA...okay, so aside from the "fraggle" part, that's all true. Two blocks further and twenty-six stories higher, I met some of the nicest people in Los Angeles:) I managed to smooth out my hair, suit, and nerves by the time I got to the office, thank goodness. First I met with Michelle. She is the HR person for the office. She was super nice, and made me feel really comfortable - not nearly the frazzled fraggle I'd felt like minutes before, haha. She interviewed me, and seemed to like me, as a person. I'm not really experienced enough with interviews to be able to "read" my interviewers, as to what they think of me professionally, but...she seemed to like me anyway, so that was encouraging. After awhile, a woman named Dee-dee (sp?) came in, and Michelle asked her to interview me also. Dee-dee was also really nice, and very comfortable to be around. I left feeling very positive, and extremely jittery! By the time I left, I wanted the job! The position is...well, actually they're hiring for two positions. One is as a receptionist, and one is as an executive assistant. Both job descriptions sounded fine to me, though I would definitely favor the assistant position (I'm much more comfortable with being a "go-fer" than a "company face" even though I can do either). The receptionist position is pretty much a standard receptionist job, but is with a far classier company than my previous job (no offense to my former company - I enjoyed my time there). The assistant position is basically like my old job, minus the receptionist part. The assistant would be responsible for keeping track of office supplies, coffee pots, paper stock, etc and would be consistently making sure that everything that the rest of the office needs to do their jobs, is available! Hehe, when describing this position to me, Michelle asked, "How do you feel about brewing coffee?" Feeling a bit silly, I said, "Uhm, well, I enjoy it actually." She then looked down at my resume to see my job at It's-A-Grind listed under job experience. Haha:) Apparently a lot of people would feel a little bit miffed being asked to keep track of other people's coffee. Hehe, I was thinkin' "I can make 'em lattes too if they'd like!" :-D Anyway, so either position sounds great to me. I definitely prefer being the "servant" over being the "company face," but I am fine with either, and walked out of the interview really really hoping I would get either position!
After the interview I went to the AGO fraternity house to kill time until Kyle got out of class. Nobody was around, so I had nobody to take my mind off my jitters, lol. So I called my dad:) I basically recited the interview back to him, haha, and he said it sounded like it went well:) Oh, I also called Stephen, who works for the staffing firm hired to find people for these positions. He's been really helpful in finding me a job, even to the extent of helping me improve my resume, coaching me on how to be a good interview-ee, and keeping me consistently updated on what positions may interest me. Anyway, I called him to follow up after the interview, and he sounded very positive about my interview:) He told me to call JoAnn, who also works with the staffing firm, for the same client, to follow up with her. She sounded positive also. I was getting tons of positive feedback, and encouragement from all sides!:) When Kyle finally got out of class, I picked him up, and of course updated him. We both got excited and hopeful, and very curious as to how soon we might hear back about the job opportunity.
Get this: Before we even got home, less than two hours after I left their office, JoAnn called from the staffing firm to tell me that, while the client still had a couple more people to interview, they were already 90% sure they want me! We are really hoping and praying that this works out! It seems like a really neat company, and so far everyone there seems really nice. It will also probably pay more than my last job:) We don't expect they'll shoot much higher than my previous salary, but any step up would be a huge blessing:) Anyway, be praying that this works out! We sure are! lol.
Oh, and for all you people out there who have a sort of non-sexual fetish for nice offices and office supplies (maybe that's only me, but oh well), this company's office is amazing! Sitting in the conference room, I had to keep myself from drooling on the polished mahogany table and leather arm chairs, or investigating the amazing wire-hiding techniques and classy screen-hiding-doors. Seriously, this office is beautiful. I won't be carrying too-full cups of coffee around, that's for sure! lol. OH, and they're on the top floor of a high-rise overlooking Beverly Hills, which is full of trees and bordered by a country club with a pristine green golf course! The view, as city-ful as it is, is quite a lovely sight:) ANYWAY, I'll quit daydreaming about mahogany conference rooms and get back to hoping and praying that I get the job! haha.

Job Hunt Update

Well, today is day 7 of job hunting. So far I have had two interviews. One of them, at a temp agency, hired me on the spot, and kept me in their system even after I said I wasn't sure I wanted to actually accept the position. Apparently now if worse comes to worst, I can call them and say "assign me something" and they will. I could technically tell them to delete me from their system, but I figured a free backup job might not be a bad thing, even though I'm pretty sure I won't need it.
The second interview, I'm pretty sure was a failure. It was for a position that I'm completely unfamiliar with, and I didn't really have any real answers to most of their questions. "How do you handle stress?" "Uhmm.......gee, I can't remember ever being truly stressed before, so I don't have a clue!" How do I make that sound good? All I could really do was speculate. "Based on my personality, I'm guessing I would do/say/be __." I've no experience with most of the challenges they brought up, and had little of value to say. I felt kind of bad because someone in their company had specifically recommended me for the job, and I basically went to the interview and quickly discovered a hundred new ways to say "I don't know". Unless they recognized the incredible quick-thinking/improv skills, I doubt they were impressed.
Anyway, I have another interview today. We'll see how that one goes. It's actually an "interview for an interview"...this company hired a staffing firm to find them a receptionist. So I have to interview with the staffing firm, and then if they like me, I'll be interviewed by the actual company. They haven't even told me what company this is for, so...who knows where this one will go...
We could still use your prayers, of course. We're doing okay financially, and we're certainly not feeling hopeless yet, but we'll be glad when we have income again. Thanks for your prayers. And thanks for the support so many people are offering:) Your encouragement is really appreciated:) We'll keep ya posted!:)

Job Hunt Update

Today is Day 1 of my job hunt, and God may already be workin':) My first move toward finding a new job was to try to think of people who might know of job opportunities in their own companies. During my time at Mediaedge, I met a radio sales rep (he sells ad spots on the radio, not radios, lol) named Zayne. He's a really neat guy:) He came in every few weeks at least, including bringing his family in to hand out candy for Halloween and treats for Christmas:) He's one of those people who's pretty much always up for helping people. Whether it was "Know of any good date spots?" or "What's the quickest route to Westwood?" he had answers! haha. So today I thought, "Maybe Zayne knows of some job openings..." I e-mailed him and told him my situation. He was pretty surprised that I got fired, lol. He asked me to send him my resume, and let him know what areas I'd be willing to work in, and what my salary needs are. I e-mailed him back and sent him that information. Almost immediately he e-mailed me and said that the director of sales in his office is in immediate need of an assistant, and that he has referred me to him. I am supposed to keep my phone handy, as I should be getting a call from the director of sales there! Apparently the position needs to be filled ASAP, and I need a job ASAP, haha. Needless to say, I was pretty excited to already have gotten a recommendation! Be praying that this works out!! Thanks, to everyone who has been praying for us:) And thanks Zayne!!!