M iXi M            

January 23, 2001  Redifining the Job Search
       

 
This is the next installment in the north country jobsearch .
I have been looking for a job up here for just over two weeks now. I will start by updating you on my actual job search progress and then I will tell what I have actually been doing.

Last week:
Monday: No job news. It is a holiday.

Tuesday: I checked my voice mail and found a message from Snow Ridge. The manager from the rental shop called to set up an interview. So I called back and made a time.

Wednesday: I had my interview at Snow Ridge. I don't think it went well. It seemed somehow important to them that I skied. I think that I couldhave sold myself better by asking more questions about the job. I think thatif I had asked about pay and hours, I would have discovered that I didn'twant the job anyway. It seemed like weekends only. (if you want to come visitme, weekends are filling up fast, btw. No time for work) And my best defensefor not skiing is that I know how, but I don't because it seems like an overly expensive and pointless activity. Maybe I really did the best I could inthat interview. I also had a big hair issue. Not that my hair was big butI couldn't decide whether they were ready for a guy with a barrette, so Ileft it down, and it looked bad. I decided that the next interview wouldhave to be with hair accesories because that looked a lot more natural somehow.Maybe my view is skewed. I judge hair harshly, so expect it is a big partof anyone elses decision process.

Thursday: This is my big interview with Manpower, and I would hear from Snow Ridge if I got hired. What can you say about an interview with Manpower?  I filled out a lot of paper work. In theory I am working for them already, but I have not been sent on any jobs. They have not called. The service representative was cute. I have been practicing looking for rings (weeding bands) for the last year or so, but I don't think I got the chance. Oh, was that the point?  I asked a lot of questions. I was hard pressed to evaluate the answers though. My question, "You said we would do skills testing today, and then the video mentioned it too. Are we going to?" Her Answer, "It varies whether we dothe tests. For someone with your skills and background, we don't bother." How was I supposed to take that? Either I will hear from them tomorrow, or never again.

I came home to no message from Snow Ridge. This was not a surprise. I should have worn my hair up and been more excited about giving away my weekendsfor minimumm wage at a pointless job, that is an hours drive away.

Friday:I have been meaning to call my maple syrup neighbor for the past two weeks. But I waited him out and he showed up at his cabin to set it up for the weekend rental. It was good to talk to him. He's a good guy. I had wanted to ask him if he knew maple guys who would need help during the syrup season. Of course he did. He gave me one name that I could follow up on, and seemed very eager to talk to people on my behalf when I saw them. This seemed very promising, but people won't really start working with the trees for three weeks at least.

Saturday: No job news.

Sunday: I went over to Pete and Bonnie's to help them with web page building, but they had a larger proposal. They think that I could help them build markets for rustic furniture that Pete builds. I haveyet to decide if this is something that I want to do. It sounds good, andit would work for everyone. I just can't get over that this is the second time in a week that someone has asked me to try and sell stuff to stores. The last time was the weird maple guy who didn't have work with the trees for me, but would let me work with the people, all over the state.

Monday: I talked to the hyperactic bait shop owner. I have been there maybe three times to stop in and grab something.(this time it was a fishing license), and each time I have been stuck for over an hour. He went on and on about the politics of providing jobs in the area, by developing tourism. He isvery opinionated. I had little to argue with in his views, but I am morewilling to see both sides. I really would like some more people to enjoymy neighborhood, but I don't want non-stop traffic in front of my house either.At one point he mentioned that he gets people in his shop asking for a rivershuttle or guide, and he has nowhere to send them. "No one wants to do that."And mybrain says, "I want to do that." and I say,"Call me next time." Atthe veryleast I will go talk to this guy again about having my name andnumber inhis shop. At most I will get a guide license, and pack a good firstaid kit.I don'twant to do it every weekend, or advertise, but I would loveto showthe occaisional person around. River Shuttle, canoe,-fishing-hikingguide,that could be me.

That was my job hunting week.

My real week started in Syracuse. I went down Monday to help my mom fix up the house I grew up in to go on the market. I am not too sad about it. Ihaven't lived there in 12 years anyway.

I was there Monday night and Tuesday. Tuesday morning the beetle wouldn't start which messed up the whole day. AAA came and got it running, and itwas fine. (until Friday) I got home late with a car load of old stuff, anda new weight bench.

I actually spent a good chunk of my days Wednesday and Thursday with interviews and all. I have also been working on this idea of paying myself to do work. It's really just saving money, by buying logs insted of firewood, cutting it myself. The thing is, I have to figure out if it is really worth it. If I had a job I could make more money at that, than I could save by cutting my own wood, and it is hard work. But since I don't have a job it might be worth it. Plus I can work my own hours, and not have to drive anywhere. Really the idea just helps me justify sitting at home. And I get to add more titles to my conceptual business card.

Friday I went to pay my taxes. It was just an errand, but the beetle wouldn't go again. I was glad that it hadn't been for one of the job interviews. I spent the whole rest of the day trying to get it going.

I was so frustrated by the end of the day, that I went shopping for a truck the whole day Saturday, with a friend. I was going to buy one sometime, and I figured I need one now. I was ready to charge it and try to drive it off the lot. We went everywhere, and then found the perfect truck right around the corner. My plan is to have two unreliable cars, and if the one I want to drive doesn't go, I can always drive the other.

Sunday, Pete the genius got the beetle running. It was what I thought it was but I didn't know how to fix it.

And yesterday I ran a million errands, and assembled my weight bench.

It seems like I have been so busy. I know it wasn't in the job search, but I am now surprised to see from my list that I have done nothing this week. It is so hard to manage time here. What is it that I do anyway?

I have been trying to work this out. Knowing what you want to do is partof a job search. I have not been able to answer the question.  The best I can do is this conceptual business card.

MiXiM Address Phone Etc North Country Generalist since 2001 Services include, but are notlimitedto: firewood cutting,splitting, and sales, house remodeling andgeneral maintenace, roofing, electrical, plumbing, back country and riverguide, river shuttle, snow shoveling, zamboni, rustic furniture sales rep.,maple syrup work (with trees not people), Manpowertemp, weight lifter, writer,web master, computer and web consulting, personal bicycle shopper and bicyclecommunting consultant, purveyor of antiques, produce grower and retailer,digital photography...