Summer 2012

Summer 2012
BibeauArt of Santa Rosa

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

Trying to get back into the workforce...

...well, it's not like I'm trying to get backstage at the Coldplay or U2 concert here, just trying to get a J O B...but it feels like it. I've put out my updated and not so fluffy resume - one has to be more 'real' when one hasn't been in the job sector for oh, like four years. We must update that time period to include the whole time I was pregnant because, quite frankly, I didn't DO any work during that time.

Really. Not kidding. My co-workers did all my work. And they were very nice about it since I was like 190 something pounds and very VERY uncomfy. They were saints. God Bless all of them.

Back to reality. I'm recovering from surgery and a nice lovely head and throat thing going on that makes me sound as if I smoke all the time. Maybe it's not a bad thing that nobody has called me yet.

Sigh.

I must admit that sending out the resumes on line (the preferred way to do it nowadays) has made me think about a lady from my last real job. She was divorced (like just recently) and she was living alone, worrying about her college age son who just moved out and stuck at this huge company in the mail room. People didn't treat her all that well and she would break down in tears on occasion when the men left the room. The adjustment to her new life was hard on her and we tried to help by being there for her, but let's face it - if you've never been through whatever the person is going through, you simply don't know. You can't.

Anyhow, this lady was nice with everyone and a few of us ladies treated her like one of us - or so we thought, A lot of us were wondering how she got into this mess of her life at only 53 years old and vowed never to get into that situation - EVER. So much for female empowerment! At times I would wonder what made her lose so much of her vitality and lust for life that she didn't think she was worth more than the freaking mail room. She would actually admit that it was 'the only job she could get' although we knew she had more skills than she put on her resume.

They finally 'laid her off' - and believe me, she was the first on the chopping block. No severance, no thank you letter, no warning, really. I got laid off much later, but I got all the goodies, a send off party and everyone was so sugary nice, but I felt bad for the mail woman. She could have been my mom for crying out loud. Sometimes I wished I knew what happened to her - where she is now...what she's doing - where she's working.

Should I have helped her out somehow? Helped with a reference? Well, I won't ever know now, but I can say that I know what it's like trying to get INTO the work force for these re-entry women. It's nerve-racking and makes me wonder.

When I was younger and has less experience, all I had to do was waltz into a large corporate office well dressed with pearls and a perfect hairdo and VOILA! the job was mine! I never had to wait - and I mean EVER. Times are a changing and I'm not the little petite young single thing trying to get a job for $12 an hour anymore either.

My first hit of reality was several years ago trying to get a job at Hewlett Packard. Man, was that torture. They literally took a MONTH to go through the process, do the drug testing, personality tests, interviews with just about every manager there before I could walk into the front gate. That got me nervous back then. Today I wouldn't be able to get that job. Really, would not.

It's been a little over a week since I sent out my resumes around here, and I'm not expecting anyone to call for at least two more weeks. If it's the one thing I've learned from that mail room lady from years ago it's this...be patient and don't take the crappy job. Hold out for the job that's right for YOU and know that you are worth a better job than the mail room.

That said, if the mail room job comes with benefits, 401K and is local, maybe I'll take it for now! LOL!

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