No, that's not me in the picture there. (Although once in college someone asked if the girl in the Henri Cartier-Besson photo on my wall was me. Which I thought was funny.) Anyway, no I don't wear an owl in my hair but I do drink tea and read quite a lot. And I DO send out dozens of resumes lately. Here is a partial list of jobs I have at least considered applying for in the last week:* librarian (of course)
* researcher (independent contractor for possibly shady character)
* Borders person at the info desk who resembles a librarian
* "kids' activities director" at a gym (aka daycare--they want you to be "working toward" a high school diploma or GRE)
*Target cashier
Do you notice a downward trend there in the list? I also considered the following position (culled from craigslist):
Our organization is looking for young individuals who are self suffisent, able to multi task and have great time management skills.
We are looking for two assistants who will assist our CEO and VP with daily tasks and schedule management.
Colledge degree is a plus.
I think I could probably pass the preliminary spelling assessment.
Job hunting is always excruciating for me. Cover letters by necessity must be full of boasts and cliches "organized, motivated, and meticulous in my work"... "deadline-driven"..."self-starter"....
How does a person successfully explain large gaps and weird less-than-part-time jobs without alluding to the dreaded "mommy track"?
Is it ok to delete a whole degree and past experience to meet the requirements of a job clearly aimed at teenagers? (Is it worth it to do so?)
And lastly, am I freaking out already? I haven't actually applied for very many jobs. As my good friend Denise would say, "You need to chillax."
4 comments:
If you want the job, leave it out. And, your the mommy track might help you seem less qualified in many positions.
Do I say that a lot? I thought I reserved it for my children when they are in crazy mode!
What about volunteering at an interesting organization or a library? Maybe it would get a foot in the door?
What about subing?
Personally, I wouldn't feel right leaving out that hard-earned degree. I can tell you that a lot of companies even want their phone reps to have at least a Bachelor's.
I'd say if you aren't in financial need of the job, try to find one that fits *you* better (so you can really be happy and not just "occupied"). If it is a case of financial need, then I'd say take the best you can find right now whilst looking for something better.
Personally, I don't understand why/how the Mommy Track is perceived as so horrible... it's not like you're trying to get a high-power job at a mega-corp in NYC. Most of the people who do the hiring have families of their own and understand (one would think) that family is the priority. You still have the qualifications, and you can still do the job. (Makes me wonder if people think that being a mom somehow diminishes your degree, intelligence and capabilities.) That being said, my disclaimer is that I'm by no means an expert in this hiring thing (as you know). Just voicing my meager opinion.
Beside, managing a family is no small feat in itself. It develops desirable skills too. They just aren't officially documented.
Breathe. Just breathe. It will be ok. :-)
Job hunting is horrendous. I keep hoping that when I am in a position to go back to work that some great job will just fall into my lap. My biggest concern is all the jobs that require letters of recommendation from other people. Who would write my letters? My kids? The women in my carpool? My boss from 10 years ago? It makes me slightly ill just to contemplate it all.
I sure hope someone wises up and hires you!
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