It has happened - I got a job! Almost one year to the day of my layoff I will finally rejoin the workforce. With an unemployment rate of 20% in MI, it has been a long hard year of searching and all of that work has finally paid off.
Back in March, I submitted my resume and credentials on the MI.gov website. It wasn't until September when I received a call for a phone screen that eventually got me a panel interview. I had to take a few MS Office tests too. All in all, it was pretty easy and all of their questions were scripted.
This past Monday I received a phone call from a representative from the state's HR department. I had 24 hours to complete a drug screening if I wanted to be considered for an immediate opening. Plus, I had to get fingerprinted. Well, I was out of the house in 10 minutes and on my way to the Dept. of Health and Human Services to pick up my forms. In 24 hours, I was tested and printed.
They must have rushed the results of my test because I got called back today. The position is for an Assistant Payments Worker. I'll be reviewing cases to determine eligibility of benefits for state aid. I certainly can already relate to the customer experience. Now, it's time to see what happens on the other side. Orientation begins after Thanksgiving. Time to start getting up early again.
Anyone who is unemployed knows who the UIA is (Unemployment Insurance Agency). In my state, I have to contact them every other week to collect my benefits. I have a specific time period to contact them, otherwise I could lose my benefits.
I requested access to the Internet reporting system and they had to mail me my password - not email - MAIL the password. By the time the letter arrived, the password had expired because there's a very short window when it will remain active for login. Brilliant. So I used the phone system instead.
Well, the phone system has been overwhelmed by the number of people calling every day. They've had some issues with it, and have had to do emergency repairs/system upgrades in the recent past.
In mid September, I called the system to report that I'm seeking work, haven't found a job, blah blah blah. I made sure the call completed and hung up. You have to wait a mandatory three business days before you can check to make sure your payment was processed. I waited and called to verify. They claimed that I never called the system as there was no record of my call, thus no check. And, to top it off, I was going to lose my benefits because I didn't contact them within my call-in timeframe. That's government for ya.
I filed a claim stating when I called and that I understand how the system works as I have been doing the same thing since January (omfg). I finally received a determination today - in November - in regards to my September claim. Since I failed to contact the system within the required timeframe, they are not going to give me my two weeks of benefits for mid September. Since they didn't think I was lying, they're not going to kick me off the system completely and they're going to allow me to finish collecting my final weeks of unemployment.
Can I protest this? Sure, I could. I'm debating if it will be worth the effort, paperwork and the hearing I'd have to attend. Plus, if they find that I'm still ineligible, I'd have to pay them fees for the hearing/lawyers/etc.
The best part about all of this is now they're also trying to make me pay back money I received the week after the two in question. This is obviously due to a clerical error as to when the ineligibility period ended. As I write this, I'm on hold with the UIA to discuss the errors of their ways.
I've been on hold for 45 minutes so far... wish me luck.
I know that many of you have been waiting to hear about my interview in Cali, and I apologize for the delay. Flying to and from Cali within a 24 hour period really kicks you in the head when it's over a 5 hour process each way.
Aramark booked me on US Air flights from Detroit to Phoenix and then Phoenix to Burbank. I didn't have to land in LAX, which was a relief. While making our approach to LA, you couldn't see the city at all due to all of the smoke from the fires. You could smell smoke in the plane! Freaky. When I finally got outside, the smoke hung heavily in the air. It burned your eyes if you stayed out too long, and people were holding tissues to their mouths. I was glad we'd be inside for most of the duration of my stay - not to mention it would be over 100 degrees that day.
Jack, the regional facilities director, picked me up at the airport. He has a firm handshake, a great smile and a good sense of humor. As we drive through Burbank, we pass by many of the large movie studio houses: Warner Brothers, Disney, Columbia and Universal, where we will be staying. We go immediately to the Burbank school district offices where Amy, the food services director, is waiting for us. Amy is the person with whom I would be working with on a daily basis. She's the one I need to win over the most.
Amy eagerly jumps up and gives me a handshake. She's all smiles and is very excited to start the day's agenda. Jack says he'll catch up with us later in the afternoon for a conference call and that I'll check-in to the Universal Hilton then.
Amy grabs her bag, hands me a badge and we're out the door. She wants to visit a couple of the Burbank schools so I can see what Aramark has done in terms of renovations and other changes. The conversation is immediately casual and we both start gabbing about my flights, weather in Detroit, and whether I have begun looking at apartments in Cali. I explained that I've only done a light search so far. Amy says, "Well, then I better take you around a bit and show you what I've found."
We visit a couple schools and I got a chance to meet the facility superviors in the kitchens (one middle and high school). What Aramark has done is nothing less than awesome. They repainted, reorganized, refurnished and remodeled these cafeterias. As a student, I would have loved to eat in there. Their marketing flyers were up as well, and you could get nutritional information on the day's menu. Nice.
Amy drives us around Burbank and Toluca Lake where she's been apartment hunting. Her husband and 13-year-old daughter will be staying in Tucson, AZ while she lives in an apartment and conducts a house hunt. For now, Amy's living out of the Universal Hilton and has been there for the last three weeks. My online searching has shown that I can find a single bedroom apartment with decent amenities and is a short commute to the office for about $1500/month. Not as bad as I had feared.
Finally, we get to the hotel. Wow! This place is high class all the way. My room is on the 17th floor facing due east. I can see the smoke from the fires across the mountain ridgeline, and I'm told I'll be able to see the actual flames at night. Eep! I can see all of the Universal lots and Universal City. As dusk set in, all of LA began to twinkle. Ahh, Hollywood.
The conference call is basically a repeat of questions mainly to see how consistent I am with my responses and also to see how I respond in person. Afterwards, we had appetizers and drinks while we laughed off the stress of the day. There were many 'off-the-record' comments about my demeanor and overall performance: they were really impressed.
They rushed me upstairs to get out of my suit and we headed off to Universal City for sushi at Wasabi. Over a few beers and a bunch of rolls, we laughed and really enjoyed each other's company. Amy even ran through a few of the ground fountains in a spontaneous child-like manner on the way back. Too funny. It must have felt great considering it was still 90 degrees at 10pm. I didn't get back to the hotel until 10:30pm.
Wednesday began with breakfast at 7am. The hotel had a feast available - anything, I mean ANYTHING you wanted, they had. I grabbed fresh fruit, smoked salmon, deviled eggs... omg it was SO good! Perfect food before a long day of flying. We all had breakfast together, but they had an 8:30am meeting they needed to prep so I had to say my goodbyes early. By 8:30am, I was sitting at the airport waiting to head home.
Everything has fallen into place thus far. The only thing that is holding me back from a decision (aside from an actual offer) is the salary. I still don't know what it is. I did ask about it, but apparently they're having difficulties figuring it out with HR. This week the other candidate will get the whirlwind tour. By next week, I should know their decision. In the meantime, I'm nervously checking my email and voicemail - just in case.
Fantastic news: I will be flying out to Cali for my final face-to-face interview with Aramark. As I am one of the two finalists, this is the make-it-or-break-it meeting. I'm very excited about this potential opportunity, even though I still have not been given any information as to what the pay or benefits could be. That's okay since I'm not paying for the trip out there.
Now, there's actually bad news to accompany the good. I have been keeping my parents informed of my job hunt progression (or lack thereof), especially since they've taken over our mortgage and utility expenses since May. When I mentioned this opportunity in Cali, they did not congratulate me at all. Instead, they decided to launch into a barrage of criticism of my inability to distinguish realistic expectations from fantasy. They think that all I see is an opportunity to live in Cali, and nothing else.
They said that I am blind to the fact that the state of Cali is in its own economic trouble, and that this corporation will lure me out to the coast and then kick me as soon as things go south for them, "and then I'll be royally screwed." They believe that I cannot see how hard it will be to manage two households, and that it will put a strain on my marriage to live separately for an extended period of time. The feel that I will kick all of my responsibilities to the curb just to "get out there".
Nice, eh? Nothing like an overwhelming amount of support from the one place I should be guaranteed to get it - not to mention the incredibly negative perspective of my mental capacity to make informed decisions regarding my career, my marriage, my finances and my life in general. According to them, I am a horrifically selfish individual with nothing but California sun on the brain.
Well, you can just imagine my reaction. I unloaded on them. I got really angry and said things like, "Do you really think I'm that naive or do you think I'm just a dumbass?" and "Would you rather I declare bankruptcy now to avoid this extreme pit from hell called Cali?"
I reminded them of how families all across the nation must make sacrifices and take risks in order to survive these days. I reminded them that military families live apart for extended periods of time, and are fully functional and happy. I reminded them that this is a great career opportunity for me. I also reminded them that I graduated from a major university and that I have the ability to consider multiple circumstances and variables at the same time. Plus, I am completely aware of the economic condition of the country, our state and THAT state.
Yeah, I SO sound like the type of person who will abandon my husband, two cats and home on a whim to bask in the glory of Cali. Wow.
I leave for Cali on September 1st and will report back on how it goes.
It's funny, but any time I take on a writing assignment a strange and bizarre ritual ensues. I'm curious if other writers go through similar phases, so I'll share this one and see who writes back:
Stage One: Panic To clarify, it's not a full-on, run around the room panic - just a very brief, momentary OMGBBQ!11!!11! It's not every writer's first reponse to an assignment, but for some reason I get this surge of jitters and fear that I will not be able to do it perfectly. As always, the perfectionist in me takes hold of my shoulders and shakes me up before any rational response can occur.
A certain amount of research is required to get familiar with the content and lingo of the assigned topic. One of my topics this time was Arizona golf course properties. This was for a marketing piece to drive customers to a real estate website. I don't golf. I had no idea that "the links" was the equivalent to "the gridiron". I dove into the interwebs to fill my brain with anything remotely related to golf in order to become an overnight expert. In one evening, I could tell you the best places to purchase a property on an Arizona golf course (Scottsdale - all the way), and I could describe it and sell it as if I've golfed all my life.
Stage Three: The Goofy Side
Before I can even make a serious attempt on the topic, I must get my goofiness worked out of my system. I'll do a mind dump of all of my cheesy stereotypes and cliches. I'll keep it all in one paragraph so it looks like I've acheived something. Plus, it gives me a good laugh when I reread it. I had sentences like, "There's no better place to show off your favorite madras pants" and "You never have to search for your balls when they're always on your front lawn."
Stage Four: Wait a Minute - Strike That. Reverse It.
By now, I've spent about an hour (maybe more) going through the first three stages. There is no way I can avoid it any longer. The actual writing must begin. My brain will suddenly get serious and kick into high gear. Before I know it, I'll have tons of copy and the writing will come to a complete stop. Perfection time - I must edit. I've always been the type of writer who must edit as I go. Even while composing this post, I've been scrolling up, rereading, editing, coming back down to here, rinse and repeat.
Stage Five: Proofread and Submit
Finally, I'll get need a proofreader. Every writer requires one no matter how good they are. A second/third/fourth set of trusted eyes are always necessary to complete the writing process. This usually involves my husband, who is an excellent writer and is not afraid to tell me if something sucks, doesn't make sense or completely misses the audience. Granted, if I'm at work, I'll bug a colleague (or two, or three) first. But lately it's been up to my husband to be my proofreader.
After a final seal of approval, I make the edits, run a spellcheck, read it five more times, attach it to an email and send. Relief. It's gone.
Stage Six: Tick Tock
The worst part is waiting for feedback. It's at this point when I begin to second guess everything: style, tone, length, description, word choice, flow. I know I did my best work, and I already had at least one other person proofread it so I can't be completely off my rocker.
Finally, the feedback arrives:
My second round with OneUpWeb was awesome. I rocked it - they certainly liked what I wrote. I hesistate to say love because only one person has reviewed it with me. I have yet to hear the commentary from other folks at the company. If it's all thumbs up, I'll edit my word choice.
This time I'm welcoming the downpour since my job search activity has tripled overnight.
This morning I received a phone call from an online marketing agency called OneUpWeb. They're located on Grand Traverse Bay in Traverse City, MI, the Cherry Capital of the World. GORGEOUS! They're laid back, carefree and do kick-ass work. They want me for an SEO/Copywriting position. They gave me a writing assignment that I need to send back tonight for my second round at 9am tomorrow. Eep! She also asked me about relocating to Traverse City. Are you kidding? It's fantastic up there! Well, the winters can be the suck, but still!
Then, I get a call from Amy at Aramark. That's right: the Burbank, CA job! She is the Director of the account and I would be working with her. She loved me, and began asking about how soon I could relocate to Cali. OMG! That's a big move, but hey, why not?
Lastly, I received a call from one of my many recruiters saying that she has an Administrative Assistant position with Raytheon. This is my least favorite opportunity as it is not in my field, but it's a job. They want to talk with me tomorrow morning.
Of course, my calendar is now jam packed with stuff. All of my WoW commitments have been put on hold, and I'll be lucky to bake that cake for hubby in time for his b-day. Once again, this is very exciting. I'm trying not to lose my head.
I've been using Craigslist lately just in case something interesting or unusual pops up on the radar. One position I found is with Media Genesis, which is a very respectable online marketing company. I found MACPA (Michigan Associate of Certified Public Accountants). They were rated one of Crain's Detroit "Best Places to Work". I just hope they have a sense of humor. I know; bad stereotype.
Unfortunately, not all Craigslist advertisements are actual job offers. I found an hourly position that was mostly for an assistant's work, but offered great growth opportunity. I submitted my resume and cover letter, and immediately received a response in my inbox. I figured it was one of those autoresponders (it was), but it was telling me the next step would be to submit my credit report via this free website. I was so pissed! What a scam and a waste of my time.
Understandably, there will be those who decide to take advantage of us who are unemployed and who will do anything for a chance at a job. At least I didn't show up in person somewhere to find out that I'm being recruited for door-to-door sales, like AT&T.
AT&T posted marketing positions for their new U-Verse system. A lot of people turned out for interviews. Many of the people there were older than me and dressed in their finest suits. Sure enough, we all walked out in a huff when they took us back as a group to go over "the pitch."
I've thrown more resumes out yet again, and hopefully some of them will bite.
My fellow colleague, the other Special Agent, and I had a long discussion this holiday weekend about our jobs. We realized that our situation at work was, at best, horrible. We did not have a contract or a pay structure. "It's a work in progress," our boss said at the beginning and he made assurances that he would have something in place very soon.
This morning we confronted him stating that we would like to see our contracts before we continue our work. He got defensive, and began to describe how sales contracts normally are; listing charge-back clauses and a bunch of total garbage. His contract would be different. "This contract will protect both you and me. Mine is in my head."
I told him that I'm not a mindreader, so I would appreciate it if he could put his contract onto paper. That got him upset. He began to accuse us of lacking the commitment for this job. He showed his commitment to us by investing his time and energy into us, but we were not returning the favor and thus we were not loyal employees.
My boss said that I'm not a solicitor. This gave me a moment's pause. I thought he was joking at first so I laughed out loud. Then he said that he was serious. Whoa.
So-lic-it (v) to make a petition or request, as for something desired; to solicit orders or trade, as for a business. This is what I do. Ugh.
As a Special Agent Advisor, I must go from business to business and present my flyer and informative spiel. Honestly, it's not fun. Personally, I think I do it quite well. I'm not afraid to
approach people; to walk into someone's office and thrust my information into their hands with a smile.
But this is solicitation! And if someone wants to complain, I could get fined $500 and perhaps get nailed for trespassing! This usually occurs when you ignore a "No Soliciting" sign. Most of the time they just shoo you out of their office.
Of course, I mentioned all this to my boss. He shrugged and said that I have to chase every opportunity available to me. I don't think so.
I'm starting to think that this may not be such a good pursuit, even if I'm gaining sales experience. I'm not getting paid wages, I'm putting in tons of work and now I'm being asked to sidestep the law.
I have one of the coolest job titles ever: Special Agent Advisor. Ooooooh! Ahhhhh!
It's got that whole spy connotation to it: James Bond, 007. Secret Agent Man. How neat is that? But once you get past the title, what does it mean? What do I do?
That's the point, really. It's catchy, it's cool, and it forces you to ask me those questions so I can start my sales pitch:
We provide free "key" business expense analysis for small to medium size companies. We look at their benefit/insurance plans and their telecommunications setup. We have our specialists review exactly what they're getting for their money and how we can get them the same or better services for less.
Who pays us? Our money comes from a consortium of local companies that have signed on to provide the services at lower prices.
Pretty neat, eh?
Once I make a connection with a company and they agree to participate with the free analysis, that's where my job is done. I receive my commission for setting up the appointment and creating a warm lead with my marketing skills. I will then also receive commission for any of the products/services they decide to switch to once the analysis is complete.
Not bad, not bad.
We'll see how this all plays out. It's intriguing, and I'm going to see where this goes.
I never thought that being an intellectual could cost me a job opportunity.
I interviewed for a marketing position in April for a rental property company that wanted to build an Internet presence. I found out in early May that they had chosen someone else for the job; someone they felt was a better fit. As it turned out, that person lasted two weeks before he quit stating that the position was too stressful.
Now that statement alone rattled me a bit. When I considered the job, it did not sound too stressful and in fact it sounded like fun! The recruiter had called me back for reconsideration and to review some of the changes they made to the job description after this other person left.
During this second interview, it was as an enjoyable a conversation as it was the first time around. Yet, I could tell that the recruiter was struggling with something. She still wasn't convinced that I would be the best person for the job. Her concern was that my customers (current and potential renters) were not as high a caliber as I was. "You have a college degree, and these are mostly blue collar workers," she explained.
I can see the possible reasons why this could be a problem: you'll get bored with the position easily, your intelligence will not be rewarded properly by the low salary or, most importantly, the challenges of reaching and communicating with your audience.
As a marketer, it is my job to know how to address, capture and retain ANY audience. If I am such an intellectual, wouldn't it make sense that I would have the know-how to find the niche, the slogans, the terminology and visuals to engage these customers? Not only am I smart, but I'm eager to put my intelligence to the test!
What is so ironic about this is that I was nervous that I might not be able to bring enough experience to the position since I have never worked with marketing rental properties. I knew that I had to build up my own confidence and remember that with my level of intelligence I should be able to handle the challenges of marketing to this audience. And I was so convincing to my potential employer that she felt that I was too much of an intellectual for the job.
It has happened - I got a job! Almost one year to the day of my layoff I will finally rejoin the workforce. With an unemployment rate of 20% in MI, it has been a long hard year of searching and all of that work has finally paid off.
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