Long Live Queen Ding-Dong

This post ties back into my post I. Want. A. Job. As I was saying before, I really want a job, even just a little something. (Although, I know as soon as I get a job, I will be saying the opposite).

Anyway, last night I decided to check Craigslist for open jobs in my area. I have always been a little hesitant looking for jobs on Craigslist because you never know what you might get. Beyond that, companies don't list their names on Craigslist, so you can't do your research and you don't know what you're signing up for.

I decided because everywhere else I was looking, I was out of leads, I might as well give Craigslist a chance. A found a job posted that day that sounded great. It was part-time, working at a physical therapy practice. I decided my skill set truly fit with what they were looking for and proceeded to reply to their posting.

In my last post about job hunting, I mentioned that I like to write a very specific cover letter for each position, but was sick of writing them and always felt they were never just right. I went back to the drawing board though and made this as pertinent as I could with the two sentence job description I had been provided. I actually thought it was a success. (Of course, I still haven't heard anything back.)

While I was applying for this great opportunity, I decided to see if I could find anything else worth applying for. I found four other positions that seemed to have potential, so I figured I would apply to them as well. (As I said, I've been applying to tons of positions and haven't heard more than a word or two back from anywhere. I don't understand when or how I became such an untouchable.) Moving on, I decided the cover letter I had written for the physical therapy position was a strong enough blanket cover letter, since I had little information to go off of from the postings. Here is where the trouble began.

I tapped reply to the next job and copy and pasted my previous email. I changed the job description in which I referenced and did a quick once over to make sure I took out anything else that referred to a physical therapy practice. It looked good! Off I sent it. I repeated this process three other times and then jumped into bed. It was after midnight by this point.

This morning I woke up expecting to hear nothing back, but hoping all the same that I would. My phone rang around 9:30, but it was my fiance's set ringtone, so though I was happy he called, disappointment still hit that it wasn't a future employer. After ending my conversation with Chris, I thumbed through my BlackBerry for emails. Some junk, nothing good. I was going to crawl back in bed for awhile to read or watch TV, but my phone blinked red, indicating that I had a new email.

I scanned down and I couldn't believe it was for the Administrative Assistant position that I had applied to just the night before. The posting had been old, so I didn't get my hopes up, thinking they may just be telling me that it had been filled. At this point, I was so excited at the thought that someone would even bother to tell me that, because that was a first. I excitedly opened the email and read only a short phrase.

We don't have a physical therapy practice...

I gasped. Instead of aiming myself back towards the bed, I scurried to my computer to assess the damage. There it was, right in the first paragraph. I had neglected to take out that I would be an asset to their physical therapy practice. I meant company! I meant company, whichever one you were!

My stomach churned. I immediately replied. I wasn't sure that that was the right choice. My letter mentions how great I am at attention to detail. (I swear, I am extremely detail-oriented. It was midnight. I was in panic mode that I would never find a job. I knew I should have written a job specific cover letter. Shame on me.) But I replied anyway, apologizing for the mistake, hoping that deep down they would decide that everybody makes mistakes, but it takes a strong person to admit they are wrong, especially to an prospective employer. (I haven't heard anything back there either, nor do I expect to.)

After an attempt at damage control, I opted to recall the other three pending letters. Because it was sent through Craigslist, it can't be recalled. A new reason to not like Craigslist!

So there you have it. This Ding-Dong here applied to four jobs yesterday, telling each how she would be an asset to their physical therapy practice, of which they do not have. I am totally embarrassed, but I'll just have to chalk it up as another lesson learned, laugh at myself, and move on.


On a side note: I've been looking back at my previous number of post each month, and that number keeps declining. My goal is to try to get the number to increase now instead of decrease. Especially since I lost a lovely follower. To those of you who have stuck around: I appreciate your on-going support.

Long Live Queen Ding-Dong!

Late Night TV, You Win Again

People like me are the reason infomercials were invented. Okay, so this time it wasn't an infomercial, but HSN: Home Shopping Network.

It was 1:30 AM, and I was curled up the couch with a fleece blanket and my cat. I was so comfortable, and not at all sleepy, so I decided to find something on TV for another hour or so before going to bed. (Unemployment has made me revert back to my terrible sleeping habits.)

Of course at that hour there was nothing good on TV, but I scrolled through the channel guide, bound to find something to watch. That's when I saw, "Tori Spelling Collection" displayed on HSN. I had purchased a Tori Spelling necklace (the floating agate in blue for any of you that know the line) awhile back and really loved it. I thought back to when I had ordered that piece and remembered that she had some really great pieces; they were stylish, trendy, and chic. I hadn't purchased more for two reasons: one, the stock was limited and two, the items were a little pricey. (And on a side note: I am only slightly bitter that the necklace I bought a while ago is now half the price. Oh, well!)

Anyway, back to 1:30 AM, the couch, and HSN. Tori Spelling was actually on this viewing to show the jewelry, and for some reason, the fact that she, herself wears the jewelry appeals to me. Enough so, that I want to buy it. I watched the remaining half hour of the show and stayed tuned for the next hour to come. I told myself that I wasn't going to buy anything, but I still wanted to see the whole line. I made it to the end, loving so many of the pieces, and they were at a special event price, but I still held to my pledge that I wasn't going to order anything.

By the end of the second hour, I was quite groggy. Before I knew what was happening, I had popped on to HSN.com and was ordering a necklace. I decided it was so versatile I could wear it with everything, so it would be well worth the investment. I typed in my credit card number in my altered state and clicked order. Here is the result:



This picture doesn't really do the necklace justice. I really do love it and am hardly even experiencing any cognitive disonance. The only problem is that my shopaholic nature has kicked in and I want to order more! I find myself checking HSN.com a few times a day. You might think that sounds crazy. Okay, it is kind of crazy, but if you shop at HSN you might know why. You see, the stock is constantly updated, and at any given time, the inventory is different. You never know what you might find, and that triggers my shopaholic-ness, too. I'm getting out of control! I must regain composure!

But seriously, check it out! I love the line. Oh, but don't buy too much, the stock is very limited and I might want that.

I. Want. A. Job.

Sorry, I just don't feel like posting much. I've been working on my writing skills elsewhere: writing cover letters. I've been trying them every which way. From dry and professional to the exaggeratedly creative and everything in between, if you can think of a style, I've certainly tried it. But nothing has worked! Suggestions welcome.

Chris and I are doing fine money-wise. We can afford our lifestyle, but I would like to have an income of my own. My savings account just keeps depleting and dwindling and I would like to build a nest egg for our future. I don't want to head into our marriage without a dime to my name, or without a job, or really at this point an identity.

I still haven't really met anyone in the area, so I mostly hang around at home all day. Don't get me wrong. I enjoy not having to work everyday and I've been able to pick up a bunch of hobbies, but my life is still lacking structure. I don't have anything that I have to do everyday or even every week. Just recently, I started guitar lessons every Tuesday. I look forward to my lesson so much because it gives me reason to do something. Otherwise, I can be lazy at times.

I don't mind sitting around all day and watching TV, but I feel bad later on. Chris comes homes after working for ten hours. I slept for five of those hours and was unproductive for the other five. What a waste! But I don't really work on my hobbies such as sewing or writing because I just "never get around to it". I've been trying to set time out to work on it, but I don't hold myself to it. No matter what I try, I just can't figure out a good way. Suggestions welcome here as well.

But really, I want a job if for no other reason than this: I have a fabulous shoe collection and nowhere to wear it!