Ms. N Update

Yesterday, I got an e-mail from a Sanfo org asking when I could be available for a phone interview. I think the numbers game strategy is working. I sent some thank you e-mails yesterday, a reply to Sanfo, a follow-up to Boulder and today I sent one application to DC. Current count is 36 in, 14 more to go before July ends. I really need to keep focused. A friend invited me to go to Comic con this weekend. I am so tempted. It is just an extension of my Barstow trip. But I am quite strapped for cash. :( It WOULD be a nice break. I'll feel better about it if I knew that my Starbucks job was a sure thing. But it isn't yet.

In other news, my drab life of job searching has been graced again by a friendly voice on the phone. Yup, it's my strange infatuation of, um, let's just call him Robin. Ah, how to explain this strange connection. Methinks part of it is that I have been deprived of Filipino company for so long. I'll just enjoy the friendship while I can.

I have a four-hour (!) volunteers orientation later at the Springs Preserve. Must look for other opportunities like this.

Thoughts on a Sunday

I have a job interview on Friday at a remote outlet town between Las Vegas and Los Angeles. I think to myself, "Well, at least its in a 'Manhattan Transfer" song." It shouldn't be so bad. But I am having doubts about this job interview. In the first place, I have doubts that the company would be able to sponsor a work visa for me. Secondly, I am thinking of the cost that a two city job might entail. I will need to spend three days out of the week in city A and the rest in city B. Think of the petsitting expenses. Think of all that driving. And think of the fact that deep inside me I can feel the nesting instinct growing and growing.

At the minimum, I think of this interview as an opportunity to practice. Still, at this point I am feeling a little fatigued and yearning for a pick me up, like an exciting workshop, going to the Comic Con or maybe finally nailing that job at Starbucks (they have put my hiring on hold because they want to offer me another position) :P.

In the meantime, I think I will have a mango.

Job Infatuation

I'M a creative writer and have a very active imagination. I once got infatuated over a guy I had been e-mailing and speaking to over the phone before I even met him personally. In the same vein, I get infatuated with job possibilities. This has advantages and disadvantages.

PRO. I don't want a job I might hate. And I don't want to live where I would be miserable. So it helps when I am excited about a position and when I am passionate about its possibilities. Employers like that. If I were an employer, that is one of the things I would look for.

CON. I get very disappointed when I don't get the job offer. This happened about a month ago and I felt bad for two days. It's a fact of life of the job hunt. There will be times when you won't get the offer. The sooner one gets over the disappointment, the better.

Keeping physically active and fit has helped me. I now walk an hour every day and this helps offset the large blocks of time I am sitting on my butt and sending out applications. Endorphins rock! I also like being able to talk to Ms.C about the job hunt, as well as other people (aforementioned object of infatuation for instance).

So this time, I try not to be too infatuated till I get and offer! ...But then Boulder, CO would be such a nice place to live =)

Here are other links that discuss the Job Search Blues:
Job-hunt.org: Beating the Job Search Blues
ABC News: The Working Wounded
CareerOne.com: Axiety, Depression and the Job Hunt
Jobseekeradvice.com: Job Hunting Tip: Time Management

Job Search Update No. 1: Bad sending day, good results day

Applications sent today: 1???
Total for this Cycle: 34 out
Phone screening interviews set: 2

So many things went wrong with my one application for the day. The position was perfect but I noticed quite belatedly that the organization prefers DC applicants. Then my electronic application would not send. I guess there are days like this as much as there are productive days like two days ago (sent 9) and yesterday (sent6).

The US Job Search: A Numbers Game

LAST month, a new friend told me something I should have realized many months before. In many ways, a US job search is a numbers game. The more applications you send out, the more chances for a phone interview, an on-site interview and eventually a job offer. I began my job search in May 2006 before my last semester in school. Since then I have lodged 80 applications, have had 10 phone interviews, three on-site interviews and one job offer (which I turned down, but that is another story).

I should consult C.--our resident statistician--how many applications I should send to have at least 5 job offers. I am guessing I need to multiply 80 by 5. So...400 applications? There you have it. If you don't have luck by your side, the only real route is to use brute force. And so that has been my path for the last three months. Took me long enough to realize this. But I'm glad it dawned on me now as I begin the seventh month of my job search. I'll be honest. It hasn't been easy. But hey, I'm convinced I'll come out of this with more character, strength and stamina than I already possessed.

This is primarily what I am going to write about in this blog because it would be a pity if other international students did not learn from my experience. I will also write about the search for good Asian food in the US, sightings of other international student communities, what I miss about the Philippines and general observations on behavioral and social norms in the United States.

Often, I will be reflecting or replying to C.'s and W.'s posts. You are welcome to share your anecdotes and experiences. We'd like to hear from other international students too or other geographically adventurous souls!