Job Quest

Murky by Finijo

As my job search is ongoing (and how!), I will post this blog, then periodically add to it.

10/02/04
I spent the last year and a half spectacularly failing to find a new, and better paying job. The irony of my situation is that I am an employment counselor. I have applied for the few jobs that were available in my field, which specifically involves counseling, disabilities, and employment. While the type of work I do (vocational rehabilitation counseling) is specialized, I have a wide variety of experience, a good work history, a master's degree and a national certification. The problems I am encountering are threefold:

1. The job market is lousy right now (I will lay this at W's feet).
2. I am in the upper range of salary for my line of work, so I really can't take any job in the field and expect the pay to be the same.
3. The few available jobs in my salary range seem to be freezing as soon as I send in my application. Odd, but true.

The lack of options is disheartening.

10/03/04
I heard about a job that sounds like employment perfection to me, Resident Scholar. Not just any scholar, but a scholar at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. How cool would that job be?

10/27/04
I went for a job interview today at Houston Community College and it was the strangest interview I have ever been on (and I have had some weird interviews). I got the call yesterday about 2:00 PM letting me know that the job I applied for in July (yes, July) was now interviewing and I was being invited for one of two openings available for the interview (2:00 PM or 4:00 PM). I chose the 2:00 PM slot and then asked my manager if I could have the day off, just to avoid being stressed out about work and the interview on the same day. I arrived an appropriate 15 minutes early and I was escorted upstairs to an empty conference room. I sat there for the next 15 minutes waiting for someone to arrive. The first person that arrived seemed perplexed that nobody else was there and excused herself to go get some coffee. She came back a few minutes later and she and I were still the only ones in the room. Next the interpreters came in and I tried to chat a bit, but my reception was chilly (to say the least). Finally, the woman who called me came into the room and upon realizing that I was in the room, she escorted me out into a lobby across the hall from the room to wait for the rest of the panel to arrive. At 2:20 PM I was escorted back into the room and got to see the panel. There were 3 people in the room that I know (and that know me), but not one of them acknowledged that they knew me. I was a little taken aback, but played along and did not mention that I knew them when they introduced themselves. I was asked 12 questions and I answered them and then I was given the chance to ask a few questions. I was then told by the woman who called me, "Well, that's all we have," everyone looked down at their paperwork. I gathered at that point that I needed to leave. I was in my car and pulling out of the parking lot by 2:46 PM, wondering what the hell just happened. I came away from the interview feeling like everyone in the room was privy to the secret agenda for the meeting but me. The experience was so Twilight Zone that I was just relieved it was over. I will not be holding my breath waiting to find out if I got the job.
11/01/04I got my application for the VA job back today and it had a form letter that stated that I left out a form. This isn't the end of the world, because there isn't actually a job open at this time, but I was trying get my application on file for future openings. One more set back. Sigh...
11/04/04
I got my rejection from the Dept. of Labor. Apparently, I missed the sentence in the job posting that said that you would not be eligible to apply if you had not worked for the Federal Government previously.
11/06/04
Much to my surprise, I got a letter from the Dept. of Labor today that states that I am under consideration for the Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist position. I forgot that while I was job hunting I found two job postings in two different places for what appeared to be the same job in Houston. It was odd, but because they were listed under two different announcement numbers. I guess I didn't qualify for one, but I did for the other. Looks like the game is still on.
11/12/04
No word, yet. This sucks.