Friday 22 April 2016

I GOT THE JOB!

On April 1st, I started my shiny new job at a financial services company in Toronto - yay for me!  I'm in my 3 month probationery period as an Executive Assistant, busier than the proverbial one-armed paper hanger, and deleriously happy because I get to use my brain again.

Must go back to work, long hours but learning SO much :)

Take care, be well, and as always...

TTFN!

Thursday 25 February 2016

Has it really been this long???

Ooops!

Thank you all for your encouraging comments!  Yes, it is SO relaxing to be away from that atmosphere, I must admit.  ;)

I'm on LinkedIn, with my resume posted on Indeed and what looks like an abbreviated version on Workopolis (I really should look into that).  Making connections, sending out my resume (there's about 16 of them out there at last count, not including the ones where the positions are now filled), and calling old favours *lol*  That last one is the hardest for this introverted personality to do, but when it comes to finding gainful employment, I'll happily push myself out of my comfort zone and hustle with the best of them!

It can be difficult sometimes to keep the energy up, after all I'm only human and do get a little depressed from time to time (who doesn't during periods of unemployment?), but it's also been a fun and educational experience  getting out there and dancing like there's no tomorrow - which is what the job hunt can feel like occasionally *lol*  I joined a group on LinkedIn (paid membership, actually) called "Job Seeker", and it's been a real help.  Go digging through all of the comments, questions, and advice and you can learn quite a bit about what the search can be like, what mistakes to avoid, what other people's opinion on subjects like "Thank you letter or no thank you letter?" (I'm in favour of them, it's only polite to thank both the interviewer AND whomever the receptionist / admin person that was at the desk that day and helped you).  And definitely ask the interviewer what a good time would be to follow up - do this during the interview, not after it's finished or you could forget to ask.  Always follow up, you're not bothering them if you do it once during the time advised, and it'll show you're genuinely interested in the position and the company.

The purple in my hair has pretty much grown out - so much for "washes out in 28 washings".  My hairdresser says it's due to the purple being part of the red colour spectrum, which can stay in your hair forever.  Duh on me for not thinking of that! *lol*  In any case, when I finally post my pic on LinkedIn I'll look a little more professional with normal-coloured hair, for sure ;).  Thinking of posting a short video there as well, kind of a "getting to know me a bit" sort of thing...perhaps a "pre-interview"?  Not sure.  What do you think?  I'm looking for an Administrative Assistant position with an eye to working my way up to Office Manager (or even starting as an Office Manager, why not?).  A video would certainly be different for someone looking for that sort of job!  Not that I'm limiting myself to the positions previously mentioned.  I'd say that the important thing is that I have the opportunity to learn new things within the company, be it training, a lateral move to a different position, or moving up in the company. 

The difficult part is researching companies that I'm applying to.  While I'm not being picky, I need to be able to look in the mirror every morning and say "I like my job and the company I work for".  At the very least, I can live with what the company is.  Does that make sense?  I don't want to work for someone or something that's bent on the destruction of our planet, I don't think I could unless I figured there was some way of instituting change of some sort from the inside.  Perhaps I AM being picky, but I need to be able to live with the choices I've made in life, and career is one of those choices we all have to make.

Sheesh, what a downer there at the end of this post! *lol*

Anywho, courage to those of you out there looking.  It's difficult, frustrating, educational, sometimes fun, and a great way of kicking open doors within yourself and airing out the cobwebby bits! ;)

TTFN

Monday 18 January 2016

Done on m BlackBerry Torch 3G, so no guarantees as to quality, but hre goes...

Ugh, will I EVER get to posting pics?  Will I ever have a workable resume??  OK, not many posts via my phone, considering the spelling corrections I've had to make (even when typing at the speed of moron (aka really slow) *lol*...pics WILL come, eventually.  Resume?  FINALLY done!!!  HUZZAH!  Now to post on LinkedIn and various other sites, and life is bella!  Why did my resume take 3 months?  Only my  career rep knows for sure ;)

Wish me happy hunting! *lol*

TTFN