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Lady Jade
12-10-2007, 04:28 PM
Hey wait! I'm totally qualified!

What's the female version of "dick-tation"?:P

You might be qualified, but I'll work for less *and* bake cookies! ;D

DylanAngel
12-10-2007, 04:29 PM
You might be qualified, but I'll work for less *and* bake cookies! ;D

Go ahead and "bake" your cookies. I actually eat "cookies".

The job is mine.

britt244
12-10-2007, 04:45 PM
neener neener, i got there first! :dance: :neener:

plus, im young and impressionable. thats gotta count for something...

DylanAngel
12-10-2007, 04:49 PM
neener neener, i got there first! :dance: :neener:

plus, im young and impressionable. thats gotta count for something...

Well somebody's gotta go first and somebody's gotta go last...

And somebody's gotta be best and THAT'S ME!!!

Actually, can I be "head" secretary and have Britt and Jade as my assistants?

Katrine
12-10-2007, 08:49 PM
Awww, fuck! Even though I'm over a year away from having to hire my own personal assistants....am I going to have to start taking apps now???

1. Come to Texas
2. You'll get benefits and profit sharing
3. Like cats
4. Give killer massage
5....be able to take 'direction'

Bella21
12-10-2007, 09:12 PM
Damn, there's even heavy competition in the field of Katrine's former stripper sexy secretary? But, but, but... it didn't even EXIST as of yesterday! I'm so screwed.

*cries in the corner... then peeks out and sees if it's working*

Nicolina
12-10-2007, 10:20 PM
Damn, there's even heavy competition in the field of Katrine's former stripper sexy secretary? But, but, but... it didn't even EXIST as of yesterday!

hmmmm.....I smell a new reality TV show in the making....kinda like The Apprentice, only waaaayyyyyy better! ;)

sxybrat07
12-10-2007, 10:24 PM
Awww, fuck! Even though I'm over a year away from having to hire my own personal assistants....am I going to have to start taking apps now???

1. Come to Texas
2. You'll get benefits and profit sharing
3. Like cats
4. Give killer massage
5....be able to take 'direction'

Oooh ooh me me!

1. I'm there
2. Fabulous!
3. I <3 kitties, and have the most precious one ever
4. I didn't go to massage therapy school for nothin! (er wait, I kinda did, but hey now it's paying off!)
5. *giggles*

PhillyDancer1982
12-12-2007, 10:05 AM
If I had (or wanted) the power to hire at my workplace, I would never hire anyone stupid enough to put "stripper" on their resume, if they were applying for a high-level position such as my own.

Katrine, I agree with you so much here! I remember one of my exes not thinking that "stripper" was such a bad thing on a resume...but I would be mortified to put that on any resume of mine! That is why I had so many holes in my resume.

However, I think there are a few other jobs that look almost as stupid as "stripper" on a resume. For example, mentioning a min wage fast food or retail job as recent experience if you're in your 20s and applying for a much higher-up "real" job. There were plenty of times that I left my multiple retail jobs off a resume because they weren't relevant and I didn't want employers to wonder why I couldn't find something better than a low pay retail job that did NOTHING for my career development or personal enjoyment.

britt244
12-12-2007, 12:09 PM
Katrine, I agree with you so much here! I remember one of my exes not thinking that "stripper" was such a bad thing on a resume...but I would be mortified to put that on any resume of mine! That is why I had so many holes in my resume.

However, I think there are a few other jobs that look almost as stupid as "stripper" on a resume. For example, mentioning a min wage fast food or retail job as recent experience if you're in your 20s and applying for a much higher-up "real" job. There were plenty of times that I left my multiple retail jobs off a resume because they weren't relevant and I didn't want employers to wonder why I couldn't find something better than a low pay retail job that did NOTHING for my career development or personal enjoyment.

i disagree with that. i dont have jobs like that on my resume, but thats because i have a lot of experience in my field. if i were to put that i worked at abercrombie, or that i was a waitress (it was hooters, i would never put that on there, but if it were a diff restaurant) that shows customer service skills.

AudreyLeigh
12-12-2007, 01:58 PM
Well somebody's gotta go first and somebody's gotta go last...

And somebody's gotta be best and THAT'S ME!!!

Actually, can I be "head" secretary and have Britt and Jade as my assistants?

haha. That reminded me of this ad

I HAD to email him. I thought it was too funny.... (of course I got offered the job and turned him down)

TigersMilk
12-12-2007, 02:02 PM
^^Yea lol that guy was totally professional. ROFL.

PhillyDancer1982
12-13-2007, 09:03 AM
i disagree with that. i dont have jobs like that on my resume, but thats because i have a lot of experience in my field. if i were to put that i worked at abercrombie, or that i was a waitress (it was hooters, i would never put that on there, but if it were a diff restaurant) that shows customer service skills.

Really? Teachers in high school and college always preached about emphasizing the "soft skills" obtained from dead end jobs and all that jazz on a resume, but jobsearching experience has shown that not to be so true. There were countless times that I applied to a simple job at hospital or lab(back when I was going the science route career-wise) when I had no lab experience but tons of "soft skills" obtained from working at a grocery store or a clothing store. They didn't want soft skills...they wanted actual experience. When confronted about my lack of experience at job interviews, I would try to turn it around and emphasize all the positive "soft skills" and transferable skills obtained from my $7/hr retail jobs, but they didn't seem to give two shits about any of that. :(

Another reason I started keeping my retail jobs off my resume was because for me, a lot of them were dead-end or short-lived. If I'd worked, say, one steady retail job for a few years and had gotten promoted to say "third key" or shift supervisor, yeah maybe I would put that on there if I really had nothing else to rely on resume-wise. But most of my jobs never promoted me to anything(partly because I was unassertive back then and didn't sell myself to them, and partly because the job just sucked in general). Also, I jobhopped a lot in college, partly because of my school schedule(I studied abroad at one point, and other times jobs refused to give me hours compatible with a full-time courseload) and partly because I would get frustrated when a job didn't give me the promotions or raises I felt I deserved. I mean, you can only learn so much skill-wise when you're constantly kept at bottom rung jobs.

I can understand a 19-yr-old "newbie" to the jobworld putting a waitressing gig that she held through the later part of high school on her resume. Or someone that starts as a grocery store bagger at $6/hr at age 16 and gets promoted to customer service rep for $10/hr a few years later. But when a 22-yr-old college grad has nothing but $7/hr jobs from age 17 onward, consistently making the same $7/hr wage for the past 5 years at the same ol type of jobs, it starts to make the prospective employer wonder bad things about her...

britt244
12-13-2007, 10:03 AM
^ well i guess its diff depending the field. but like i said i have a lot of experience in my field and a pretty full resume, from working at preschools in high school and college. i havent needed to explain the gaps when i was working at hooters or abercrombie because i was a student.

DylanAngel
12-13-2007, 11:01 AM
I can understand a 19-yr-old "newbie" to the jobworld putting a waitressing gig that she held through the later part of high school on her resume. Or someone that starts as a grocery store bagger at $6/hr at age 16 and gets promoted to customer service rep for $10/hr a few years later. But when a 22-yr-old college grad has nothing but $7/hr jobs from age 17 onward, consistently making the same $7/hr wage for the past 5 years at the same ol type of jobs, it starts to make the prospective employer wonder bad things about her...

Not to me, it doesn't. It says that maybe she wasn't ready to go full time for whatever reason or maybe she wasn't sure what type of job she wanted. Hell, maybe there just weren't enough jobs out there for all the recent college grads in her field.

The point is that she's working and she's learning valuable business skills in re dealing with clients/customers. If I'm hiring for an entry level position and the person has a college degree and has been working a regular job, I'll consider her.

It shows me she has dedication, loyalty and a willingness to work while she's looking for the perfect position.

britt244
12-13-2007, 11:21 AM
^ thts what i thought. i mean, for an entry level position how much experience can you really have? im being counted as having 5 years experience, because of 4 years at school in my major and then various summer jobs that were at summer camps/preschools. those things do matter to some employeers.

( i know those are IN my field, but still)

also, especially if you were working while in college, that shows that you can multitask.

Katrine
12-13-2007, 11:29 AM
Since when did college count as "years of experience?"

britt244
12-13-2007, 11:34 AM
dont ask me, but theyre counting it. probably because ive done internships, student teaching, taken a community service class where we had to do 60 hours of community service.. my major is pretty hands on.

Bella21
12-13-2007, 01:10 PM
I stopped by the career center to pick up resume-writing info and find out about what internships they offer. They said that I can use those services up to three more months. :) I'm thinking that an internship will look better than a bunch of temp jobs and will give me better experiances... plus, I'm hoping that there won't be a lot of competition for them since it isn't summer. :)

PhillyDancer1982
12-13-2007, 03:03 PM
^ well i guess its diff depending the field. but like i said i have a lot of experience in my field and a pretty full resume, from working at preschools in high school and college. i havent needed to explain the gaps when i was working at hooters or abercrombie because i was a student.

Hmmm the fact that you never had to actually succomb to using "soft skills" and "dead end jobs" on a resume might explain a lot.

As far the field I was applying for...a few years ago it was the biology/chemistry field, where there's a plethora of job opportunities but still nobody that was willing to hire me. My lack of success with the biology field was my #1 reason for shifting career direction to finance and business admin jobs. But even Commerce Bank didn't want to hire me as a ~$9/hr bank teller without relevant bank teller experience(in 2004, before I ever had dancing or "real" jobs)...how sad is that. :(

I think the whole "soft skills" thing sounds good in theory, such as in a high school Careers Prep class, but in reality doesn't work nearly as well with employers. :( Unfortunately, "soft skills" have seemed to only get me as far in my career, as my friend M--k's liberal arts degree has gotten him.

britt244
12-13-2007, 03:04 PM
^ just saying, with some, it will look good. listen to dylan, she has good advice.

DylanAngel
12-13-2007, 03:20 PM
^ just saying, with some, it will look good. listen to dylan, she has good advice.

Thanks Britt.

Philly, I have two bankers in my family and they started out as tellers fresh out of HS with no bank experience at all. One just retired early as an EVP (with no college, I might add) and the other is the head loan officer at her bank, again, with no degree.

Maybe you were overqualified?

PhillyDancer1982
12-13-2007, 03:23 PM
Not to me, it doesn't. It says that maybe she wasn't ready to go full time for whatever reason or maybe she wasn't sure what type of job she wanted. Hell, maybe there just weren't enough jobs out there for all the recent college grads in her field.

I appreciate your openmindedness and I really wish you were an employer back in 2002-2006(isn't that sad?? that's 5 years of unsuccessful jobsearching!!), when I had so much damn trouble finding a job. Perhaps you woulda given me a chance back then.

And yes, you are right when you say "there just weren't enough jobs out there for all the recent college grads." But how desirable does that really make me look? It is common for one to think that the best-and-brightest grads will be the ones to beat out other college grads for the slim job pickings. It seems to me that employers are about as likely to hire the undesired "leftover" job candidate, as a customer is likely to buy a lapdance with the girl that's been stiffed or turned down by customers all night(I wrote about this before...the bandwagon theory, remember?). But maybe I just had some really shitty luck...who knows.


The point is that she's working and she's learning valuable business skills in re dealing with clients/customers. If I'm hiring for an entry level position and the person has a college degree and has been working a regular job, I'll consider her.

Yes but how many "valuable business skills" can she learn if she's been working the 12th cashiering job of its kind within the last 5 yrs or so, and always ends up quitting or getting laid off before she's at a point where she starts to actually learn NEW thinsg? And how "regular" is the job if she's only had it for 2 months?

Here's some background info on my situation: When I was in college, I jobhopped a lot. I quit some jobs because I got frustrated when I worked hard but got passed over for the promotions or raises that I felt I deserved. I quit other jobs for undeniably good reason: Some jobs(Target and Friendly's, to be specific) routinely ignored my schedule availability and manipulated me to stay late hours on schoolnights that drastically interfered with my expensive college studies.

And then there were times I quit a job because all the typical bullshit associated with the dead end job -- stuff you read about on "Nightmare Job" forums or in "Nickel and Dimed" -- just got to a point where it exasperated me to bits. I was able to tolerate all the bullshit when I was aged 14-20, but when I hit 22 and was still stuck working highschoolers' jobs, that's when my patience started to hit a short fuse and I became very prone to jobhopping.

But either way...I appreciate your openmindedness and your willingness to give new college grads a chance. I agree with you that a new grad working hard at any kind of regular job should be given a chance...I'm just trying to describe what I've perceived to be the hard-ass employers' views.

Here's a new one for you all: Has anyone ever correlated jobsearching to DATING? The whole "stripper hustle" can be thrown in there too. I noticed that some of the same things that help you obtain dates(such as confidence, selling yourself, being seen as "in-demand"), are the same things that help job applicants land the job. Perhaps that is the reason my friend M--k fails so dismally at both of those categories...

DylanAngel
12-13-2007, 03:24 PM
I think the whole "soft skills" thing sounds good in theory, such as in a high school Careers Prep class, but in reality doesn't work nearly as well with employers. :( Unfortunately, "soft skills" have seemed to only get me as far in my career, as my friend M--k's liberal arts degree has gotten him.

You might want to look into other reasons why you aren't/weren't being hired.

The "soft skill" thing is not only good in theory. Take the average cashier; she learns about money, customer service, inventory and the like. This puts her in direct line for an entry level position at a bank. If she can type and knows MS Office, it puts her line for a receptionist or a low level admin position.

But don't take my word for it...I've only been hiring people for the last 15 years.

PhillyDancer1982
12-13-2007, 03:27 PM
Since when did college count as "years of experience?"

That's the same attitude that I've seemed to encounter from employers. They view theoretical experience(i.e., in the classroom) to be a separate world from practical experience(i.e., on the job).

I think Britt explained it very well when she said that college provided her with internship and career-relevant community service opportunities. But imagine someone that graduates from a mediocre-level liberal arts college with no internship experience...that's pretty much the situation I was in(my college's career services center sucked, and I already told you about the bad time I was having with finding a job, including internships)...you can imagine how "useless" college would seem in terms of "years of experience."

PhillyDancer1982
12-13-2007, 03:33 PM
I stopped by the career center to pick up resume-writing info and find out about what internships they offer. They said that I can use those services up to three more months. :) I'm thinking that an internship will look better than a bunch of temp jobs and will give me better experiances... plus, I'm hoping that there won't be a lot of competition for them since it isn't summer. :)

Bella, I found that it is easier to find a job in the winter than in the summer...so I wish you lots of luck. :) You are absolutely right when you say that there's not as much competition in winter.

I think it's a great idea that you're looking for an internship. Have you already completed one, or do you lack an internship entirely? In general, internships seem to provide more opportunities than temp jobs, since a lot of companies offer their interns permanent jobs once they successfully complete the internship. Meanwhile, only a handful of temp agencies are temp-to-hire.

I think it also depends on the type of internship vs. type of temp job though. I think you have to look at each one individually and what type of work you'd be doing there. If the temp jobs involve strictly data entry or filing type of work, yeah you're not going to learn much from that and you won't have as much to put on a resume, skills-wise and experience-wise. But hey, even the rock-bottom office jobs at a temp agency look better than fast food or grocery clerk work, because they can eventually (over time) lead to slightly better office jobs.

DylanAngel
12-13-2007, 03:37 PM
Philly, what is it that you do for a living? I don't remember and I'm too lazy to go through all the posts.

britt244
12-13-2007, 03:37 PM
I think it's a great idea that you're looking for an internship. Have you already completed one, or do you lack an internship entirely? In general, internships seem to provide more opportunities than temp jobs, since a lot of companies offer their interns permanent jobs once they successfully complete the internship. Meanwhile, only a handful of temp agencies are temp-to-hire.

eh, i disagree. yes, some do. but many do not. out of the people in my major doing internships this semester, maybe 25% got offered jobs. our professors made it clear to us that we shouldnt count on that.

they do offer a lot of opportunities, though, because you can network and talk to supervisors about positions in comparable positions, etc. and you're right about it being much easier in the winter than the summer, bc more people graduate in summer and are looking for jobs.

PhillyDancer1982
12-13-2007, 03:38 PM
Thanks Britt.

Philly, I have two bankers in my family and they started out as tellers fresh out of HS with no bank experience at all. One just retired early as an EVP (with no college, I might add) and the other is the head loan officer at her bank, again, with no degree.

Maybe you were overqualified?

Overqualified? Hmmm that is very possible. At the time, I had damn near finished college(I had completed all the credits, but the only reason I didn't have the diploma in my hand was because the college was withholding it until I paid the backtuition that I owed). Back then, I know CVS was apprehensive to give me a job because I was overqualified(they actually told me this!).

I'm also wondering if perhaps the reason they didn't hire me was because I didn't have good credit back then. I am aware that financial institutions sometimes use credit reports in their hiring decisions, so maybe that was why?

DylanAngel
12-13-2007, 03:39 PM
eh, i disagree. yes, some do. but many do not. out of the people in my major doing internships this semester, maybe 25% got offered jobs. our professors made it clear to us that we shouldnt count on that.

And you'd be right again. Just because a company is hiring interns at rock bottom payrates doesn't necessarily mean that they have the budget or the openings to hire them full time. Hiring interns is more of a "goodwill" type of thing.

PhillyDancer1982
12-13-2007, 03:42 PM
eh, i disagree. yes, some do. but many do not. out of the people in my major doing internships this semester, maybe 25% got offered jobs. our professors made it clear to us that we shouldnt count on that.

Only 25% get offered jobs? Oh wow that sucks! I read an article that said that up to 70% of interns get job offers afterwards. Perhaps it is different in your major or in your geographic area(I don't know how the job market is in your area)?

But yeah I agree with you in a way. I realize that some internships are "bullshit and fluff" and don't really lead anywhere. That's why I told Bella that perhaps she should look at each opportunity(intern OR temp job) individually to see what tasks the job would entail. For example, working an internship that involves simple data entry or stapling together campaign flyers alongside the senior citizen volunteers(as I did when I volunteered/borderline-interned on the political campaign) isn't all that huge of an opportunity; however, working in the campaign's finance department assisting the budget director(as others did) can.

britt244
12-13-2007, 03:42 PM
^ and a lot of time, interns get to do the busy work. depending on the internship, you may not even get the chance to get the experience you're looking for. i got lucky with mine, but i know one girl in my class was *miserable* with her experience. another girl said she basically sat around for half of the time she was there because they didn't have anything she could do, whether she wasnt qualified to do it or whatever else.

britt244
12-13-2007, 03:44 PM
Only 25% get offered jobs? Oh wow that sucks! I read an article that said that up to 70% of interns get job offers afterwards. Perhaps it is different in your major or in your geographic area(I don't know how the job market is in your area)?

oh im not going by any specific statistics! i was just making that up from my very small major at my medium sized college. lets see.. my class had 7 girls. 2 of us were offered jobs. i know a few people in the other sections of the class were offered jobs as well.

however, there are a TON of human service jobs available. my major is family studies and community development, with a track in services to children. i could go on to be a drug counselor, marriage therapist, social worker, teacher, anything. my major is very broad. it isnt hard to find an entry level job in my field, but while our internships look really good, a lot of them, *especially* in my field, dont lead to jobs.

like dylan said, companies cant afford to hire new people. some of the places girls interned at were the salvation army, which is more volunteer based than employee based, and an addictions center. with a bachelors degree, there isnt any job that she would be qualified for at the addictions center. many girls interned at non-profit organizations. just a few reasons they didnt lead to jobs.

PhillyDancer1982
12-13-2007, 03:48 PM
Philly, what is it that you do for a living? I don't remember and I'm too lazy to go through all the posts.

Right now I have an admin/assistant manager role at an office for a small company that offers transcription services. It involves a lot of computer skills, clerical, training, and managerial skills. It has drastically helped out my resume, which makes me happy. :) I'm looking to go into finance sometime within the next few years though.

Before that, I was dancing. I also did work for a political campaign, but that was volunteer. Before dancing, I worked a slew of meaningless jobs...retail and food service work mostly...nothing that was interesting nor paid anywhere near decent.

PhillyDancer1982
12-13-2007, 03:53 PM
^ and a lot of time, interns get to do the busy work. depending on the internship, you may not even get the chance to get the experience you're looking for. i got lucky with mine, but i know one girl in my class was *miserable* with her experience. another girl said she basically sat around for half of the time she was there because they didn't have anything she could do, whether she wasnt qualified to do it or whatever else.

Oh boy I can relate to that one! When I volunteered for the political campaign, admittedly it was an overall good experience and taught me more about politics, but...the work that I did at the campaign office was rather tedious. I would sit alongside the senior citizen volunteers and their 12-yr-old precocious granddaughter, and help them file or staple things! But then again, most of the official "interns" got to do more than that. (I wasn't really an "intern," since I had graduated a few years prior, but my friend Revolution and I called myself that)

There was another time that I tried to volunteer at a Radiology department at a hospital and all I did was stand around and watch the other girls(girls who had full-time jobs but were a few yrs younger than me...how embarassing). There wasn't really much I *could* do, since I didn't have the required radiology licensing.

Yeah I'm aware that some internships are dead end...I think we're in agreeance here!...but then again, some temp jobs are also dead end(such as the data entry temp job I had). Perhaps Bella should gage each one as it comes?

DylanAngel
12-13-2007, 03:53 PM
Right now I have an admin/assistant manager role at an office for a small company that offers transcription services. It involves a lot of computer skills, clerical, training, and managerial skills. It has drastically helped out my resume, which makes me happy. :) I'm looking to go into finance sometime within the next few years though.

Before that, I was dancing. I also did work for a political campaign, but that was volunteer. Before dancing, I worked a slew of meaningless jobs...retail and food service work mostly...nothing that was interesting nor paid anywhere near decent.

Well then, if you're going into finance, make sure you find your way into assisting the accounting dept as well. Always ask for more work and be prepared to work OT to do it, if necessary.

FTR, I got my degree after I became a manager. You need to show initiative and working for a smaller company is a great venue to branch out into other departments. And, since there's not a lot of other employees, your willingness to do other than just your position will be noticed.

britt244
12-13-2007, 03:56 PM
FTR, I got my degree after I became a manager. You need to show initiative and working for a smaller company is a great venue to branch out into other departments. And, since there's not a lot of other employees, your willingness to do other than just your position will be noticed.

same with my dad. he doesnt work for a small company, but he never went to college, and they paid for him to get his degree. he just finished before thanksgiving, actually ;D he was hired and moved up, so the position he is in now, he wouldnt be hired for without a degree, so thats why he had to get it.

PhillyDancer1982
12-13-2007, 03:57 PM
Well then, if you're going into finance, make sure you find your way into assisting the accounting dept as well. Always ask for more work and be prepared to work OT to do it, if necessary.

FTR, I got my degree after I became a manager. You need to show initiative and working for a smaller company is a great venue to branch out into other departments. And, since there's not a lot of other employees, your willingness to do other than just your position will be noticed.

I sure hope so! :)

As far as accounting...there isn't much accounting to do since my manager's mom works as the bookkeeper, but I've had to fine-comb one of my (not-so-bright) emlpoyee's invoices before and pick out the errors. Hopefully my manager will remember that. :) As far as going beyond my job, I've helped out the new guy and the manager has me overlook his e-mails, since his written English skills aren't exactly the best.

PhillyDancer1982
12-13-2007, 04:00 PM
same with my dad. he doesnt work for a small company, but he never went to college, and they paid for him to get his degree.

That's what I'm hoping to do as far as grad school is concerned. I am hoping to start working for a finance company that will provide tuition reimbursement, and then I'm planning to go part-time at night for my Masters of Finance or MBA(not sure which one just yet). I don't feel like dishing out like $40,000/yr+ for grad school when I don't even have that much "real" job experience yet.

britt244
12-13-2007, 04:03 PM
I sure hope so! :)

As far as accounting...there isn't much accounting to do since my manager's mom works as the bookkeeper, but I've had to fine-comb one of my (not-so-bright) emlpoyee's invoices before and pick out the errors. Hopefully my manager will remember that. :) As far as going beyond my job, I've helped out the new guy and the manager has me overlook his e-mails, since his written English skills aren't exactly the best.

find a way to put those things on your resume. dont count on your manager to remember anything. i mean, dont flat out say "i helped blah blah blah" but find a way to make it fit. i can change my resume to fit the job im looking for.. if i were going on an interview for a teaching position in a 2 year old classroom, i'd put that one of the things i did at my last preschool was helping to potty train the kids. but if i were going to an elementary school, i'd obviously leave that off and add that i planned lessons and collaborated in a team with other educators and communicated with parents blah blah blah. you know? make your resume work for you.


That's what I'm hoping to do as far as grad school is concerned. I am hoping to start working for a finance company that will provide tuition reimbursement, and then I'm planning to go part-time at night for my Masters of Finance or MBA(not sure which one just yet). I don't feel like dishing out like $40,000/yr+ for grad school when I don't even have that much "real" job experience yet.

there are some really good opportunities out there. unfortunately, i dont want to go straight on to grad school, but the job i'm taking offers full tuition reimbursement, with no cap, as long as you get a c or better. and you owe them NOTHING. the day after you graduate you could quit and not have to pay anything back or anything. too bad i dont want to start taking classes again, lol.

PhillyDancer1982
12-13-2007, 06:17 PM
find a way to put those things on your resume. dont count on your manager to remember anything. i mean, dont flat out say "i helped blah blah blah" but find a way to make it fit. i can change my resume to fit the job im looking for.. if i were going on an interview for a teaching position in a 2 year old classroom, i'd put that one of the things i did at my last preschool was helping to potty train the kids. but if i were going to an elementary school, i'd obviously leave that off and add that i planned lessons and collaborated in a team with other educators and communicated with parents blah blah blah. you know? make your resume work for you.

Yeah that's pretty much what I'm planning to do. I also did this back when I was jobsearching...I would specifically tailor my resume towards the job I was applying for.

Speaking of tailoring a resume and the whole "soft skills" thing...after I had some job experience working in the office of the political campaign and then another office, I found it was a lot easier to find a job. Figuratively speaking, prior job experience(even if only remotely related and for a small office) was the "push-up bra" or "augmentation" for my resume. It was amazing how much more people were willing to give me a chance when they saw "___ and Associates" insurance firm instead of "Friendly's Ice Cream." But as you mentioned earlier, perhaps that varies from field to field, and maybe I would have had an easier time in a different field.


there are some really good opportunities out there. unfortunately, i dont want to go straight on to grad school, but the job i'm taking offers full tuition reimbursement, with no cap, as long as you get a c or better. and you owe them NOTHING. the day after you graduate you could quit and not have to pay anything back or anything. too bad i dont want to start taking classes again, lol.

Wow that's a great deal! :) Good for you! You should definitely take them up on that offer. Who knows, perhaps you'll have a great teacher and an interesting variety of classes. After all, it would be a higher degree in a major related to your career field, and you chose your career field because it was interesting to you, right?

britt244
12-13-2007, 06:19 PM
Wow that's a great deal! :) Good for you! You should definitely take them up on that offer. Who knows, perhaps you'll have a great teacher and an interesting variety of classes. After all, it would be a higher degree in a major related to your career field, and you chose your career field because it was interesting to you, right?

i dont want to go back to school though. not one bit. i was seriously burning out on school as it is, and i dont need to go right now anyway. i can do it whenever i decide.

PhillyDancer1982
12-14-2007, 09:36 AM
i dont want to go back to school though. not one bit. i was seriously burning out on school as it is, and i dont need to go right now anyway. i can do it whenever i decide.

Yeah if you're burned out on school, it's probably good that you're taking time off from school to work. You know what's best for yourself. Also, it is good that you have the option to postpone the pursuit of another degree for a while. It sounds like you have a good deal. :)

PhillyDancer1982
12-14-2007, 10:19 AM
You might want to look into other reasons why you aren't/weren't being hired.

Hmmm good point. I do still think that my biggest hindrance was my lack of experience, if only for the simple reason that I had a horrendous time finding a job for literally SEVERAL YEARS, but as soon as I had the slightest amount of office experience on my resume, I was getting job offers left and right.

However, you are correct when you mention that maybe there were other reasons as to why I had such a hard time in the past(years 2002-2006). Here's what I came up with:

1) I was too humble and unassertive. For example, times that I asked my academic advisor and bio professors about internships and they would give me the run-around or pawn me off to a completely different department. I would follow-up with them on it but not aggressively, for fear of looking too "demanding." I was too obsessed with wanting to be perceived as "nice." Also, when there were times that I was cheated out of a job opp or found fault with a company's hiring process, I never voiced my dissatisfaction(via a formal complaint to someone in HR) until months later when I finally gathered up the courage.

I was also too humble with jobs in general. There were times that I got passed over for a raise at a particular McDonalds franchise because I didn't have a penis(it wasn't just me...it happened to a LOT of us girls)...I never spoke up about this gender inequality until 3 yrs after I'd quit. Even when I quit, I told the manager some lame offhand reason -- "uh, I don't like dealing with rude customers" -- instead of being honest about the pay inequality and a few other issues. When this same McDonalds shorted my paycheck multiple times for money that a shady coworker had stolen from my register(I realize this now), I humbly accepted it as my own miscounting error(despite my superb math skills and all the prior times that I'd been "on-the-dot" with my register) and never questioned them about it. When Giant forgot to pay me for my 1st two days of work, I asked them about it and they told me that they'd correct it but they mistakenly never did...after that, I stopped harping them about it because I didn't want to look "too demanding" even though I was in the right. When Friendly's Ice Cream hired me as a server but instead put me on cash register making less money than serving, and then when they scheduled me hours outside my availability that drastically interfered with my college grades(I had to drop a class because of them!), I kept my trap shut. When the younger 18-yr-old Friendly's Ice Cream shift manager would boss me around inappropriately and then act sweet to her high school buddy coworkers, I never stood up to her or complained to higher managment. This just led to her continuing to talk down to me, even when she visited Friendly's on her "off" days.

2) I didn't know how to sell myself 100% effectively. I've mentioned this on multiple SW posts...I suck at sales. Even when I try real hard and take sales advice from managers/coworkers and do everything I'm supposed to do, I can never seem to sell enough credit card apps or telemarketing products or lapdances. I think my unassertiveness and low esteem also hindered my ability to sell myself.

3) I was shy and mousy at interviews. This was an effect of being too humble and unassertive, having low self-esteem, and wanting the interviewer/employer to think that I was a "nice girl." But hey, nice girls(and nice guys) finish last...

4) I looked a LOT younger than my age. When I was 22, I could easily pass for 16 or 17. I doubt my lack of assertiveness or firmness helped any. This might explain why the 18-yr-old Friendly's manager(she was a few yrs younger than me!) talked down to me like a small child and then said incredulously with wide eyes "OMG you're 20???!!" when she fonud out my age. It might also explain why I was told by a guy at an insurance office one day when I was nearly 21 yrs old, "No I don't have any openings, but I appreciate a little girl looking for a job! Try the place next door[an ice cream and fried chicken shack]...they give their workers free ice cream!!"

5) This is what my mom told me once(I was 21): I had little quirks about my demeanor that resulted in people underestimating my maturity or intelligence. For example, unintentionally talking in a nervous, higher-pitched mousy voice when I was at interviews or around higher-ups. Or my lack of hard eye contact, or the way I would glance around a room, made people perceive me as a naive little girl in a big, big world. Or the ditzy blonde hair that I sported at the time(hey blonde works well for some, but I don't think I was one of them).

6) I didn't know the "right people." I heard that a lot of people get jobs through networking or "knowing someone." Back then, most of my friends either worked in a completely different field, or simply claimed that their workplace "wasn't hiring," or else they were kids that didn't even have a job at the time.

7) My grandmother once told me that by putting down all my academic accomplishments on a job app, employers might disbelieve it and think I was a liar. I don't know how true this really is...but I figured I'd mentioned it here anyway. At the time, I was a triple major(yes, triple) pre-med with a good GPA and an even better SAT score. I'd skipped freshman year of college due to an overwhelming amount of AP credits. Yet here I was, working fast food for $6/hr. Sound too good to be true? Maybe employers saw a young ditzy-looking girl and couldn't believe it to be true? Or maybe they saw me as "overqualified"?...CVS sure did. I don't know.

Okay DylanAngel, I've exhausted all possible reasons LOL. Are any of these good possibilities? Come to think of it, most(if not ALL) of my reasons apply to my friend M--k, who had an even HARDER time finding a job than I did, if you can believe that. He's very shy and low-confident, has a stiff nervous demeanor, and doesn't have very good job networking(due to his poor social skills and subsequently paltry social life). I always recognize a lot of his faults as faults that I had until recently.


The "soft skill" thing is not only good in theory. Take the average cashier; she learns about money, customer service, inventory and the like. This puts her in direct line for an entry level position at a bank. If she can type and knows MS Office, it puts her line for a receptionist or a low level admin position.

Yeah I can see how "soft skills" help a person to be able to carry out the duties of another job, such as being a bank teller or receptionist. If someone has dealt with customers, money/cashiering, and inventory, then she is certainly able to handle the tasks of being a bank teller! I just wish more employers saw that though. :( I'm glad that you see it, and I wish I had applied to the company that you hire people for! Just curious, what field/line of work do you do HR/hiring for?

On second thought...perhaps employers DO identify soft skills as good preparation for a higher-up job, but they use "lack of concrete experience" as an excuse because they don't have enough positions open. I am aware that there's more college students and grads than ever these days, and I am also aware that unfortunately companies only have X job slots available. Perhaps they went with the MOST qualified candidate, who did happen to have concrete experience.

Katrine
12-14-2007, 10:59 AM
If anyone is interested in what I did, it might be right for you:

In business school, I worked at the university during the day in the field I had experience in, IT. However, the job was similar to an internship/grant-created project and position. The pay was relatively low but I received some tuition reimbursement.

The other nice thing was the convenience. I didn't have to drive all over the place, just to campus for an entire day. If I needed library, I could walk there, etc. I worked about 25-30 hours a week, learning a very marketeable skill, database development and administration for dynamic web sites. At night, I took classes. I finished in 2 years by taking 3 classes per session.

2 weekends a month and during any breaks, I would strip and work my ass off hustling. I did have to take out some school loans, but they weren't enormous.

So by the time I received my MBA, I had actual experience in a technical field, PLUS most the MBA, PLUS most modern MBA programs are very hands on and allow you to do actual projects with local business and take seminars internationally, etc...

Of course, I went back to stripping and started a business after that anyway, but there were other personal factors involved.

It might work for you, I got to do so many cool things, I was never bored!

PhillyDancer1982
12-14-2007, 12:19 PM
^ It sounds like you did a lot! That is great that you had the opportunity to work in your field at your campus. That is especially great that the job covered part of your tuition. When I was an undergrad, most of the on-campus jobs were part-time federal work study positions...usually skill-less jobs such as monitoring the computer lab or dorm building desk, although I was lucky enough to land a work study job as a math tutor. The limited job availability though was probably because I went to a very small college, and because I was only an undergrad(no MBA or professional program yet).

That said, perhaps Bella should go straight to grad school and seek out an on-campus job opportunity that would give her work experience while she's taking classes? Katrine, it sounds like your technique(work during the day, take classes at night, dance on weekends and breaks) might work very well for Bella.

muladoll
03-17-2008, 05:45 AM
If you have your heart set on grad school, and you REALLY want to do it, then do it. A traditional school is better than the online MBA schools because there is still some amount of discrimination in the work world in regards to those. If you're trying to make yourself feel better for continuing to strip, by going to school, then don't do it. No matter when you enter the real working world, you're going to have to pay your entry dues. If you know what you want to do, then do it now, pay your dues, and continue to strip part-time. You'll appreciate both jobs so much more.

I was in a similar situation when I was your age. I have my finance degree and refused to work for such small wages when I knew I could bank stripping. I would have been working Wall Street by now. I have not had a "real job" for a lengthy amount of time since then. I only had 9-5 jobs when I felt like I needed to be grateful for my stripping job. I have so many different licenses and certificates in different fields. I now realize I did most of them to justify my stripping. I'm close to the end of my dancing career. Vegas has exhausted me, LOL. Now I have to decide what I want to do for a "living" for the rest of my life. I've been one of those extravagant spending strippers. BIG MISTAKE!!

Good Luck!

Mr Hyde
03-17-2008, 06:27 AM
My advice to you is this, as someone who hires people...

You won't be able to strip forever, and/or you won't want to, but you know that. That's why you went to college, so that when you can't strip anymore, you'll have an education to use.

However, I understand about the money thing. I'm with you on that.

You don't want to show a large gap in unemployment after you graduated with no decent reason for having that gap. Employers don't like that. If a job candidate interviewed with me and had a gap from college til say....28 years old, they'll need a good reason why....and stripping isn't going to work for most people.

So....strip, and even though you're over school, go back and get a master's degree. It will be VERY valuable for you in the coming job market. Put away a shitload of the money you make dancing, and then by the time you're ready to enter the job market, you'll have an assload of savings, a master's degree, and time behind you on the stage.

DO NOT DO AN ONLINE DEGREE. I can tell you this....when I see "University of Phoenix" on a resume, I do not view ot kindly, and most employers don't either.