Still searching …

Yes, the search continues as ever. I graduated very close to a year ago (it’ll be officially 1 year in about 2 weeks), and I’m still searching for that nice library job. I’ve had a couple possible leads pop up over the past month or so, but both have a combination of distance from where I’m currently living and rate of pay that make them not particularly worth my further interest at present. I just found out about the second one today, and I may still check it out if they’re willing to subsidize my travel costs to get there and discuss a slightly higher pay rate – otherwise I’ll have to respectfully decline.

I’m still looking through job boards, of course, but the frustration continues. It seems like most of the posted jobs are above my current skill level, require experience and/or education that I don’t have, offer compensation that doesn’t meet my needs, or are things I’ve already applied for and possibly been rejected from. All I can do is keep plugging, keep looking, and apply for whatever I can.

Working and searching, searching and working.

I’m getting into the swing of things at my new retail job. It’s a good store and I’m working with good people, both of which are plusses. I’m still searching for library work, and while there are a variety of things being posted, there still aren’t many that I feel compelled to apply for. A lot of them are beyond my current skill level or require experience, coursework or degrees that I don’t have. Others are part-time and/or temporary positions in states other than where I’m currently living. Some of those I’d be happy to give a try, other than the fact that I don’t know that it would be worth it for me to pick up and move for that sort of opportunity. As soon as I have a better idea of what my current work schedule is going to be like (probably after tomorrow night when I get my schedule for next week), I’m going to start looking into contacting librarians at colleges and universities in my area (those commutable by public transit). The purpose of this will be to introduce myself, in person when possible, so they might think of me if any positions open up.

Keeping busy

I started my new part-time retail job this week. It will help keep me busy and productive while searching for other options and ideas. If this job is working out and I get an offer for a good part-time library job in another part of the country, the store I’m working in has locations all over the place, so maybe I could put in for a transfer. This is a hopeful IF for the future, I need to keep plugging away to see that something happens. I may have mentioned last week that I’d gotten a call to interview for a position with a law firm – sadly that didn’t work out due to a bit of miscommunication. The office of the law firm that wanted to talk to me is in a different state, and it would not have been practical for me to travel to the city in question just for an interview. Also, even if they loved me and wanted to hire me on the spot, it would not be practical for me right now to move to a different city (or state) for a short-term (3-6 months) position paying the sum they were offering. The search continues, as ever.

I’m still keeping up with my constant reading habits – my current titles are Roadkill by Rob Thurman, Through Stone and Sea by Barb & J.C. Hendee, and Nature Girl by Carl Hiaasen. I’ve been on a major self-imposed sci-fi/fantasy kick for most of the year – I was getting myself psyched up for Lunacon and enjoying the genre(s) for a while afterwards. I haven’t touched Mark Z. Danielewski’s House of Leaves in a couple months – I’m still trying to decide if I’m intrigued enough to try and finish it. I’ve also got a copy of Mr. Danielewski’s Only Revolutions waiting for me if I decide to chance it.

I’m going to back of from the sci-fi/fantasy for a little bit. I’m not abandoning it completely (perish the thought), but I’ve got some thrillers, mysteries, historical fiction, and books from another genre or two I’ve been meaning to get to. This includes getting to my backlog of Clive Cussler books. He’s been one of my favorite authors for years (I first read Raise the Titanic in middle school), but I’m ashamed to say I haven’t read any of his books since The Navigator or Plague Ship or thereabouts. I’ve got Arctic Drift, Corsair, Medusa, The Wrecker, and Silent Sea on my shelf, and I’ll get to Spartan Gold eventually. I’m also going to be getting back to Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child’s Pendergast series – I read Relic and Reliquary a while back along with a couple of their other co-written books, and I’ve got the rest of the Pendergast books through Wheel of Darkness waiting for me.

(partial) Victory at last!

Yesterday was a good day for me. I got a call informing me that I have been selected for a part-time retail job near where I’m living. The store is rather cool (I like some of the products they offer), and while the pay isn’t optimal, it’ll be the first job I’ve had since the last job I had ended back in January. I’ve also got an interview coming up on Monday – if they like me (and I hope they do for the experience and the hopefully more optimal pay), I’ll be working on a 3-6 month cataloging project for a law firm in Manhattan. This interview came because I registered some time ago with a website called InfoCurrent. InfoCurrent, and its parent company/administrator website CORESTAFF Services, are dedicated to getting the right people for professional positions and providing training necessary to get people ready for their jobs. Someone from InfoCurrent e-mailed me earlier this month (or maybe it was late last month) to ask if I was still looking for work and interested in this position with the law firm. I said yes, and now I’m getting an interview!

Cataloging isn’t really my thing, but I’d do my best. I’m also hoping that one of my professors from grad school wouldn’t mind my occasionally e-mailing her for advice on stuff like what to get for a desk reference and such. I’m keeping my fingers crossed, and if it doesn’t work out I’ll have the retail gig until something better comes through. I’ll keep searching for good library jobs, of course, but the stresses of job hunting and unemployment will be significantly lessened. Huzzah!

My apologies for posting so late this time – I got busy near the end of this past week, and it slipped my mind. I’m still searching for work, and it doesn’t look like the library job market is going to be opening up in the immediate future. Yes, there are jobs being posted still, but many of the ones on the sites I’ve been going to look like repeats, and many of them that are entry-level don’t match my skill base. Sad but true, and I’ve got to keep plugging (read:search and apply). I’ve also been exploring some retail avenues, but that’s been difficult as well. There are some retail stores I’d like to work for, but many of them aren’t hiring right now because of corporate budgeting. With (seemingly) all of the jobs I’ve applied for, I’m getting passed over for other people. It’s frustrating to an extreme, but there’s nothing I can do except move on to the next application. The way I figure it, there’s a library (or who knows, a company or store) out there that desperately needs me, we just haven’t found each other yet.

I went to hear Christopher Moore speak in Manhattan last night. For those of you who don’t know of him, he’s an author of wonderfully silly fiction with titles like Practical Demonkeeping, Bloodsucking Fiends, Fluke: or I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings, and The Stupidest Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror. He’s as funny in person as he is on the page, and the event space in the book store was packed with fans (some of whom came from out of state just to hear him). I learned that he ran with the original Animals and participated in frozen turkey bowling in his younger days (see the books Bloodsucking Fiends, You Suck and Bite Me), and that the Emperor of San Francisco and his loyal canine soldiers Bummer and Lazerus (see the aforementioned trilogy and A Dirty Job) were real people, though the real Emperor may not have known Bummer and Laz. Good fun, and two of my friends are now interested in reading Christopher Moore.