Confessions of a Modern Job Seeker

Week 1:

For over three months, I have been one of the unemployed in South Carolina, a growing group, but one you don’t want to be a member of. I have gone to the job fairs, posted my resume online, and trolled dozens of websites looking for my next big opportunity. Here I will chronicle my adventures, though misadventures may be a better name for it.

We’ll start with the job expo I attended a month ago. As I walked in with my stack of resumes in hand, I felt confident. Lots of great companies were listed: banks, insurance groups, temp agencies, and even school districts. Surely someone there would see me, my qualifications, and scoop me up, right?

Walking in, there was a crush of people looking hopeful and confident just like me. Just like me, they had their resumes and references ready, and their business attire on. We walked as one massive body into the first hallway and waited patiently for our turn to talk to these potential employers.

And that’s when we learned the awful truth. No one manning a booth actually had positions available. The banks and insurances companies were looking for new clients, as were the many online institutions that turned out. The temp agencies wanted to schedule interviews but had no real leads for jobs. Even the school districts only had one job a piece, a bus driver and a janitorial staff position. The only organization actually hiring was a national chain of diners.

Disappointed and disgruntled, I headed home. I had handed out my resumes, met potential employers, left a good first impression, yet I had no new job prospects. What happened?

Sadly, my experience is not a unique one. Expos are notorious for false promises.

So why attend then? Here’s why: it is good practice. Getting out there and having conversations, getting feedback, and having impromptu interviews is so important to your long term employment. How many of us have scored that elusive sit-down interview only to blow it with nervousness and fidgeting? Job expos are the perfect opportunity to practice our stories, anecdotes, and answers without risking anything.

So go to job expos, but go with your goal as this: get experience as a job seeker. Make every conversation a memorable one, and get comfortable with the question-and-answer format. That way, every job expo will be a success.

Week 2:

So I finally got an interview with a company that wanted me to head up a new branch in South Carolina. I was so excited and enthused to anyone who would listen that I would soon be employed again, and even get to hire my own staff.

Ever heard the saying that if it sounds too good to be true, it is?

Well, I ignored this truism and made a date with my interviewer for 6:30 pm at a local Greek restaurant. We would have dinner, discuss all the ways I would be perfect for his organization, he would offer me the job for a ridiculous amount of money, and all would be well with the world. Right?

Wrong. First, my interviewer was an hour late, something that as a prospective employee would get me disqualified straight away. But I am desperate, so I waited that full hour in the lobby, staring at the door and willing my future boss to walk in. Finally, he did.

Again, he displayed a trait that would not get him the job if the shoe were on the other foot. While I was dressed in business attire, he was wearing a tee shirt and jeans. Okay, maybe he is just laid-back. We headed into the lounge where the interview would take place. And again, he did something completely unprofessional. He ordered a beer. I was floored! Who drinks at a business meeting?

Again, I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt. I handed him my resume for his consideration and waited for the questions to begin. Instead, he wanted to chat about my interests, hobbies, whatever. As the interviewee, I allowed this to continue for a few minutes, then tried to lead us back to the issue at hand. My resume.

After a cursory glance, he offered me the job, for more an hour than I have ever made. Just one catch. I would have to do everything myself. Hiring, finding an office space, finding clients.

When I called the next day to tell him that I was not going to be able to work with him, he snidely remarked that I would make a good waitress.

So what is the learning curve from this little outing? That interviewers have to be as professional as the ones they are interviewing. Professionalism is so important in person and especially online, when a suggestive email address or misspelled word can cost you that interview. As the job seeker, pick up on warning signs that this job may not be legitimate. Hold interviewers up to the same scrutiny as they hold you up to.