By Allie Davison, Staff Writer
Fifty online job applications, 200 resume and cover letter packages, and only one interview. It’s been a tough few months.
I’ve been consistently searching for a job since about January. But not just any job. I want a job that I’m qualified for, thanks to the last two years of blood/sweat/tears that come with college. A job that doesn’t pay minimum wage and that—ideally—offers benefits. A full-time, grown-up job.
Please, just hire me.
I’m (almost) never late. I get my shit done. I don’t complain. And, despite the tattoos on my feet and shoulders, I am not one of those gang kids you read about in the news.
And don’t think I wasn’t really really trying. I pursued the job boards, scoured Craigslist, and hassled loved ones for connections. I was all over it, and yet nothing came of any of it.
And so, depression set it. The lying in bed till the last possible moment. The craving (and occasionally succumbing to) to day drinking. I went to work at my hated hotel job and I started to envision the place burning to the ground, with me manically laughing in the background. And then, my boss (the only reason I ever stayed at the hotel this long) quit.
I took it as a sign that I needed to get out of that hellhole.
So, I began a new kind of job hunt—the search for any job that will pay me equal or greater dollars then I make now. I searched for any customer service jobs that I am vaguely qualified—sometimes throwing in the writing experience on resume, but often not. I was past caring because at this point, anything will do. Another 50 or so resumes and matching cover letters went out and still nothing.
Until one fateful day, I get an email requesting an interview! Huzzah!
As of now, the interview has taken place. And although, originally, it looked like another simple front desk position at a hotel, it has now turned into more. As well as front desk duties, there are opportunities to use my skills as a writer and designer within their organization.
So, my advice to those also seeking employment? Don’t give up. Even when the despair and day-drinking set in, there is still hope. To quote a line from the recent movie, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, “Everything will be alright in the end. So, if it’s not alright, can’t be the end.”
