The Job Gods Have Spoken

I try to make it a point every day to do a job search and check out what's out there. I'll admit -- sometimes this search is more aggressive than other days. However, amidst all the pointing and clicking, it can get a bit discouraging, and here I am barely a month into the whole search.

However, I got back from the gym today and decided I would try to apply to at least 3-4 jobs, even if I didn't entirely meet the description of what they were looking for. Needless to say, in my state of cynicism, I was not expecting to hear back from any of the places or people I contacted.

That's when I got a little nudge from what I'd like to call the "Job Gods."  Sitting in my kitchen, still in my workout clothes (I know that's disgusting, but I felt like the job hunt was more important than an immediate shower... and I did not plan to go out in public today), I got a phone call from one of the companies I had applied to recently. I had applied for one of the available jobs listed on their site, as found through one of many job search engines, but they were calling to see if I wanted to come in this Friday to interview for an internship position they had open.

While I explained that I was a recent graduate who can no longer receive college credit, they said that the internship was still open to recent grads, but it wasn't paid. I tried not to gasp over the phone, but all I could think about in my head was "What about that car I was supposed to buy?" and "I really can't be asking my parents for an allowance... at 22 years old." Then I snapped back to reality and agreed to come in for an interview.

Why would I agree to interview for an UNPAID position, you might ask? True, I am a graduate with a college degree and thus, facing this cold, harsh reality some call life, my wallet is desperate to be filled. But then I tried to turn off Negative Nancy for a minute and think as Positive Patty would. This is an interview. At the bare minimum, it will be great practice interviewing. And if things exceed the bare minimum (which is a realistic possibility), I could potentially accept the internship and pick up another job, depending on the hours. Sure, that could be a huge time committment, but compared to my current lifestyle of sleeping late, doing laundry and reading the lengthiest book from the library I can find, it'd be nice to actually fill my days with something productive. After all, job hunting is in itself a learning experience.

So I took it as a sign that the "Job Gods" wanted me to turn that frown upside and try to have a more positive outlook on my job search. I have a good resume and great skills to contribute, and I think I just have to remind myself of that so I don't get discouraged, which can easily happen when you're filling out applications and getting minimal results.

Until then, I will be planning my interview outfit and practicing my handshake.

Thanks Zeus