Job Hunting

There are a lot of small things that I do not understand regarding hunting for new employment. It is highly unfortunate that some unemployed dude did not create a list of them on his blog so that I would be aware of them prior to my own employment going Titanic, hence the creation of the list below.

1. I was told that I needed special "resume paper." I went to Walmart and discovered such paper, but I found it curious that virtually every package of special "resume paper" had been opened. I found the only unopened package I could find and headed for the checkout. It cost $7.95 for 100 sheets. After purchasing the paper, I took it home, pulled a sheet out of the package, laid it on the kitchen table and stared at it for a while, waiting for it to take action. I figured for $7.95, it had better fill itself out with meaningful qualifications and all the appropriate buzz words. I now understand all of the open packages.

2. Is it "resume" or "resumè?" Every time I write "resume" on something official, like a job application, I feel as though I'm somehow offending a dead Frenchman somewhere.

3. Over the course of three days this week, I read "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy and watched the recent film based on the book. The book tells the tale of a father and son in post-Apocalyptic Appalachia, struggling to exist among the burned out ruins of our once thriving civilization. It features lots of decay, some occasional cannibalism, and a witness to just how unbearable a life absent of color, hope, and the occasional meal could really be. On day four, I went to a job interview and smiled and asked questions about how many vacation days I would be allotted and whether the soft drinks in the fridge were free, all the while masking the horrendous pit this book and film created in my soul. Perhaps I should have watched "Tooth Fairy" with The Rock instead.

4. Telling an interviewer that you've busied yourself by playing Little Big Planet on your Playstation 3 for hours on end might seem like a funny interjection in your head, but in reality it might not convey the go-getter spirit that you're trying to project. Saying that this is the first day this week that you've worn pants will not help the situation.

I'll continue adding to this list as I interview, and hopefully it'll be of benefit to someone else. Now back to the Playstation...