Secrets From Within (Part 1?)

The title of a recent Ed2010 post, "Where have all the jobs gone? They've turned into internships," makes a pretty solid claim as to the current state of the magazine industry. Internships are usually a big part of the pre-full-time-employment conquest, and in this career path that oftentimes spills over into post-grad life. But with things the way they are now, some report that their magazine staffs suddenly consist entirely of interns--that is, other than the most senior-level editors. It's entirely exploitative, but it's also rather puzzling. If internships generally require school credit, how do you score the clearly-necessary internship after graduating from said accredited university?

Ah, Red is sneaky in her ways. She's learned a secret that she'll happily divulge to you, dear readers. Credit doesn't have to go to a university... no, no, university students need to take off for midterms and finals, and though they work hard, they're not as reliable as suffering post-grads who are willing to do anything for that full-time offer. That's why major publishing houses will stretch the rules a bit and let you "work for credit" as long as you can show you're enrolled in any kind of class--university or not. Now, I'm wondering, does it have to be academic or can I just use this as an excuse to take cardio kickboxing at the local gym? Somehow, I think a class on Travel Writing might be more in order...

Return of the Job Hunt, Sort Of

Whenever things look smooth, some bump comes and screws with your mind a little. I haven't applied to any new jobs since scoring my M/F research position--mostly out of courtesy, and also because it's an opportunity to wait for the Big Company I worked for last year to scour the market and find a place for me.

Funny how when I stop applying for jobs, though, I get responses from places I thought were already out of the question. And suddenly they seem quite interested. But I'm somewhat committed. At least I haven't signed any paperwork?

Today, the newest prospective employers asked for references.

One bump in the road becomes two.

What happens when one of your references still wants you to work for her but has no jobs and might not want to refer you to a competitor? And what happens when one reference isn't usable because she can't know you're still pseudo-job hunting? And what about, in an entirely different referencing scheme, you put your future editor as your to-be employer instead of your temp agent, making the management company for your apartment very, very confused?

The road suddenly gets bumpier.

But editors are forgiving, and they understand when you explain that the first line asked for your boss's name and that the second clearly marked your start date to be in the future. They'll forgive the creditors at the management company for their strange phone call, and things will only be a little bit awkward on day one.

And the unusable reference will be replaced with another--thank goodness for having a bunch of employers. She'll only find out about the pseudo-job hunt if something comes up, in which case I'll find a way to keep everyone happy. Because that's what I do. Or try to do. Or something like that.

And the competing former boss will send me a short and sweet email indicating that she's not thrilled to see me going other places before she can snag me herself, but will do what's in my best interest rather than hers.

So we return to smooth patch of road and walk along... knowing we'll stumble upon another fork soon.

Back to the beginning, sort of.

Those of you who've been reading from the start may remember the reason why I got stuck in this job-hunting predicament: the lack of openings at the wonderful company where I'd interned and been basically promised a job. It's been exactly two months since I got that blow of bad news, and it seems fitting that today is the day I go back for an interview.

Oh no, it's not exactly what you'd expect.

See, nobody helped me score this interview--I did it on my own. I've used none of my HR strings, as HR had nothing to do with hiring for this job. It's proof of one thing I've learned about myself--I like knowing that I am getting what I want for the right reason. I didn't want to play up my minority status applying to college because I wanted to be accepted for me and not my ethnicity. Similarly, getting snubbed for jobs that first time has let me figure out what I'm worth on my own accord. It's a valuable lesson and I've been happy to learn it.

So, that interview.

Let's put it this way: I've been a subscriber to nearly all of this company's magazines at some point or another. But there are three whose issues I've never been able to toss. Consequently, I lug a big box of magazines from one apartment to the next whenever I move, and someone (usually the person carrying the box) gives me grief about it. But I can't help it--I can't part from these issues, I love them too much! They're too filled with useful information! They're so pretty to look at!

And so I have a strange relationship with my favorite magazines. And some people laugh at me. And others--their editors--invite me for interviews.

Wish me luck!

blAHHgging from bAHHston

I was afraid that coming to Boston would imply little progress on the job hunt. But with little to no movement on the job boards, I don't feel like I'm missing much. On the contrary, with a few applications sent and the first two sections of my copywriting project done, I'm probably being just as productive here as I'd be in New York.

And there have been updates on the job front! Check this out.

After replying to an ad for an assisting position at an Interior Design firm, I get word that I've been "picked as one of our possible candidate to be our Account Receivable Manager." My eyebrows tilt with confusion, but anyone who's willing to give me a shot gets my attention for the span of an email.

I read on:

"Your First Primary task (Collection of Payments)

1. Receive payment from our Customers or Clients.

2. Cash Payment at your Bank or any cashing facilities near you.

3. Deduct 10 % which will be your percentage/pay on Payment processed

4. Forward balance after deduction of percentage/pay to any of the offices you will be contacted to send payment to, you'll have a lot of free time doing another job, because this job is part time, you'll get good income .But this job is very challenging and you should understand it. We are considering your application because you satisfy our requirements and we are sure you will be an earnest assistant till we start running our branch office in your state.

5. You must respond to email and phone calls when you get the payment for proper instruction"

Ahh, I see. So money laundering I am qualified for! Good to know. Maybe I'll try the mafia next.

PS. I immediately wrote back saying I wasn't interested. The next day I woke up with pink eye. Does anyone smell a conspiracy theory here?

a lesson on negotiation...

About two weeks ago, I lined up a great copywriting gig with this super cool marketing company. But everything was pretty vague, much of it to-be-determined, and all of it ultra-confidential.

Finally, I got an email this morning saying that things were coming together, but I'd need to get the scoop on what was needed from me and come up with a project estimate by the end of the day. I knew it was coming, and I'm definitely ready to start writing, but I wasn't so sure about the whole negotiating-my-pay thing.

So I prepared to ask for a high figure and negotiate my way down, playing out the conversation in my head:

Me: This is what I was hoping for...
Her: As a recent grad, really??

I got a little nervous. Do people realize you're high-balling when you do something like that? Or will they actually just think you're greedy? I don't want to come off as greedy! But that's totally not what happened. Instead....

Me: So what is your normal pay range?
Her: Well, it depends on the project.
Me (confidently): So what if I ask for this much?
Her (after some consideration): You could probably ask for a bit more.

And that's when I did a happy dance. Inside, of course. The happy dance must always be kept inside.

Lesson learned: Confident individuals make more money. Simple as that. And who knows, maybe my skills are worth more than I'd have guessed!

Now to draft that estimate...