Sandra's Writers Workshop Hop #1 First Person I Have A Need For Speed

Sandra's Writers Workshop Hop

First workshop works - First Person

I HAVE A NEED FOR SPEED

I tend to site hop on the computer.  First I load up Spider Solitaire, then flip over to Job Search on Michigan Works, then a quick check on Facebook to see if anyone has posted something interesting or funny, and finally open my three little used e-mail sites I use for job replies.  Sometimes I even wander through blogs reading the thought of others. 

I cross my fingers hoping there is at least one acceptable job for me today.  If one is acceptable to me, I first send my resume via Michigan Works e-mail, access the company website, fill out their specific application, and then update a cover letter specific to the job and company to add when I resend my resume from my personal e-mail.  Often, there is a test or a questionnaire or sometimes both.  Generally, the test is either math or a filing sequence test.  The company questionnaire can take up to forty five minutes to complete.  Then it is on to the EEOC forms.  Those forms take seconds to fill out and are often overlooked or forgotten by applicants. 

I care about my vision, so I make certain I look up and out the window every ten to fifteen minutes.  I’m a clock watcher.  Yes, a C-L-O-C-K watcher…you know how “those” people are.  I make myself think of Bart Simpson in the backseat of a car, “Are we there yet?  Are we there yet? Are we there yet?”  In my old age I have learned to tone it down a little.  I only get the stink eye on occasion. 

Back and forth between the different sites, I travel.  Flipping through my e-mail sites long enough to scan and delete the junk mail.  Save the automatic replies from potential employers.   Sometimes I get a reply or e-mail from an actual person, so I have a contact to follow up with.  Sometimes, not very often does that occur. 

I then add a tab filled with the name of the company I think I might like to work for.  Many companies do not post their positions.  You either know someone who already works there, or you work their website.  I work websites for a couple of hours.  First thinking of the company, locating their authorized website, locating the careers tab and surfing the information.  I detail my cover letter to coincide with the job they may have available before I attach it in their specific careers application site. 

Hopping from site to site, game to game, at the end of the day I may have spent ten hours just seeking employment.  No wonder I sleep so hard.  No wonder my derrière has spread.  I have got to find employment soon, if only to push away from the computer desk.

Leigh Young