Thursday, December 3, 2009

One man's trash is another's treasure.

Upon filing for unemployment, I attended a "mandatory" session to be able to use the career center (CC) that the unemployment office was housed in.  The session didn't offer me significant and new information, but I would imagine it was helpful for someone who was with a company for 20 years, didn't have significant skills, education, or experience, or just got out of jail.

I'm very big into making the best out of everything, so what did exactly did I learn? I did take away that I can go to school full time, stay on unemployment, and no longer apply to at least three jobs a week.  There was also the reality at how fortunate I was to have a grasp on the small things - understanding how to use a computer and the internet, for example. It dawned on me that not everyone has that ability, even if it is 2009.

Most of the presentation centered on taking advantage of the website, library, and how to utilize these resources.  Professional behavior was one topic they briefly discussed - and it floored me because they started the meeting ten minutes early.  I felt my time (though no longer chargeable to a job) was taken advantage of.  A strict "on-time" policy was outlined and the instructor was late in starting the meeting.  She pleasantly shared during the presentation that the meeting didn't officially start until 10 past the hour. It seemed silly to me, but alas, it is apparently how they do business.

I took advantage of the opportunity to speak with someone about my job search and resume.  This is someone whose occupation was helping others get to work! There was no reason to pass up a chance for another opinion.  Had I not been so privileged to have such incredible resources at my undergraduate institution and great guidance along the way, it would have been a great session. The woman who worked with me was very intent on making sure I had every tool available. I didn't need to take up a lot of her time because I passed some of the basic tests - professional email account, actually had a resume and good experience, and was on time. My hope is that someone else could be helped, or that this woman had a few minutes to breath - her pile of applications was pretty hefty.

I think that career center is a fantastic resource for a lot of people.  If only there was a way to demonstrate you knew the basic material... Perhaps better luck next time on my account?

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