Raechul Mae

“Only six more hours, six more hours, six more hours,” I repeat to myself as I chug the rest of my Mountain Dew with two more Extra Strength Excedrin.

I walk back to the sales floor, punch in, and put on a headset but I don’t even get that much accomplished before customers start demanding things of me.

I work retail. This is our story.

“This customer just said that ‘only bitches work here’,” one of my associates reported over the headset.

My boss, the store manager, started to yell something most likely including profanity into her headset, but I walked over to her and told her that her mic was crackling in and out. She stopped and said, “it doesn’t matter. They don’t matter.” She then continues to take a heap of rejected shoe boxes back to our shoe stockroom as her twelfth working hour starts ticking.

I ask her why she doesn’t go home – she was supposed to leave at 5. I tell her that the temporary key holder and myself can handle the mess.

“I know you can,” she replies, convincingly.

“Then why stay?”

“I can’t afford to have you quit because these associates don’t show up for their shifts.”

I push back tears and walk away.

Oh, the holiday season! Could there be a better time to observe the lack of humanity driven by consumerism?

Consumerism can be a great thing – but it can also rear an ugly head and anymore, it is being catapulted by greedy retailers and out-of-control consumers. This is not just to the retail workers’ expense, but it will lead to the ultimate harm of society itself. I’m going to explore that notion with you – battling consumerism along the way – if only just to make you think, “Just who is that person behind the counter?”

I want to write about job hunting for your sake and mine.  This is my weakest subject, because I honestly have no clue how to network.  So if you can offer some job hunting advice for the benefit of this blog and me, please do!

My idea of job hunting is what I was taught in college.  I thought that if I went to the college career center, I would be armed with the latest and greatest job hunting techniques and shoot straight for success.  I was wrong.

That career center, though housing very nice and supportive people, is pretty much worthless.  The knowledge they can offer is dated and nearly inapplicable to the present career world.  How do I know this?  I know this because I took their advice, tried it and failed, and found no further support from this “amazing” career center.  Whatever happened to job placement?  Beats me!

Anyway, I was told – as many of you were, I’m sure – that if I create a rockin’ resume and apply to jobs and companies I encounter online, I would get interviews and job offers.

As I said in a previous entry, I applied to more jobs and companies using this “technique” over more weeks than I can count!  I literally have no recollection of how many jobs/companies I applied to, but I can count on one hand how many interviews I landed.  Want to know how many?

Eighteen months of searching.

Two personal interviews.

One phone interview.

Zero job offers.

Maybe it was the way I applied for these jobs… maybe the jobs I was applying to were not of high quality or within my knowledge realm… maybe I didn’t spend enough time laboring over the cover letter… maybe I don’t stand out… maybe I don’t have enough experience… maybe I’m too young… maybe I’m looking in the wrong places… maybe my resume doesn’t “rock”… maybe I’m just invisible… maybe this… maybe that… maybe all or none of the above…

I don’t know about you but I’m sick of maybes.

And that damn career center continues to teach college students the same worthless “technique.”  The one that doesn’t get anyone anywhere… unless they know someone, of course.

I could tell you a story about a boy I knew in high school, let’s call him George.  George was semi-smart – not the brightest nor dullest berry on the bush, just so-so – and he really didn’t know what he wanted in life.  He was mildly talented at computer programming, so by the time he graduated he was enrolled at a so-so technical school in the nearest city.  At the end of his two-year program, George found that he really did like playing around with computers after all.  He thought he found his niche and he was doing pretty well.  He earned his Associate’s degree and faced two job offers through a career placement program (how a technical school has a better job placement program than Penn State University is a mind-boggling mystery to me).

The first job offer was for a government branch, and would be stable.  George would have an office, no frills, but a great benefits package and salary.

The second job offer was also for a government branch, but would be mobile.  George would have to travel all over the world, rarely get to go home, but would include a great benefits package and salary.

Both jobs would earn George a six-digit salary from the start.

You see, another thing you need to know about George is that his father and step-mother both retired from government positions.  His father was well-known and became quite highly ranked before he was offered early retirement.  He made out, and it was looking like George would, too.  George knew that no matter which job offer he chose, he would be a shoe-in!

For the purpose of closing this story, George ultimately decided to go with the job that required world travel.  He is currently overseas, makes serious bank, and is dating a very attractive young woman who he brings home for the holidays.  Am I jealous?  Who wouldn’t be?

This story is not in any way meant to take away from George’s success, or to say that he doesn’t deserve what he has earned for himself.  Great job, George, you’re the man!  However, we learn three lessons from this story:

1. A technical school can have a better job placement program than a well-known state university.  That is the fault of the greedy education system, and their lack of attempt to modernize their teachings and techniques.  (I still laugh when I get letters from the Alumni Society asking me for a donation to the school.  They HAVE to be kidding…)

2. You don’t have to be the brightest berry on the bush to make serious bank and see the world.

3. Who you know is important.

That’s the secret, you know, it’s all about who you know in high places.  Because, you see, it doesn’t matter if you have a great GPA, a rockin’ resume, or loads of experience.  If you don’t know Joe Schmo and he happens to be pot-head Susie’s uncle, she’s in and you’re resume is in the trash.

Again, I just want to say that I’m not trying to mislead you into thinking that I believe George got his fantastic job opportunities purely because of his parents rank in the government, but let’s be honest here – it couldn’t have hurt.

The point of this entry is truly not to rant – though it does make me feel better a little bit.  Ranting is only shifting blame to someone else when it feels like there is nothing more constructive or valuable to do.

The point of this entry is to highlight the faults of the education system (lame career coaching and zero job placement), and to strive for a more modern, more fruitful, way to career search.

I’m not going to pretend that I have all the answers.  If I did, I wouldn’t still be working in retail.  However, I am going to say that I am open to any new ways of job hunting and networking, and I will wholeheartedly search and share the successful techniques when I find them.

Until then, I am still applying to job postings I find on the Internet and trying to follow up when I can find contact information.  (Most places don’t want job seekers calling for application inquiries… In this economy, with so many unemployed or underemployed job seekers, it’s no wonder those companies don’t want their phones ringing off the hook.  Yet again, another obstacle to overcome in job hunting.)

Please, if you have any suggestions, post!

Any type of stress can take its wear and tear on the body.  I am an anxiety-laden soul by nature, so it is even more important for me to find a way to relieve tension, reduce stress, and increase positivity and energy.

It is no surprise that the current economy and other demands upon me have negatively influenced my life.  As my financial/career situation seemed increasingly dim, my health spiraled downward.  Interestingly enough, my fiancé’s health mirrored my own.  We blamed our repeated illnesses – the flus, colds, viruses, and more – on the retail industry and filthy customers.  (Customers are filthy…)  It took us a year to realize that our health was directly and negatively affected by our attitudes.

Depression can affect your immunities and your waistline – and it took it’s toll on my body.  I ate and drank too much, never worked out or even tried to stay active, and I packed on the pounds faster than I could monitor.

Just like everything else I wrote about so far, I hit my weight gain breaking point.  I knew that I had to start taking better care of myself.  I started by taking multivitamins and getting more sleep.  Within weeks, my immune system strengthened and I even felt stronger and more energetic on the inside.  I knew it was working and I wanted to do something more.

Recently, I have started watching what I eat – making sure I have a more balanced diet and watching the caloric intake.  I use a free website… http://www.mypyramidtracker.gov/ to monitor my food intake and physical activity.  It has really helped me stay on track – even just thinking about having to type in what I eat at the end of the day keeps me away from the doughnuts at the morning meeting and that extra slice of pizza at home.  I have also learned to eat more fruits and vegetables and drink less soda and more water.  Nothing but good!

The hardest struggle about my healthier lifestyle was starting a regular exercise plan.  Exercise is such a personal choice, and there are many choices out there.  The challenge is to find something you find fun, fulfilling, and motivating.  I know that after a hard workout, if I don’t feel like I’ve done something good for myself, I hesitate to repeat the same workout routine and sometimes stop exercising at all.  Once I found what I liked and what worked for me, I had to drag myself out of bed or off the couch and into my workout clothes to get going.  But the fact is that I did it.  I did it and I know I did something good for myself.  Who won’t get addicted to that feeling?

I can’t afford to buy a gym membership or fancy home gym equipment.  I have to rely on aerobics, good old fashioned cardio, and home workout DVDs.  I have bad knees, so I’m not supposed to be doing a lot of running or biking (even though I love to bike once in a while).  I found several DVDs that keep me motivated and dedicated to my fitness goals.  Among them, I enjoy Billy Blanks’ Tae Bo DVDs.  You can’t find a better workout or a more enthusiastic personal trainer for yourself.  Billy helps me work it and kicks my butt into gear.  However, it is still a challenge for me to put on my workout clothes and get through the whole routine.  In one of my DVDs, Billy says, “Give yourself the power.  If you want something, you have to give it to get it.”  A better way of saying no pain, no gain.

The key for me was finding something that works for my physical requirements and keeps me happy.  Something so small as an exercise plan or routinely taking multivitamins can and will have a huge impact on your attitude and life.  Giving up on everything in a depressing or difficult time – especially your health – can easily take you down an endless downward spiral of illness, weight gain, and further depression.  Only you can dig yourself out of the darkness.

Once I finally started taking better care of myself, only positive things started happening for me.  I feel better, healthier, more energetic, I get sick less, I’m losing weight, I have a great upbeat attitude, and I even perform better at work.  I like what I see in the mirror more and more with each day, and I was even offered a promotion at work!  If I keep going at this rate, my career just has to be around the corner!

If you can pull yourself out of your slump and forget for a minute that this economy is getting you down, your health, well-being, and physique will exceedingly improve.  Trust me, you can do it too.

You need to let go of the negativity resulting from whatever obstacle you are facing.  If you can’t take care of yourself, how are you going to do well at anything else?  Yes, it is constant work.  Is there anything in life that is truly easy and worthwhile?  You have to work for everything good in your life.  You need to first take care of yourself, and your positivity will impact the rest of your life.  People see it in me – my self-motivation and determination – and they will see it in you, too.

You are top priority.  Take care of yourself.  Then worry about the small stuff.

After a couple of days of considering what I wanted to write about next, I decided that I should address the retail industry since so many of us have turned to customer service or similar jobs in this challenging economy.  Before I go off into a bash session, let me just say that those of us who have any job (no matter how demeaned we may feel or how little money we may make) we are so lucky to have a job at all.  There are many people out there who are still looking for any job and would be thankful to have a meaningless, demeaning, poorly paying position.  Again, those of us who are employed are lucky — even if we are underemployed.  Secondly, many people in the retail industry enjoy their jobs — and good for them because I know I could never enjoy it or find it mentally or financially fulfilling.  These people have found their strengths and maintain positions that are not only vital to society but make them happy.  Again, good for them.

For those of you who find these positions frustrating and “beneath” you, I completely sympathize.  What I learned, however, is that no matter how you view your career path, or what you hope for your life, you are not “beneath” any position.  You are making an honest living, putting food on the table, and affording to live.  You are accomplishing something some people don’t even have the opportunity to attempt.  Good for you!

It may sound silly, and quite frankly unbelievable, but these are truths.  I understand that you want more for your life, as do I.  I understand that it is discouraging to work hard all day just to come home and apply for jobs in which you know your resume will get lost in a stack of Master’s degrees and Ph.D’s and decades of experience.  I understand how it is tempting to accept a position that offers $10,000/year less than what you are used to making even though you know you will not be able to support your family, but that you are tempted all the same because you fear that your salary requirements are not competitive enough with the new college graduates.  I understand how it kills your optimism and eats away at your sanity to wait on ungrateful, cranky, and just plain rude customers/clients/guests.  I have felt the gaze upon my plastic name badge, devaluing everything I have worked for both academically and professionally.  I know you have, too.

It is so painfully exhausting to maintain optimism, keep hoping for the best, and grin and bear it.  Let me tell you what, the people that I work with actually keep me going.  At first, I felt miserable, helpless, and trapped in the quicksand of retail.  Getting to know the people that I work with every day has changed my perspective of the professional world and life.  I have met the people who will bend over backward for a customer and conceal their unhappiness all the way to their next smoke break, and I relate to them.  I have met the underachievers who let the struggling economy and their financial problems bring them further downward, and I encourage them.  I have met the associates who don’t know work outside the store, who give it all they have and never stop smiling, and I learn from them.  I have met the people who seem to have unending positivity and are simply contagious, and I found healing in them.  I have met the college graduate who can’t wait to scramble up the retail ladder, and I started believing in her.  I have met the people who are just like me, and just like you, who are doing everything it takes to bring the money home, pay the bills, and make it through one of the greatest struggles of their lives, and I respect them.

It is the associates, supervisors, and managers that help me realize that my job may not define me but that there is value in what I do.  I am able to take pride in my work, and still set my career goals within an obtainable reach.  The hardest thing I had to learn in this past year is just what I could gain from this experience that seemed only to keep me down and prolong my success.  I am learning about myself, my abilities, what I want for myself.  I am facing the challenge of making my mark on the world and presenting myself more successfully, and I can’t imagine anything more gratifying.  That’s right, I just said that my little retail job where I survive paycheck to paycheck is gratifying.  My challenge to you is to do the same.  It is possible, it truly is.  Until you can find the reason that you were put into this situation, evaluate the positive points about your predicament, and learn from anyone and everything you come across, you will not be successful in overcoming this economy.  Without this soul searching, you will not find your niche in your profession and you will not get out of retail.

My first step was discovering where I am in my life, why I am here, and where I want to go from here.  Now that I have found that, I can formulate my exit strategy and take what I learned with me.  The things I learned about myself throughout this past year are things that many people will not have the opportunity to see for themselves.  I now know what I value in a company.  I now know what kind of challenges I want within my position.  I now know what it takes to be a great associate or manager.  I now know the true value of a dollar and what kind of work it should take to earn that dollar.  I now know what I want and what I need from my next position.  Ultimately, I know what I want and what I need to avoid.

All of these things are valuable lessons.  Who wouldn’t want to know the answers to these questions?  It took me a year to give up the negative attitude, to realize I am not helpless, to see that there is hope, and to start learning about myself and the professional world.

It’s time to stop giving up, it’s time to start trying.  Give it your all, (and then some more), and you will succeed.

Instead of the boring introduction, let me just say this.  I am just like you.  Okay, maybe not exactly like you, but you may just find that we do indeed have some things in common.

When I say I am like you, I mean that like many of the millions of people who are frustrated with the economy, I have nearly given up on any traditional sense of applying for jobs, I have lost nearly all trust in the education system, and I am sick of being broke.

I went to school.  I earned my Bachelor of Arts degree from Penn State with a 3.80 GPA, a National Communication Association Honor Society membership, and Dean’s List grades every semester, all in 7 semesters.  I, too, believed that a great GPA, resume, and a little internship experience (I was a PR intern for Community Blood Bank) would be all I needed to get the job of my dreams.  So where did the system, and everything I was taught to trust in and believe, fail me… fail US?

I graduated one semester early with Distinction.  I was unemployed for three months following that early graduation.  I applied for more jobs than I can count, at more companies than I can name, and waited more weeks than I care to share.  Living at home was making me increasingly antsy.  I relied on a popular retail company that I had previous experience with.  I landed a part time job nearly effortlessly.

The months following, I continued to apply to hundreds of positions and interview for a few.  Realizing that I was getting no where, and facing a change of residence, I pushed for more hours at the retail job.  I fought for months for a full time position, (which I had originally applied for but was denied), only to face the fact that I was fighting to work in a place where I fantasized about escaping each day and night.

I earned the full time spot when the person who was originally given the position faked a workman’s compensation claim and made off with thousands.  Don’t you just love when the people with the least integrity make the most bank?  That’s another story.

As the weeks and months passed, I found myself in the middle of the holiday shopping season with no time to sleep let alone apply for jobs.  That’s where I lost my drive.

I slipped into depression.  I felt helpless, hopeless, and invisible.  I lost my faith in the government, economy, education system, and myself.  I felt like the world was out to get me and that I would never be noticed.  I took it out on everyone around me and my relationships suffered.  If there’s anything that can make you reevaluate your outlook on life, it is the darkness of depression.

There were less and less job postings that were at all interesting to me.  I began to accept my life as a sales associate.  I began to let my job define me.  I lost focus of my life, my goals and dreams, and my abilities.  I forgot what I went to school for, and everything I loved.

I felt better about myself.  I felt less hopeless.  My job was enough, right?  I was making money, but only just enough.  I applied for a supervisor position.  I knew the position was beneath me, yet I knew that I would never land the position because I was too much of a threat to my superiors.  (Retail doesn’t leave much room for advancement.)  I tried wholeheartedly for the position anyway, completely believing that I could assume that role and survive just the same.

Something inside me burned.  (I’m not talking about heartburn.)  I felt a nagging emptiness that itched at my very core.  I saw the same symptoms in my fellow co-workers.  I saw it in the eyes of the college dropout.  I saw it in the smile of the professional office assistant who was laid off during the economic downturn.  I saw it in the exhaustion of the mother of two who held three jobs just to fill the plates on her table.  I felt the longing for more.

I looked in the mirror and saw someone who I didn’t like.  I held 24-hour-long pity parties and invited anyone who would listen.  I brought my anger home with me.  I fought with my fiancé.  I ignored my friends.  I sulked.  I overate and drank too much for my liver to handle.  I gave up.

I broke down about once a week.  It became the norm.  I knew that at some point in the week, I would lose my cool and let the world come crashing in.  I knew there had to be a breaking point.

The last time I broke down, I was sitting in the car with my fiancé.  We just drove back to our tiny apartment from Easter dinner at my parents’ house.  Sitting in the parking lot, I sobbed.  I told him that I wanted to believe in myself but that I was losing hope.  I was losing all grasp of belief in everything I was told to trust.  I wanted to scream.  To run away.  To keep hiding in my empty shell.

I will never forget what he said to me.

“Don’t let this job define you.  This is just a job.  This is how you make money.  This is not your career.”

There is a division.  There is hope.

He asked me what I want to do.  I knew all along that I wanted to be a communication pro.  I love to write.  I am a great public speaker.  And I have mad digital video editing skills.  I like to do a little bit of everything when it comes to communication, and I want a job that enables me to do so.

I lost sight of what I wanted to work for.  I lost touch with myself, my strengths, and my goals.  I felt ashamed, defeated, and exhausted.  I knew I needed to do something about it ASAP.

This is my journey to my new career.  If I want to be a communication professional, or an event planner, or a writer, I need to promote myself.  If I can’t promote myself successfully, how will anyone ever see my strengths and my passion?

From now on, I am no longer a sales associate.  From now on I am a Communication Enthusiast.  I believe it, and soon everyone else will too.  This is my quest for the latest and greatest public relations strategies, technological advancements, and networking.

I invite you to join me on this quest whether you want to be in communication or not, and whether you like what I have to say or not.

Secret to success #1 (borrowed from a great career coach, who will be mentioned later):

You can find the job you want, even when no one is hiring.

If I can’t find my “dream job” on the thousands of job posting websites and through word-of-mouth, it’s time to update the system and think outside the box.  It’s time to make my career for myself.  It’s time to make myself the publicist that no one seems to think I am.

I will succeed.  I have the positivity, drive, self-motivation, organization, and creativity to succeed.  You will watch out if you know what’s good for you, I’m on my way to the top.