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susandennisStill no work. Still no word on funding. Still in limbo...
But, I am getting jazzed about finding something new. I really like looking for work. Honestly. I like the hunt. I like imagining what could be. I really like interviewing - half hour/hour when all you do is talk about me? I mean, really, what's not to like??
I majored in journalism (which back then was called communications because it was before Woodward and Bernstein and if you think the media has a bad rep now, you should have been around in the 60's!). After I got over my reporting fetish, I decided that what I really wanted to do was make money.
My Dad started out life in sales and he convinced me that was the way to go. Made sense to me. I didn't have to go back to school and the field was fertile. It was the early 70s. The federal government was starting the diversity squeeze on major corporations. Blacks and women were in high demand. I didn't care where I lived. I was dying to travel. The world was my oyster.
I went to the library and hauled out the Thomas Registry of companies and started a list. I included every company that I had a warm and fuzzy feeling about. Every product I loved. Every service that made sense to me. My list included the CEO's name and the company's address. I remember the list included Xerox and IBM but also things like Bic and Amana (remember the RadarRange??!!). I also scoured the NY Times and WSJ classifieds.
I prettied up my resume and sent it out with more than 100 cover letters to everyone on the A list. As I recall, I had a B list and the beginnings of a C list.
I spent about 3 months I think just traveling around being interviewed. The companies who interview me paid for my travel. It was very cool. I had some amazing experiences. I remember one paper company. In Pittsburgh. The job was calling on factories and selling them corrugated cardboard boxes to ship their products in. The interview was me in a room with 4 old white men. I'll betcha none of them had ever interviewed a woman and most had probably never even talked to one that was not their wife, sister or secretary. One of them asked me 'so what are you going to do when the plant manager spits tobacco?' I think I answered 'get out of the way?' They were a very offensive bunch.
Finally, it came down to Xerox and IBM. They bubbled to the top because really I had no clue how to sell anything and they both had excellent and thorough training programs. IBM won because Xerox tripped on its affirmative action. They had a psychological test that you had to take as part of the interview process - to see if you were suited. Their test had questions like 'would you wife mind relocating?' and 'how much would you pay for a business suit?' (and this was clearly not a woman's business suit they were asking about).
That would have been, ok - I was used to it. I wrote the CEO of Xerox and politely suggested that they either update their tests or remove them from the hiring process. I got a response fairly promptly saying that 'most girls do not mind answering these questions'. The End.
I was very happy with IBM - worked for them twice - I did the sales gig for about 4 years and then quit and about 4 years after that got hired back again - this time in communications.
But, now I'm a contractor. It makes the best sense for me in every way and there is, it appears, a lot of work for a contractor who does web production - that would be me. So... as soon as the other shoe drops... let the hunt begin!
But, I am getting jazzed about finding something new. I really like looking for work. Honestly. I like the hunt. I like imagining what could be. I really like interviewing - half hour/hour when all you do is talk about me? I mean, really, what's not to like??
I majored in journalism (which back then was called communications because it was before Woodward and Bernstein and if you think the media has a bad rep now, you should have been around in the 60's!). After I got over my reporting fetish, I decided that what I really wanted to do was make money.
My Dad started out life in sales and he convinced me that was the way to go. Made sense to me. I didn't have to go back to school and the field was fertile. It was the early 70s. The federal government was starting the diversity squeeze on major corporations. Blacks and women were in high demand. I didn't care where I lived. I was dying to travel. The world was my oyster.
I went to the library and hauled out the Thomas Registry of companies and started a list. I included every company that I had a warm and fuzzy feeling about. Every product I loved. Every service that made sense to me. My list included the CEO's name and the company's address. I remember the list included Xerox and IBM but also things like Bic and Amana (remember the RadarRange??!!). I also scoured the NY Times and WSJ classifieds.
I prettied up my resume and sent it out with more than 100 cover letters to everyone on the A list. As I recall, I had a B list and the beginnings of a C list.
I spent about 3 months I think just traveling around being interviewed. The companies who interview me paid for my travel. It was very cool. I had some amazing experiences. I remember one paper company. In Pittsburgh. The job was calling on factories and selling them corrugated cardboard boxes to ship their products in. The interview was me in a room with 4 old white men. I'll betcha none of them had ever interviewed a woman and most had probably never even talked to one that was not their wife, sister or secretary. One of them asked me 'so what are you going to do when the plant manager spits tobacco?' I think I answered 'get out of the way?' They were a very offensive bunch.
Finally, it came down to Xerox and IBM. They bubbled to the top because really I had no clue how to sell anything and they both had excellent and thorough training programs. IBM won because Xerox tripped on its affirmative action. They had a psychological test that you had to take as part of the interview process - to see if you were suited. Their test had questions like 'would you wife mind relocating?' and 'how much would you pay for a business suit?' (and this was clearly not a woman's business suit they were asking about).
That would have been, ok - I was used to it. I wrote the CEO of Xerox and politely suggested that they either update their tests or remove them from the hiring process. I got a response fairly promptly saying that 'most girls do not mind answering these questions'. The End.
I was very happy with IBM - worked for them twice - I did the sales gig for about 4 years and then quit and about 4 years after that got hired back again - this time in communications.
But, now I'm a contractor. It makes the best sense for me in every way and there is, it appears, a lot of work for a contractor who does web production - that would be me. So... as soon as the other shoe drops... let the hunt begin!
