On the Hunt

Once again I've begun searching for jobs. Only this time with quite a bit more urgency. I quit my job at P.F. Chang's and am staring into an endless abyss of possibility. I have until next Wednesday to find a job.

So far I have two leads. I'v primarily been applying for legal assistant jobs at Denver law firms. I have a friend of a friend who's husband is a lawyer and is looking for an administrative assistant. I think that's the most promising lead. All the employment experts say that knowing someone is the best lead in finding a job. The other lead is through a legal staffing agency. I'm going down to their office on Friday to take a series of skill assesment tests. I'm very encouraged by that opportunity simply because I've never worked at a law firm, but I know I have valuable skills. It will be good to get an objective measure of what I'm qualified to do and then search from there. I've also sent my resume in to several Media/Communications jobs, and Fundraising/Development jobs. I know responding to internet postings has a generally low success rate, but I think once managers see my resume they'll want to meet me; and I am great at the interview. I've spent some time working on my cover letter; I think it's more effective now, emphasizing my accomplishments and differentiating me from the competition.

If worse comes to worse and nothing works out by the end of the month I have a few safety net plans as well. It's holiday shopping season and I know I can easily get a seasonal retail job while I continue to search. Also, the Army always provides an alternative. I can simply go for additional training or even volunteer for a full-time position. I'm just so relieved to be getting out of service industry jobs. It was too stressful, thankless, and ultimately a dead-end. I just hope I can convince future employers that the customer service and salesmanship skills I gained over the last year are valuable. I don't want my time serving tables to be a complete loss.

Law school is still on the horizon. I'm spending most of my time during the day studying for the LSAT. My score is improving little by little with every practice exam. I still need to work on the Logical Reasoning section, but I'm confident with some practice I can nail it.