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It's been a crazy week with trying to start the job application process. Jackson's really pushing me hard to get some resumes and applications out and to tell you the truth, I've really been kicking and screaming the whole way. I guess I don't want to feel rushed, I guess I really HATE the job application process as it's really a way for you to present yourself and then get rejected, or maybe I guess I'm still thinking that all if this is still temporary. Admittedly, I do think that I need one - things do get a bit boring on your own. So after calling recruiting agencies and submitting my resumes and coverletters online, I got one call and one e-mail. I got called for an interview with a recruiting company for Thursday, and then the shopping horror began. I don't have any "work" clothes here. I have a pair of grey pants, nice shoes, but with regards to tops...forget it. t-shirts are as fancy as I get. So...I went shopping for a nice dress shirt. I figured, how hard could it be to get a nice button down? I knew it was going to be hard. Even in the US I don't like getting button downs because, c'mon ladies, we all know about the gaping hole in the front, but here? when I don't know the stores, and who knows how the sizes work, with an interview the next morning, I was beside myself. I walked into a couple of stores to find that the average price for a button down shirt was around $129. That's right, in Australian dollars - that would be about 100 US? The shirts were really ordinary, but at least I could try for sizes. Then I walked into this really nice shirt store and found one that "worked" I wasn't crazy about it, but it worked and by this time I had been walking around for 3 hours. Then when I looked at the price tag, It was $189! The prices! Jackson wasn't that impressed with the price of the shirt, and I wasn't either.

About to give up, I wandered into Espirit - a store that I haven't really walked into or even thought about since I was in middle school, and found a pink button down that was "okay". Finally it was a price I thought was "reasonable" around $80. But this was Espirit! Who knows about the quality of the shirt, and it was 3/4 sleeve, but it did the trick. Plus! the sales ladies steamed the shirt for me, so I was definitely sold.

Proud of my day's success and also exhausted, I just came back home and started fretting about the interview the next morning.

The next morning, I got myself all cleaned up, prepared for what I thought she might ask and found myself at the agency 30 min before the scheduled time. Then I just sat outside till 15 min before when I went up to fill in some paperwork. The interview was at 10:30, but at 10:45, she rolled around apologizing for the delay. We sat, talked and by 11 we were done. It doesn't look like they'll be able to find the kind of work I'm interested in (healthcare consulting), but I didn't think that it would be 15 min long. All the worrying, all the shopping...for 15 min.

15 min...

More to look for this week.

posted by Leighna @ 10:07 am