It's Like I'm Running The New York Marathon

Today, an idea was brought to my attention, so I am going to share it with all of you.

Instead of thinking of it as chasing down a job, think of it as a RACE!
A race to see who hires you first.

That way, no matter what, in the end- you win.
Also, even though its you who is still sending out resumes, thinking of yourself as the prize instead of the stalker is way more exhilarating.

How Wrong Is It To Apply For Internships While You Are At An Internship?

Now, you may have been following me for a while as I search for a job that will make me proud to attend Career Day at the local middle school, or you may have just joined me. But one thing you should realize as you follow my futile attempts at getting a job in this economy, is that I have not been spending my days bemoaning my failure at life. Instead, I want you all to know, that in this interim time between college and first job, I am keeping myself extraordinarily busy. In addition to my three babysitting jobs, and my 3 hours a week freelancing at CBS Sports (that I hopefully start next week) I have four different internships that I am devoting 40 unpaid hours a week towards.
One of these internships is at a production company in midtown Manhattan, in a building that makes me feel important when I walk in 4 days a week. I don’t want to lie- there is something exciting about taking an elevator up to the 20th floor surrounded by important people in suits even when I can wear nice jeans and a sweater to work. At this internship, I am in charge of online promoting for an independent film. I work closely with the Writer/Director/Producer and Associate Producer to make sure we get the word out about the film in order to (as they say) ‘put asses in seats’.
And since I have been posting and blogging and tweeting for their company, the website hits for their film have gone waaaayyyyy up. So yay! I’m doing something well!
But I have realized at this point that in less than a month when the film opens, I will have no more reason to stay at this internship, although I am sure they would be happy to have the free help stay on. So even though I am busy as a bee for the next few weeks, I am already lining things up and applying for my next set of internships. Still assuming, at this point, that a job doesn’t magically work out instead.

It's a Mad Mad World

Yesterday I saw the one of the guys from Mad Men.

I have since decided that I am going to start watching Mad Men, so I can be retroactively excited about seeing one of the actors on the street.
Oh, and what does this have to do with my job search?
Nothing really, because by the time I reacted, he was too far away for me to run over and give him a copy of my resume.

All in a Days Search For Work

Some weeks are posting weeks, some are emailing weeks, some are faxing weeks, and others are mailing weeks.
Last week- was a mailing week.
As I am sure you have surmised from glancing through my blog, I have been searching the world wide web, the yellow pages, and any Rolodex I can get my hands on trying to get my resume in the hands of that one special yet still unknown person who is going to offer me a job.
Every few months or so, I acquire enough address to prompt me to send out a mass mailing. This isn’t the type of mailing where you BCC your contact list and send them some annoying message. I never do that. This is when I have saved enough headers, footers, and signatures from different emails that I have received and now have the mailing addresses of some places that I would like to work.
I also then searched production companies, and use my powers (cross referencing with the yellow pages, google, and each companies personal website) to get the mailing address for each of them. Then I’ve searched in wikipedia ‘shows that film in New York’. I play around with the wording a little. ‘Reality shows filming in NYC’. ‘Current television shows New York’. ‘Soap Operas New York City’. I then google and google, opening hundreds of new tabs, skimming each link for what those wizards over at the googleplex might have thought would be useful for me. Gleaning whatever information I can to track down some contact information for any show I can find.
In the end of all of this, I usually come up with about 40 to 60 names and addresses that I can send my information to. It may not be worth the stamps, but the hope is that someone is more likely to open a piece of mail and be forced to glance through my resume rather than discarding my email with an unopened resume attachment.