You're hired!

After my Debbie Downer post on how impossible it is for young adults to find a job these days, some pretty ironic things happened. I was called for a couple of interviews. I answered questions, handed over a long list of references, and smiled pretty. And guess what? I was offered a couple of jobs.

And guess what else? I turned them down.

Yes, after all of my complaining about not being able to find a job, I was offered two positions at two different places, which I eventually passed up. One was in a social services agency where I would have been implementing a new system for senior meal distribution. It was an awesome work environment with a great team of people, but it just wasn't meant to be. There wasn't much scheduling flexibility, and the only shift that would have worked with my grad school schedule would have been 4 a.m.-12:30 p.m. With some of my classes starting as early as 3:30 p.m. and going as late as 9:40 p.m., I just couldn't figure out when I would sleep, do homework, or see my husband. Unfortunately, I had to turn down the position, but I hope they will keep me in mind when it's time for my social work field experience.

The second offer was for a toddler teacher position at a Cincinnati daycare facility. I saw the posting on Craigslist during my "apply for anything and everything" phase, so of course I applied for it, despite having no formal childcare experience. I was pretty surprised to get an interview, and even more surprised to be offered a part-time position pending a second "working interview" to see how I would interact with the kids. But something didn't feel right about it. The daycare facility was owned and operated by a property management company, and I could tell that was the business that took priority. My interviewers weren't particularly warm, either, and even talked down to me at times, though I was probably three or four years their senior. It just wasn't right and I had to say no thank you.

You may be thinking, "But Kaitlyn, if you turn down every position that comes your way, then you can't complain about not having a job."

You are right. But I'm not out of options quite yet. Today I interviewed for a job through University of Cincinnati at a local non-profit agency. I would only be eligible to work about 10 hours a week at $8/hour through the federal work study grant, but it would give me continued social services experience while I attend graduate school. My interviewer even mentioned a possible full-time job opportunity that he would also like to consider me for, and said he would give me an update later next week.

Also next week, I am scheduled to attend an interview for a totally different work study position at a totally different agency north of Cincinnati. It would probably also be "quarter-time" for the same wages, but if the first option does not pan out, it could be another opportunity for more social work experience. Either way, I know I will still need to keep up the job search, because neither work study position begins until the fall and neither would give me enough hours or sustainable pay to stand alone.

As I continue the search, though, I am more optimistic than even a week ago. My interview successes have boosted my self-esteem, and I am hopeful that eventually I will find a job that is a good fit for me and vice versa. It might not be my dream job, but it will meet my needs for now, and that will be enough. It is comforting to know that with Taylor's recent job change and salary boost, I can afford to trust my intuition and be a little pickier when browsing the classifieds.

That being said, Taylor, I won't hold out for too much longer, I promise!