Jobless In The City is a weekly series following Leslie, a vivacious 39 year old woman, who holds a master degree – and more than a decade of advertising and finance experience.  She’s smart, eager, talented and for the last year and a half UNEMPLOYED. Follow Leslie as she tackles unconventional ways of making money – while searching for a full time gig.

Hope Springs Eternal

This week proved very busy.  I had to perform with each of my bands, had some really good sessions with my tutoring and scheduled a job interview with the company that I was really excited to apply with.  I was a little concerned last week that I was harming my job prospects by talking about it so much and hopefully, I was wrong.

It turns out that this interview comes at a crucial time because I am now off unemployment.  So when the unemployment numbers come out and they say the numbers have gone down, know that it’s not true.  It will just be the reflection of a whole slew of people exhausting the unemployment payroll.  To be honest, I feel like I’ve reached the end at the right time.  “He may not come when you want him, but he’ll be there right on time.”  And Lord, there is no time like the present to start fresh somewhere.

The firm where I’ll be interviewing is in the Financial Assurance business just as my last firm was.  In addition, I have two former co-workers that I worked closely with that are currently employed there.  I’ve contacted them both to let them know that I’m coming in to interview and they were both really receptive to it. So, I’m confident that I will have good word-of-mouth contact working for me as well as having a good interview. Seriously, if you are a praying reader, pray for me on this one.

I’m still going to follow up on other job leads that come in.  I have to remember not to put all my eggs in one basket, but I would really love for this basket to pan out.  I’m still interested in publishing and marketing communications, but I’m most interested in finance and really excited about getting back in the business.

On the music front, I did a lot of singing and rehearsing, enough to make me a little concerned about how my voice would hold up during the performances.  And I’d like to share a tip with any singers, or I guess, even public speakers that are reading this:  slippery elm.  I picked up lozenges and tea made of slippery elm at the whole foods store and the stuff works miracles.  I generally have a hoarse and raspy sound to my voice after singing with my Funk band due to all the high notes and gravelly singing that’s required to execute our songs.  I had to perform the next day with my R & B band and all those notes are sweet and sugary; hard to do with a raspy voice.  With the slippery elm lozenge, the problem was completely eradicated.  If you sing, it’s a must.

So I leave you with hope and a song in my heart.  I also pray that the next time we talk, I have even better news.

Giving Back

Do you ever feel like if you keep talking about something you just might jinx it, even though you are not the least bit superstitious? That’s how I’m feeling. Like I should just be about it. Just do it and stop talking about it. I should just get a job and stop talking about it. Even though I’m truly trying to secure employment, I feel like I’m talking about it too much. However, I guess that’s what you get when you agree to put your troubles on display.

These last few weeks have been slow on new job opportunities. I’ve only sent in one application that I think may lead to an actual interview. On top of that, I applied for the position in the middle of last week and still have not heard anything yet. It’s in my choice field, Public Finance, so I’m really praying for the job. I’ll keep you posted if anything comes of it.

Music is still going well, but I have a break in live shows and collaborating coming up because my band members are heading out of town for a couple of weeks. I’ll just switch the focus to writing which is just as fulfilling as performing.

The volunteer work at the Mission Society is also still going well. I’m working on a critical project with them that is really allowing me to use some of my more complex communication skills. It’s rather changing my opinion of volunteering. I used to think of volunteering as optional. But I’m learning that even when volunteering, you are contributing seriously needed help. This project, however necessary, was waiting for someone to come along and pick it up. And the organization didn’t have the funding allocated to hiring someone just for this completion. Using a volunteer was not optional, it was necessary.

I’m noticing the same critical need at the library. In the reading and writing center, the tutors are extremely critical to these students and extremely necessary. And at a time when library employees are being laid off, we are also all volunteers. Our students are learning to read for a variety of reasons; to get a promotion, to be more confident as a business owner when dealing with clients, to read to their kids and simply to feel better about themselves. For them, learning to read is not something to take lightly. And it’s what I have learned about the blessing of being a volunteer. It is not something to take or give lightly.

When I was employed, all of my volunteer activities were actually tied to my employer and this experience has helped me to realize that I can also make a big impact on my own time. Because our efforts were event focused like the American Heart Walk or one time help, like building a habitat for humanity house once a year as a group, we didn’t really form a connection with the people that our services benefited. Doing it on my own time has provided that personal piece that was missing and I’ve been really blessed by this layoff because of my decision to start volunteering again.

I know I didn’t talk too much this time about my upcoming job prospects, but you can understand; I didn’t want to jinx it.

March is here!

This week was really laid back compared to the last few weeks. My life was filled with music and meetings, it really took my mind off the big J-O-B search. It’s like there are peaks and valleys. You have a really good week full of highs; then you have a mediocre week full of lows. It all evens out eventually.

I got started on the volunteer work for the Mission Society, which felt good. I also met with my writing partner to work on the original songs. I didn’t come across any job postings that interested me, but I didn’t do the deliberate searching that I normally do. Last week I received a few suggestions about positions where I knew someone to use as a reference so I guess I got a little spoiled and thought another job opportunity would just come “knocking on my door,” as they say.

Well it didn’t, and I went to the movies instead. Here in New York a regular movie cost $12.50. But with my days to myself for so long I found that if you hit the theater before noon, it only cost $6.00 and if you go to the right theater, you can quietly slip into a second feature making it really worth your buck! (Believe me, just about any movie that you can see for $3.00 is worth it.)

So to make up for this week’s job hunt slow down, I’m planning all the job searching I’ll do next week. I need to get back on track with the search for a suitable position that can help me get my foot in the door of publishing, and really focus on marketing communications opportunities since I now have active references for my marketing abilities due to my volunteer work.

Also I have my fingers crossed about getting back into finance. I believe I’d find my sweet spot if I landed a position in marketing for a financial institution. One of my old co-workers vouched for me at his new job in the marketing department…so of course that feels great. I haven’t received any follow-up from them, but I’m hoping!

So, in spite of the quiet week, I feel like things are moving along. Even though I have nothing to back this up, I feel like I’m closer to finally finding a job – at least closer than I was two weeks ago. A positive attitude is half the battle…right?

March 1 – The Search Continues

Another week lends itself to my creative side. The showcase performance went really well. I was performing with new artist Tim Lovelace and we were the first group up in a lineup of ten groups. The organizer was so thrilled with the band’s sound and performance that he came out after we finished with one of the record company guys to tell us how great we were and that he saw good things on the horizon.

However, back here on solid ground just a little bit below the horizon, the job search must continue. I only sent out about four resumes this week, but they were quite strategic. I discovered that a former co-worker now works for a company that advertised a couple of compatible positions. I contacted that old co-worker and asked if he would be a reference on the applications. Thankfully, he said yes and I’m hoping the reference of a current employee shows in my favor.

I also had a meeting scheduled with the New York Mission Society to do some volunteer work on their marketing and communications objectives. This meeting went well. The Mission Society is the oldest charitable organization in New York City and is still going strong after 200 years of service that spans three centuries. You can imagine that after hundreds of years on the scene, the media buzz about an organization might fade. So I’ll have the opportunity to help them jump back into the spotlight.

Just agreeing to help them out has already reflected well on my resume: It adds more volunteer service to my resume and brings my marketing experience back to the forefront. But more importantly, I’m thrilled to still be able to offer a helping hand. Losing a job, for whatever reason, can make you feel helpless and useless. For me, having been out of work for so long, it’s a constant effort to keep my head up and not concede to defeat. It’s a constant effort to continue to believe that I am a valuable asset to any organization that I may join. The Mission Society needing my help and valuing the expertise that I’m bringing to the table is helping me deal with those feelings. It has helped with my confidence and job search just as much and I am helping them.

Finally, my original music is coming along! I’ve got days set aside to really go in on the writing and recording and I’m in heaven. I also have a live CD that was recorded with one of my bands at our regular haunt (Sunday nights at Footprints Café in Brooklyn) ready to be “released” at our next show. By released, I mean we’ll have copies of the CD available for $10 each at our upcoming shows. Of course, it’s not as prestigious as an official Sony record deal with a release party and a Today Show appearance, but my parents are sure going to be proud when they pop my CD in. And honestly, that kind of happiness and joy is all that matters.

Feb. 20th -Enjoying the Spotlight!

I’m relieved to say that I have a showcase coming up. I’ve spent the last week preparing for a really special performance with this new artist. I’ll be singing background and we are performing for a few record labels. Of course I still sent out resumes this week but they weren’t my major focus and it’s been so refreshing to focus more on my creative side.

A great benefit of this kind of showcase for me is that it pays well. I’m always thrilled to sing and make music. I can honestly say that I would do it for free. So when I get a gig that’s really paying and comfortable, there is still that little voice in my head going, “they’re paying me to do this? Awesome!”

While the extra money helps, the best part of this showcase is that all this rehearsal has really awakened music in my veins again. So much so that I’ve started the songwriting process with my band members again and we had a really fruitful session this week. You would think that being unemployed so long would leave me lots of time to just be creative, but somehow the concern about getting another job whittles away the time. With my focus back, we created the outline and melody for three really promising songs. I’m spending time with the creations to fill them out and develop them more for another writing session next week. I’m so excited!

On the civilian job front, I spent some time perusing Craigslist for jobs for the first time in a long time. A friend suggested that I check them out again. This route may place me a little closer to the actual employer than the career tab on most jobsites because it appears that smaller, more personal companies post available positions on this site. Even so, it’s still a faceless process so I’m not going to be discouraged by the lack of follow-up or call backs.

I still have my heart set on a job in publishing so I did some follow-up with Scholastic. While visiting their SoHo store I was able to submit my resume in person even though they were not hiring in the store. The visit provided me with the opportunity to let the manager know that in spite of my diverse experience, I’m really looking for an opening into the book business. I’m hoping that the personal push accentuates the online resume that I submitted for a few corporate positions.

I also have meetings scheduled this coming week to do some volunteer Marketing and PR work for a well known New York non-profit. This is a definite foot in the door. Of all the resume’s I’ve sent out and uploaded, this opportunity is the most promising. It’s providing me with a working connection with people that are actually in the workplace, so I will definitely be on my toes. One thing I’ve learned about myself is that I’m better in person than on paper, so these personal contacts are priceless.

All in all, this was a very special week. I’ve made some strides towards securing a job and I’ve made some great strides in my music. I feel a little bit like I’m in the movie, The Sound of Music; not only am I remembering my favorite things, I’m doing my favorite things and getting paid to do so. It’s really made this a super bonus week.

Feb. 17th: Keep Looking

That Song by Sade, Keep Looking describes this week perfectly. Last week was really promising but I haven’t received any call backs. Therefore, keep looking. I’m still on book publishing, so I turned my attention to Random House. This made me think of two things:

1. A great thing about New York is just about any company you want to work with is here, and

2. I’m thinking out of the box about new industries to me, but both that I truly favor are at a major changing point.

As a singer, I’m well versed in the changes of the music industry with CD sales dropping rapidly and people downloading music illegally. (I personally think there is no way to stop it and record companies have to come up with other ways to produce revenue. Believe me, they can do it.) What I’m learning about now, is the crossroad book publishers are facing. Since I’d like to work for Scholastic or Random House, I’ve been visiting book stores and looking at ways to get a foot in the door. I’m also an avid reader so while visiting, I’m always on the lookout for things that I, or my students, might like to read.

As I’m looking, I’m noticing all of the new electronic readers on the market. Amazon has one; Sony has one, Barnes and Noble. You can even download a reader for your smart phone. Everyone is pushing electronic reading devices. This may not be so much the rage all over, but if you carry a bunch of text books or ride a subway or train to work and like to read along the way, it’s all the rage. You may soon be able to put all your text books on a reader for a lighter load to carry to class and the readers are already thin and more convenient that most bulky books and newspapers on a train.

This new way of reading novels, textbooks and newspapers, and probably magazines is actually making me more excited about getting into publishing. I’m hoping it will create more opportunity and door openings as opposed to a downsizing that I’ve personally witnessed when new technologies presented themselves.

Usually, change like this is scary. My first impulse of a thought – just for a second- was “I’m getting old and everything I love to do is becoming extinct.” I remember first-hand the anxiety that automation caused amongst auto workers. But my next thought was, “this is also unstoppable and inevitable.” I’m realizing that when I do get back to work it will probably be very different than it was just two years ago when I was part of that world. I’m ready for these changes and welcome them. I’m so ready to be part of the next big wave in technology: the next thing that radically changes our society. (And with Steve Jobs and Apple joining the bandwagon with their new reader, it is going to become cool and revolutionary.) I hope this is it, and I hope I can find my part in it. So I’m going to keep looking.

Feb. 10th Jobless In The City: The future looks promising

This was a good week.  Of course after last week anything would seem better, but this was really a positive week.  I started by looking at the things in my life that make me happy and focusing on how I can turn them into a work opportunity.  The singing would be ideal, but that’s such a roll-of-the-dice industry that I haven’t figured out how to spin it into a solid 9 to 5 yet.  I have considered the administrative support avenue, but where entertainment is concerned they are not giving those entry jobs away either.

The other area of complete happiness in my life right now is with the volunteer tutoring that I do at the library.  I really enjoy helping people learn.  There is nothing like watching someone catch on when a concept is new to them, and that’s what I’ve been experiencing as an adult literacy tutor.  This has lead me to the Scholastic Company.  I remembered all of the books that I read as a child from Scholastic and how I used to look forward to the four-page catalogs that we would get every once in a while in elementary school.  You remember the one with the synopsis of all the great new books that you were supposed to go talk your parents into buying?  Well, as an adult, I think I would love to work for such a company.   I thing a job there would be fulfilling on more than one level.

So I took to their website to look up job opportunities here in New York.  And voila!  There were three really good positions listed that could work well with my qualifications.  So I created a profile on the job site and applied.  I’m still a little skeptical because the online job application process is such a cold process.  I would prefer to submit a resume to a person or at least talk to someone there.  My actual plan is to follow it up with at least a visit to the Scholastic Store here in SoHo to inquire about the best ways to access the company.

In addition to the Scholastic opportunity, I’ve actually come across a few positions listed in my field of choice.  Both of them were with companies that I would love the opportunity to work for.  I know that a lot of folks probably looked at the postings and saw opportunity just like I did, but I’m still happy to even see options in public finance.

The exercise of thinking outside of the box was quite uplifting.  Imagining myself doing something I love pulled me out of that funk I was in last week and led me to some viable options.  I’ll try to stay on this track.  Maybe I’ll even put up post-it notes with some old those old rhymes that are supposed to motivate.  You know, “If you can see it, you can be it,” and the like.  Okay, maybe not post-its, but right now I am seeing myself singing on stage with Prince and Stevie Wonder.  I could happen!

Feb. 1st Jobless In The City: Getting back in the Groove

Last week I was able to take a break from the daily job search. This week, I’m trying to get my job search groove back. Being in the trenches has really helped me get a certain rhythm going. Mondays I search, Tuesdays I break, Wednesdays I search, and so on. When I break that rhythm with a couple of days out of town for any purpose, it’s really hard to get back to it.

Monday was out of the question. Mainly because I had a show Sunday night in Brooklyn with my band, Intranzition. I also felt I needed a little bit more of a break after all of my hard work babysitting last week, so I relaxed on Monday. Tuesdays I break, so that’s self explanatory. On Wednesday, I pulled up two places I thought I might like to apply and instantly reasons to walk away from the computer jumped into my head. Will they take my resume seriously if it comes in at 2 in the afternoon on a Wednesday? It’s really almost Friday; shouldn’t I just wait until next Monday to get started again? I do have to tutor tonight; I should probably rest before its time to go. Well, you get the picture. A part of me wanted to do whatever I could do to talk myself out of searching.

Days like this are really hard. Motivation and positivity are really key in making it through an economic slump while you’re unemployed. Actually they are everything. Once you lose them you find yourself quickly spiraling into a sea of despair filled with all the bad “what ifs.” What if I don’t get another job before my unemployment insurance runs out? What if I don’t get another job before my savings runs out? What if I never find another job again?! Who will hire me after all this time?! As demonstrated, things can get out of hand really quickly.

I also don’t really want to admit that I face days like this. When this is over – and I do have faith that I’ll be back at work soon- I’d like to say that it was a breeze. I’d like to say that I never really worried about getting another good job. I’d like to say that it was just a learning experience and I grew so much from my time off. But the truth is sometimes it’s just hard to be without a dependable job. No matter how many friends I help, not matter how many gigs I perform, no matter how much easier it is to run errands between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., it’s a hard knock when you finish and say, okay, now let’s go get that job.

Jobless In The City: Time Is On My Side

One of the things I have discovered as one of the unemployed is that I am able to extend a helping hand to friends in ways that I never could have before.   A close friend who cares for her grandson planned a 3-week trip to Africa but found she would be unable to take her grandson along.  He’s a “tween” with a full schedule of school and extra-curricular activities, so a three week trip was out of the question.

My friend mentioned her dilemma, and a I casually mentioned that if by the time her trip came along, if I were still unemployed, I’d play housemother. Well, I’m still unemployed. So this past week, I played mommy to a 12 year old boy – which included getting him to school, transportation to music lessons, sports practices, games and of course feeding him!

This time has been very interesting, especially since I have no children. When you are not around children, you forget about how they really act. They do not want to go to bed on time.  They do not want to get up for school.  AND, they try to do all the things grandma doesn’t allow.  I mean he really kept me on my toes!  But, they are quite funny and unpredictable too.   I’ve actually considered it good practice and was truly happy I could help out.

This marks the diversity of experiences I’ve had being unemployed for such a long time. I’ve been able to help a friend drive down south to a funeral.  I’ve been able to volunteer a lot of time and now providing invaluable help to a very good friend.

I have to add, that all of the help and volunteering has been a pretty good distraction from the fact that I have no job. I still sent out a few resumes but with other more important things right in front of me, the act didn’t seem as desperate as it has in the past.  It’s one thing to send off a resume and check the email daily to see if you’ve had any response, and a totally different thing to send off the resume while a kid is telling you he’s hungry and “it’s almost time for my violin lesson so we’ll have to hurry.”

So I’m back off to New York and the job hunting grind at the end of the week.  And I can say this experience has left me richer.  I actually think I should tweak my resume again adding the new job skills.  Definitely able to multitask, able to keep a child alive and nourished for weeks,  strong management skills and able to supervise several projects as once.  Then again, that’s every mother, isn’t it?

Follow “Jobless In The City” each week as Leslie continues her search for employment.