Preparing for a non-interview interview

Tomorrow I will meet the executive director of a local music ensemble that is in need of an office manager. I attended my first SAI Austin Alumnae meeting last Sunday and one of the members is on the board of this ensemble. When she heard I was looking for work, she asked me to come to a concert this Saturday to meet the ED. The position is part-time, but I am willing to do anything to get a foot in the door of this music scene.

So now I am preparing to attend this concert with my most professional foot forward. It is important to take any meetings like this as seriously as any formal interview. I must prepare to look professional, ask good questions, talk about myself in a professional way, and have my resume at the ready.

Step One: Ensemble.

Not only is the a professional engagement for me, but the concert is going to be held in a church, so appropriateness is doubly important. It's still in the upper 90s in Austin, so I think a pretty shift dress with a modest neckline would be perfect.

This one is from Old Navy, my favorite store for inexpensive, age-appropriate garments. Perfect for the young professional on a budget. This dress covers me, it's comfortable, and it's perfectly business-casual. If this were a real interview, I would just add a structured jacket for a put-together look.

I have a pet peeve regarding shoes in professional situations: NO OPEN TOE! I try to stick with flats for interviews unless is with a really formal company. Again I'm going with Old Navy for my shoes. The straw-like material is a fun alternative to a leather or fabric flat.

I haven't worn them yet, so I'm breaking them in tonight. Happy early Halloween! :)

As for accessories, I'm going with a watch--an interview must-have--and a pretty bag that's big enough to hold an envelope with my resume.

Step Two: Conversation Prep

I can't really do regular interview prep because this is not really an interview, but I must be prepared to ask questions and talk about myself. Examples of good questions in this situation would be:

-What do you feel is the most important task of the office manager?
-Are you looking for just an office manager or do you need help with marketing, social media, development, education, etc?
-What are your goals for the ensemble this season?

These questions have specific answers that can lead to a meaningful conversation about the position and about my qualifications and previous experience. Also, I will not leave the conversation before getting an email address.

Step Three: Resume and Letter

I've printed out a fresh resume and written a short letter to go with it. The letter is slightly shorter than my normal cover letter, and includes a message of "nice to meet you, looking forward to seeing you again soon, etc."

It think with all this preparation, I am ready for my non-interview interview tomorrow. I promise I'll tell you how it goes!

Temporary homemaker

We've been in our new place for a week now. We're 90% unpacked and the apartment is 80% decorated. Thanks to my father's inherent handiness and, shall we stay, attention to detail, most of our  art and curtains are already up. Next on my To-Do list: write a mushy love letter to U-Haul. We used their shipping boxes and save for one bent-beyond-use Rubbermaid bin lid, we had no casualties. 

Still no job yet, but with Labor Day weekend upon us, I assumed my phone would remain quiet today. I got an email from the phone interview person and no dice. So now that Corey has started classes, I spend my days keeping house and reading. I figure I will enjoy a clean house for as long as possible, since I know that when I'm working again I will have no extracurricular motivation for housekeeping. We're also watching our pennies since we have a finite cash stash until I start earning a paycheck, so I'm cooking a lot more now. With college football season on the horizon, we are saving our "dining out" funds for game days at the local Michigan bar! (I haven't traded in my Maize and Blue for Burnt Orange just yet. I'll wait until the weather gets cooler.)

I'm looking forward to writing more with my free time. The only reason it took me this long is to post is because we don't have Internet at home yet. I'm typing this on my iPad from the Starbucks near our place. It's awesome because its within walking distance, but seems to be the hang-out spot of choice for the local middle school set. Boo.

Coming up, I'm planning some posts on interview style, my new-ish job of being Corey's business manager, and pictures of my mad decorating skills.

Building an Empire

After two days on the road with two very annoyed cats, we made it to Austin on Monday night. We are living in a little motel off of I-35 until we can get into our new place on Saturday. Corey is doing his placement testing and classes start next week. I spent yesterday in the room, so today I decided to venture out. I'm writing this post from the Fine Arts Library on the UT campus. I've applied for two more jobs this morning, to I figure I can take a break to write something for myself.

I had a phone interview last week that went OK. They said they would let me know in the next 10 business days if they want to meet me in person. The job may be a little out of my league, but I'm choosing to stay positive. What I lack in experience I make up for in enthusiasm and scrappiness.

I came across a quote or meme or whatever you want to call it on Facebook the other night that really spoke to me:

I don't know where it originally came from, and the random fan page my friend from high school shared it from had an offensive name, so I chose to save the image an re-post it. Thought he language is a little grandiose, I love the message. Corey and I really are struggling right now, but I'd rather struggle with him than be kept by anyone else.

The lack of responses from my job applications and our slowly diminishing bank account balance have gotten me down lately, but this quote inspires me to keep going, to keep working towards our empire.

Before I sign off, I want to be clear that I don't judge anyone else's choices. I really don't know that many women who haven't chosen love over an easier life, and I don't think I'm better than the ones that do. I just need to be reminded that one day, Corey and I will have careers and a solid financial foundation too, and we will have had love the whole time.

Thoughts on coffee

I am not a morning person; never have been, never will be. My mom will tell you about the shouting matches that occurred in the mornings during my elementary school days. In middle and high school it got a little better since I started to care about how I looked, but I'm still on Team Snooze.

My mom used to tell me that I'd become a morning person once I got my first job out of college. She also told me that I'd get used to rising early and start drinking coffee regularly. At that point, I was only drinking coffee on occasion and for pleasure, not out of necessity.

Fast forward to my second job out of college, my first "big girl" (i.e. full time) job. I was stationed at a reception desk with the company's payroll department behind me. The office coffee pot was situated on a little counter top to my left. The way the was the room was set up, everyone in the office had to pass by me (and the boss's office window) to grab a cup. The boss had strict rules about only making two pots per day, and people had to supply their own creamer. The first pot was always drained as soon as it was finished, and some scavengers would come for the their second cup before the second pot was finished brewing.

Now, I get it that in a company that offers few perks, you want to get your money's worth in free coffee, but crappy Folgers drowned in french vanilla? I didn't get the appeal. This desperate need for sup-par caffeine confused and worried me. After witnessing this Lord of the Flies for coffee, I decided that I never want to become chemically dependent on caffeine, no matter how perky it would make my mornings.

My Elle Woods Moment

If you're familiar with the "Legally Blonde" franchise, you know that the main character Elle Woods uses hair analogies in during litigation and while addressing Congress. It always starts out sounding like sorority house babble, but ends making an excellent point.

I had my Elle Woods moment today when I realized that my relationship with my hair is a metaphor for my relationship with myself. Stay with me on this one...

Growing up my hair was frizzy and awkward. All I wanted was straight, long, glossy hair that would, with little effort, look pretty down and adorable up. All throughout high school I tried whatever remedies my allowance could afford, but nothing worked. I would stay up late watching infomercials about miracle products that would heal my crispy waves.

When I got my first job and saved enough money, I ordered my first ceramic straightening iron online. This was 2005 when the technology was still relatively new. It cost $100.00.

The results were amazing to me. The 100% ceramic transformed my course waves into shiny straight locks. I felt like a whole new woman and went off to college with confidence. 

It didn't take long for me to become addicted to the straightener. I never left my dorm without spending 30 minutes taming my mane. I still feared humidity, and God help me if it rained. 

Later came sulfate-free shampoo and Argan oil, both discoveries were on equal footing with the ceramic wonder. I was winning the battle against my hair!

Recently I decided that since I'm moving to a warmer climate, I want to start embracing my hair's natural texture. (Full disclosure: I also want to embrace current trends. Super-straight hair is SO five years ago. I use that phrase only semi-ironically.) I'm getting used to the awkward waves, but since treating my hair to healthier products, the frizz has settled down. Still, I find myself twitching when a certain lock of hair falls in what I deem and weird way. 

Going with my hair's flow is about relaxing and letting go of my perfectionist tendencies, live and let live. Here's where I realize that accepting my hair for what it is becomes a metaphor for accepting myself for who I am. I was awkward in uncomfortable in high school. During college and my early twenties I learned some lessons, some tips and tricks if you will, on how to be the person I wanted to be. I took those lessons and followed my heart, and they lead me to where I am today. I am comfortable with my flaws, and I'm slowly learning to see them not as flaws, but as the accessories to the outfit of my personality.

Great, now I'm making fashion analogies.

Transitioning again

I'm writing this post from the desktop computer at the home of my in-laws. Corey and I are living here in transition between Ann Arbor and Ausin, and because of our move-in date, our stay here is going to be a bit longer than we originally planned.

Don't get me wrong, I love my in-laws. Corey and I realize how lucky we are that we not only love our respective in-laws, but both sets of parents enjoy each other's company as well. So my mild misery has nothing to do with prolonged proximity to childhood bedrooms.

The melancholy comes from the fact that this time two years ago I was in a similar situation. I was about to move to a city I'd never visited and responsible for finding a job that would house and feed and family of two adults plus two cats.

Between application emails and labored sighs I have two thoughts:

#1: THIS again? I HATE sending the cover letter that says "here's how qualified I am, but I can't interview for another four weeks." A motherly voice would remind me that I signed up for this when I married perpetual student , and I know. All the job rejections in the world wouldn't make me ever regret being with Corey, but it's frustrating none the less. 

#2: Shit. All my talk about "starting my career" is Austin is now slapping me in the face. I feel compelled to get a job in a non-profit and fast. There's no outside excuses now for not diving headfirst into my career. For months I've been talking about a career in the arts and now I've really got to figure out how I'm going to get there. In between job searches, I'm researching CFRE courses and MPAff programs. I'd be reading my "Grantwriting for Dummies" if I hadn't packed it in Michigan.

The bottom line is I get SUPER antsy during these holding patterns, but the silver lining is that this should be the last one. Austin is it for us until one of us gets a better job offer elsewhere. Who knows? Corey may be following me next time.

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My Internship!

So the reason I have been failing epically at the posting schedule I set for myself a few weeks ago is because in addition to my full-time job, I accepted an internship with the Ann Arbor Summer Festival! I'm so excited to be back working for the arts, especially in a festival setting. Some of my readers may know that I interned for the Eau Claire Jazz Festival in college and had a blast.

I'm tired and a little stressed, but I'm mostly excited. I'm happy to be tired and stressed working for the arts! I am interning with the Volunteer Coordinators. We essentially wrangle the volunteer greeters who greet festival-goers and ask for a $3/person donation to keep the festivities free. It's a great price for 2-3 bands (per day!) and an outdoor movie. (To read more about the Ann Arbor Summer Festival, check out www.a2sf.org)

Gaining this experience with the A2SF right before I move (literally, I'm actually staying at a friend's place for the final week of the Festival while Corey and our parents move us back to WI) is just the professional pick-me-up I needed. I've been struggling for two years to find a career in the arts in the Ann Arbor/Detroit area to no avail. As a watched my arts admin experience pushed further and further down my resume, I worried about my future prospects. So when I saw that the A2SF was accepting applications for interns, I sent off my materials with hopes of refreshing my resume while working at the best summertime hang-out spot in Ann Arbor.

There have been times during the last two weeks that I've thought, "Am I crazy? What was I thinking taking on this internship when I work full-time?" But like I said, I'm happy to work hard for the thing that I love, that being the arts AND supporting my family.

I'm looking forward to a great time in the next three weeks. Volunteer training is tonight and the Festival opens on Friday. I'm going to be gaining a lot of great experience, building my resume for the future, and helping to give the town that has been my home for the last two years the best Summer Festival yet.

(Follow my Ann Arbor Summer Festival experience on Twitter @ReadheadRecords and Instagram @RedheadRecords!)