I had been meaning to dig through my CDs, movies, and books, and make a trip to Half Price Books to sell my no-longer-used stuff. Being unemployed offers lots of free time for these kinds of "meaning to" projects!
While I was waiting for them to calculate what they were going to offer me for my four bags of stuff, I found TWO used cookbooks that I HAD to have. :) I picked up copies of "The Enchanted Broccoli Forest" and Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything: Vegetarian Cooking." Even with my purchases, I still walked out of the store $36 richer!
I am in love with "The Enchanted Broccoli Forest." It's a little butter-cream-cheese-eggs heavy for my tastes, but it is so sweet, well-written, and charming with all of the hand lettering and silly drawings, that I'm hooked. My favorite silly joke from the book is a small drawing of a frog with a word bubble coming out near his lips that says, "trivet!" Cute. I may need to make some bread from that book this week, and definitely will be adapting a muffin recipe or two!
I haven't attacked the Bittman with quite as much enthusiasm yet, but I will clue you in when I do.
Segue,
Just to clarify, I have NOT found a new job yet. I applied for three more jobs yesterday, and have heard nothing about any of them yet. But then again, it's only been a day or two, and last weekend was a holiday. (And, a couple of the University jobs I applied for, I don't expect to hear anything until next week or maybe a little later -- fall semester just started, and people are stressed out, I assume!) Off to do a little more web searching! Anyone used any online job searching systems and have positive things to say? I'm planning on using Monster, CareerBuilder, and looking on Craig's List. I'm also going to check one of our local free presses, City Pages. (I checked the regular paper already, and applied for two jobs from that.)
7 comments:
sounds like you're doing everything right with the job search... Good Luck!!
uugg.. that anon comment was from me... Melody..
btw, I made your curried sweet potato soup again.. this time adding red lentils and brown rice so it would make a meal. Yum! I'm going to blog about it again.
-melody (melomeals.blogspot.com)
I love The Enchanted Brocolli Forest, although I too find it to be a little too egg and dairy heavy, even for a vegetarian cookbook. I've succesfully veganized the grape nuts muffins before, and they're really yummy. Good luck finding a job!
I have the exact same opinion about Enchanted Brocoli Forest....fun book, too much dairy and eggs.
megan the vegan
Sometimes universities can take forever with job stuff. I think it depends on the size and the amount of bureaucracy but I've even interviewed for jobs and then waited another month or so to find out the progress in the job search. So good luck and be patient.
I think craiglist is ok - it depends on your region. There are a lot of jobs posted where I am and it takes forever to just sort through them.
I would suggest also finding more targeted sites that are in line with what you are looking for. I focus on a lot of non-profit or arts related listing sites so that I can cut through the BS.
-emily @ veggiesupreme
From a recruiter's point of view, Monster and CareerBuilder can be a pain in the butt to find candidates because a lot of folks apply for anything and everything. It's frustrating to weed through all those candidates - like finding a needle in a haystack at times.
I'm with Emily. Write up a list of companies that you want to work for and check in with their postings everyday. Learn who the HR/hiring folks are and don't be afraid to follow up on your resume submittal.
The MN Council of Nonprofits has a great job site: www.mncn.org and have some great opportunities.
Also, don't be afraid to sign on with a temp agency. If you're looking for admin work, check out Jeane Thorne and talk to Phil Berbig. Tell him you know me. It might lead to something.
Craigslist is good because if a recruiter or an org posts on there, they are thinking outside of the box and will probably check replies to their postings.
Look in the paper for networking events and attend them. You never know who you'll meet. Also, StarTribune.com has a good job site. At least it will get you familar with who is hiring in town.
What about your church? Maybe they have some opportunities that may interest you.
What about working at a place like Let's Dish or one of those types of places...it will get you around food at least!
Catering could be another option and I'm sure the U works with a catering company (not sure which one). That will also get you around food and perhaps lead to some independent catering gigs like weddings, special events, etc. I used to do it in college and loved it. We did a lot of food prep and I was in good with the chef (I also bartended and slipped him a few drinks, so he liked me) so I was able to contribute to some of the meals more than other caterers.
Ok, I should quit typing now, but I hope that helps. Just remember when rejection comes, it's not all about you...sometimes it's about budget or someone else was a slightly better fit.
Again, don't be afraid to follow up! Recruiters are busy and can be pulled in many directions. I admire a candidate who follows up and has a true interest in a position. If you do secure an interview, try some kind of closing technique like "Do you see me as a fit for this opportunity?" or "Is there anything preventing you from moving forward?" etc. I've found those types of questions to be effective in finding out where I stand.
Sorry, I'm kinda passionate about this as it's what I do :)
-Crystal
Ok, so I can't leave this subject alone - 2 companies in the Twin Cities that might be cool to check out are:
Caldrea: www.caldrea.com
&
Thymes: www.thymes.com
I use both of their products. I know Thymes is in Minneapolis and they offer lunchtime yoga classes. Last time I spoke with Caldrea, they were looking for sales folks. Sales for these products could be fun.
Just a couple thoughts!
-Crystal
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