Busy for Unemployed...

I've been kept on my toes for the past 24 hours! Let me tell you how.

In the daily craziness that is my job search (my only non-job-searching productive time in the past week has been the 4 hours yesterday morning when our internet was down) I have been busy finding places to apply, editing resumes, making phone calls... [Minnesota accent:] ya know. Yesterday I was winding down after sending out a few new applications and my "job search.xls" spreadsheet told me that it was time to follow up on some past applications.

As it happened, a number of days ago, I applied to a number of bank teller positions at a great many local[ish] banks. There are after all several major bank headquarters in the Twin Cities metro area. Anyway, I made some calls yesterday, scored an interview this morning at one bank, left few messages and... called it a day. Brooke studied on, and I went up to the kitchen to prepare some delicious sausage/bread/apple/onion-stuffed acorn squash.

While I was in the kitchen cooking, I chatted and bumped elbows with my housemate Noor. He was preparing an elaborate feast for his beloved wife Tasnim, who he was picking up from the airport later in the evening. (She had been visiting family in Bangladesh for over a month.) It was only after Brooke and I stuffed our faces with squash that I realized that he intended to invite us to eat with him and Tasnim after she got in (not 'til 10:30). Brooke had to get to bed early, but I rallied, took a shower and tried to think hungry thoughts.

Tasnim arrived right on time and was a pleasure to meet. (Good thing too, as she is now one of my housemates.) We three sat down to a Bangla feast of fried rice and lentils, shrimp and eggs, and I also got a small taste of Bangla hospitality as I was served up a generous serving of the delicious food. I started out with a full belly, tasted some food, quickly developed an appetite again, tried to convince them that I was too full for seconds, ate some seconds anyway, and finally convinced them that I couldn't possibly fit thirds into my stomach. Only by 11:30 did we all mosey on to our beds.

Bright and early the next morning: I woke up groggily, popped a dumpstered bagel in the toaster oven, looked up some directions and put on my nicest shirt and tie. Never mind that one of my shoes was scuffed beyond repair and that a safety pin was preventing my temperamental fly from unzipping itself, I was going to be dashing... motivated... a young professional. (Huh. Bull. But, hey, I am becoming a desperate man, and I might actually possess the skill set to get hired as a teller. "Leasing My Soul to the Devil" I almost called this post...)

The interview went well. There's a chance I will be called to a second interview. As I left I got a call from a different branch of the same bank - a response to a message I had left. Why yes, I would like to interview with you too. I got home, ripped off the tie (no more of that for the day!), put on some more casual clothes and tried to have a coffee date with the pastor of the church where Brooke and I are now attending. He was sick today, so we took a rain check. And then made plans to go out for lunch with Brooke's parents who happened to be in town.

Just before we left for lunch, I followed up on a different bank branch. "Oh. Good. Well, what is your availability like this week?" {ANY TIME!} Brooke, my ever-faithful job coach, mouthed. "Uh, any time is fine." -- "How about today at 3, then?"

And thus it was that after a delicious Mexican buffet ("Not too many beans!" job coach warned) I retied my best tie and headed out the door to another interview. Good practice. I'm getting better at coming off as a motivated, ambitious, career-oriented, young professional. And when I got home, I contacted the hiring manager I had talked to earlier in the morning, to set an interview time. Tuesday at 2 pm was best for her.

I have an interview at a temp agency at 10 am planned for the same day, as well as a stage (hands-on, second interview for a cook position) scheduled from 3 pm - 10 pm. I said that 2 pm would be great.

Noor: my Nordic skiing protégé