Isn’t it Ironic?

Don’t ya think?

As I scour the internet for job opportunities (public and private sector) in Ottawa and in Halifax… and even a few Toronto, Montréal, and Edmonton (I reeealllly don’t want to move to Edmonton!) options, I find myself taking part of the hiring process at Company A. For the first time ever, I interviewed someone for a job…

My job.

When my HR Manager first approached me last Friday with an unsolicited résumé, I started having the cold sweats and heart palpitations. Cue emotional meltdown in the wheelchair bathroom stall. I had been under the impression that I would have a little more time (possibly even the summer) to figure out my next steps. Obviously as a temp I know that eventually my placement must come to an end. The best possible ending in my mind would occur a month or so down the road after I have received a job offer for a policy position with a federal government department of course… but an ending nonetheless. I was not expecting to be asked to review a résumé and sit in on an interview in a week’s time.

The fire under my butt was lit.

Instead of wallowing in my own sorrow and panicking about how I would pay my bills. I did what I do best.

I got organized.

I printed off every job posting I could find; three-hole punched them, highlighted the closing dates, and filed them accordingly in a 3-ringed tabbed binder. This action alone made me feel a little more in control.

So when I had the chance to discuss the intentions of the HR Manager early this week, I was already feeling a little bit better. It was a relief to find out that Company A was still thinking the process of hiring a new administrative assistant would take some time, and that they valued my contributions to the company enough to want to provide me with a reasonable amount of time to find my own footing in the job search process. In the meantime, my job is to continue whipping this place into organizational shape, and fulfill my own professional goals by taking advantage of the expertise available to me.

You can’t get a job without experience, and you can’t get experience without a job.

My HR Manager wants to help me expand my skill set while I’m here. This is one of the reasons why she asked me to sit in on the interview this week… But she then went a few steps further. I was asked to help her conduct the interview. I prepared my own questions and helped to interview the candidate. I may have focused my studies on Human Resources, but reading a textbook does not give you practical HR experience. Next she asked me to make a list of my goals and the skills I want to possibly achieve and items I could add to my portfolio while I’m here.

There are people out there that want to help you.

I am lucky to have a wonderful mentor of whom I met and became friends with in December when I travelled to Ottawa for the annual Dalhousie University Faculty of Management Ottawa Tour. She is an inspiration to me as a professional woman working in the Public Sector based not only on her impressive CV but also what she has experienced and achieved in her personal life. I hope that when I eventually move to Ottawa that I will be able to expand our formal and informal mentoring relationship.

I also believe that my current HR Manager has the potential to become a useful professional reference and resource for me throughout my career. I will be making sure to add her to my network, and maintain this professional relationship.

Take advantage.

Today we will be conducting reference checks on a candidate for another position and I will also get to take part in the formal job offer process tomorrow; these are invaluable experiences for me at this stage of my professional development and career search process.

While my current career prospects may be pretty thin during this time of budgetary reductions and fiscal constraint, at least for the time being, I am being given the opportunity to build up my portfolio and resume to the point that when the machinery of government finally starts moving again…

I will be ready.

The Sound of Silence

Sometimes there is nothing more relaxing than sitting in silence.

As a self-proclaimed chatterbox myself (I’ve been known to ramble on in uncomfortable situations), even I need time to sit and reflect without the distractions of idle chatter and white noise sometimes.

In the office at Company A I am located at the reception desk around the corner from the lunch room. Seated at my perch I can hear everything that goes on, all the gossip, all the ranting, and all the nonsensical chat. I’m amazed sometimes by the amount of time some people spend in there on a given day, and amazed by some of the conversations I overhear. While I usually can tune out the cacophony, sometimes it makes concentrating on my work (or even my own thoughts) nearly impossible.

Plugged in.

Don’t get me wrong, I love listening to music, and you’ll often find my with my earbuds firmly in place… but there are definitely times when I just want people to stop talking… I want computers to stop humming… trucks to stop rumbling…

Just for a little while.

Sadly, you can’t just tell people to shut up (it’s not very nice and you’d likely not find it easy to make friends afterwards), you can’t pull the power cord on the whole office, and you can’t halt the commercial trucking industry.

How do you find a moment of peace in a world of chaos?

Relax: Let the chatter fade to the background.

Breathe: Like in yoga, focus on your breath. It is one of the most soothing sounds in the world.

Close your eyes: Even just for a moment. Sensory overload can contribute to the feeling of unrest. You can’t turn your ears off (generally speaking), but you can give your eyes a rest.

Smile: Force the negative out and keep the positive in. Only the really mean and nasty people will try to make you feel yucky when you have a smile on your face 🙂

When all else fails, take a walk.

Even if it’s just up and down the stairwell of your office building (which is great exercise by the way), or around the block, let your legs take you somewhere.

And for added peacefulness… relax, breathe, close your eyes, and smile.

Debt-ridden and unemployed: We are the Class of 2012

Debt-ridden and unemployed: We are the Class of 2012

More on the Globe and Mail conversation of youth unemployment… Check out the graphs and stats laid-out in this article. Scary.

Also, here is a nice excerpt from a related article.

Charlotte Bumstead, a 24-year-old writer from Newmarket, Ont., said the chance of finding a decent job with a livable salary was comparable to winning the lottery.

“On behalf of my generation, we don’t want your pity,” Ms. Bumstead wrote. “Go ahead and call us ‘lazy and entitled,’ we’re happy to prove you wrong.”

I Rocked the Boat (and I Liked It)

Say what you really mean.

Sometimes you need to tell someone exactly what is on your mind. If something has been bothering you, why keep it all inside; you are the only one who is going to suffer as a result. I’m definitely guilty of holding the resentment in in the past, and holding it in to the point where it could be deemed unhealthy.

Last night I rocked the boat and I liked it.

I wasn’t happy with things the way they were. I presented an ultimatum option. I didn’t get angry. I didn’t cry. I said exactly what I wanted to say.

The ball is no longer in my court.

But I will inevitably be the one who makes the decision of whether I am willing to accept the pass.

After a lengthy and cathartic phone conversation last night, I debriefed with Shauna and her mum (who’s visiting from Calgary). Nothing like a post-op debrief to mentally hash out everything you’ve said and to reinforce your expectations from the conversation.

What I took from last night’s events was the understanding that there are only two possible outcomes from this…I will be the same amount of happy that I am right now, or I will be happier than I am right now. Because I’ve spelled everything out, and presented the option… regardless of their choice I will be able to feel confident that I didn’t hold anything back. There were no surprises. I valued myself.

When you spell out your expectations and are willing to accept the other person’s decision either way, you gain a great sense of clarity and calm. I’ve said everything I want to say, and I’ve made it clear that I am no longer going to accept less than what I feel I deserve.

I deserve happiness.

If this person chooses to pass on the opportunity to continue to get to know me as a person, and accept the possibility that a serious long term relationship could result (if the stars should so align)…. then it truly is their loss, but I won’t begrudge presenting them with their right to make that choice. If they want to continue on this journey, and make the necessary efforts to be in my life, then I will consider that as well. Until then the tension in my shoulders is slowly easing.

Everything will work out just as it should.

Isn’t She “Lovely”?

I never win anything.

…unless of course you count the 3^rd place medal for long hair design in Hair School. So when I got the message that I was nominated for the One Lovely Blog award by the ever-so-lovely Jessica of Defining Wonderland, I couldn’t help but smile.

Being recognized for all your efforts really makes you feel like what you are doing is valued, and that others care. I never thought anyone would ever read my blog when I started it (the 2^nd time) in March. It has since grown in popularity modestly and it makes me so happy when someone new tunes in.

Part of accepting this award requires me to provide you with seven random facts about myself. Since I usually do this on a daily basis, I had to think long and hard (over the weekend) about some truly random stuff I haven’t already told you.

Here we go:

1. I think I’m the only person I know that is more nervous of plane take-offs than landings. I don’t know if it’s that I have complete faith in the pilot’s ability to land the massive metal bird we are flying in that makes me less nervous of hurtling towards the earth at breakneck speed, or the fact that I still can’t seem to understand (despite a vague understanding of aerodynamics, thrust, and lift) how said massive metal bird can get off the ground in the first place. Since I usually fly alone, I definitely close my eyes and say my goodbyes every time.
2. I often wish I could live my life as a musical. Before Glee came around, I imagined what it would be like to spontaneously burst into song. When I’m upset, I sing Broadway ballads.
3. I have an unnatural crippling fear of anything with a stinger. Bees, hornets, wasps… you name it. I suppose if I had a life threatening allergy I could justify my terror. I’ve only been stung once, and I don’t actually remember it hurting that bad. But the fear persists.
4. I burn after 3 minutes in a tanning bed. This is not an endorsement for tanning, but 8 years ago for my sister’s wedding I attempted to not have my skin match the pale pink dress I wore as maid of honour. Spoiler alert! It didn’t work.
5. It’s a morbid thought, but I already have my funeral song picked out. Years ago I received one of those chain Facebook posts where you put your iTunes on shuffle and you fill in a list based on the number of the song. One of the numbers was meant to be the song that would play at your funeral. If Destiny Child’s Bootlicious had accompanied that number I probably would not have taken it seriously but instead, Dream Catch Me by Newton Faulkner played. Fantastic song, and it’s so uplifting and happy sounding I thought it was the perfect fit for the Irish wake kind of celebration of my life I’d like.
6. When I was in high school I thought I was huge. I wouldn’t even wear tank tops or shorts for a long time because I thought I was hideous. I was 20 lbs lighter than I am now, and I’ve discovered that it’s true that with age comes acceptance. Not only do I look back at my teenaged self and wish I could tell her that she is beautiful but I actually feel beautiful now and while I still have insecurities, I think I look pretty darn good most of the time.
7. For the longest time, I couldn’t say the word “thesaurus” properly. I guess I had a little bit of a speech impediment when I was very little. You know… the typical “can’t say your R’s” kind of impediment. My best friend until I was 5 and moved from Moncton, New Brunswick Canada to Halifax was named Erika. She couldn’t say her R’s either. So we were “Ewika and Lauwa”. We were adorable no doubt.

In the spirit of this award I want to spread the love so here are my nominations for the One Lovely Blog award:

29tolife – Inspirational and thoughtful. I feel like we’re on the same brainwave sometimes.

Miss Renaissance – I simply love the weekly colour inspiration. I’ve been making it a point to change up my nail colour every week because of this girl.

JourneyIIMe – Random poetry, and insightful posts from a beautiful young mother. Pretty impressive.

Gen Y Girl – This girl gets what it’s like to be a young adult woman trying to make it in the professional world. She has such a positive outlook, and some great advice!

Simply Stephanie – I just recently started following Stephanie’s blog and so far, I’m impressed .

City in a Jar – A blogging duo, Jessica and Maddie’s posts make me hungry and inspire me to channel my inner Martha and get crafty. Bravo!

There are so many more blogs that I love but I had to limit it somewhere.

Thanks everyone for reading, and thank you especially Jessica of Defining Wonderland for the nomination 🙂

 

Grad photo

Minus the cap… My dad is going to edit the others so I’ll have some nice ones to print.

I Feel Like Harry Potter

Yesterday was a great day for a graduation.

The sun was shining, I took the day off work, and all four of my parents were able to make it to my school’s reception and the convocation ceremony. My gown (albeit smelly from its previous ‘occupant’ and thus required me to Febreze the crap out of it) reminded me of something you’d see Harry Potter wear at Hogwarts. I was just missing the wand. And to top it all off, I got roses.

Not. Too. Shabby.

This was not my first graduation. I have graduated from high school, my undergrad, hair school (I use the term graduation loosely on this one as it was pretty informal), and now finally my Masters. I have to admit, Dalhousie definitely does pomp and circumstance justly.

Maybe it was the funny hats.

They call it a mortarboard. Regardless of how hard I try to say it with a straight face, it always sounds like motorboat in my head. Hey, just because I have a graduate degree (I promise I will start limiting the number of times I reference this in the future) doesn’t mean I’m not allowed a giggle every once in a while. And to my surprise, I actually got to keep my cap.

Our graduating class definitely shrunk over the last 2(½) years; it’s not an easy program and there are plenty of opportunities to slip up. I’d be lying to you if I said I hadn’t doubted whether I would get through it.

A management degree is one of the hardest degrees in my opinion.

You really have to be a generalist. You have to have an intermediate understanding of the more technical fields such as economics and statistics, but you must also be able to succeed at the more soft courses like human resources all the while being able to express yourself in oral presentations and in writing. You need to be concise and get to the point.

Briefing notes are either your best friend or your worst enemy.

The fact that I got through, when many others didn’t makes me feel even more proud of my accomplishment. I did not receive any awards, I did not have the highest GPA, but I did well and I finished it. My only regret is that I did not get to make more friends during the process. If I were to do it again, that is what I would have done differently.

I won’t go on about my criticisms of the program, or of the faculty, because I don’t see the point. Any future students will undoubtedly have a different experience than I did. I think the Dalhousie School of Public Administration is on the cusp of major positive changes, and I only wish I had been able to experience these during my time as a student.

I’m proud of myself, I’m proud of all my classmates and potential future colleagues for all that they have accomplished as well. We all shed many tears, lost many hours of sleep, and probably stressed out our families and friends in the process.

We are all better for it.

I’m still waiting on my grad photos, so these are just a couple I took the day of. I’ll be posting cap and gown ones from my photoshoot with my dad by Monday I hope.

Thanks for everyone for the support, and for showing me love yesterday!

You rock!

I’m graduating!

Photos and comments to come 🙂

My thoughts exactly… Seems like common sense, so why are organizations not listening???

Gen Y Girl

I like money.

Not in the sense that I need a million dollars and not in the sense that I need to go shopping every day, but I do like shoes.

I’ll own these one day…

God, they’re gorgeous.

Okay, fine. I like to shop. But I do like to SAVE money more than I like to shop. I like to save a lot of it. This makes me happy.

Unfortunately, today’s economy is rather unpleasant and many people haven’t been able to save much money. So whenever I meet with my financial advisor, he tells me that I’m one of the lucky ones. He tells me that I have the luxury of saving now, from a young age, and that by the time I’m much older, I should be in a pretty good financial situation. My advisor tells me to buy stocks. He tells me to be aggressive.

Now…

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Too Many Hobbies… Plenty of Time, Not Enough Energy

Do you ever wish that you had more time for hobbies?

Blogging has become a hobby of mine. I’ve been doing it 5 days a week, every week, for the last few 2 ½ months. It’s become so ingrained in my daily life, one could argue that it’s not even a hobby anymore… but rather an obligation/commitment. It’s kind of like a job I don’t get paid for. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy writing, and I love being able to express myself and reach out to others.

But I want to learn to play guitar.

Or get involved in community musical theatre, or learn to paint, or practice my drawing, or make jewellery, or take dance classes, finish my novel, or just read more books.

I don’t make time for these things.

I can’t really blame finances on my not taking up more hobbies. I could do all of these things for free or for a very small investment if I wanted to. I have dragged my guitar with me to every apartment or house I move to in the last 15 years and with the exception of a couple months in grade 9 when I consulted Guitar for Dummies, I haven’t made any progress in learning to play. Even the one thing I feel I am actually pretty good at, singing, I rarely do anymore…

Not even in the shower.

I write almost every day, but why has my novel sat untouched for almost 3 years now? I recently came upon it while cleaning out the documents on my laptop and felt a twinge of regret that I have left it go for this long. I fear that I can’t use writer’s block as an excuse if I haven’t even looked at it in more than 2 calendar years.

I have plenty of time.

Did I really need to watch 3 episodes (in a row) of Say Yes to the Dress Bridesmaid Edition last night? Followed by My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding??? (TLC is a of course a curse… and frankly I’m ashamed of myself for wasting 2.5 hours of my life by watching that nonsense). I could have read my book, or brainstormed some ideas for my own novel, or heck… I could have even folded and put away my laundry.

I like watching TV, but as last night’s Glee finale marked the end of the season finales for my favourite shows, I realized, barring a few shows I’d like to watch online, my TV watching must be scaled down, or else I find myself watching the latest version of Prime Time Reality TV Smut.

I think I will crack open the vault and start working on my novel again. Blogging has opened the flood gates, so to speak, on my creative juices.

Who knows, maybe I could become a blogger AND a novelist all in one year!

Sarah Jessica Parker in Sex and the City

I might have to channel a little Carrie Bradshaw.