Spell for a Career

[Awakened Queen]

Originally Posted by norseman

Lavender, first off the job/careers market is very competitive. The best tool while searching and applying for jobs is continuous education - I was still in education at age 50 and was then employed as a Lecturer in the university where I was studying, right up to age 68. This was on the basis of extensive experience in industry. You need to think of yourself as a "product" and use marketing techniques - What is your USP ?

p.o.v. Tattoos are just graffiti !

Totally depends on the tattoo artist. My tattoo is a work of art, because my artist is incredibly talented. Every day I look at it, and it makes me happy. I feel so lucky having it on my body, especially since it represents something so personal to me. Tattoos can be meaningful. They can represent transformation in one's life, the remembrance of a loved one who's passed on, a special memory that's now frozen in time, permanently etched into one's skin.

Originally Posted by Jenny Crow

Ummm........maybe not, lol. Seriously, if I were you I'd be doing removal of any blockages starting now because we're in a waning moon phase right now.

Blockages? I'm not sure what's blocking me other than a saturated job market. : /

[Baile]

Originally Posted by Lavender

Blockages? I'm not sure what's blocking me other than a saturated job market. : /

My intuition? Re-read and take in Badger1777's post, and reflect on what might be blocking you with regards to this whole question. I would say the blockage and your creating this thread are interrelated. One manifests that which one's soul desires and wishes. That's how magic works, it's about connecting with your higher self, identifying your soul desires, and manifesting that into the physical. Manifesting has much to do with taking practical steps. In this case, you need to get clear on exactly what you want to accomplish. Perhaps that means taking a low-paying job or even volunteering with a specific long-term goal in mind. You may even have to relocate if the job market in your area is over-saturated with individuals with your qualifications.

Originally Posted by Baile

My intuition? Re-read and take in Badger1777's post, and reflect on what might be blocking you with regards to this whole question. I would say the blockage and your creating this thread are interrelated. One manifests that which one's soul desires and wishes. That's how magic works, it's about connecting with your higher self, identifying your soul desires, and manifesting that into the physical. Manifesting has much to do with taking practical steps. In this case, you need to get clear on exactly what you want to accomplish. Perhaps that means taking a low-paying job or even volunteering with a specific long-term goal in mind. You may even have to relocate if the job market in your area is over-saturated with individuals with your qualifications.

That's the thing. I already have my low paying job which I've been working for 3 years now. I've had my unpaid internship. I'd like to relocate and I've tried but my low paying job doesn't allow for me to pay my student loans and save for moving. I apply out of state but people don't consider my application because it's more hassle to hire someone out of state, no matter how qualified, than it is for someone that is local. I'm set up with a grant program so that the state will reimburse my employer half of my wages for 6 months. That's a great incentive along with my awesome portfolio and computer skills, but I need that little extra push. That's all I'm here for.

I couldn't want a career in art more if I tried.

I've gone through this barrage of questions and suggestions a million times from people on this forum, my friends, and my family. Thank you for the help. But I'm not lazy or naive. I'm not thinking I'm going to get a job that pays 40k a year. And I don't expect to get something for very little to no work. I feel like I'm forced to defend myself about this.

I'm asking for help because I've tried everything else.

[Awakened Queen]

@ Lavender: I personally like candle spells. Try this one and good luck.
http://justwicca.com/spell-job-want-1/

[BriarRose]

I can tell you're trying, Lavender, and I'm sorry you feel attacked. We are here to support you. I think the Universe is here to support you, too. Is the path to doing tattoo art long and complex? Is there a licensing process in your state? I am really in ignorance about this subject.

Originally Posted by Lavender

That's the thing. I already have my low paying job which I've been working for 3 years now. I've had my unpaid internship. I'd like to relocate and I've tried but my low paying job doesn't allow for me to pay my student loans and save for moving. I apply out of state but people don't consider my application because it's more hassle to hire someone out of state, no matter how qualified, than it is for someone that is local. I'm set up with a grant program so that the state will reimburse my employer half of my wages for 6 months. That's a great incentive along with my awesome portfolio and computer skills, but I need that little extra push. That's all I'm here for.

With respect, and I'm going to have to generalise here because I don't know you, but you refer to your awesome portfolio and 'computer skills'. I can't comment on your portfolio, as art is not my area, but computing is. We so so many people come charging into the market every year, just after graduation. They send out their applications, and people like me have to wade through them to see who is worth speaking to and who isn't. We have to be a bit harsh, simply because the whole recruitment process is time consuming and therefore costly, so faced with hundreds of CVs, often several pages long each, we have to speed through them very quickly and make sometimes harsh summary judgements to file a CV in the bin. The first time I was involved in the recruitment process I wanted to email every applicant personally, just to give them some feedback, but as CVs landed on my desk faster than I could read through ones that were already there, I had to be a bit more brutal.

One of the biggest mistakes inexperienced (and by inexperienced, I mean inexperienced in the industry, not naive) people make is to over inflate themselves on their CVs. I think the universities have a lot to answer for here, as I think it is they who tell students to do it. But when I see statements like "proven project management skills", or "experienced in large scale commercial projects" on CVs belonging to people whose work experience entails 2 years working in a petrol station and a year as a 'Technical Chief Production Technician' at MacDonalds, the CV goes straight to the bin. Why? Not because of their lack of relevant work experience, I don't expect that from a junior/graduate, but because they can't possibly live up to what they've said, and if they are over-inflating themselves on one thing, what else is exaggerated?

So, CVs have to show you in your best light, but they also have to be plausible. Instead of saying 'proven project management skills', perhaps something like 'experience of project management'. Its nearly the same, but the first says "you don't need to doubt me on this, because I'm arrogant enough to know I'm right", while the latter says "I've had some experience of this", and I might then read more to see just how much experience and what type.

The other thing that bugs me is the common mistake of bigging up academic achievement. "I completed all my course work on time..." Whoopie do. Timescales in academia are usually measured in weeks or months. In the real world it is not unusual to be asked to produce a piece of work, for a client, by lunchtime that day. So as a recruiter, and much rather people save CV space by only telling me stuff that is 1) relevant to the job and/or 2) relevant to real life, and leave out stuff that only matters in school.

So now the CV is relevant and plausible, and probably a lot shorter now all the superfluous flowery language and unnecessary clever words have been whittled out, what next?

Well, now it needs to be in a logical order. Your name and contact details obviously need to be on there, but some people fill half a page with them. When I'm short-listing CVs, a persons contact details are of no importance to me whatsoever until I've gauged their professional interests a little bit. I also think their academic experience is secondary to their commercial experience, but of course everything is part of the bigger picture, so it all needs to be there, but laid out a certain way. Profile first, just one or two sentences, straight to the point, saying who you are professionally. Then work experience, most recent first, job title (real version), month/year from/to, and a couple of lines summarising key duties/skills used their that are relevant to the this job. In cases where a job has nothing in common with the one you're applying for, don't try to make up connections. While Burger King might give you people skills, which is relevant, I don't want to read that making sure the right customer gets their right burger is the same as making sure a multi-million quid project is delivered on time. I'm sure the former skill is a skill, and I know I'd get it wrong, but it is not the same skill as one that will be used in the new job, so don't waste CV space. Of course where there is genuine crossover, then put lots of emphasis on there.

Then we get academic experience, again most recent first working back, and again more detail where there is relevant crossover, less detail where there is no crossover. If I'm looking for a software developer, I'm happy to read through 10 bullet points of things an applicant did on their Software Engineering course, but while I'm very interested that they also did a flower arranging course (as that gives me a clue that the applicant is a well rounded person with real interests), I don't want half a page of detail about it. That comes out in the interview instead, where it is most likely used both as an ice breaker, and as time filler if we like the person as a person, but they are nervous, and we need to take a break from techy questions and dip in and out so to speak so we can get the info we need without the applicant clamming up.

And finally, tell me something intriguing. Something on your CV should leave me wondering. If there is something on there that makes me really want to know more, and the only way I can find out is by speaking to you, then your CV is not going direct to the bin. One recent applicant stood out from the rest (and got the job) by mentioning that he'd tried to build a working robot using off the shelf common household parts. He didn't say in his CV whether it worked or not, but it was enough to get my attention and get me wondering what he'd tried/done.

I've gone through this barrage of questions and suggestions a million times from people on this forum, my friends, and my family. Thank you for the help. But I'm not lazy or naive. I'm not thinking I'm going to get a job that pays 40k a year. And I don't expect to get something for very little to no work. I feel like I'm forced to defend myself about this.

I'm asking for help because I've tried everything else.

Never feel like you have to defend yourself. I'm pretty sure your friends, family and people on here only wish you success. If you are receiving advice that you already know, or being asked if you've done stuff that you've already done, it will most likely be because people instinctively know that people miss stuff. We all do.

Please everyone. I know this stuff. I actually thought about posting my resume and my website but I'm not applying for a job here! I don't need to tell you all my private info to prove that I'm doing EVERYTHING I can. I attend workshops run by the state for this stuff. Mock interviews. I read books. I've talked to business owners. I have friends who work in HR departments.

I'm just looking for some spiritual guidance. I shouldn't have to prove myself to everyone to get a little help.

Please, all you guys are doing is making me depressed. I'd rather someone just close this thread.

Originally Posted by Lavender

Please everyone. I know this stuff. I actually thought about posting my resume and my website but I'm not applying for a job here! I don't need to tell you all my private info to prove that I'm doing EVERYTHING I can. I attend workshops run by the state for this stuff. I read books. I've talked to business owners.

I'm just looking for some spiritual guidance. I shouldn't have to prove myself to everyone to get a little help.

Please, all you guys are doing is making me depressed. I'd rather someone just close this thread.

My sincere apologies for trying to help.

I'm not trying to be a ***** here. I know you're all trying to help but this is my life we're talking about here. 3 years of this and I really have done a lot for myself and none of you know anything about it. That's why I'm not asking for help on that subject but people are throwing tips at me and telling me that I don't really want to do what I'm doing. Though I know it's not anyone's intent but it's actually kind of harmful.