I pretty much finished meeting up with
people I’ve managed somehow to get connected with. People who work in
industries I dreamed of being a part of. The meetings and conversations went
pretty nicely even though it didn’t go exactly where I thought it would go. But
then again, nothing ever goes according to plan. And my mind had started to
become even more disturbed than usual. Things are not easy here in Toronto. It
was about time I started to think about other avenues of getting work. Even if
I found ways, there’s absolutely no guarantee that I would be able to get
something. I needed to be more productive. I needed to figure out a way and I
needed to do it fast. Again, it wasn’t going to be easy. The Staples copy
centre was about a five-minute walk from my bnb. In fact, making copies were so
cheap that it didn’t cost me much. I know because I checked it out, and it was
fine by me. It took me five minutes to get there, by foot, and it only cost me
six dollars and seventy-eight cents to print out twelve copies in the best
paper possible. But more importantly, it meant that making the next step in
getting myself out there just got straightforward.
And what other way of getting yourself out there were effective as direct job-hunting; meaning going to potential places and dropping off your resume. August is not exactly the time of year for job-hunting season, that’s September, but it was a good time to start. I’m fortunate, I guess. I’m here as the job-hunting season is on the horizon. It could be worse; I could have arrived during dead-season. This is going to be an exhaustive effort, with some possible soul-crushing rejections. But I had to overcome this fear and had to what needed to be done. The good news is I had some time to accomplish the task. Some stuff was obvious. I had to go after jobs that fit my qualifications, i.e. customer service and retail. It’ll take some time, so I’ll need some patience and hope. I needed to be prepared. Lucky for me, I have the resources and tips available for the task ahead, even though I may not have all the tools and resources at my disposal. But I guess I had to make due with what I had. I just had to put myself out there. Basically go out there and show people what I could offer in person. There was so much shit I had to figure out and get done. So for now, I’ll just think about that and that only.
Well it’s a start. My mission onwards: job-hunt like crazy until I get one.
In life, some things are straightforward, and some things are hard. My father taught me this lesson. He believed that life was both these things and that there is no such things as ‘easy’. Finding potential apartments and work places were pretty straightforward. But writing good cover letters and resumes, and going out to put yourself out there was another story. There’s no other way of putting it. The task is HARD. I was barely able to get the task itself done, considering doing it in another country. And not being in my own home country, which would have been easier (not ‘easy’, ‘easier’). But fear not, I know what needs to be done, and I’m not alone in this.
For times of trouble and confusion, my good friend Adrian is there for a chat and a good lunch. The kind of chat and lunch that takes my mind off the consuming nature of job-hunting. In the event of an exhausting job-hunting process, and in need of some down-time, I would either Skype my family, all the way back in New Zealand, or call a good old friend I know who lives in Toronto. Which, in this case was Adrian. I’d make one phone call and we’d organize a time and place to catch up. Once we found a place, we’d chat away about what had happened with out lives since we last met. Then he’d reassure me about getting a job and place. The place, or places, where we met up today was first The Poet Café on King St. E, and Greg’s Ice Cream on Bloor St. We had to take care of our own stuff in between. The Poet Café, like all the other cafes I’ve been in, was a nice and quant. We were originally supposed to meet at a French café next door. However, due to being over-booked, we decided to go to the Poets Café three buildings down. We both enjoyed our drinks and sandwiches. Those short periods of time were a great time away from the stress and pressure that is job-hunting. If there was ever occasion to get away from to feel as though you could live again, it was during job-hunting. So when I’m too stressed, I say "Fuck it, I don’t need this shit!" There’s absolutely no need to feel this stressed about looking for a job and/or apartment. Especially when it is to the point where I just want to rip all of my hair out and scream/curse to the heavens. I’ve pretty much spent the early part, and the rest of the month, as well as September, looking for jobs and an apartment.
Also, see Chapters 11 and 13.
And what other way of getting yourself out there were effective as direct job-hunting; meaning going to potential places and dropping off your resume. August is not exactly the time of year for job-hunting season, that’s September, but it was a good time to start. I’m fortunate, I guess. I’m here as the job-hunting season is on the horizon. It could be worse; I could have arrived during dead-season. This is going to be an exhaustive effort, with some possible soul-crushing rejections. But I had to overcome this fear and had to what needed to be done. The good news is I had some time to accomplish the task. Some stuff was obvious. I had to go after jobs that fit my qualifications, i.e. customer service and retail. It’ll take some time, so I’ll need some patience and hope. I needed to be prepared. Lucky for me, I have the resources and tips available for the task ahead, even though I may not have all the tools and resources at my disposal. But I guess I had to make due with what I had. I just had to put myself out there. Basically go out there and show people what I could offer in person. There was so much shit I had to figure out and get done. So for now, I’ll just think about that and that only.
Well it’s a start. My mission onwards: job-hunt like crazy until I get one.
In life, some things are straightforward, and some things are hard. My father taught me this lesson. He believed that life was both these things and that there is no such things as ‘easy’. Finding potential apartments and work places were pretty straightforward. But writing good cover letters and resumes, and going out to put yourself out there was another story. There’s no other way of putting it. The task is HARD. I was barely able to get the task itself done, considering doing it in another country. And not being in my own home country, which would have been easier (not ‘easy’, ‘easier’). But fear not, I know what needs to be done, and I’m not alone in this.
For times of trouble and confusion, my good friend Adrian is there for a chat and a good lunch. The kind of chat and lunch that takes my mind off the consuming nature of job-hunting. In the event of an exhausting job-hunting process, and in need of some down-time, I would either Skype my family, all the way back in New Zealand, or call a good old friend I know who lives in Toronto. Which, in this case was Adrian. I’d make one phone call and we’d organize a time and place to catch up. Once we found a place, we’d chat away about what had happened with out lives since we last met. Then he’d reassure me about getting a job and place. The place, or places, where we met up today was first The Poet Café on King St. E, and Greg’s Ice Cream on Bloor St. We had to take care of our own stuff in between. The Poet Café, like all the other cafes I’ve been in, was a nice and quant. We were originally supposed to meet at a French café next door. However, due to being over-booked, we decided to go to the Poets Café three buildings down. We both enjoyed our drinks and sandwiches. Those short periods of time were a great time away from the stress and pressure that is job-hunting. If there was ever occasion to get away from to feel as though you could live again, it was during job-hunting. So when I’m too stressed, I say "Fuck it, I don’t need this shit!" There’s absolutely no need to feel this stressed about looking for a job and/or apartment. Especially when it is to the point where I just want to rip all of my hair out and scream/curse to the heavens. I’ve pretty much spent the early part, and the rest of the month, as well as September, looking for jobs and an apartment.
Also, see Chapters 11 and 13.
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