Employment Tag

A gig, a joint, a position, a role, a racket, a profession, a grind, they’re all still a job. Employment. If you’re a creative type, living in the rust belt, or were as foolish as our staff and majored in liberal arts, you’ve probably found yourself unemployed or scrambling from project to project in this post-career employment economy. At some point you’ll have to make ends meet and this will mean one thing: working for someone else. And if your only skills take place outside of cyberspace, or you speakRead More

Work sucks. I think I’ve mentioned this at least six times before, but it just really sucks. As part of my intense dislike for the job, I’ve decided to dish the beans and spill the dirt on the secrets I’ve learned– and used myself– since starting my minimum wage job. 1. Sometimes when we say the coffee’s fresh, and we say, “There’s a fresh pot in the back” it just means we’re going to microwave the coffee. It’s probably one of the most common lies we tell. There are peopleRead More

If you’re like me– sixteen and thrust into a grown up world of taxes and employment before you even graduate– then you’re probably internally dying over taxes, employment, and what in God’s name the powerhouse of the cell is…because you have a biology test next week and you have no idea. If you’re not like me, congratulations, because you still have a soul hidden from the rudest people in mankind and the desperate urge to sleep. Juggling this all would’ve been easier with a handy guide to navigating the intricaciesRead More

As the economy teeters back from it’s near seven-year dance of riding on a single rail companies are once again starting to hire. And with so many eager participants to no longer be underemployed, HR departments are barely treading water above a deluge of applications. This perfect storm has given birth to the unhallowed beastie of employment-seeking, the kraken of job-getting: the group interview. In the wide and awkward world of acutely uncomfortable moments that is attaining employment, there is almost no greater circus of discomfort than the group interview. ARead More

I find myself glumly returning to the pool of unemployed college graduates JUST in time for holiday parties.  How convenient.  I broke up with my job on Friday and I have to admit, it felt good!  I’ve never broken up with a person and felt this positive afterwards.  But, like any split, we have to deal with the allocation of snacks, random gifts, and office supplies (that turned out to be more happenstance than intentional because I left in a hurry).  Here’s the way the cookie crumbled:   What TheyRead More

As a young female professional who’s had a full time job for about four months now, I think I’m mostly qualified to write this article. Which, judging by the way the business world works, should mean I can probably manage to pull it off. There are a few basic struggles I think pretty much all of my 20-to-30-something female peers working in an office environment can relate to. Correct me if I’m wrong.     1. Older professionals thinking you’re clueless Nothing is more annoying than having a more ‘experienced’Read More

1. Cover letters. For those of us who hate bragging about ourselves, the cover letter is an absolute nightmare. What’s worse than talking about how great you are? Talking about how great you are in a formal letter that you rewrite in different contexts for different jobs about 50 times. What’s wrong with just looking at a resume and samples of work? 2. Job websites. Indeed, Monster, CareerBuilder, pick your poison. Unless you’re looking for an entry-level position in sales or marketing, good luck navigating that black hole. I’m not sureRead More

In February, I got a job at a locally-owned burger joint in Dallas, TX to earn some money for when I go back to school in the Fall.  Since working there, I have noticed that some people truly don’t know what it’s like to work in the service industry and treat us as such.  Here’s a list of reasons why everyone should either have at least one service job in their life, or should sympathize with those who do.   1. You understand how much tips mean. Tipping your waitressRead More

So, you landed your first real big boy/girl job… Congrats! Gone are the days of scooping ice cream, shepherding crying campers, and asking “Do you want fries with that?” because you wear suits or heels to work now. Applause, applause. Here are some things to remember for your first gig as an “adult” in the “real world”:   Fake it til you make it There are going to be some things that the boss throws at you that completely stump you. Probably on the first day. Probably four times thatRead More

Your first day of work is a barrage of introductions to people that you will spend eight hours a day, five days a week with until you retire or leave. On your first day, here are the five people you will want to spend some extra time with, smile a little bigger with, and make a bigger impression upon. 1. The Janitor Ha ha, right? No. This is not a joke. The janitor is perhaps your most important new friend in the office. On your first day, your chaperone mightRead More

7am: The Slumber Fuck it, I’m not going to work. I’ll just call in sick. I have sick days, right? They’ll understand even though I’m taking two days off for the holidays. Fuck it then, I’ll just come in late. I’ll turn off my alarm and just sleep until my body wakes me up and then go to work. 9am: The Wakeup Okay, this isn’t so bad, you can do this. It’s only 8 hours. 8 hours and then you can body-slam into bed and pass out for eternity. Yeah,Read More

We’ve all heard of the work-life balance, a.k.a. “don’t sit in front of a computer for 50 years and not see all the cool shit outside of the office too.” You go to work, and then you hang out with friends who know nothing about your office other than your complaints about the heavy breather and obsession with the new cute coworker (and prayers that you don’t get reported to HR). Every once in a while, you find yourself in the twilight zone known as a work happy hour, whereRead More

… but someone has to do it. For those of you who know what I’m talking about, you get it. For those of you who don’t, well you’re about to learn. Serving is not a glamorous gig. No person in their right mind thinks to themselves growing up “yep I want to wait on other people who are ungrateful and rude.” Seriously, what I’m trying to understand about the other side of the fence is one simple thing: Why are people so rude to servers? That is the one thing I’mRead More

If you’re a functioning human being, you need to have a good LinkedIn profile. “But Writtalin, I love my job!” said no one ever, “I would never want to leave!” Not a valid excuse. At some point in your future, you’ll either need or want to begin the job search anew, and you’ll kick yourself for not keeping your profile up-to-date when you had the resources to do so.   Now it just looks like you’ve been working at the same pizza restaurant that you delivered for in high school forRead More

As the New Year starts, many people are thinking about putting their best foot forward to find a new job or re-vamp their business attire. Business attire does not usually change often. Nevertheless, it can be used to differentiate between conservative, business casual, and in some places casual wear. Overall, it is only fitting that dress codes directly relate to the type of profession one has. For example, the banking industry seeks to have their associates dress ultra conservatively — or in other words “play it safe.” After all, youRead More