Checking The Miller Times – a blog I haven’t written for in over two months – and I was shocked to learn this blog is getting heavy, heavy traffic. (That’s compared to my other blog, JABO Sports, the one I’m writing for daily.) Anyway, with more than 200 of your checking this blog daily for whatever reason, I wanted to let you know I’m posting fresh content at JABO Sports.
I may get back into blogging here once I get Internet in my apartment, but with limited Internet access, I’m writing the stuff that usually takes me less time. (Sports.)
Well, I didn’t get the public relations internship at Edelman Inc. I’m treating it as a blessing in disguise for two reasons
1. I don’t know the first thing about public relations. Not really, anyway. I received the news via e-mail from Edelman HR — classy, by the way — and their decision was apparently based on my lack of “relevant experience.” (This is to say my “experience” was irrelevant.)
I’m not going to argue their point. The reality is I would’ve been a lost little puppy on day one, and they were looking for someone who could come and be of use. That wasn’t me. Both sides agree on that one.
2. I realized I’m a journalist. I can’t wear the fake smile, do the song and dance necessary to be in PR. I’m a truth-seeker, someone who is naturally curious and constantly skeptical. When I was entertaining the idea of actually working in PR, I felt an emptiness. It just wasn’t the kind of writing I wanted to do.
The only “relevant experience” I have comes from journalism. I hadn’t considered journalism a practical career for about two years, thanks to the increasing number of studies showing the industry in severe — and maybe irreparable — decline. While searching for jobs yesterday, I found a general reporter position for one of the local fishwraps. It’s a community paper that covers three smaller suburbs southwest of Portland.
This is exciting. And maybe nothing will shake out and I’ll be like so many other young journalists who feel time and technology robbed them of opportunity. But on the upside, I know enough about social media and “New Media” to where I should be a prime candidate for some positions. (Some being the lower-end, general assignment reporters. Can you use Twitter at City Council meetings?)
Obviously, I won’t be hearing anything for a few days. So, I’m going to wait out this rainy Labor Day Weekend with Chuck Palahniuk’s new one, Pygmy.
No news is good news? No, no news is incredibly frustrating. Beth and I just made it past our first full month as Oregonians/Portlanders, and while she just started her second job, I am still waiting to get my first.
I had another interview yesterday with InsideTrack, which was very promising. The only downside is I am being considered for an October starting date. Meanwhile, I should hear back on the Edelman internship before the weekend. Either way, I find myself watching my phone a lot these days. Perhaps the most difficult thing about being so far from home, family and friends is realizing how often those relationships are resources. Still, I sense it will feel much more rewarding out here getting a job on my own merits.
I’ve continued to consume books and TV shows at a record pace. I just finished Malcom Gladwell’s Blink, a book that weighs the advantages and disadvantages of making snap decisions. The book was illuminating in that I’d never really thought about unconscious decisionmaking, but I expected it to propose more of an idealogical shift. (ex. “Start thinking like this!”) It was really more of an overview of several case studies. Still, it was a worthwhile read. Next up is Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road.”
Beth and I also started watching Showtime’s “Dexter,” which somehow snuck by us the past few years. I had heard of the show and vaguely understood the premise, but never gave it a chance. Shame on me. We also just started NBC’s “30 Rock” and HBO’s “The Wire.” It’s really a better experience waiting for seasons to come out on DVD. No one likes waiting a week between episodes.
What else can I say? We are happy. The city life has been good thus far, and when we both have jobs and money, we’ll certainly be able to get out and experience more. Beth’s roommate from freshman year, Nellie, was actually in town with her mother over the weekend, en route to Eugene for a job interview. Nellie loved Portland, while we just enjoyed seeing a familiar face. It really got me excited for any and all visitors. Portland happens to be one of the most out-of-the-way cities in the continental US, but should anyone ever just be “in the neighborhood,” we would love to see them. Of course, we are also willing to accomodate those who make the trip!
On a whim, I got ahold of a contact at Edelman last week to ask about potential openings at the Portland office. I expected little because a) my contact works for the Edelman office in New York and b) Edelman is the world’s largest independent public relations firm in the world meaning they’re pretty tough to work for.
Well, I didn’t get a job offer but after reading a forwarded copy of my resume, I did receive a phone call about a full-time paid internship opportunity, lasting 3-6 months with possible employment at the end. I took a few hours to think it over – still very much in the running for a JOB that pays much better – and decided to accept an interview.
If I get the internship, I’m taking it. While my background is journalism, I think now is a really exciting time for public relations and the marketplace shifting to social media and consumer-controlled content. The dinosaurs are dying off and my generation really has the opportunity to take the reins with ou inherent understanding of Facebook, Twitter and the Internet Age in general.
If I get the internship and nothing comes of it after my stint, I will have improved my resume enough to where I should be a legitimate candidate with other firms.
Still, talking about changing course midstream. “PR” has negative implications in the journalism world, but I see myself increasingly bent on working in an intense, competitive, creative, deadline-driven environment. I feel like PR would better utilize my skill set than, say, education management.
So, I interview on Monday and I’m looking forward to it. In the meantime, it’s more hot dogs, library books and Redbox rentals.
After a day spent at the Oregon Zoo, I came home to find Tiger Woods was leading the PGA Championship and my apartment deposit check arrived at $102.73 more than I expected. Good news does come in threes, I guess. Here was the third piece to puzzle (from an e-mail I just received):
“Dear Andrew,
Thank you very much for your application for the InsideTrack Coach position, and thank you also for taking the time to attend our Group Interview.
We are impressed with your experience and skill set and would like to extend an invitation to you for the Second Round interview. We will contact you in a couple weeks to schedule a time and day!
Looking forward to working with you again,
The InsideTrack Recruiting Team”
I interviewed with InsideTrack on Tuesday. It didn’t calm the nerves any that their offices are located on the 8th floor of a World Trade Center building, overlooking the Columbia River with panoramic windows and the type of work area you’d expect from…I don’t know…the chaps at Facebook. English graduates are used to dimly lit corners, coffee shops and libraries, not corporate offices, cubicles and conference rooms.
How did I do? I’m not even sure. It was a pressure cooker: 11 applicants in the group, two recruiters from InsideTrack and the fastest three hours of my life. Everyone was told we would be contacted within one week of the interview. I’m clinching on to the fact the company and office is expanding, creating a need for new hires. If I was among the dozens vying for one position, I don’t know that I’d get it. Cautiously pessimistic.
I applied for a few more sales associate jobs with Nike and Bally Total Fitness, though I have no real itch to get into sales. I contacted a guy from Edelman in New York City who paired me with the Trojan Evolve sexual health campaign a few years back, checking to see if he knew of any openings at the Portland Edelman offices. He was going to ask around. My very last resort is going back to bartending.
Why don’t I want to bartend? Two reasons:
- To bartend in the great State of Oregon, one must attain an Oregon Liquor Control Commission servers license. These require a clean record (no DUIs) and attending a two-hour class. To apply for the license, one must pay $23. To attend the class, the going rate is $25-35. Money is tight enough where I can’t take an unnecessary hit, but if Monday rolls around and I haven’t heard any good news, I’ll probably get the ball rolling.
- I’m not looking for a job — I’m looking for a career. I want something I can sink me teeth into. I want to contribute to the common good, hence InsideTrack and working in education. Bartending is a job, and while it is a well-paying one, I’d much rather keep my nights open and have my weekends free. And lastly, I know I’ll compare any bar I would work at to South Street. No bar out here can live up to South Street from an employee’s standpoint.
So, it’s the waiting game. I’m checking my phone for e-mails and missed calls every other minute. I wished the other applicants good luck, and I meant it, but each of them already had full-time jobs. In terms of need, I took first place. I wish that counted for something.
I think I just heard my phone.
Today’s adventure was highlighted by a trip to Powell’s Books in the Pearl District. Powell’s most notably boasts it’s the largest independent bookstore in the U.S. In terms of square footage, it probably is.
Of course, occupying a ridiculously large building is one thing. Powell’s has the right to come off cocksure, however, because if this afternoon was any indicator, they sell A LOT of books. For all the disenchanted, disenfranchised and discouraged writers out there, keep dipping your quills, because I learned today that people are still buying books an not just those that feature angsty teenage vampires and pubescent wizards.
Looks like Internet and TV will have to be put on hold, but in the meantime, Beth and I found a little library about a mile north of our apartment that offers free wiresless Internet. Sure, plenty of nearby coffee shops offer the same, but it’s not in my good Midwestern values to nurse a small coffee for a few hours while hogging bandwidth. I’m cool with making this little bike ride, at least for now.
I know I shouldn’t be putting all of my eggs in one basket — pardon the pronoun — but I’m feeling very positive about a job at InsideTrack. Two weeks ago, I interviewed by phone for a Success Coach position. In short, the job would require mentoring 70-80 first-year college students by phone, helping them in their early college pursuits. The job embodies much of what I liked about teaching. In fact, I found it harder not taking a personal interest in my students’ lives. What this job allows — I think — is the chance to work with students subjectively rather than objectively. I found it nearly impossible to hear some of my students’ personal issues and not factor them when grading. Luckily, there’s no grading with this position. Fingers crossed for the second interview on Tuesday.
I’ve done my best to drain my savings this past week, making some unnecessary purchases that probably could’ve waited. (I defend purchasing a $400 IKEA couch to the death, however.) Since I don’t have a job guaranteed, I’ve put myself on a bit if a spending freeze. I’m finding poverty is a cheap weight-loss program. Coffee in the morning, a few turkey sandwiches for meals — if I need anything right now (aside from a job), it’s a belt.
We’ve got a lot of great pictures and videos from the past week and I’ll post them as soon as I get the initiative to drag all the hardware down to the library. A lot of kids roaming around here right now and I fear it might create a safety hazard. Enjoy the tweets. That’s the most efficient bloggeration I got going right now.
I’ve been limited to my iPhone since moving to Portland, but when I get Internet set up and my bags unpacked, I feel like I’m going to have plenty to write about. So far, Portland has been inspiring to say the least.
Much of our apartment is consumed by still-packed bags and the remains of Ikea boxes. The goal was to make this place feel like “home” as soon as possible. Our efforts have been stalled by ungodly heat and lack of air-conditioning.
Here is what I am happy to report: As a writer, you’re always looking for a great space to right. For some, it’s a coffee shop or a little street cafe. I prefer writing in private, though. As it turns out, the corners of our bedroom is free and all I can think about is finding the right desk upon which I might write – God forbid – something of substance.
The biggest indicator moving was the best thing for me is that I’m back to thinking about writing when I’m not doing it. I see people downtown and think about how I would describe their appearance and mannerisms. I’m back to observational humor and I keep thinking up comic routines that could translate to paper. Portland is nothing if not am environment that fosters creativity. That’s perfect coming from a place where anything weird or different is considered risqué.
I wish I had my laptop but bundling ideas might be the best thing for now. I plan on including more pics and video in future posts. There’s a lot to share here.
I just want to say it feels so good being lost in a new city, surrounded by weird people with wild ideas.
