How I Spent The Thirty-Seventh Week Of The Rest Of My Life

In the last week, I have attended so many seminars and webinars on best practices in social media, that I feel as though my brain might actually explode.  Combining that with reading a book on game-based marketing and I think I might be drowning in terminology.  Unfortunately, this still does not have me drowning in job offers.

On the plus side, I have 34 followers and a Klout score of 35 on my @MGoldman2_0 account now from the networking that I did.  In less than two weeks.  Of course they're all other marketing types and spammer and not any clients yet.  But that's the kind of results that these employers who are ignoring me *should* find sort of impressive.  At least that's what I keep telling myself.

It helps me sleep at night.

During the week, when I wasn't attending seminars, I read a great article on customizing your resume to match up with the exact terminology in the job posting (http://govcentral.monster.com/benefits/articles/27874-creative-ways-to-improve-your-resume?utm_source=nlet&utm_content=gc_c1_20110922_creativeresume2).  So I've been doing that in the applications that I sent out last week.  Other than that, it was a pretty typical week.  I feel like I'm improving in all facets of my job search, but still having no luck.

At least I have a seminar on cover letters next week.  Maybe that will help more than these marketing ones.

Here's how I "spent" last week:

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13 ($20.79)

• 7:19 p.m. Amici's Restaurant - $9.00.  For the first time, I actually went to Amici's on the night where their buffet was $6.99.  It was better when it was cheaper.
• 8:07 p.m. Walgreen's - $11.79.  Whatever allergy medicine that I got at 7-Eleven did not work as good as Benadryl.  I was also out of other stuff so I went on a general restocking run.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14 ($59.16)

• 10:43 a.m. Washington Sports Club - Free.  I planned on spending the entire day in Chinatown so a workout to begin the day seemed perfect.
• 12:01 p.m. Chinatown Express - $8.00.  In my prior visit, I hadn't tried their famous dumplings.  So I made a point of it this time.  And they were as good as people had hyped them to be.  But the various toppings were even better.
• 12:31 p.m. Starbucks - $4.00.  There were a lot more people in business suits in Chinatown than usual.  Going into Starbucks was almost a refuge.
• 2:50 p.m. Fado Irish Pub - $23.00.  The reason that I was in Chinatown was to watch the Manchester City Champion's League match.  And they had it on televison and I both ate dinner and watched it.
• 5:10 p.m. Safeway - $24.16.  Even though it wasn't in Chinatown, this was the best day to go shopping.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 (Free)

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16 ($57.24)

• 11:06 a.m. PCRetro - Free.  Since I received my unemployment check, I had money to upgrade my computer.  Or at least to exchange my batter since it wasn't registering with my power sensor.  I ended up keeping the current computer.
• 12:24 p.m. Big Cheese Truck - $6.75.  Situated at Metro Center on Friday, it was on the way to Chinatown so I stopped and got some brilliant grilled cheese.
• 1:06 p.m. Starbucks - $4.00.  I had to be on the Green Line so I went to my usual Starbucks to apply for jobs until it cam time to look at grad schools.
• 3:39 p.m. Washington Sports Club - Free.  Starting to feel tired and not knowing when I'd be able to get to the gym next, I decided to fit in a short workout to get the blood pumping.
• 4:55 p.m. Target - $26.49.  Not wanting to continue looking unprofessional with my beat up backpack, I decided to buy a laptop bag to match my new laptop.  A lot of them had been picked through and were lacking straps. But I found a nice and complete one.
• 5:43 p.m. Washington Convention Center - Free.  The night before I had applied for a job at American University and they had tuition reimbursement.  So I looked into their program.  At this job fair, I learned that American's Political Communications master's degree is probably what I'll do.
• 8:05 p.m. Guapo's Restaurant - $20.00.  I met my date at the Springfield stop and we proceeded to go to her  favorite Mexican restaurant in Arlington.  They have strong margaritas and good food.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 ($19.00)

• 1:49 p.m. 2011 H Street Festival - $19.00.  This was my first D.C. festival.  It was in a hipster neighborhood so it felt like being back in Chicago.  Except the food trucks were better.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 (Free)

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 ($18.63)

• 9:27 a.m. Subway - $4.68.  I timed my trip to Arlington for a job fair absolutely wrong.  I ended up being stranded in Old Town Manassas for over an hour.  I'd never had Subway for breakfast.  But this Subway didn't really serve breakfast anyway and I ended up with two bagels.
• 11:50 a.m. P.O. Boxes, Etc. - $6.95.  In my busy Friday, I hadn't printed my resume so I had to on the way to the job fair.  This place was terrible. Their printer and copiers were so old the paper had perforated edges.  When there was toner on the copies, I just about lost it.  But the clerk still charged me for the printing.
• 12:12 p.m. Holiday Inn Rosslyn Key Bridge - Free.  Job fairs can't all be as bad as this one or they wouldn't exist.  There was no one there worth even bothering with.  I would have been better off just applying for jobs with that time.
• 1:17 p.m. Starbucks - $4.00.  Feeling crappy about what happened, I figured I'd apply for a job or two and then see a movie off the Eisenhower Street stop.
• 5:01 p.m. Simply Sweet On Main - $3.00.  The iced tea lemonade and applying for jobs didn't help at all.  So I got ice cream.  This, on the other hand, definitely made me feel better.  The owner was in the store.  I should have hit him up about social media since I was in a suit for no reason.

So that's $174.82.  Which is quite a lot considering that I didn't really start doing any training until last week.  I have to stop going to the bar until I find some source of income besides unemployment.  Especially since I haven't gotten around to actually incorporating Michael Goldman 2.0 yet officially.  That's something for next week I guess.  My total money spent since I've been unemployed $7636.81.              
                                  
                  

How I Spent The Thirty-Sixth Week Of The Rest Of My Life

While I put this blog entry off until almost the end of the week again, there was one that I didn't.  I wrote my first blog entry at Michael Goldman 2.0 on why a business should claim their address on Facebook and Twitter (http://greenmind0428.wordpress.com/2011/09/15/claiming-your-piece-of-the-internet-facebook-and-twitter/).  I have no idea if it's any good but one of my few followers at @MGoldman2_0 on Twitter retweeted it so I don't think it's awful.

At least I hope it's not since, as it's germane to the positions that I'm applying for, I'm going to be using it as a writing sample.  And, honestly, it feels good to have an actual example of what I can do on the internet for searches instead of just trying to explain it with a Klout score in my cover letter.

Of course, all of this would be more convincing if I had clients.  But I have my Michael Goldman 2.0 website up at http://michaelgoldman20.com/.  So now I can make business cards and such.  In fact, I just found out yesterday that it only costs $50 to incorporate in Virginia so I can charge a consultancy fee.  I'm probably going to do that next week.

I have other things to do early next week though.  I'm signed up for a job fair tomorrow in Arlington.  At first I put a lot of mental eggs in this basket.  But a lot of the companies there are the kind that are recruiting the desperate into service-based industries.  Which, of course, I am.  But I'm not about to go join the Prince William County Police yet.  Or ever.  Still I'll be throwing my resume around.  And I bought a new laptop briefcase to replace my backpack on days like job fairs and temp place interviews.

Even though I have no idea if I'm getting closer to getting a job, at least I'm now completely looking the part.

And I'm scheduled for a few webinars in the upcoming few weeks on both social media and WordPress.  If nothing else, my mind will have all the necessary content.  And nowhere to put it yet.  Except in a blog.

Here's how I "spent" last week:

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6 ($19.00)

• 10:01 a.m. Washington Sports Club - Free.  Since I planned on being a tourist in Chinatown all day, I figured I'd start out at the gym.
• 11:11 a.m. Starbucks - $4.00.  I should have known when it took flash forever to load that taking the assessments on my netbook would be a mistake.
• 1:30 p.m. CapMac Truck - $12.00.  As long as I was going to do touristy things all day, I figured that lunch should be a food truck.  And my goodness this one was good.
• 2:31 p.m. National Portrait Gallery - Free.  Showing around someone newer than me, I had to go to my favorite museum first.
• 3:22 p.m. Smithsonian American Art Museum - Free.  This was actually a way better modern art gallery, in my opinion, than the Hirshhorn.
• 7:24 p.m. Manassas Mart - $3.00.  I had passed this little convenience store by the VRE a bunch of times.  I wish I hadn't sooner since they carry vegan soup!  And it was awesome.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7 (Free)

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8 ($288.73)

• 11:44 a.m. Washington Sports Club - Free.  For some reason, I was feeling exhausted until I smelled the gym towel.  It perked me right up.
• 12:42 p.m. Chipotle Mexican Grill - $7.00.  As usual when I go here after the gym, I devoured my burrito bowl in professional eater times.  But unlike usual, the line was out the door.
• 1:14 p.m. Starbucks - $4.00.  Even though I wasn't required to yet, I knew I should apply for jobs on three separate days and since I missed on Tuesday and Wednesday, I applied to a few.
• 4:00 p.m. PCRetro - $267.70.  I was just going to price a computer but I ended up walking out with one since I got a lot of discounts and a free video camera.
• 6:26 p.m. Subway - $6.03.  After taking care of business after a rain storm had started, I decided it was time to go home.  But I too early to get the bus so I stopped to get a sandwich.
• 6:46 p.m. Philadelphia Tavern - $4.00.  The coffee shop closes early on Thursday since the open mic night has been transfered to Sunday.  A beer here for happy hour was equally inexpensive.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9 ($37.80)

• 12:54 p.m. Taco Bell - $4.86.  Somehow I hadn't gone to Taco Bell in over two weeks.  I think I might have been going through withdrawal.
• 1:53 p.m. Manassas 4 - $7.00.  Since I had sent them an e-mail saying that I would handle their Twitter account for free, I figured I'd stop by.  I saw Contagion even though I was worried I wouldn't be able to sleep after.  It wasn't very good.
• 4:16 p.m. Starbucks - $4.00.  I needed to apply for jobs on the third day of the week so I stopped by one of my semi-regular locations of Starbucks to do so.
• 5:11 p.m. Giant - $21.94.  Since I didn't purchase groceries in the city, I needed to get stuff for the weekend. I like my city Safeway better, but this Giant served its purpose.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10 ($41.00)

• 10:15 p.m..Queen's Gambit Restaurant - $20.00.  For the first time since I arrived in Washington D.C., I had a second date with a girl.  And a first date in Woodbridge.
• 11:05 p.m. Ruby Tuesdays - $21.00.  Since I hadn't eaten all day and neither of us was going to do karaoke, we moved next door to Ruby Tuesdays.  It wasn't horrible but I told my roommate that I wouldn't ever eat there.  Fail.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11 ($7.38)

• 11:48 a.m. 7-Eleven - $7.38.  After meeting some cats, I really needed some allergy medicine in the morning.
• 7:50 p.m. County Center Owner's Association - Free.  Though I slept through the day after drinking for most of the night, I decided I should at least try to be a little healthy by going to the gym.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12 ($55.02)

• 11:53 a.m. Washington Sports Club - Free.  I got a late start to the day, but I wanted to get healthy at the gym for the second day in a row.
• 1:25 p.m. Roti Mediterranean Restaurant - $8.52.  Seeing that a food truck that I had wanted to try in L'Enfant Plaza, I made my way down there.  But by the time I got there, it was sold out.  So Roti served as an excellent substitute.  I even got a free order of falafel for my third check-in at this location.
• 2:58 p.m. Starbucks - $4.00. Waiting for my date at a Starbucks in Alexandria that I had never tried before I realized I should hang out at the suburban Starbucks more often.  They have nice numbers of outlets.
• 4:02 p.m. AMC Hoffman Center 22 - $22.50.  Finally seeing Rise of the Planet of The Apes was great.  It was far better than it deserved to be.
• 6:49 p.m. Aditi Indian Restaurant - $20.00.  Trying my date's favorite restaurant in Alexandria was worth it.  It was really good.

So that's $448.93.  My most expensive week in a really long time, but all well worth it since the computer (the main expense) will help me reach my long term goals far more easily (if at all).  And I had a lot of fun with all of the other activities.  My total money spent since I've been unemployed is $7461.99.

How I Spent The Thirty-Fifth Week Of The Rest Of My Life

What has begun to cross my mind is that the things that have been allowing me to live for free have been holding me back  The wake-up call was when I applied at the temp agency.  The first problem was that I tried to take the Microsoft Word assessment on my netbook and the bottom cut off.  I thought it was a bit difficult but when I heard my score, 29/50, I was shocked.  I think there had to be some sort of reading error.

But the worst part was that I got turned down by the temp agency because of the score.  They said that the combination of the score and that I lived in Woodbridge made me a poor choice for their on-call program.  I'm guessing, that despite the fact that I'll get a better score in the future, a lot of other temp agencies are probably going to say the same thing.

As far as moving closer to the city, that might be a bit too expensive.  Though if that's what it takes to get a job, I guess I'll have to get a room in the city just to have an address.

I did take the other step in correcting the situation.  I bought a new laptop.  This wasn't directly in response to the temp issue, but in response to the response.  When getting turned down for the temp job, I decided to try and freelance.  The problem was that I had nothing to show anyone who I would be freelancing social media for.  So I decided to create a personal website.  I bought a domain on godaddy.com and started to design.  And, again, the bottom of the screen was cut off.

There's a store that sells dirt cheap used laptops that always advertises in Express.  I ended up getting an large screen HP for $229 (which is what I'm typing this on) and working on my site.  Honestly, at this point the social media is probably just a dream that I'm going to work on while temping or working in another administrative job, but now I've got a start on it.

The site is at http://michaelgoldman20.com/ but there's nothing on it right now.  I'm probably going to put a blog up on "claiming your virtual property" sometime this week to get started.  And, at some point soon, I'm going to write up a blurb about myself.  If nothing else, it can provide a little break from the job search stress.

Here's how I "spent" last week:

TUESDAY, AUGUST 30 ($17.03)

• 10:48 a.m. Starbucks - $4.00.  Immediately off the train, I decided to go to Starbucks instead of to the gym.  The reason was I was in a horrible mood.  I needed my tea fix.
• 12:23 p.m. Sauca - $7.00.  Parking outside of the Starbucks before I went in was certainly a way to tempt me into buying from them.  And it worked.
• 1:27 p.m. National Zoological Park - Free.  I didn't feel well, but it was a nice day.  I decided to go to the zoo on a day when it was nice out and see the pandas.  They were hiding but I caught them during feeding.
• 5:01 p.m. Subway - $6.03.  At the zoo, I knew I wasn't going to make it through the rest of the day so I just went home early.  I didn't even go grocery shopping like I had planned.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31 (Free)

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1 ($47.03)

• 12:09 p.m. Potomac Mills Mall - $5.03.  I got such a late start that grabbing lunch in the city seemed pointless.  So I got my healthy noodles for lunch.
• 2:24 p.m. Starbucks - $4.00.  Since I was meeting a girl from OKCupid in Alexandria, I decided to go to my Alexandria Starbucks instead of going all the way into Washington D.C.
• 5:18 p.m. The Pita House - $38.00.  After meeting a bunch of transplants who turned out to be horrible, I finally met a local who turned out to be awesome.  It was the complete opposite of the girl I met in Chicago.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2 ($37.25)

• 1:12 p.m. Roti Mediterranean Grill - $9.00.  Even though I had just had Mediterranean the night before, I couldn't help but try out the newest Roti in D.C.  It had just opened the day before.  It's really nice and right by all of the non-profits.
• 1:36 p.m. Starbucks - $4.00.  Since I had my interview with the temp agency, I was wearing a suit.  I think I fit right in with all of the lobbyists here.
• 2:44 p.m. FedEx Office - $6.25.  It felt nice to actually print off my resume for a reason.  And to keep it nice, I bought report covers as well.
• 3:18 p.m. James Monroe Park - Free.  Since I was really early for my interview, I decided to sit in the park and look over my resume.  It was a little hot in my suit coat.
• 4:31 p.m. Keepers - Free.  The internet was down at their office so all I could do was interview and take a clerical test.
• 6:18 p.m. Kateina's Green Cuisine - $18.00.  When I looked in my backpack and discovered that I hadn't brought my gym clothes, I just want home early.  And stopped at Katerina's where I finally ate a full dinner.  I liked the pita better, but it was still pretty good.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3 (Free)

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 4 ($34.00)

• 6:16 p.m. Great Clips - $18.00.  Even though I had just had my interview, I figured a haircut was in order for anything in the future.
• 6:33 p.m. Amici's Restaurant - $12.00.  After finishing off the last of my dry goods from the hurricane, I decided I needed another buffet.  This time was better.
• 6:58 p.m. Starbucks - $4.00.  Even though I had gotten a lot accomplished, I figured the only way I was going to write a blog entry was to sit in Starbucks.  It worked.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5 (Free)

So that's $135.31.  Not nearly as much as I spent this week when the computer is counted.  But I feel like the stuff that I bought this week was far more useful to getting my life in order than anything that I bought last week  Well, except for one of the dinners.  My total money spent since I've been unemployed is $7013.06.

How I Spent The Thirty-Fourth Week Of The Rest Of My Life

Today was a wake up call.  It all started when I read an article on the History of the Resume on Mashable (http://mashable.com/2011/09/04/history-of-the-resume/).  The 2010 time point states that infographic resumes are the new trend.  Considering that I'm applying for both creative jobs and entry level jobs, I'm probably competing against a lot of recent college grads - some of whom are probably using these.

So, freaked out, I decided to try to make an infographic out of my resume.  Searching the internet for tools to do so, I stumbled upon a free resume service from vizualize.me and created my own, simple, "pretty" resume (http://vizualize.me/ekVnZBUD9n).  Part of the problem that I saw was that it drew its data from my LinkedIn profile - which was incredibly incomplete.

Until today, I didn't even have a profile picture on this site.  But, using my communications resume as a template, I now have a 95% complete LinkedIn profile (http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=13663601&trk=tab_pro).  If someone wants to give me a recommendation, it would kick me up to 100%. :)

And somehow I found time to get a haircut in all of this internet madness.

The funny thing is that I had an interview with a temp agency on Friday.  It was nice to break out my nice clothes.  The interview portion seemed to go well, but I don't know if they'll find me a "fit."  The problem is that they need someone who can be on call in the city.  And while I can do this, it will involve leaving with my roommate at 5:30 a.m.  Which I can definitely do.  Except who knows how my temp reports will come back waking up that early.

It's a cart before the horse problem.  If I could get an apartment in Alexandria, this wouldn't be a problem.  But that would involve having a job.  I'm not sure how a potential landlord would take that my job was temping.  Though I have heard of other people surviving in the city on temp assignments.  So I know it's possible.

There was another problem.  Their testing system was down because of the internet.  All I could take was a clerical test.  And, all I can say is that I was way better at spelling before spell check.  Though I think I did fine.  I guess I'll know on Tuesday.  I've got a sneaking suspicion that they'll call me to see if I'm available on call like I said I'd be in the interview.  So Tuesday is my first day of going to the city at the crack of dawn.

Tomorrow, being Labor Day and all, I'm going to spend the day sending in 10 application in another effort to find a job on my own (this temp place markets your resume if they hire you).  I'm going for one per hour.  Who knows if that will work.  Either way, no one can deny that I labored to find a job on this Labor Day weekend.  Whether that's ironic or fitting, I'm not sure.

Here's how I "spent" last week:

TUESDAY, AUGUST 23 ($29.57)

• 10:31 a.m. Washington Sports Club - Free.  After another Monday of doing nothing, I felt like I needed to kickstart my week.  Nothing would do that like a trip to the gym.
• 11:54 a.m. Chinatown Express - $7.00.  Getting there early worked for me since I wanted to beat the lines.  I was so hungry by this point that I could barely stand.
• 12:51 p.m. Starbucks - $4.00.  After applying for a job, something weird happened.  The ground started to shake.  This was where I was for the Great East Coast Earthquake.  Even though it wasn't very scary in the Starbucks, I decided to go outside since I figured it was safer.
• 3:30 p.m. Starbucks - $4.00.  Wandering through the city looking for a cell phone signal led me here.  I got a signal outside of the FEMA offices and beyond so that was reassuring.
• 4:56 p.m. Safeway - $14.57.  While I was in the neighborhood, I decided to go shopping.  I met up with someone from D.C.'s Yelp which was even more rare than the earthquake.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24 (Free)

THURSDAY, AUGUST 25 (Free)

• 12:37 p.m. County Center Owner's Association Clubhouse - Free.  Knowing that I needed to get a lot of resumes submitted, I went to the gym to get some adrenaline going.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 26 ($53.28)

• 10:38 a.m. Teaism Penn Quarter - $23.38.  The good news was that my date this day was a vegetarian.  The bad news was that she was from Dupont Circle.  But she was pretty funny.
• 1:53 p.m. Starbucks - $4.00.  After initially thinking that I would see a museum before going to the gym, I just ended up walking to L'Enfant Plaza and then taking the train to the Chinatown Starbucks.
• 4:23 p.m. Washington Sports Club - Free.  Since there was a hurricane forecast for the weekend, I figured that I wouldn't get another chance to work out.  And that I might have to battle sea monsters.
• 5:18 p.m. Safeway - $20.45.  With the weather forecast calling for potential power outages, I decided I needed to buy dry goods.  There were lines, but it actually wasn't that bad.  People in Washington D.C. were very orderly.
• 7:56 p.m. Subway - $5.45.  Knowing that I might be surviving on dry goods all weekend, I couldn't wait to eat one more tasty thing until I got home.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 27 (Free)

SUNDAY, AUGUST 28 (Free)

• 5:37 p.m. County Center Owner's Association Clubhouse - Free.  Even though I usually don't leave the condo on Saturdays, getting out after the hurricane felt especially nice.  Though after the gym, I felt sick.  That was not nice.

MONDAY, AUGUST 29 ($157.51)

• 1:04 p.m. IKEA - $3.64.  The fact that IKEA has .99 cent pasta on Mondays was a dangerous discovery.  And that they had mashed potatoes made me in love with them.
• 1:54 p.m. Extra Space Storage - Free.  In a last ditch effort to find a writing sample, I tore my storage unit apart.  I couldn't find the policy manual that I thought was in there.  It was very frustrating.
• 3:06 p.m. Target - $99.99.  I had been rationing my meds for a bit.  But I finally ran out and it was definitely time to get more.  At least I could afford them again.
• 3:48 p.m. Starbucks - $4.00.  Being as I still wanted to get an application or two in, I decided to actually stop at a Starbucks in Woodbridge.  It was surprisingly quiet.  If it wasn't hard to get to by bus, I'd go more often.
• 6:00 p.m. Qdoba Mexican Grill - $7.96.  After the day's disappointments, I needed a burrito to cancel it out. It worked.
• 6:24 p.m. Borders - $41.92.  With my newfound income from my money market, I created a miniature marketing library.  I plan on reading the four books that I bought at 60% off soon.  Probably starting soon.  After all, I need some marketing book learning eventually.

So that's $240.36.  But that involved a lot of education and necessities so I don't feel too bad about it.  And I did follow through on applying for jobs each day so I feel that I didn't waste any money the entire time. My total spent since I've been unemployed is $6877.75.

When I Paint My Masterpiece, It Will Be In Red Colored Font

For those who have been following this blog for a while, you will know that I have a hard time with cover letters. Or, well, not really a hard time with them.  More a hard time writing the same old, boring, self puff pieces that you're supposed to write.

No.  I have to pontificate.  I have to make the reader giggle.  I have to be slightly unprofessional.  You know, much like this blog.  And then I hope all of the customer service awards listed on my resume will show the employer that I am *very* professional when it comes to actually dealing with customers, members, and leadership.

Well, today, I actually applied for a social media job for a place that probably won't hire me.  Like so many times before.  The difference is that this one didn't require a writing sample.  But I gave them one anyway.  I looked at their Twitter and Facebook presence - and I stared it down.

This was what came out...

Dear Sir or Madam,

When your potential Twitter audience is half the population of the United States (at base, since women care about the men in their live's health as well) and you have just over 5,000 Twitter followers, you've got, as the famous movie line said, "a failure to communicate." But my name is Michael Goldman and I think I can help. I would be interested in applying for your association's open Communications - Internet and Web position.

I know that my opening might come off as harsh since 5,000 followers isn't a bad number for an association. I have applied at many places with a lot fewer Twitter followers. But what I can tell immediately from looking at your account is that you're not engaging these followers. Web 3.0 is about engagement and user-generated content, not press releases. Your Twitter presence is currently talking at your members and potential donors and not even asking them to participate. The lack of "@" signs (and comments and likes on Facebook) is a tell-tale sign of this. You've taken the first step toward a turnaround by posting for a web-specific communications position.
If you decide to interview and hire me for this position, you will have taken the next step toward a great advocacy and fundraising future.

While I do not have a formal degree in Marketing, in the time since I was last in a job, I have taken it upon myself to learn the ins and outs of social media. From my own (limited) funds, I attended the recent Social Media for Non-Profits seminar in Washington D.C. I have learned the intricacies of TweetDeck and WordPress to supplement the skills that I had already attained in InDesign and Photoshop in my past. I even know my Klout score - it's 60. Your organization's is 38. If you don't know what a Klout score is, then you need me, or someone like me, even more. Again, I've seen worse. But I can make you better.

If you are looking for proof of my skills, they can be found at http://twitter.com/#!/greenmind0428.  Though, trust me, I am much more professional in my business dealings. My multiple customer service and employee of the month awards should be proof of that.

My resume and salary history, as requested, are attached. I am always available at the contact points below to answer any questions. Should you feel my qualifications fit this position, I would look forward to discussing the position more in-depth with you.

Sincerely,
Michael Goldman
xxxxxx
xxxxxx
xxxxxx
twitter.com/greenmind0428

I do want the job.  But since I haven't heard back from any other marketing positions yet, I just let full guns rip.  We'll see what happens.  As it stands, even if there are errors in it, this will be my masterpiece of a cover letter until the end of my working days.

How I Spent The Thirty-Third Week Of The Rest Of My Life

After last week's mad resume sending frenzy, this week has been much slower.  I keep waking up every morning saying that I'm going to send resumes all day but then end up playing around on my computer and napping a lot.

And yesterday when I went into the city, I was rudely interrupted on my job search by an earthquake!  The nerve.  The funny thing is that it happened immediately after I applied for the job that I have wanted the least of any of the jobs that I've applied for.  Not to be all Eric Cantor (whose district, suspiciously, the earthquake was epicentered in), but maybe that was a sign that I've hit rock bottom in the job search.

Though I still have over 30 bookmarks that I want to apply for before September 1.

The irony of my sudden lack of job searchiness is that I ran out of unemployment last week.  I'm eligible for an extension which I'm going to file for.  But I feel guilty since I didn't really apply for many jobs before I moved here to Washington D.C.  Though I think that I'm still unemployed is punishment enough for that.  I have enough money to survive on for a while without it (especially since I put my money market money into my checking account since it was losing value where it was).

That's one more thing to put on my to-do list.  At least I can be not lazy enough to finish this blog today.

Here's how I "spent" last week:

TUESDAY, AUGUST 16 (Free)

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17 ($21.32)

• 11:29 a.m. Washington Sports Club - Free.  I didn't really get out of bed on Tuesday.  It was pathetic.  It seems like I can only start my week with a trip to the gym.
• 12:39 p.m. vFalafel - $8.75.  If there's one thing that I've learned that D.C. kind of loves even more than Chicago, it's a falafel.  One of my friends gave this a good review on Yelp so I tried it.  Can't say I was a fan. And it was expensive and in Dupont Circle.
• 12:57 p.m. Starbucks - $4.00.  Trying out yet another nice Starbucks in Dupont Circle led me to apply for a lot of jobs.  So many that I forgot that I was in the area to go to a museum.
• 4:29 p.m. Kramerbooks & Afterwards Cafe - Free.  I decided that I was going to buy a marketing reference book to more formalize my training in the subject.  Kramerbooks, not surprisingly, is kind of short on business books.
• 5:23 p.m. Barnes & Noble - Free.  Going into a Barnes & Noble hurt every fiber of my being.  But there are no Borders left to go into.  They didn't have any books I wanted either.  Especially offensive was one about learning marketing from the Grateful Dead.
• 5:57 p.m. Union Station - $8.57.  Since I didn't really feel well from lunch, I decided to go for Sbarro instead of Taco Bell.  Just to switch it up.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 18 ($31.33)

• 10:31 a.m. FedEx Office - $5.04.  I decided not to wait any longer to liquidate my money market since it was  declining and I needed the security blanket.  Of course they wanted me to fill out all sort of paperwork.  So it was back to my "office" again.
• 12:09 p.m. U.S. Post Office - Cleveland Park - $.54.  To be even more annoying, I had to mail in the forms. They wouldn't accept a fax.
• 12:37 p.m. Naan and Beyond - $8.75.  I figured that a standalone location of this store would be better.  It was still absolutely disgusting.  But other people seem to love it.
• 1:33 p.m. Starbucks - $4.00.  This was more of a mercy Starbucks since my stomach was not happy with the crappy Indian food.  And there wasn't much seating anyhow so I didn't apply for many jobs.
• 3:18 p.m. Starbucks - $4.00.  I had planned on watching the Fulham match at Lucky Bar.  They were closed.  At Fado, I found out that it wasn't being shown.  So, this is not a misprint.  I was buzzing!
• 5:39 p.m. Washington Sports Club - Free.  Even though I was planning on exercising drunk, exercising while circling the ceiling on a caffeine high was just as good.  I needed to burn some of it off, or I wasn't going to sleep.
• 8:33 p.m. Katerina's Greek Cuisine - $9.00.  There were "flash flood" speed restrictions on the VRE on the way home.  Getting to Manassas in-between the two late buses meant I had time.  I wanted to get something different than their delicious veggie pita, but I was trying to save money.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 19 ($42.11)

• 11:51 a.m. GW Bookstore - Free.  I decided to get academic in my search.  Of course I accidentally chose a college where marketing is just a business specialty and not its own degree.  So they didn't have an intro type book.
• 12:44 p.m. Big Cheese Truck - $6.75.  Sadly, food trucks are my cheapest lunch options.  I should just stick to them whenever I go into the city.
• 1:23 p.m. National Geographic Museum - $8.00.  This was my last possibly chance to check out their exhibit on Antarctic exploration.  It's a cool museum.  I just wish it were free since the exhibits change all the time.
• 3:34 p.m. Starbucks - $4.00.  I went to the Starbucks on K Street.  It didn't really help my job searching much since it was a really loud location.
• 5:41 p.m. Barnes & Noble - $23.36.  Since I couldn't find anything better, I bought Marketing for Dummies. Reading it on the way home, it's not as academic as I'd like it to be, but it does serve its purpose.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 20 (Free)

SUNDAY, AUGUST 21 ($15.14)

• 5:23 p.m. County Center Owner's Association Clubhouse - Free.  Returning to the condo's fitness center reminded me why I joined a gym in the city.  But since I wasn't planning on going back into town any time soon, I figured going here was for the best.
• 7:27 p.m. Amici's Restaurant - $9.00.  I had pretty much run out of food in the condo so I was really hungry by the time I got to this buffet.  So worth it!
• 7:58 p.m. Harris Teeter - $6.14.  Everyone who has ever been to a Harris Teeter knows this was a miracle.  Surprisingly, they have .75 cent burritos.  I mean, it's no Aldi.  But it's tons closer.

MONDAY, AUGUST 22 (Free)

So that's $109.90.  And that included buying a book that I can read while I'm sitting at home applying for jobs all day and night.  When I get to that.  Tomorrow will be better!  Then after Friday in the city it's an all-out resume blitz next Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday before I call the temp agency on September 1!  My total spent since I've been unemployed is $6637.39.

How I Spent The Thirty-Second Week Of The Rest Of My Life

This was another busy week of absolutely no results.  Thursday marked the one month anniversary of my all out resume blitz.  And still not a single place of the 50 that I sent to last month have called me back about an interview (including those that I sent to after correcting the phone number on the document).

I still have a lot more to send.  Though I do need to locate a professional writing sample.  It's hard to believe I never sent myself a copy of anything that I drafted for work to my personal account to work on at home.  I'm sure that I did, in fact.  But I must have deleted them from my e-mail.  And the hard copies are on my desktop computer.  Which is sitting in storage with no monitor.  It's like past me is the greatest enemy of future me.

Having read up on what constitutes a good writing sample, people recommend that you don't send blogs (unless they have to do with the subject matter you'll be writing about at a job) or creative writing.  And while my Yelp reviews have gotten plaudits, they're not the kind of hard hitting, tear inducing, wallet opening sort of writing that non-profits are trying to look for in their marketing efforts.

And according to this article from Psychology Today, writing samples are supposed to avoid humor at all costs: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/career-transitions/200906/the-dreaded-writing-sample

For those who knew me at my old job toward the end, never was I so humorless in my writing.

The only hopeful article that I've read on the writing sample was one that I can't find the link to right (almost spelled it the wrong way there) now is one that said, "they're just trying to make sure you don't write like an 8-year-old."

What's ironic is that I *know* tons of people who do write like 8-year-olds who are gainfully employed.  And, yet, I've consistently been given good reviews on my writing of all sorts and can't find a silly sample.  Guh!  Then again, for the positions that I'm applying for, in general, the people I'm applying against are all excellent writers.

Speaking of which, I have been working hard on my marketing skill set as well.  I'm currently reading "Marketing for Dummies."  Yes, I know that's silly.  But I looked for marketing text books at the George Washington University bookstore yesterday and couldn't find any.  I'm going to look online when I'm done with this.  There's also an online marketing certificate that I can take.  But I'm guessing that's worthless.

If something doesn't happen in the next week, I'm definitely going to need to figure out what I'm doing wrong again.  This feels like a process instead of something that I'm succeeding at with what I'm already doing.

Here's how I "spent" last week:

TUESDAY, AUGUST 9 ($15.75)

• 12:19 p.m. G. Richard Pfitzner Baseball Stadium - $15.75.  The Baby Red Sox were in town and it was a day game.  So I decided to go.  The Salem Red Sox actually won this time, so it was a pretty perfect day.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10 ($33.06)

• 12:41 a.m. Subway - $6.09.  Since I had spent so much the week before, I decided to stick close to home and apply for jobs at the closest Starbucks.  And get Subway so I could be carbed up to do so.
• 12:52 a.m. Great Clips - $18.00.  I felt scruffy and felt that perhaps getting a haircut would make me feel more up to applying for a lot of jobs.
• 1:56 p.m. Starbucks - $4.00.  The staff at this Starbucks should know me better than at any Starbucks in the city.  This is not the case right now.  I intend to change that.
• 4:40 p.m. Harris Teeter - $4.97.  I was out of food at home.  But I was good and just bought one night's worth of dinner.  Though it was pretty shocking how much that cost.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 11 ($33.81)

• 11:11 a.m. Washington Sports Club - Free.  Since I hadn't been back to the city since I signed up for my membership, I wasn't really neglecting it.  But this first workout hurt a lot.  I really had been neglecting fitness.
• 12:27 p.m. Chinatown Express - $7.00.  After working out, I always crave cheap Chinese food.  And since I work out in Chinatown, this could get dangerous.  But at least it's pretty cheap.
• 1:04 p.m. Curbside Cupcakes - $3.00.  Even though I wanted to get to work sending in resumes, I couldn't pass up the food truck since it was so close.  I ate my cupcake walking to Starbucks.
• 1:27 p.m. Starbucks - $4.00.  This was a very active day.  I sent in four resumes.  It was also the day that I discovered that they all had the wrong phone number on them.
• 5:06 p.m. Safeway - $17.81.  As has been the case a lot recently (since I've only been buying one week at a time), I was running out of food.  I managed to hit all the bargains and only bought one box of Cheez-Its.
• 6:42 p.m. Simply Sweet On Main - $2.00.  I actually wanted to send out more resumes (with the corrected phone number), but my brain was fried.  Even an Italian soda couldn't save it.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12 ($14.00)

• 11:54 a.m. Truckeroo - $10.00.  When I walked in, I had thought that I had eaten at most of the trucks that I wanted to try.  But they had brought in some Arlington trucks for some freshness.  I managed to keep my meal lightish on the wallet.
• 12:56 p.m. Starbucks - $4.00.  After some major revisions, I was ready to send my resume out into the wild again.  My brain would not, however, cooperate due to how late I stayed up revising it the night before.
• 3:30 p.m. Washington Sports Club - Free.  Going to the gym after Starbucks didn't particularly help to wake my brain up.  But it did mean that I got two workouts in this week.
• 4:39 p.m. Fado Irish Pub - Free.  My friend had a gift certificate that he had won during the World Cup and I got a free boxty.  Since I pretty much take the VRE every day now, it was convenient to get home.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 13 (Free)

SUNDAY, AUGUST 14 ($11.14)

• 7:07 p.m. Walgreens - $4.99.  I could no longer survive well without replenishing my Benadryl.  I think it's part of the reason that my brain was getting foggy.  My sinuses had been keeping me up all night.
• 7:18 p.m. 7-Eleven - $6.15.  Since I was already walking home by it, I decided to grab some bad burritos and a Slurpee.

MONDAY, AUGUST 15 ($28.88)

• 10:17 a.m. Washington Sports Club - Free.  After a weekend of nearly complete inactivity, I decided to get to the gym first thing in the morning.  Even if it meant the trip on the Metro was a bit more expensive.
• 11:25 a.m. Chipotle - $7.00.  Nothing else seemed very appetizing before noon.  But I was absolutely starving.  I think I ate my burrito bowl in record time.
• 12:02 a.m. Starbucks - $4.00.  Since I planned on watching the soccer match at Fado, I decided not to walk the extra few blocks to my normal Starbucks.  The Chinatown one is pretty amazing.
• 2:55 p.m. Fado - $14.00.  The crowd seemed to all be Australians on vacation, but it was still an enjoyable time.  Especially after Manchester City decided to wake up and beat Swansea 4-0.
• 6:01 p.m. Union Station - $3.88.  I had chips at Fado, but I was drunk and couldn't wait to get home to eat.  So Taco Bell it was.

So that's $136.64. But it was well worth it since I was in the city and, therefore, excited to be looking for work.  It was expensive to go there so much (though I went four times this week), but I figure it's preparing me to wake up every morning and take on the world once I do get a job.  My total spent since I've been unemployed is $6527.49.