The Hunt Begins...

The job hunt, that is. All the quarters kids and the semester kids who didn't have jobs were forced to awake at the unseemly hour of 8:00am to meet and discuss finding jobs. David ZagRodny, one of our leaders here on project, gave us an overview on how the process worked and what to do, and then some people shared what progress they had made or what advice they had for those of us who hadn't been out to search yet. It was all very interesting, but it made me realize that I didn't really have a plan for where I wanted to go or where I wanted to work. I just assumed that I would be told where and what to do.

Since I wasn't given all the answers, I decided to draw up a quick plan of some of the stores that I would be interested in. The list was decent, if a bit short and slightly repetitive: 2 Verizon stores (which I eventually nixed), 2 Staples, 2 Radioshacks, a few Subways, an FYE, and my personal favorite, a Gamestop, which I had applied to previously but never heard back from. I mapped out the most efficient route to my destinations and then headed out, armed with my plan and my friend Josh "Sillyman" Silliman as backup. We set out with high hopes, as we had been hearing stories of people being hired almost the instant they started talking to store owners and managers. Chicago was our oyster and we were aiming to pull out the best pearls of the job marker.

Sillyman and I began our journey by walking (yes, walking) toward the Staples on South Canal Street. Along the way, we chatted about what our job prospects were and where we had worked. We came to the conclusion that we would try pretty much any place we came across, within reason.

The first store we actually came across was a Home Depot. Now, I do not consider myself the Home Depot type with my slight frame and lack of working out, so I let Josh take the lead on that one. It turned out that they weren't hiring so we headed over to Dominick's (the Chicago Kroger) to see what they had to offer. This was where we encountered the dreaded phrase of the day: "online application". The nice lady at the customer service desk informed us that they had jobs open but that we would have to fill out an application online, which completely defeated the purpose of us walking there in the first place. It ended up that Radioshack, Whole Foods, Staples, World Market, and FYE were all online applications. So essentially we walked some 3 or 4 miles all over Chicago for nothing.

If I may make a tangent, this is one of the "progresses of technology" that I now sincerely wish had never been created. In my opinion, online applications eliminate the personal aspect of actually getting involved in the application process and networking with the managers and owners who may not otherwise get a chance to see how you stand out personality-wise from the other applicants. I feel like who you are in person matters as much if not more than what you put on an application. Through online apps, an applicant could potentially fudge their answers and get hired, while a well-qualified, personable young college student in need of a summer job gets left out. But I suppose that's the purpose of interviews. Still, getting to meet managers in person instead of just getting on a website makes it more personal and feels like the company actually cares about you as a potential employee.

With that out of the way, there were a few promising leads that I came across today. I had previously visited a video game/movie exchange store in Wicker Park, Chicago (a.k.a. Hipster Town) called the Exchange where one of the employees told me that they would potentially have openings soon and that I should come back and talk to the manager. I made my way over to the store and interfaced with the manager, Rick, who I mistakenly called Robert (stupid, stupid, stupid). He still gave me an application and told me that they might need workers when the summer started in a week or so.

The other lead, and easily my favorite lead/dream job, was the GameStop that I had previously contacted. I told the guy running the store that I had previously sent in an application and that I was curious if they had any openings available. Lo and behold, he told me that they had two employees who would be leaving soon to pursue other careers and that they would likely have openings sometime in the next two weeks. I couldn't believe my luck. Here was the job I had wanted so very badly and it was going to be open soon. I asked him when the manager would be in to talk and he told me they would be in tomorrow at opening. So you can imagine where I'm going to be in about 9 or so hours.

With this amazing opportunity sitting in front of me, it's hard to sit still and not be too excited. But this empty time that I'm filling write now just makes me more nervous that the opportunity is going to slip through my grasp just as soon as it lands in my palms. I'm sure if God wants me there, then I'll be there. I just hope that my idea is in line with God's idea. If it's not, then I pray that it won't be too long until he leads me to where I need to be. And most of all, that I wouldn't miss what he wants for me. In any case, the game is a foot, and Simba* is on the hunt!

*Simba is the nickname given to me by one of my new friends, Ashley King, for my starring role as Simba in our recreation of the movie "The Lion King".