Job Hunting!

Well I can't apply to most scholarships, and certainly I won't get any federal financial aid, but it shouldn't be hard to cover my tuition if I can work two jobs in the summer and a part time during school, I thought. Sure the economy's bad, but how hard can it be? I was soon to find out as my search for a job began.

I started at the local food restaurants, asking around for applications, and turning them in. After a few weeks of applying and not receiving any calls, I began to feel unsure about my approach. I thought, maybe the applications are not getting through directly to the managers. At a local grocery store, upon filling out another application, I asked at the counter for the manager, and I was kindly pointed in the direction where she was. I told her I was looking for a job, and that I would like to turn in my application to her, but, uninterested, she pointed me in the direction of the customer service corner of the store saying that "all applications must be submitted to the customer service office in order to be sorted out." I turned in my application disillusioned, knowing that, like my past one, this new application would not get to her.

At a local grilled chicken restaurant, I turned in my application, again directly to the manager. She happily informed me that there was a cashier spot available for me to work in. She reviewed my application and set the first of three interview dates for the upcoming Sunday morning. I left the restaurant hopeful and happy that I actually had a chance at getting the job.

That Sunday at eleven in the morning I was at the restaurant waiting for the manager to interview me. She asked some basic questions, how long I planned to keep the job, what would I do to deal with an angry customer, what I thought qualified me for the job, etc. I answered every question firmly and with confidence, trying to make the best possible impression on the manager. After a while, she began to ask about my goals and such, and, upon hearing that I was a recent high school graduate about to start college, she informed me that a part time worker who planned to keep the job for a long period of time is what they were looking for. I responded by saying that I needed a steady part time job for the next few years since I needed to pay college tuition. She ended the interview by telling me that the following Tuesday I would be having my second interview.

On Monday, I called to confirm my second interview and was informed that, unfortunately, the man that was supposed to interview me would be out of town for a week, and to call for my interview then. The next week, when I called, I was told that, because sales had been low in the restaurant, the hiring process would be halted for a while. I hung up the phone, disappointed once again at not having succeeded in obtaining a job.

July came around and I have become desperate at not being able to get a job. I have applied to an array of different positions, from dishwasher to insurance salesman. Although many of my friends who can legally work in the United States are having the same problem, I believe that my inability to prove to the employers that I can legally work in America further cripples my chances of becoming employed. I hope that, soon, I can find a job and work towards my education at Cal.