The job hunt vs. the stimulant package... and the winner is... not me!

So, if you've read my previous posts, you know I'm currently out of work and looking for a job.  It's amazing how flooded the applicant pool is right now!  I do administrative work.  It's a field that transcends company type... every company needs someone to handle their bookkeeping, manage their files, etc.  I choose this field because it is something I am very good at and it's usually pretty easy to find a job to pay the bills... single motherhood ain't cheap!  So when I got laid off from the civil engineering firm I was working at, I thought, "No problem!  I'll be back to work in a couple months at most."  That was 8 months ago and I'm still barely getting a hit on my resume. 

It's not that I'm not trying.  I send out over a hundred resumes a week for jobs I know I'm qualified or over-qualified for, and still, the most I usually receive is an automated email stating they might not get back to me because they have too many applicants to address each individual.

Enter that wonderful stimilus the government put out to increase jobs.  The money is earmarked for municipal improvements though.  You would think that would mean municipalities would be hiring more administrative professionals to handle all that paperwork, but no... they aren't.  What is happening is they are giving their already tired, cranky, overworked and underpaid employees a huge additional bunch of stuff to do and all these wonderful projects that are supposed to move our economy forward are backlogged and stuck behind a huge wall of red tape!  When a job finally does get out there... it's the people who are still left working that are raking in the money.  Comapnies are too scared of not getting another job afterwards to hire new employees or rehire those who are laid off.  So those who are working are complaining about their horrid workload and those of us not working are screaming, "I'll help you!" to the brick wall that is corporate America.  It's extremely frustrating!!!

I don't like being on unemployment.  I want a job, an income, something to do each day!  The stimulus package in my opinion didn't do a darn thing to help those of us out there looking for work.  Things are still as bleak as they were last year. 

But in having to get creative, my job search has lead me to find some pretty interesting things out there.  For example, there is actually someone willing to pay me $50 an hour to take photos of my feet (nothing sexual involved apparently)!  Now, I would guess this person has a fetish since the ad said the photos were for personal use, but do I care?  I walk around with exposed feet pretty often and never thought about who might be secretly photographing them.  Then there's the monthly party that apparently takes place in my own neighborhood that is looking for girls to walk around naked each time... at $200 an hour!  No thanks... but I am very curious as to which of my neighbors is doing this!!  Then there's the one-time job I took teaching a class on how to use Craigslist at the local library.  Could this turn into something or lead me to a new connection... we'll have to see.

So you see, my job search hasn't been boring... it's just been unproductive.  I guess I just needed to vent after yet another long day of searching without luck.  If any of you readers know of something I might be qualified for, please let me know... or I may be searching forever!

New stuff popping up on the blog

Well, as you know (if you've been reading along), I am working on learning new methods of online marketing.  I am mostly using Facebook to do this.  One additional thing I've been doing is adding advertising on this blog.  You may have noticed links to products from Amazon in my blog.  If I refer to something in my blog that you can get from Amazon, I will usually provide a link.  This is mainly to make things easier for you the readers, but it may eventually also become a way to make some much needed added income.  You see, I have been an Amazon Affiliate for years. 

For those of you who aren't aware, affiliate programs pay you a small percentage from each sale when you advertise their products.  I won't ever push you to buy anything... that is not my goal in writing this blog, so please don't feel obligated.  If you do see something you want to purchase though, buying through my link will help support my efforts and will always be most appreciated.

Today, I added a new affiliate program.  It's called Linkshare and allows you to choose from hundreds of companies, all of whom pay a different commission.  You must apply to each company individually and then choose specific links.  This makes it a very personalized for of advertising.  You might have noticed that I now have links to iTunes, Microsoft and Linkshare on the side of this blog.  These links were choosen very deliberately. 

• I adore my iPod... in fact, I never leave the house without it and probably couldn't make it to and from Michigan without it, so iTunes is a logical choice. 
• I am currently typing on a PC (currently running Vista) that I hope to upgrade to Windows 7 soon.  I have always been a PC girl, so another logical choice.  Plus, I know a lot of people who want to buy the new Halo game and you can get it directly from Microsoft.
• Finally, since I think Linkshare is such a great opportunity, I'm providing a link directly to it so each of you can have the opportunity to do the same thing I'm doing. 

All that said, I have just added a website that may soon become my favorite ever website!  In fact, it will likely be the favorite website of every female who finds it... chocolate.com.  If you want to visit it and see for yourself, click on the banner below.  Again, no obligation... only click if you are interested in Chocolate!  BTW... I like mine dark (so feel free to send me some weekly... lol), but they have all kinds.



And finally, I have AdSense.  This falls at the bottom of my sidebar because I dont get to select the links.  The ads are generated by Google based on my blog topics.  They select opportunities that might appeal to the people reading my posts.  These are based on click-throughs, which means I get a couple cents every time you click on one of them.  Again, no obligation... I'm certainly not asking you to go through and click on them for no reason, but if you see something that interests you, click away!

So that's what I've been up to.  I've also been working with my online reading/discussion group (we now have a whopping 50 members!!) to select our first book for the month of February and adding new books (and working out minor kinks) for my Send Brain Cells application.  It's coming along nicely and you will find a link to it on my sidebar as well.  For those of you with Amazon Affiliate programs, feel free to sign up for my app and add some books to it.  Users can add gifts and there is a section to include a link.  I include a direct affiliate link to each book I create with a button that says "Buy this book at Amazon".  I can't possibly add all the books Amazon offers and I'm happy to help any of you get your affiliate marketing off the ground. 

After what I feel was probably the most productive week I've had in a while, I'm getting ready to leave for relaxation, romance and some computer-free time with my honey.  Hope you all enjoy your weekend and I'll chat with you (well, write to you, if you want to get technical about it) next week!

What to do with Facebook?!?!

I've had Facebook and MySapce pages for several years for the sole purpose of reconnecting with people who have drifted out of my life for one reason or another.  During the last few months while laid off, I've found myself checking my Facebook page more frequently than I used to.  MySpace has kind of gone by the wayside.  I usually keep the Facebook window open in the background as I'm doing other things on the computer and periodically check in on what's going on in my virtual community of friends.  I've added all kinds of apps... initially to help friends out who needed additional team members... but now I've got one heck of a Farmville farm, a really high score in Treasure Madness, and a really high bankroll on Texas Hold'em Poker, just to name a few.  I don't spend hours on these games (mostly time management games... although they are more like time wasters), but if I add up all the times I pop in to play a quick hand or plant crops I'd probably be horrified!  I enjoy quick chats with old friends and sharing photos and stories, but again... the time really does add up.

So now what?  Since I'm on Facebook so often, I figured I should get more out of the experience and add some content of real value to the site.  I'm working on a new idea... a sort of online reading club and app to go with it.  At least this gets me into the game creation side of things instead of the player side.  I'm hoping this will be a somewhat better use of my time.  I read all the time anyway, so it makes sense that I seek out and bring together fellow readers in an online forum.  What was the famous quote?  I think it goes something like, "You've only really learned something when you've shared it with someone else."  Now is my time to share some of the things I've learned with the Facebook world and learn some new things myself.  It will take a little while to fully flesh out my idea, but I'm hoping people will enjoy it when it's finished. I'll provide a link here when it's done so my blog followers (yes, there are actually some of you out there reading this... wow!)can check it out too.

On a completely unrelated subject, one of my childhood friends is one of the featured guests in a webinar series later this month called The Millionaire Affair (January 25 - February 6).  It should be a very interesting 2 weeks with lots of knowledge exchanged and it's free to sign up.  If it sounds like something you are interested in, you can find out more information here... http://themillionaireaffair.com/ 

I'm also heading out this month (January 28) to see Dr. Wayne Dyer (in the theater, not live).  The event is called Wishes Fulfilled!  To find out more and find a theater in your area click here... http://www.hayhouse.com/event_details.php?event_id=997&utm_id=DYERFB
  If you'd rather listen to Dr. Wayne Dyer on your own time, you can check out his PBS psecials and get his books or CDs at Amazon.  His new book is entitled Excuses Begone! and I'm currently waiting for my copy to arrive. :)

Both of these events fall in line with what I'm trying to accomplish in 2010 and are therefore worth the time for me to attend.  I'm trying to be judicious in how I spend my time and trying to focus on those activities which further my life goals instead of just wasting valuable time.  The Facebook group could lead me into opportunities I'm not aware exist yet... therefore also indirectly accomplishing my goals.  It is said that the true road to success and happiness can be found by following your passion... here's hoping it works!!!