June 15th - Rejection and Rebuttal

As the rejection e-mails threaten to overload my inbox I’m feeling an odd mixture of frustration and relief. You see, in my blind pursuit of employment I’ve applied for some incredibly unappealing prospects; I often consider myself fortunate that the hiring system in place lacks any sort of personal interaction. If I were to actually be granted the opportunity to interview for these positions I feel as though my lack of enthusiasm has potential to become increasingly apparent if their questions are even half as inane as their job descriptions. On the other hand, at least then I’d have the opportunity to gain some self-satisfaction from proving that I am indeed an intelligent, literate individual rather than being judged and sequestered to the rejects based simply on a few sentences of a CV. The other day, shortly after being rejected for a receptionist job at some run of the mill business downtown by a letter pre-written to sound minimally offensive (but failing to do so in its condescension), I was feeling particularly disgruntled. I found another ad from the agency and clicked apply with the full intention of making an online scene before remembering that when your medium is the internet, flat-out trolling is futile at best. I took a deep breath, paused for thought then settled for a legitimate inquiry with a tactically placed missile of sarcasm aimed straight at the dignity and credibility of the temp agency. The pre-requisites they sought for the job in question were the usual balderdash, though one stood out perfectly for my purposes; ‘’a keen eye for detail’’. I seized this phrasing and used it as a weapon to attack the agency. I wrote a cover letter as I would any other job, stating my experience with the slightest hint of embellishment, but this time I followed it up with a concrete example of my skills. I proclaimed that my eye for detail was so keen that I could easily point out all the spelling mistakes and grammatical errors in the advert, of which there were a surprising amount. I felt no qualms about including that I hoped whoever had written the ad would not be the one deciding my fate regarding the position. I had a little spring in my step after that but it was short lived for shortly thereafter I received another of the identical rejection e-mails but this time with an extra note thanking me for rectifying the errors in their ad. In essence I merely allowed them to save face while I still sit here unemployed. As Andy Bernard so eloquently put it, ‘’they may have won the battle, but I will win…the next battle’’. Apart from my woes on the job front continuing I have precious news to relate. My adventure plans are a costly bunch that I am not willing to justify undergoing until I have earned back some of what I’ve already spent. In the meantime I continue to do little things that add up to make Wellington a cool place to be alive. My days consist of watching playoff hockey, eating sushi lunches and writing songs. I try to add spice where I can; I picked up a library card and am studying some guitar theory in between reading some easily digestible fiction. In other words, I’m actively trying to live rather than be a vegetable in this transition period. I’m crossing my fingers and sacrificing animals to the gods in a vain attempt to conjure up some luck in my job hunt. Once it’s sorted out I can once again shock and awe you all with something with a little more substance. Until then, bear with me. Oh, one more thing, about my little joke against the temp agency, I’m fully aware that my grammar probably hasn’t been that of a Harvard professor over the course of these blogs so there’s no need to go over it with a fine tooth comb, I merely saw an opportunity and used it to my advantage, so sue me.