The Job Hunt Ends... Kind Of

My blast of resume sending and application filling has paid off! On Tuesday (or maybe Wednesday... I lose track of the days) I got a call from the J.W. Marriott in downtown Chicago (http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/chijw-jw-marriott-chicago/) to come in and interview for the Banquet Aide position. I was ecstatic, as this was exactly the company I had in mind to work for when I moved to Chicago. So I went in, did my best, and was offered the job on the spot. I can now say that I work for Marriott! Plus, this location is really cool, and right off of the train stop, so it's really convenient.

Job description from Marriott website: Complete final breakdown of function, by cleaning the room, and cleaning and returning equipment to its proper location. Complete closing duties, including storing all reusable goods, locking doors, breaking down goods, etc. Set up, stock, and maintain work areas. Monitor and maintain cleanliness, sanitation, and organization of assigned station and service areas. Transport dirty linen to correct area to be cleaned, separate napkins from tablecloths, and restock linen shelves with clean linens. Maintain cleanliness of work areas throughout the day, practicing clean-as-you-go procedures. Assist other departments when needed to ensure optimum service to guests.

There are minor drawbacks to accepting this position, however. One is that it's part-time. The manager said that, right now, part-time employees were working six days a week because it's a really busy season for them, but when it gets closer to the holiday season I might not even be on the schedule at all, which is not ideal. He suggested outright that I should probably get another part-time job due to the uncertainty, and he wasn't able to give me a solid idea on the amount of hours per week I'll be working. At the same time, however, I feel like he knew that this wasn't my ideal job and that I would be looking to move up quickly. He told me that after six months of working for Marriott, I can apply for any available job posting in the hotel, and that I would be much more likely to be considered than someone who hasn't been in the company. I'm definitely looking forward to that, but I like that I'll be starting kind of at the bottom, because I can understand the banquet side of the hotel from the ground up.

Another is that I don't start until October 4th or 5th, because that's the first available day for orientation. That's fine with me though, because now I can enjoy the unemployed life for another week without the stress of finding a job. Job security without the job, you might say.

Other than that, though, I'm excited. I'm going to get a second job doing something fun, or something that I can relate to, just for two days a week or so. Maybe working at a gym or a bookstore or library or something. I'm ready to start this new job that will eventually turn into my career, and hopefully I'll climb through the company!

P.S. - I never heard back from Best Buy which is kind of sad because that would be a really great second job. Oh well, at least I got the one I really wanted!

The Job Hunt Continues... But Not on Trivia Night!

So, it's late, and it's Monday night. Well, Tuesday morning to be precise. I've been up all night applying to jobs (I also played some video games, but I would say I was mostly job hunting). I feel like my search has been going alright, but tonight I made some major improvements. Overall, I've been applying pretty steadily, but never have I applied to so many promising opportunities all at once.

Tonight I applied for: two positions at the J.W. Marriott in Downtown Chicago (Banquet Aide and Banquet Server), two positions at a Hyatt located downtown (Administrative Assistant in Human Resources and Bellperson), a job at Whole Foods downtown (Customer Service Representative), an opening at Living Social (Event Coordinator), a position at Hilton downtown (Bellperson) and a position with Appreciation Events (Entry Level Corporate Event Coordinator).

That kind of gives you the very broad range of the kind of position I'm looking for: all very hospitality related, but pretty diverse within themselves. They also vary in that some are part-time and some are full-time, as, currently, I'll take whatever I can get. The jobs I'm most looking forward to hearing back from are anything to do with events or banquets or meetings. I've been a bellman before, and while it wasn't the worst thing in the world, I'd prefer to try my hand at something else. At the same time though, I'll take whatever will get my foot in the door at a nice hotel. (See how I used both hand and foot in those two sentences?) I plan on applying this diligently tomorrow during the day, but tomorrow night is trivia night, and that's very important!

For the past two weeks my friends and I have been going to a restaurant and bar called State (http://www.state-chicago.com) on Tuesday nights and we play a really fun game of trivia where everyone in the restaurant competes. Whenever questions are being asked, everyone's cell phones have to be in a basket in the middle of the table, so they're pretty strict on cheating and all that. So far we haven't won, but we've done pretty well and definitely had fun. We've also learned some random facts like: in the State of Illinois, a purple line painted on a tree means "no trespassing", the digital camera term SLR means "single lens reflex", the Nintendo Wii came out in 2006, Back to the Future was released in 1985, and the slogan "Save Money. Live Better" is that of Walmart's (I was the one who knew that one and I think it's because I'm from Texas. There aren't many Walmart's up here...). The grand prize is $800 every Tuesday, so I'll let you know if I win it and how much I'll be giving to each person who reads my blog.

So anyway, I'm definitely hoping to hear back from one of these companies in the next week or so. If, by the end of this week, I don't hear from any of them, I'm going to pack up, buy a plane ticket and move back home. Just kidding. But seriously, let's hope this works.

The Bondesens

I just wanted to post this picture because I really like it, and it has almost everyone in the family in it. Also, it's probably colder here now than it is in this picture...

A Glimmer of Hope

So, I've been applying to jobs pretty efficiently since I first got here, but nothing has really come up. I have a few connections here that have been helping me figure out different ways to look at open positions in the event and meeting planning field, so overall, I still feel good about my search. I have, however, started to apply for more part-time jobs that are just meant to sustain me while I search for something that I really want. I've applied at a couple of different gyms, Macy's downtown, and I plan on applying at places like Whole Foods. My main goal here is to stay away from handling food. I've worked fast food, been a server, worked in the kitchen at school and it's just not something that I'd like to continue on with.

The small glimmer of hope in this bleak job search is Best Buy, who called me on Wednesday to set up an interview. So I took the red line train about 30 minutes south to a part of town called the South Loop and walked over to the Best Buy for my interview. The area is really cool, just a little south of downtown, and the Sears (or Willis) Tower is surprisingly close. Anyway, I had my interview, set up a second one, and went home. Friday came around and I made my way back, finished my second interview and was told that I would get a call if I had received the position, and wouldn't get one if I hadn't. So, I'm going to wait over the weekend to see if I get the call and if I don't, the job search begins again on Monday!

Two Weeks In

So, I've been in Chicago for two weeks. It's been a lot of fun, and it's been interesting learning about all the ways Chicago and Texas differ. That's actually one of my favorite things to do, compare Texas and Chicago, because there are so many differences between the two. Apparently it's illegal to talk on your phone while driving in Illinois, which is something I could never have imagined happening. Luckily, I'm not driving anywhere anytime soon, so this won't affect me too much. There are obviously less trucks here, I never really see any except for when I'm on the highway. There are hardly any parking lots, which is so very different from Texas, where every store has a gigantic parking lot. Everyone seems to be pretty fit here, too, which I'm sure has to do with the fact that everyone is constantly walking around the city. My legs hurt pretty bad the first week, but I've gotten used to the amount of walking this city requires.

Other than walking, the public transportation has been really fun to figure out! I've mastered hailing a cab, and actually really enjoy cab rides, which I only take late at night or if I've got something really heavy to carry a long distance. The train has been my second favorite mode of transportation, and it's easy to figure out once you get an idea of what you're doing. Harder to understand, though, is the bus system, and I've only taken one bus since I've been here. I'm sure I'll get it down though, before winter comes, hopefully!

Also, buildings are so weird here. I mean, maybe they're not that weird, but they're different. In Chicago, generally, they go up, rather than out, because everything is so tall. When Anthony and I were shopping, we went into a Macy's and started looking for the Men's section.We took an escalator up, and then one more, so we were on the third floor, and we thought "okay, well then it has to be the next floor." It wasn't. But surely it was on the next one, right? Long story short, the Men's section was on the eighth floor of the Macy's, which I didn't even know was possible. Plus, with only one floor of men's clothing, I can't even imagine what was on the seven other floors. A Target we went into was two stories, and there was an escalator for carts, which I had never seen before, but apparently that's a norm here. Even the Jewel-Osco down the street is two stories.

I've also been running more than I usually do. Running along the lake shore is a blast, people are out at the beaches, enjoying the small amount of time that the beaches are actually open, and people run, bike, rollerblade and skateboard up and down the Lake Shore Trail. I'll have to take a camera with me the next time I go because the view is probably the coolest thing about the trail. It runs right along the lake, so you've always got that to look at, and in the near distance is the Chicago skyline which, needless to say, is magnificent. The first day I ran, I went all the way to Navy Pier (about 5 miles from where I started) because it's so easy to see it and think "that's not too far away, I can do it!" Even running back was enjoyable, and it makes you feel like you're a part of the movement of the city when you see so many people running with you. I also went to yoga in a little studio down the street from me, and it was probably the most challenging yoga class I've ever been to. It was fun though, and hopefully I'm more flexible because of it!

I've also (surprisingly) been a vegetarian since I moved here. I didn't think that it was something for me necessarily, but it turns out that it's not actually that hard to cut meat out of your diet. For me, it's been a lot of oatmeal, pasta, Boca burgers and Morning Star chik'n nuggets, as well as a lot more vegetables and fruits than I was getting before. Some favorites of mine that can go along with any meal are carrots with ranch dressing and applesauce. I'm also a huge fan of the little broccoli and cheese frozen packages at the grocery store. It's been a challenge to find things that I like at restaurants, but at the same time, it's opened me up to things I normally wouldn't eat, including mushrooms, which I wouldn't have gone near before, but seem to be a staple in vegetarian diets. I'm not sure how long this is going to last, but it's been so fun and interesting trying it out, and at least I've opened myself up to trying new foods. I don't feel like I can speak to the health bit just yet, only because it's too soon to determine that, but I don't see how eating more fruits and vegetables can possibly be a bad thing!

Some of the major things I've done while I've been here include (but certainly aren't limited too): Chicago Cubs game, shopping on the Magnificent Mile, running the Lake Shore Trail, and Rivers Casino (I won $40!). I feel like there's so much more to do, so many museums to visit and theaters to go to. I have a lot to experience in Chicago, and I'll definitely be keeping everyone up to date on what's going on!