Do You Do Well On Job Interviews?

Being an introvert, I've had to go through hours of prayer and preparation to get through the few interviews I've had in my working life.  I always felt that it was a miracle when I received job offers. The managers told me that I did great on my interview but there was always something in the back of my mind saying, "If they picked me, how bad were the other applicants?"

That's sad but it's real.

I'm still that shy little girl in my head.  The one that used to cross the street to keep from walking through a group of boys.  The one that always wore baggy clothes and kept my hair in a ponytail so I could blend into the background.  Don't get it twisted, when I got to know people I talked their ears off but it took months for me to get to that point.

image from sparkplugpeople.com

Over the years I've learned to be myself, as they say, during interviews. Well, I became some form of myself, an alter-ego. The confident, charismatic version of me.  As I watched the video below, I was thinking about how glad I was that I never went to these extremes during the interview process.  I think a whole lot of crazy things that I will never say out loud. Of course they may end up in one of my books one day, but that's another story.



How do you do on interviews? Share your tips.

Government Shutdown

A number of blog ideas were flowing through my head the last couple of days—getting to know new people, backtracking with an ex… Not so unusual for me, I decided to go in a totally different direction. This doggone government shutdown is weighing heavily on my mind. I’m usually not a political minded person, but this stuff right here is getting on my nerves. I work for the part of the federal government that some people love and some hate—IRS—and as you know THE DAY is fast approaching. This year we have until April 18 to file and/or pay our taxes. As an employee, this date as well as the last day of this month, are crucial times for getting work completed.

The shutdown could also affect the issuing of refund checks (I'm glad I filed in February).



If we are shut down for a couple days to a couple of weeks, we may or may not get paid once the budget is passed. That’s what’s bothering me. I appreciate my good government job which is why I’ve been there for 14 years. As crazy as things get around there, I would love to have a few days off but being off without pay is not something I look forward to.

I was 19 years old and had no idea I’d be working for the government back in 1995 and 1996, the last time the government shut down. The politicians say that was the reason why former President Clinton was elected to a second term. I don’t know how that had anything to do with the cost of tea in China but instead of the senators fighting over whether the shutdown will benefit the Democrats or the Republicans they need to come to my service center and talk with the so-called non-essential people who don’t make hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. Then they would see that what’s important is the fact that we could miss one or more pay checks. Depending on a person’s financial situation, that could cause a major problem when it comes to paying the bills for however long we are off.

The National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) reps passed out fliers at work giving us information on how to send our congressional representatives a message: “Just say ‘NO’ to a government shutdown and severe budget cuts.” I’m not sure if this will have any effect on Congress’s or President Obama’s decision, but I would like to think that it would.

When we didn’t get our yearly raise and were told that we probably wouldn’t get one for another two or three years, I just shrugged and said, “Oh well”. I couldn’t miss any money that I never had. But I go to work every working day other than three vacation weeks out of the year, so I expect to get my regular paycheck.

When the Democrats and the Republicans finish playing this game of chicken, we’ll see if the government will be shut down Friday evening. 

If I get furloughed, can y'all let a sister hold something?  LOL just kidding, I'm good.

That Sounds Like Heaven

I was always reluctant to get into leadership roles but my pops always taught me that if I was a floor mopper, I should strive to be the best mopper there is. And if I could, be the head floor mopper, which is what I've always tried to do. But this has been a very daunting tasks when the people below me don't do what they are supposed to do, and when my manager is breathing down my neck because something was incorrect or not done at all.

I'm at the point now where I want to be just a regular employee. I don't want to have to worry about reports, reviews, inputting timesheets, answering questions, going to dumb meetings, and teaching unproductive training classes (because the people are still gonna do the same thing they've always done). Being responsible for my inventory only sounds like heaven. I want to be able to go to work in the morning and get off at a descent time. I want to be able to go to poetry readings to perfect my spoken-word abilities so I can make the next collection twice as good. My novel will be finished by the end of the year if I stop worrying about folks on my "day job".

I am a writer, a poet, and a crafter. I should not be in a place that stifles my creativity. Independence Day was yesterday and I can't help but to think about being freed from my corporate prison. One day ... I will escape.