Just before the holidays in 2017, I took a paid day off from work to spend time with my daughters. The plan: to enjoy quality time with my girls with a trip to the pumpkin patch. I set aside my work phone and made a point not to check it until later in the afternoon. I enjoyed a much-needed beautiful fall day with my lovely girls.
When I went to check my work phone later that day, the lock screen was filled with text messages and missed calls. My manager was trying to reach me, his voicemail message urgently requested I return his call. It turned out that he was desperately trying to reach me before I heard the bad news (no pun intended) on television.
His voice was calm yet heavy with the unpleasant task of being the bearer of bad news. “Our company is closing its doors permanently. Everyone is being laid off.” My stomach fell out from underneath me. Later that week I would experience my first ulcer. I received a formal letter with a date of my last day of work. I would be on unemployment before Thanksgiving.
As if I didn’t already know how unstable life could be, this experience validated the fact that there are so many things in life that are out of your control. So, I accepted my situation, and began to quickly focus on things that were within my control.
I replaced sinking self-pity with empathy, and extended an offer of help to the other 200 employees floating in the same large boat with me. Many of my fellow laid-off employees had worked at the same employer for 10 to 20-plus years. Most did not have a LinkedIn account, and many needed a resume. I offered my writing services to any who wanted help writing a resume. I must have created at least 20. Luckily the local unemployment office had resume writing resources, because I’m quite sure I would have hit resume-writing burnout before long.
I went through the cumbersome unemployment process, and simultaneously began the job hunt. I would submit easily a dozen resumes per day. Applying to jobs became my full-time job. I used every job search site, had several phone interviews, then in-person interviews, and accepted a new gig just before Christmas.
I would not say my way is the best way. Looking back, I wish I did not put so much pressure on myself. So while I give the below advice, I will preface it with this: BREATHE, and take it one day at a time. Do not stress yourself out. It will not serve you well and it could lead to making a poor decision. You will get through this and you will find the right job in the right time. So again, Breathe.
Last year’s holiday season taught me a great deal. I am not in the habit of taking anything for granted, but with respect to my job, I have a few quick points I would like to make for ANYONE else out there who may be facing a similar circumstance.
1. Always be prepared.
Do not get complacent at your job. It’s always a GREAT idea to keep your resume up-to-date. It is good practice to slap on a few descriptive bullet points to your latest resume with key functions you are doing at your job right now. Jot down noteworthy moments where you shine. It is so difficult to remember those magical moments when you are putting yourself on the spot 3 or 5 or 10 years later. Keep a word doc or excel spreadsheet squirreled away with a catalog of bullet points – keep it current- you will thank yourself later on.
2. Create a LinkedIn Profile.
If you do not have a LinkedIn profile, you are missing out on one of the best, free networking applications on the internet. Create a profile on LinkedIn and then begin looking for old colleagues, classmates, friends, and start connecting with all of them.
If you already have a LinkedIn (LI) account and it’s sitting dormant somewhere on the web, stop what you are doing, access your account, and blow the dust off of it. You need to beef up your LI profile, stat. You can do this with three key things: connecting (with people you worked with, went to school with, or did business with at any level), update your employment details on your profile (this is a living resume), and asking colleagues and friends for endorsements. Endorsements are super helpful- so don’t be bashful. It doesn’t hurt to endorse others as well- many will reciprocate the kindness. If you have questions about ANY of this- please leave them in the comments section. I will respond to all of them.
3. Throw a WIDE net!
Right now there are so many online resources to apply for jobs. I am partial to LinkedIn due the success I’ve experienced. I like the ease of their user interface, and how my profile doubles as a online portfolio. With all of that said, I encourage you to use ALL the websites: Indeed, Monster, Craigslist (with caution), and ask friends or colleagues for their recommendations or sites of choice.
Additionally, do your homework on all potential employers. Glassdoor is a GREAT resource for this. I wish I knew about Glassdoor years ago. It would have saved me from working at a very toxic employer. Glassdoor allows people to provide anonymous feedback about their employer. You can learn about salaries, benefits, the interview process, and specific complaints or praises.
I know this blog post barely scratches the surface with regards to unemployment. If you are finding yourself out of work right now, please know you have resources. If you are a veteran in need of work, there are so may organizations centered on placing veterans in jobs. I will be providing some links to resources below. PLEASE leave a comment if you have any questions for me! I am happy to answer questions about my unemployment experience and how I found my job quickly after being laid off last year.
Ironically, this blog post is inspired by the unsteady climate of my current employer. I just hit my 1-year mark and in the last few weeks my employer has laid off several people, and “partially” laid off the remainder. Odd, right? Apparently it’s a thing. Hourly employees have been informed they can only work 32 hours, and they will get unemployment for the 8 hours they do not work. As I am a salary employee they could not reduce me to 32-hours per week, so instead, I received a 10% pay cut. Still, I’m incredibly grateful to have a job.
Much love, Eve Poetry
Some helpful websites:
State of Oregon: Employment resources
LinkedIn 101 – How to use LinkedIn for Beginners (Great article)
I often find myself reflecting on things I need to change about myself. These “things” are typically mindset issues. Years and years of childhood lessons that contradict how I need to think in order to be successful. As I go through this personal life dilemma, I catch myself saying things to my daughters that cause me to stop in my own tracks and ask the question, ‘Why am I saying this?’.
I want to pass on wisdom to my daughters, as it is my job as their mother to nurture them and prepare them for their future. However, I am undergoing a re-training of sorts. Throwing out old files from my brain that I deem ‘no longer valid’. Removing the spam files maliciously filed under the educational category, ‘things said to girls but never said to boys’. I am approaching my daughters with a refreshing perspective that I hope will be useful to other parents.
If you feel bogged down with files of spam in your brain, downloaded by generations of skewed parenting advise, this post if for you.
1. “The only thing that matters is what’s on the inside.”
Although I agree with the sentiment behind this statement, young girls internalize this in ways that can be unhelpful. Also, it’s not true. For many people in this world, it is not the only thing that matters. Blanket statements like this one leave big, confusing gaps left open to interpretation.
If my daughter comes to me discouraged, if she is feeling self-conscious and down about her looks or how she is perceived, I aim to provide her with concise feedback. I first ask questions to draw out her “why’s”. I then use statements that are TRUE about her character, talent, AND looks.
“Let’s talk about what is true about you: you are a talented dancer. You work so hard and practice every day.” “I see how you’ve improved on your turns.” “You are compassionate and think about others [insert specific instance of compassion]”. “You balance school, dance, and friendships so well, I’m so proud of your ability to handle these things with such care.”
The truth is that the things that matter are defined by each individual person. We can do our best to impose our values on our children, but they are exposed to a whole world mixed up with differing worldviews. Unless you keep your daughter in a bubble, and trust me, I wish I could do that too, you need to address the fact that people do value what’s on the outside too.
Our daughter’s do not benefit from using blanket statements or lies. They do benefit from honest discussion.
The law of attraction becomes a relevant topic earlier than us parents want to believe. I never wanted to shave my legs nor did I worry about the fact that I had hairy legs until a classmate of mine declared, ‘ewwww, you need to shave your legs!’ during a round of kickball when I was in the 6th grade. I remember exactly where I was standing, where he was crouched down, the heat moving up my face, and the conversation I had immediately when I got home from school that day. My exterior mattered that day. Luckily, I had a parent that valued my emotions and decided I was old enough to learn how to shave my legs.
I believe in the importance of teaching our daughters to value inner beauty above outer beauty. I make a point to draw the correlation between inner beauty and how this trait will attract good, healthy people into your life. The conversation doesn’t stop there. I also teach them how to properly care for their bodies: good hygiene, how to apply make up, skin care tips, hair care tips, the importance of exercise and staying active, eating healthy, drink enough water, and most importantly: I am their biggest advocate and fan.
2. “Don’t be full of yourself.”
I can hear it now. Well-meaning adult women in my life, making this, and other similar statements, in hopes that I would not grow up to be a self-absorbed diva. The biggest issue with this particular statement, is that it is almost never followed by statements that empower little girls.
Generations of adults have cycled a concept that little girls should be the most humble, proper little beings. Smile for the camera, but don’t think your all that and a bag of chips. Wear this cute little dress, but don’t show off.
I recall an instance of two adult women talking when I was a teenager. These women were discussing a female cousin of mine; retelling a story from when she was a toddler. The toddler approached the two women and declared, “I’m cute!”. They both looked at her, and one recalls the other women stating, “No you’re not!”. The women giggled as they shared this story, but it made me sad and confused as a teenager. I thought of my little cousin, all dressed up, feeling pretty, and it made a connection for me between that story, and what I knew then of her low self-esteem. A misguided attempt to keep a little girl from being too full of herself. Words that made wound, that would later become a woman’s scar and inner obstacle.
Why do we value young boys acting and speaking with certainty and confidence when talking about themselves, yet discourage it with girls?
If we focus on building up strong, confident girls; we will get strong, confident women. Let’s focus on BUILDING. Let’s stop breaking girls down.
3. “Don’t act vain/cocky.”
Of the items on my list, this ranks at the top of the list for things we do not systemically say to boys, yet say to girls. I find myself struggling to navigate this with my own teenage daughter.
This topic overlaps a bit with statement #2. The distinction is that this statement is more about performance and less about looks or physical identity.
As a mother of three, I have observed different approaches to motivating good performance. Some coaches use fear. Some use strict rules and guidelines. Some use only positive reinforcement. Regardless of the approach to mentor, coach, teach; please stop saying things like, “Don’t be cocky, just because we won the competition last week, does not mean we will win this week.” “Do not get out there and be over-confident, just focus and do your best.” I have heard so many “Just because … doesn’t mean..” statements lately, that it was a key motivator to write this.
These statements do NOTHING to prepare a young girl for battle. If she is stepping out into a field, arena, or onto a stage, the LAST thing she needs to hear is, “Don’t be over-confident”. How many movies include this statement as part of a motivational speech? Could you imagine Denzel saying, ‘Don’t be too cocky!” before his football team entered the arena for the playoff game? What if instead Braveheart shouted, “Just because we won the battle last week, does not mean we shall win today!!”, then shows scene of bloody battle? You simply do not hear men saying these types of statements to other men.
I have heard these statements by coaches and team captains. I have heard them said right before a performance at a dance competition. And guess what? The results suck.
If you are trying to discourage your girls, or get in their heads to screw them up, then by all means, keep using that technique. Or maybe, just MAYBE, you try something new.
Let’s try doing the opposite. “Okay girls, I want you to visualize success. You WILL win, you will perform each move to perfection”. “You ARE the talented dancers and have worked so hard for this very day, get out there and show them what champions look like.” “Be confident! Be cocky!” I believe their ability to visualize success may actually be a success.
You can teach girls to be confident without it being at the expense of others. You can build them up to be champions and good sports. They have a better chance of success if you hype them up once you’ve given them the training they need, and they put in the hard work required to succeed. Give girls permission to be GREAT. This is not a gender-specific concept. Everyone should be inspired to greatness if they are willing to do the work, and practice, practice, practice. Oh, and there is the talent thing too. Not everyone was born to be an opera singer. So, refer to #1, and speak honestly with your girl about her talents.
4. “You don’t need a man to be happy.”
While women do not require a significant other, they may want, or even yearn for love and companionship one day.
Humans, from infancy, need touch and nurturing. The very touch of a mother has a direct correlation to an infant’s growth and development. It’s an innate need, love.
Instead of harping on girls to be strong, independent women who don’t need a man. Let’s first raise them and build them up as strong, self-aware girls. Engage in open communication with our strong, young girls to discuss the types of things they value in a partner. Model healthy relationships and give them something to aspire to.
Whether we (parents) like it or not, our girls will eventually discover “love”. We cannot swipe it away with a blanket statement that undervalues human connection. Wanting a life partner does not make you weak. Opening your heart to love is characteristic of one who has strength and courage. I want my daughters to know themselves, value themselves, and in doing so, find the person in this world that values exactly that.
I’ve been through divorce. It was the worst experience, and I would not wish it on my worst enemy. I worried, and still worry, about the impacts of the divorce on my children. I’ve witnessed the fallout. It’s been many years now, so most of it is behind us. My children had a front-row seat to ‘what happens when love goes bad’.
Through open communication and years of healing, I’m happy to say they all have a healthy perspective on love. I have witnessed evidence of that in each of them. I spent years as a single mother. I felt a pull and need to have companionship and love, but I did not rush into another marriage. When I did get re-married, it was done thoughtfully, and my children were just as happy and excited for the new chapter as I was. Now my children can observe a healthy marriage, and I am so grateful.
Let us not make the desire for companionship or love, a weakness.
Our girls can have it all.
5. “You need to learn how to love yourself” (too little, too late)
How exactly do I do that? All I have heard throughout my entire life is that I need to be humble, quiet, kind, meek, not cocky, not full of myself, not too loud, don’t laugh like that, don’t stand like this, don’t talk about that, and the list goes on.
Pop culture teaches girls the reverse of this statement. Marketing campaigns splash ideal images of women absolutely everywhere. You cannot go anywhere without seeing a magazine, billboard, poster, or screen of any sort with the image of an airbrushed model sporting the ‘look of the week’. Young girls see, “look at this, buy this, copy that, this is the look you must aspire to, but don’t worry, next week it will be different, and you’ll never catch up.”
Then there are the fad diets. A new diet craze pops up every month. Young girls are filled with junk, processed foods made readily available at a bargain price, and then brainwashed on the latest and greatest way to lose 10 lbs.
And then after all of that, the life coaches and gurus come out of the woodwork. “Self love, y’all!” “All you need do is love… yourself!”. They are feeding off the abundance of unhappiness and discontent that our culture perpetuates.
It is a symptom of a broken world, with a select elite calling the shots and making the rules. We adults need to re-program our minds in order to prepare our girls for this crazy world. We need to stop uttering words and statements thoughtlessly. Let us be mindful about each thing we teach our girls. If we do this, they will never need to be trained to love themselves, they will do so naturally.
We can all take part in breaking the cycle. This blog post barely scratches the surface on a much greater problem. Women are systematically undervalued in most of the world. They are marginalized, objectified, and abused. The statistics are out there: do your research, and please be sure to check your sources. You can help by starting in your home. Keep open communication; initiate conversations and ask her questions. And those things that your mother told you? Take five to reflect before you regurgitate those same words to your young. It is not a perfect process, and we will still make those parental blunders we will pay for later. The fact that you are trying is that thing that makes a different. It will take us that much closer to empowering young girls in the same manner we empower our young boys.
Please subscribe to follow my blog! Please also share in the comments: What are statements you received as a children that stuck with you? Have you said something that stopped you in your tracks, and forced you to reflect? I would love to hear from you!
I ask a question that I realize could spark hostile debate. Please know, I do not ask this to instigate negativity. I am seeking to understand. I ask for thoughtful explanation, and thoughtful conversation.
I was raised in two households. During the first part of my childhood, I was raised by my single mother. She is an immigrant who arrived in U.S. in the ’50s. Her family worked very hard to send my mother and her sisters to this country. My mother boarded a ship as a pre-teen, with two of her four sisters, and arrived to this country in New York City where she was picked up by my great-grandfather.
My grandmother and her three daughters lived in Little Italy in the North End of Boston in a tiny one-bedroom apartment. They paid for showers at a bath house. The girls went to school where they were teased by the American-born Italian children for not speaking the language. My mother was likely in the 6th grade at the time of her arrival. However, she was put in a first or second-grade classroom as they did not have an education system that could address the language barrier. She soon dropped out of school, as many did at that time. The embarrassment and bullying became too much, and she needed to begin working to help support herself and her family.
Like many immigrant children, my mother experienced childhood trauma. Her experiences made it nearly impossible for her to hold a job. She suffered from severe migraines and panic attacks. We lived in the projects just outside of Boston and were grateful beneficiaries of the welfare system. It allowed my mother to stay home and care for us, and I am so grateful she was home.
I began to spend time with my dad on the west coast when I was eight years old. Eventually I began to split time between the coasts and switched from school in Boston to school in the west, with summers in the east. My father is a conservative Republican. He is also a Christian. My mother a Catholic.
The first Presidential election that I remember well was 1988, Dukakis vs Bush. I remember announcing to my dad, ‘I want Dukakis to win! He’s from Massachusetts, and he’s for the people’. I was immediately scolded and told that I was to root for Bush. And from that point on, I was indoctrinated into the belief system that aligns with a Conservative Right worldview. Not a large task as I was only 11 years old.
I lived a life divided. One that experienced the benefits of a democratic social system that took care of people who could not completely fend for themselves, and another largely motivated by conservative religious ideals. Neither do I feel are wrong or bad, but neither were distinctly my own point of view.
I found myself floating along for years, owning mostly the thought system of my father. I didn’t really know why I was impassioned to defend the beliefs I had as they were not organically my own. It wasn’t until I hit my late 30s that I began soul searching to determine my own political views.
At 41 years of age, I am still soul searching. What is it that I believe? It may seem bizarre to others that I admit this, but it took this long to figure out: ‘are these my beliefs because I really think this way?’ or ‘is this thinking someone imposed on me, but I really do not think this way?’.
I do believe there is a God. I have seen evidence in my own life of a higher power. I am comfortable with the idea of spirituality. I accept that not everything can be seen or touched to make it real. Some things simply require a belief system of faith. I still believe in Jesus. The Jesus I know is a God of love. His teachings focus on defining love. He teaches the acceptance of broken people and modeled agape love during His time on this earth.
Which bring me to my question: What does Jesus think of Trump?
In this complex, polarizing political time, I see and hear Christians proclaiming their undying devotion to Donald Trump. Yet I am perplexed in what I see as a contradiction between things that Trump says and does, and the things that Jesus says in the Bible. An example of this would be Trump’s feelings on immigration.
Immigration is a topic especially close to my heart. If my mother was unable to immigrate to this country, I would not be here today. My great-grandfather and grandmother left a war-torn country to claim a better life for their children, and their children’s children. My great-grandfather and great-uncles helped build the bridges and tunnels that millions use every day in Boston.
I hope someone out there sees this and answers my question. Again, I am only asking to understand. I mean no offense. I am not a Republican. I am not a Democrat. I do vote. I do not vote based on political party anymore. I research each topic and each candidate and base my vote on the facts I am given. I am not a political writer, although this blog post contradicts that statement.
My writing is meant to cover all aspects of my life and in this case, I am reflecting on current politics. My motivation to write this is a desire to learn.
Thank you for reading this. Please leave a comment!
Dear reader,
Thank you so much for stopping by. I’m just getting this off the ground and I’m excited to begin sharing various aspects of my life, from beginning to end, not in sequential order.
I guess I should begin this by sharing a little bit myself, generally speaking.
I am a writer based in Portland, Oregon where I live with my husband, and three kids. My oldest is almost all grown and on his own. My middle child is fifteen, a talented dancer, crazy intelligence, and going places before you know it. My youngest loves art, and spends hours upon hours creating new worlds in her drawings. She is probably the next big thing in the comic book industry.
My husband and I met in the 5th grade. It’s a looong story that led me to him. For now, I’ll say that I am happily married to a man that was made for me. He’s a great human being and loves me and my children, and we LOVE him.
I spend most of my waking hours balancing time between a full time job, a volunteer role that serves veterans, two daughters in school with extracurricular activities, my marriage, and my writing. Definitely not listed in order of priority. Oh, and I try to squeeze CrossFit, or a 3-5 mile run in that schedule at least 4 times a week.
My passion for writing and the importance of making this a greater priority in my life has led me to this blog. I have so much to share, and I have 3 amazing children who need to see their mother pursuing her passion. How could I justify urging my children to chase their dreams if I do not model such a behavior?
I hope my writing provides an authentic example of an artist chasing their dream. That through persistence and hard work, you an accomplish anything. By this, may I inspire you to pursue what you love.
I also hope to get to know other writers and artists of every category. Please leave a comment to introduce yourself and follow my journey. I’ll make a great effort to return emails and correspondence. Thank you again for visiting my blog!
