Job hunting, tourist style

Due to having to rest my ankle injury, then my failed attempt at getting to San Francisco the other day, I am getting the feeling that the Universe really wants me to stay in Los Angeles... so I've figured if I am to be here for a while I should look for a job. Not to mention that traveling around America is a hell of a lot more expensive than I originally budgeting for.

So I start browsing for jobs, not limiting myself to just computer work however (as I didn't travel half way around the world to do the same thing as back home), besides there was heaps of cool opportunities on offer; dog walker, extras casting, receptionists, computer repairs! Although with obviously heaps of competition to contend with.

All good, I am in no immediate rush, let's see what happens.

It's Friday that I start applying for jobs. That afternoon I already get a call, sweet, did not expect that! Some guy wants a Facebook page set up for his business. Sounds easy enough. We arrange to meet the next morning (Saturday), I couldn't have been more pleased.

After the repressive day of trying to get to the doctors last Saturday during a thunder storm, the stressful hospital visit of doom the next day, and then of course my dismal day just a few days after that when I tried to get to San Francisco but everything went haywire before it even began, I really needed something to go my way. Long story short, I purchased a nice new shirt to wear, take the 30 minute bus ride to our meeting place at 11am... and then can't get a hold of nor can find him. Eventually at 11.25am he answers his phone.

"Oh, Aaron, yes I tried calling you, I was at the meeting spot at 9am but you weren't there, then you wouldn't answer your phone at 9.30am, so I assumed you were no longer interested so I gave the job to someone else"

Sigh.

I know we had definitely settled upon meeting at 11am. And at 9.30am I was still asleep because of noisy roommates so I didn't hear the call. Fine, whatever. Too annoyed with my luck to try any further job seeking I figured I'd take the rest of the day off.

Hang on, what's this? He has called me back again! He wants to work out another time to meet, sweet. "Yeah cool I can definitely meet up, does tomorrow morning work for you, say arou..." beep, beep, beep.... my pre-paid phone ran out of credit... why! This time I gave up for good and really did just take the rest of the day off.

The next day, Sunday, I get straight into applying for jobs. Again it seems my luck is finally on the rise as I get an email pretty much immediately. Some lady simply provides car descriptions and corresponding pictures, and I get paid $2 per car I add to this trading post website, with about 100 - 200 listings a week. What a job! She claimed I will get paid every 3 days, which sounded risky, but I figure I need to take a chance some time so I agree to it anyway.

That afternoon she sends details of a bunch of cars to be listed which takes me 3 hours to do. Upon completion she says thanks for the work, and that she will send another batch of cars the following day. Hmm, hang on... I am not spending more time on another batch of listings until I know this is a legit operation. I send a nice email back saying that for my ease of mind I'd like to be paid for the listings I have already done before I continue onto the next batch.

"Fair enough" she says. "You will get the money in your account tomorrow morning" she says.

Monday morning arrives, the money never does. It's alright though, I am going to write a computer program that spams her email inbox with 100's of emails every few days. That sounds like fun =)

Alas, it is now Monday afternoon, day 4 of job searching. Brutal! I am sick of it already. Don't know how people do it for weeks on end...

Out of nowhere I get a call.

"Hi, Aaron? My name is bshzzz from bshzzz, are you still interested in working with us?"

The phone I have is dodgy as, those "bshzzz" parts are where the phone crackled and I missed what she said... the key parts of course.

"Umm... sure sounds great!" is my enthusiastic yet hesitant reply.

"Perfect, your interview time is this afternoon at 4pm. We are in room 420..."  

"...sorry which position was this for again..?" I try to inject. She doesn't hear me.

"...please dress in professional attire. I look..."

"...wait just before you go what job was this?.."

"...forward to seeing you then..."

"... was this a computer job or?!" 

"...bye now!"

"...wait!"

She's gone.

That went well. I... don't know what the job is...

Ha!

And that brings us to now, where I am about to go attend an interview for a job that I know nothing about. Sounds like it is going to be another interesting day in Los Angeles.