Chance Encounters

Do you believe in fate? I didn't used to, but I'm beginning to fancy myself a believer.

Remember Shadow, Chance and Sassy - the motley two-dog-one-cat trio who traveled the country in the Disney film Homeward Bound? It was the golden retriever who lead the crew home, but I always thought that Chance, the well-meaning but clumsy bulldog could have done it as well.

Years ago (when hopes were high and my hair was high-lighted) I toured the house I now find myself struggling to pay for. It was and is spacious, full of character and every so often I stumble across a toy buried in the yard or struggle against a carpet stain that reminds me I'm not the first to sleep here. Sometimes I wonder about the family who sold me this house - where they are now, if they've painted their new rooms the same colors I've painted over in MY new rooms and if they still have the tiny black and brown dog that greeted me the first time I visited. This week, at least one of those questions got answered.

I'm not sure what the mathematical probability is of a nine pound Chihuahua returning to its puppyhood home from an unknown location over a year after it last lived there, but that is indeed what happened a few nights ago. I now find myself with the task of tracking down the house's former family with a number that is disconnected and dog tags that still link the little guy to my address.

I also don't know the mathematical probability of a professional, hardworking college graduate being unable to maintain gainful employment. Or how many contracted positions with only a tangential connection to her chosen field she statistically must participate in before locating the elusive Calling. If it's not math, IS it fate? My family seems to think so. They tell me that I will not find success in any job until I move back to Seattle where I am "meant to be."

It seems at this point, I have quite a few opportunities, and very few certainties. For instance, I could give up the Calling and throw myself into the restaurant business - which has a 75% failure rate. I could rent out my house and move back in with my parents where I still may not get a job. I could take all my savings, start my own company and live or die by my own hand. At least I know I wouldn't get fired or laid off. Or I could go back to school for my Master's Degree. ASU does seem to have a superb program. Though tempting, when I hear of friends who leave that little accomplishment off their resumes lest they hear "you're overqualified for this position" any desire I had to chain myself to a textbook for the next few years goes right out the window.

So what's a girl to do? Head to Vegas, leaving my career to chance and my finances on the craps table? I think that plane has already left the tarmac. Should I stop the job search altogether and wait for God or the wind to bless me with my dream job or take away everything ala Richard LeMieux? Or take matters into my own hands with an off-the-wall job-seeking technique like The Resume Shirt? Do I really have any choice? As one of my all time favorite movie characters once said, "You can't interfere with destiny. That's why it's destiny. And if you try to interfere, the same thing's going to happen anyway, and you'll just suffer." Thank you and good luck in the Election, Tracy.

I have a lot to think about. Starting with this little dog who by fate or ingenuity landed where he thinks he belongs. There seems to be a message here somewhere. I'll let you know when I find it.

Just Say "No" to Spec?

Today friends, is a historic day in the life of this would-be Happy, Healthy, Well-Adjusted and Popular gal. Today is day seven of my new job with a fabulous downtown nonprofit! One week, and so far, so good. I enjoy what I do, my new co-workers and my office (Yes, I have an office! With a door! And a window!). I fully support the organization's mission. It's a dream. And...here's the caveat: it's part-time. I know there may be an opportunity to become full time at some point in the future, assuming the organization has the financial means, and of course, that they like the work I do. It's a powerful motivator, this potential future full-time position. I find myself trying to walk faster, think bigger, and work harder than ever in order to prove myself worthy.

Some might call this period of part-time work "spec" - as in work done for a company during the interview process designed to establish a potential employee's knowledge and skills but without said company having to commit to a hire. While I see very few real similarities between my situation and actual spec work, it does make me wonder, has the down economy birthed a hire-er's market where extreme caution is exercised by interviewers and in which spec work is the norm? Are we really looking at creating a standard practice where one professional feels entitled to ask another to work for free? Should the young workforce resign themselves to a future of test after test in the search for employment?

I decided to ask around. Seems most young interviewees are frustrated that their degrees and resumes are no longer enough to establish their credibility (I mean really, diplomas are just given out like candy these days, right? Or wait, did I get my diploma in EXCHANGE for candy? I forget...). They also fear their intellectual property may be stolen or that they will not be properly reimbursed for their time. Unfortunately, at least among those I spoke with, these fears are too often realized. Maybe it's time those entering the workforce pick up a legal degree in their spare time. I have one highly qualified friend who was asked to create an entire marketing plan for an organization's recruitment initiative only to lose the job to...no one. The position is still open. She doesn't know what became of her marketing plan, and if I were her, I wouldn't want to know: the possibility that her work may be in use while she decides whether to collect unemployment is just too painful.

Some outspoken opponents of spec work admit that while they don't support the idea itself, it is hard to refuse when jobs are scarce and talent is plentiful. And it isn't just new graduates who face this difficult crisis of conscience. On a flight a few months ago, I sat next to an experienced creative director who was in the process of a large, involved spec project for a well respected West coast company. We talked at length about Gen Y's sense of entitlement (see Jenavi Kasper's explosive post on Phoenix Ad Blog) and the value of "bringing the goods" to an interview in addition to your resume's fancy words. I heard recently that he got the job (way to go fellow traveller!) and I have to assume that he was proud of the spec he "brought."

Whether or not spec work is fair, it does get the job done - often for both parties. A friend recently told me about a three hour interview where she was given a complicated design task to complete on the spot. It was through this process that she realized that she didn't want the position - saving both herself and the company the headache that would likely have occurred had she taken a job that wasn't a good fit.

In theory spec work is funny, but when it comes down to it, I think most of us see spec work as a seed of hope - a chance to grab hold of that elusive corporate ladder and demonstrate that despite whatever obstacles have kept us from entering (or escaping) The Rat Race in the past - given just a little time and space we too can produce quality work that will make the world a better place.