West Coast West

Applying for jobs and interviewing

How stressful is looking for a new job?

Whoever says it’s as hard as having a real job is wrong.  It’s worse.  You search and search and spend all this energy every day to apply to your goal of however many jobs you want to apply to that day, and in turn, maybe one automated email responds and says they will get back to you if your resume meets their requirements.

And your resume, for whatever reason, rarely meets any of the requirements.

Oh, and all this is for free.  You aren’t getting paid– even if you are on unemployment, it’s not enough to make up for the rejection and loneliness of sitting at panera or your apartment waiting for the call to bring you back to life.

So what do you do?

Don’t give up is the most important.

And trust me, this is also one of the hardest.  No matter how much effort you put in one day, make sure you wake up the next and put in just as much the next.  Think about your last job, right?  Remember all those idiots you had to work with?  Remind yourself: those idiots have jobs, so you will too.  It just takes time, and a whole lot of energy.  You have the time, just force through that energy.

Make human connections, not robotic.

You can apply to 101 jobs on company websites, but unless you know someone there, your resume is most likely going to be sent to Mars.  Linked-in is a wonderful tool because it takes the middle man out and I really should have started relying on it more heavily way back in September, but at least the last couple weeks have been fruitful.

If you see a job on a company site, apply for it there, then look up on linked in who the recruiters are who work for that company.  Connect with them and ask if you could send them your resume directly, most often they will be extremely helpful, and even if they don’t work in your exact department, they have meetings with or have met the person you need to be put in contact with and they can send your resume to that person directly.

Smile.

Be enthusiastic on the phone, people can hear you smile and respond to it.  Have an excellent attitude at all times and listen, listen LISTEN to the person you are talking to, whether it be a recruiter or a potential employer.

Early Bird Gets the Worm.

I invented this tactic myself, but it truly works with emailing.  The first and last thing you do as an employee of a company is check your email, right?  So if you really, really want to get in contact with someone or have them read your email or resume, don’t send any emails from 4 PM until later that night, they will just get lost in the shuffle– wait and set your alarm to email them either after 10 PM at night, or wake up and email them from 5-7:30 AM because you will be the first email at the top of their inbox that day, guaranteed.  People start checking their blackberries and work emails right after they get up or out of the shower or when they first get to work, so if you email first thing, you will be top in the mailbox and if they get it before any major issues come up when their co-workers get to work, they will think of you as top priority.

If you email someone after 4 PM, he is usually not in the mood to respond right then because they need to finish everything else by the end of the day, so he will put it off and get back to it tomorrow, or otherwise forget they even ever read it at all.

So try to get that bait before they have other things to do.

Look hot

When you interview, people, look your best.  You don’t want to look like you are going out, but put on makeup, do your hair and wear earrings and or, if you are a guy, a watch.

Wear something that fits, if you have to get the size 12 pants, freaking do it, no one knows the number on your pants, but muffin top is a sin.

Don’t mention things that make you sound stupid

I left New York and now live with my boyfriend, but I would never say he is one of the reasons for me moving to Doylestown in an interview (sorry!) even though he is.  As soon as you say boyfriend, you sound 16 so don’t mention that word at all.  Also, maybe the guy interviewing you thinks you are hot and if you mention boyfriend, all the sudden he has a sour taste in his mouth.  Never let them onto anything person, it’s too early in the game!  Same goes with mentioning you love going out or “had a lot of fun studying abroad” (duh) or any other obvious no-no’s.  Also, make sure you have something up your sleeve that is a hobby.  Cooking, art– and if you mention either of these, be prepared to back it up!

“I love cooking stuff,” is not really a thoughtful response, but something like “I’ve recently gotten into making my own homemade pizzas, and it’s really fun to come up with different recipes using interesting ingredients!” works a lot better.  They want to know you are a human being, not a robot, so if they ask you the spare time question be honest, but conservative. One time a friend of my interviewed a guy and he said he really enjoyed craft beers, since he had a lot of knowledge about them, and seemed genuine, it didn’t hurt his interview at all and he ended up getting the job!  Had he said he loved drinking, things would have been a little different.

Also, try not to use any negative words, even if you are using them in a positive context.

“I don’t have any experience in that type of situation” sounds better as “I never came across that in my past experience.”  Try to avoid words like don’t, can’t, won’t..and so forth.

These are just a few tips I have from the past couple of weeks when I have really seen a lot more strides in my interviewing process and hope they help you out as well.

Ok, I’m back to the grind.

xoxo,

wcw

 

 

Whole Foods, a cautionary tale

It’s really not a cautionary tale, I just thought I needed to share with you my last visit to Whole Foods which may have been my last.

After having a particularly exhausting morning I decided that instead of visiting the Acme or Giant on my way home like I should have done, I would treat myself to my favorite thing ever, the broccoli salad from Whole Foods for lunch.

I also remembered we were out of a few things, so I would pick up those items as well.  Lettuce, hot sauce and corn tortillas.  Just your regular old Latin American House Girlfriend.

So I grab the lettuce, and start looking for the hot sauce, narrowly avoiding a kale smoothie demo and a girl on her phone complaining about the quinoa– not watching where she was going.

The hot sauce I wanted, siracha, natch, was $7 so I said out loud “fuck that, whole foods” and continued on my quest for some tortillas.

You would think they would be located in their “ethnic section” but apparently all Latins eat are blue corn tortilla chips and mango salsa.

So I head over to the dairy section where there were only flour tortillas left, which I wasn’t feelin’ at the mo. Thus began a journey Columbus and Magellan my not have even attempted to embark upon.

“Excuse me, can you please tell me where the corn tortillas are?”  I said to the woman in flannel, tight jeans, hipster glasses, bangs (duh) and a beanie stocking the Kefir.

“What?”

“The corn tortillas, can you please tell me where they are?”

“There.” she points to the flour tortillas and walks away.  Clearly there were none there, that is why I asked you senora sweedish milk drink, but she obvi wasn’t in the mood.

So I walk over to the deli section and ask someone who looks particularly unbusy, literally scratching her head and say:

“Can you please tell me where your corn tortillas are?”

“Um, sure. Let me walk you over to the dairy section.” and just as I go to tell her that there are none there, she walks with rapid speed, towards the dairy case where I just was, so I follow.

By the time I get there, I’m thoroughly annoyed and she says and points to the tortillas. “Here.”

“No, sorry, I need corn tortillas, these are flour, could they be in another section they would be in?”

“No clue, let me find out who is on Dairy Duty today so we can find them.”

At least she is being helpful, so we walk together to the back of the store where she asks a man in full fish monger attire like he’s Long John Silver if he is on Dairy Duty.

 

(First off, have you seen the fish section of whole foods?  It holds about 7 lbs of fish, so why a man would have to be dressed like captain charlie castaway with a beard is just beyond obnoxious, and secondly, OF COURSE LONG JOHN SILVER IS NOT ON DAIRY DUTY YOU IDIOT can’t you see his attire, his roll is that of the fish monger today, even I could have told you that!)

So he runs by like he’s about to save a baby seal from being eaten by a tiger shark and looks in disgust at the question if he is on dairy duty.

“NO, Terry, I’m not on Dairy Duty!” UGH!

At this point I’ve had my fill, but I’ve gone so far to leave empty handed, so I take a deep breath as the deli counter girl shouts “Who is on dairy duty then!” after him.

He says “No clue!” without even turning around.

Just as this defeat is happening, the original hipster who was loading Kifir onto the dairy shelves rips around the corner and deli counter asks her if she is on dairy duty, to which she says “yes” and keeps walking.

Deli Counter runs after her through the swinging double doors and I see her ask where the corn tortillas are and points to me saying I need them.  So she looks at me and says “they are in the dairy section” and I have just about lost hope in humanity.

“Yes, but they are not there, are there any in the back?” I ask, accentuating every syllable through my teeth.

“Um, I don’t know.  Terry, who is on freezer duty today? They come in frozen.”

I’m about to throw the lettuce I am holding in the air and scream for the love of HUMANITY you freaking hipsters but I somehow remain calm.

Terry says she doesn’t know, just as fish monger walks by and Dairy Queen asks him who is on freezer duty, but of course he cannot be bothered because he must feed the family of small birds living in his beard and tend to the 8 lbs of fish in the fish section. “NO IDEA TERRY!”  I have a feeling Terry isn’t well received by the whole food hipsters.  Perhaps because she is in sketcher white sneaks, but maybe they are jealous that she is on another level of hipster? I don’t know. I haven’t been back to Williamsburg since July so I have no idea how far the bar is being pushed on irony these days.

So finally Dairy Queen huffs so loudly that I might blow over and walks through the swinging double doors and disappears.

I’m not sure what she is doing, but perhaps she is finding whichever groundling is on freezer duty so I just wait it out.

A few minutes later she returns holding 3 packs of frozen corn tortillas and asks if I plan on using them tonight, because if I am not, I should probably keep them frozen.

Which annoys me on a few levels considering you buy them on the shelves in the dairy section, but they really should remain frozen if you aren’t going to use them in a couple days?

And we are paying how much for this nonsense?

After picking up a few other things, and my broccoli salad, the tally comes to $53 which I nearly fainted at the site of and vowed to myself, never again.

But the tortillas are awesome though, and I will probably get them again next week.

xoxo,

wcw

 

 

Fantastic Christmas Gift Guide

And for everyone else, here is a never failing wonderful gift guide for everyone else you need to buy for.

Dramatic Candle Holders, $20-50

How gorgeous are these from Zara’s new home line?

And all of them are under $50.

You could always head over to Marshall’s and try to find some candle holders there.  They are honestly so pretty and gorgeous and I don’t know any woman that wouldn’t be thrilled to get something so beautiful.

If you aren’t into these huge ones, try getting some like this, also from Zara:

 

Also, tea lights can be bought at the dollar store!

LL Bean Zip Top Tote, $40-$45

My really good friend gave me this last year for my birthday with my initials on it, and I’ve used it probably 100 times since I got it.  If the person you are purchasing for has a really preppy ascetic, it is an absolute must. Oh, and you have to get initials on it, or might as well not even get it!

I know I mentioned this last year, but it’s really such a great gift.

 

Cosmetic Bags

A girl can really never have enough.  Once a pressed powder explodes all over it, unfortch it’s usually dunzo and it’s onto the next one.  Also, it’s a great way to be able to buy something chic, for less money than a full bag.

How cute are these?

Kate Spade, $78

 

Marc by Marc Jacobs, $72

 

C wonder, $44

Nine West, $18

 

Bonus points if you put a couple nail polishes or lip glosses inside!

 

Sequin anything!

Glitter, crystals and sequins are totally in this season, so go get you and her some!

Sequin Scarf, $23

 

Kate Spade Earrings, $98

 

J Crew Bracelet, $98

 

Glitter iPhone Case, $15 

 

 

 

Cross Body Clutch

Any girl would be happy with another bag to use when she goes out.  You can really never have enough, and the cross body clutch just makes it that much easier to never lose! Stay fly with some of these.

Aldo, $45

 

Urban Outfitters, $49

 

 

Lionel “Kiki” Bag, we love this name, $98

 

Something for everyone.

Here are a few things that would be perfect for virtually anyone.

Ray Ban Aviators, $145. Timeless, unisex, classic.

 

 

Monogrammed Cocktail Shaker, $32

 

Bonus points if you also give a bottle of Vodka or Whiskey.

Quilted Barbour Jacket, $179 men’s

 

Barbour Quilted Liner/Vest, $99 women’s

 

 

Around the World Leather Watch, $39

 

Tervis Tumblers, $20

 

Tortoise Shell Belt Buckle, $38

 

Leather gloves are essential for anyone who lives where it gets cold, and or if they drive!

 

BOSS driving gloves for men, $85, just get them at marshall’s!

 

 

Again, just get some at marshall’s for women too.

 

Hope this helps in your search for the perfect gift, feel free to reach out to me if it doesn’t or you need something more specific!

xoxo,

wcw

 

 

 

What to get your friend/sister/mom who loves makeup!

1. Naked Palette by Urban Decay, $50

It has every color you would need on the daily basis, the primer potion and the pigment is unreal.  Every girl should have this in their collection.

2. 3 essential Essie colors, $8 each

Ballet Slippers

Bordeaux

California CoralAn everyday neutral, a winter deep red and a spring and summer coral.  A girl doesn’t need much else. OH! And a quick drying top coat or dry drops.

You could also switch out the coral color for a bright candy apple red or even a fun color like turquoise.

It’s a 10 Leave-in Conditioner, $20

This conditioner will transform your hair.  Mine has grown the most it ever has in my life, and I attribute that to this product.

Aquaphor, $7

Miracle product.  I use this on my lips, elbows, to take off makeup, eyelashes, eyebrows (to help them grow or to tame them) wrinkle cream around my eyes, on my feet with socks before bed, as a cuticle cream and on my hands in general.

Beauty Blender, $20

I use this every day to put on concealer.  Just get it wet, squeeze all the excess water out and blend your foundation or concealer on with it.  It’s really fantastic.

BH cosmetics Day to Night palette, $12 on sale now

This palette is one half shimmer, one half matte and apparently has wonderful rich color payoff.  I think I might order one for myself right now!

YSL lipstick, $30

If you know what your girl likes as far as colors go, YSL has the most amazing formula and beautiful packaging.  I let myself by one new expensive lipstick every year and it’s always a YSL.

Happy Shopping, Happier Holidays.

xoxo,

wcw

Jessica Simpson, you sly fox

Welp, little miss J. Simps is pregnant again, and just in time for her to deliver her full reveal on how she did on the Weight Watchers program that she got millions of dollars to go on.

How freaking convenient.

To be honest, I think the whole thing is pretty much evidence that the entertainment world is full of bullocky.

Honestly, let’s look at the timeline, shall we?

Remember when she was given a purity ring by her creeptastic dad?

So in order for her to get down to biznasty, she had to get a ring from this all American guy, who was so loved by even my male friends, that they referred to Miller Lites as Lacheys.

(RIP Daisy, who would have thunk a coyote would have been your fate?)

Then, after three years of being deflowered, shall we say, there were rumors flying around that she cheated on her one and only with out of ALL people, this tool from Philly.

 

Which may or may not have been true, but why, as a married woman, would you go back to a dude’s house?  (Also, love the dude in the guyliner to the right.)

After all these rumors, the couple got divorced, three years after they were married and now all bets are off.

And then she did it with this dude, which we all heard on Stern.

 

And then, this guy. No Romo.

 

And then clearly, with this dude:

Twice.

I guess what is so confusing is that her dad made her tell the press and everyone who cared to listen that she was saving herself for marriage, and then as soon as she got a divorced, she ended up getting pregnant twice without getting married?  I just never understood that whole purity ring thing in general.  It seems weird to me for a father to give her daughter something like that, especially when it clearly doesn’t even matter.  A woman’s gonna do what a woman’s gonna do, and if she is happy and in love, who cares about anything else?

What I am saying here, is it all started off weird.  Her publicly losing her virginity to Nick Lachey just makes you feel uneasy a little.  It’s sort of like on the last episode of Boy Meets World when Corey and Topanga “run upstairs real quick” RIGHT after they got married.  Made me feel weird inside because we knew exactly what they were doing.   And after a long day of work, I don’t need to hear about thatttttt.

I think some things are better left unsaid to the public, and a purity ring just brings more attention to something we know is already or going to happen.  In fact, it makes it all that much weirder to think about.

If you want to make a promise to yourself and God, that is one thing, but publicly just freaks me out, especially when you are going to end up with two kids before marriage anyway.  What’s the freaking point?

So let me circle this back around.  Jessica is a sly fox.

She tricked us into thinking she was this pure little Christian girl from Texas until she was rumored to hook up with BAM MARGERA OF ALL PEOPLE.  Then she tricked us back into thinking she was a good ole Christian Texas girl by dating who else, but the quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, duh.

And lastly, she signs a deal to lose x amount of baby weight, and when the going gets to be too much and she’s really going to have to start cutting back the calories to drop those last 15, she ends up pregnant.

I can’t be sure if this was planned, in fact, if anything, I bet it wasn’t, but it still is pretty damn convenient considering she is getting a couple million and for that, Miss Simpson, you are one sly fox.

xoxo,

wcw

 

 

 

 

 

Low Cal Carrot Cake, that Actually Tastes Good!

I had this carrot cake two weekends ago at my nephew’s first birthday and it was so good I had to make it immediately.

You can make this recipe as either muffins, or cupcakes, depending on your mood and they are about 2.5 grams of fat and about 150 calories per muffin.  That is insane for something that is actually good.  I tried the can of pumpkin brownie recipe before and it was terrrribllleeee.  This recipe my boyfriend even liked, so it must be good.

I like cutting mine in half and toasting it in the toaster oven with a little butter for breakfast or a snack!

What you will need:

Muffin tin

Medium Sized Bowl

Cupcake liners (optional)

can of 100%  pure pumpkin

box of carrot cake mix

can of non-stick cooking spray

cream cheese frosting (optional)

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Coat non-stick cooking spray onto cupcake liners or if you aren’t using them, or just the pan if not.  None of the recipes call for this, but since there is hardly any fat in this recipe, I thought this would make it easier to pop them out of the tin and it worked.

3. Combine 1 small can of pumpkin and 1 box of carrot cake mix into bowl, mix until fully combined.

4. Even distribute mix into cupcake tin, I got about 10 when I made mine.

Bake for 18-20 mins.  Mine were done around 19!

Take out of tin, let them cool before frosting.

THAT IS IT.  Takes more time to clean the bowl and pan then it does to cook them.

I just had one for breakfast with some yogurt and it was delicious! I also had one last night with frosting for desert, also delicious.

Enjoy!

xoxo,

wcw

All I want for Christmasssssss

Since I am stuck in bed the remix, it’s been three days now and I still feel like I’ve been hit by a truck carrying The Kardashian Kollection to Sears, I’ve decided to make life a little easier for my friends and family and write out a little list of things I want this year for Christmas.

Light Up Makeup Mirror

I had one in high school when I first perfected the smokey eye.  I believe it was con air and I got it for my 18th birthday and I loveddddddddddddd it.  I think it broke or got lost in the 11 times I moved since then.  11.  Oy.

I had puffy painted flowers all over it anyway, so I really need a new one.

Knee High Black Leather Flat Boots

I have gone through about 20 pairs black boots since discovering them, and right now I am down to one.  Not one pair,  literally, I have one flat black boot– no idea where the matching one is to it, that too must have gotten lost in the move and is now resting with all my bobby pins and hair elastics in some sort of forgotten heaven.

Only requirements: REAL leather, gold hardware (I hate silver hardware) and wide enough to fit my two feet I have dubbed the Nina and Pinta because these suckers are size 10 straight up BOATS!

 

These boots are ideal, I think they are by Call it Spring?

 

A really big black leather bag

I’m really honkerin’ for a Hermes Birkin, but since that is impossible, so big old pretty bag with gold hard ware from Marshall’s will do.

Again, real leather, gold hardware, must be able to fit an Olsen after a juice cleanse, cross body strap and top handles.

Ideally something that resembles a Birkin like this Alexander Wang Pelican Satchel reasonably priced at $900, not:

 

 

But more likely, there is a beautiful Cynthia Rowley top handle at marshall’s that is similar, but to be honest, I need the cross body strap.

 

This is like inception here people, a dream bag’s dream bag’s knock off.

LL Bean Slippers

Size 10, the wicked good moc’s.

 

Big ole coffee mugs for soup

I can’t eat soup out of anything but a mug, and right now I only have one that is big enough for soup, so I def am looking for a big coffee mug, preferably not Christmas themed.  I have this really awful anxiety about using Christmas stuff after the 26th.  I can handle the day after, but beyond it, it makes me so sad that it’s over that I can’t deal! Call me crazy.

I love anything monogrammed, so these would be ideal.

But I would not mind one more christmas mug for my birthday which is Dec. 20th.

Oh, and I could also always use more scarves, gift cards to nordstoms off the rack, another fur blanket for the living room/bedroom, socks, gloves and a new winter hat!

xoxo,

wcw