It can be lonely trying to put your life together since I moved away from my college friends and family from Florida. Yes, I have family here in Jersey that I am staying with and family in Long Island. But who wants to make that kind of a trip out there? Me, of course thought it was an excellent idea to drive through the city into Long Island. First time driving in the city and now I know why my parents drive the way they do. Being from New York, driving aggressively with your hand almost always hovering over the horn is a must. I caught on quickly to this type of quick and tight driving and I give credit to my parents and brother. When I took my old college roommate to the Big City one spring break to show her why I loved it so much, I didn't realize how terrified she was in the taxi because it wasn't scary for me. Later did she tell me how scarred she was by the fact that taxi drivers drive so close to other cars and they are very, very fast. I was stunned by the fact that their driving didn't even effect me and that I didn't even notice that they were even that close to one another until she mentioned it. But it is true, there isn't much room on the road. So a tip for why people don't usually have cars when living in the city; there are plenty of ways to get to where you need to go with public transportation. The fact is, you will never find free parking or even a parking spot unless it's Sunday and in the summer time.
Thanks to a mobile application called "HopStop", I am able to find my way around the city with any public transportation available. It is really the best app to have while trying to get around Manhattan. When I downloaded it, it was free. Hopefully it still is. It has literally saved my life for every single interview I have been on in the city. If you're lost, you can still ask the random person next to you on the subway if the next stop is 72nd street. But if you really feel uncomfortable doing that (which is dumb because everyone will help direct you to where you need to go on the train) this app will become your best friend and will always be on your most recently used apps on your smartphone; unless there is no service which happens in the subway.
I want to first start off with my very first interview in the city. I was meeting with a staffing company the week after I had arrived into the city. I knew I needed to buy nice walking shoes for myself as I hit the streets of NYC. Keeping also in mind that the interview was on the 8th floor, I am not used to tall buildings with more than 10 floors anymore since I lived in Florida for 10 years. I don't know if you are aware of this but in Florida, there is a limit to the amount of floors a building can have because of the hurricanes. Also, the ground isn't as stable as it is when you travel farther north because as you start to dig, you are going to reach sand, not soil. That is also another reason why there are no basements.
This appointment was on the 8th floor on Lexington ave, right by Rockefeller Center. It's not a far commute. I take the NJ Transit into the city, use my HopStop app to locate me in the direction to the staffing company and travel by public transportation. Keep in mind, this is the second week of June. I am wearing nice work pants, a blouse and sneakers. I am carrying my nice shoes in a separate purse because literally every woman travels with one purse for your shoes and the other as your actual purse. It is so hot out. Luckily I am wearing comfortable shoes. I must be wearing the heaviest blouse in my closet and this morning I thought it was smart to wear a tank top underneath; but never again. I am literally afraid I have sweat marks on my back and my armpits. I find the building and there is a desk with a security man sitting behind the desk to greet me. I give him my identification and company destination. I'm thinking that I am a little early and I will find the bathroom on the company floor before walking in to change and wash up. I take the elevator up, desperate for a napkin to dab my face, the doors to the elevator open and right in front of me are two glass doors and the name of the staffing company written on them. Not only that, I can see the front desk and two women are sitting there looking at the elevator doors open. In a panic I quickly slide out of view as much as possible, push the "close doors" elevator button and as the doors finally shut, I quickly bend over to change my shoes. I start pushing elevator buttons to stall time. I went up and down and thought I was a complete fool!!! There are NO BATHROOMS for people like me to change into. I found out later that there are no public bathrooms in NYC unless you go to a Starbucks that has a bathroom. I had to quickly dig through my purse for napkins and change my shoes and arrived back on the 8th floor and walked in. That was probably the most embarrassing moment of my life and I had to play if off as though I knew what I was doing. Now, and every interview after that one, I look for a coffee shop to sit down in to dab my face with a napkin before walking in and change my shoes.
Luckily, it was just an interview with a staffing company and not an
actual company who wanted to hire me. Also, that staffing company never
ended up helping me anyway probably because I was looking for an Entry Level
position and the commission they receive on a $35k/year job is nothing
compared to higher level positions or because I ended up looking like a mess (which I'll never really know if I did look like a mess). Remember the saying, "it's not what
you know, it's who you know?" Well that staffing company was affiliated
with a staffing company my family friend works for back home in Florida. I called them and emailed them many times and never heard a response back after the first or second meeting.
Again, even though my family friend referred me through his CEO to
them, they didn't help me one bit. That is where my search for other staffing companies began and independently searching through other job sites (like the ones mentioned in my previous blog).
So good luck on that first interview and remember, carry napkins/tissues with you and stop at a coffee shop before even entering the building of the company the interview will be in.
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