dallasheather's Journal

Four days after I had been told that things were finally settled and it was safe to return to Houston after the hurricane, I found out that my job was changing from Fulltime to Seasonal (with the "season" being over).  We took about a week and a half to try to figure out what to do and to get things packed up... Ultimately I decided that if I had to be jobhunting again, I'd rather do it in Dallas where I have family around to help out more.  So we packed up as much as we could fit in our car and the little trailer I rented, and what wouldnt fit got thrown out.  (Survival of the neediest ~ LOL)

We've been back about a month now.  My aunt offered us my Grandparents house (since both my Grandmother and my Mom, who had been living here for a kajillion years, both passed away this summer).  It was a really nice offer, but its really strange still being surrounded by so many of their things.  My grandparents have lived in this house since 1978!  And my mom had lived here with them for about the last 12-15yrs or so.  So I made it a point to move absolutely everything to a different spot so that it didnt look exactly the same as if they would walk right thru the door at any minute ~ plus added a few of my own things to the decor around the house to make it more familiar.  (Those were probably the best things I could have done too to keep it from being so gloomy!)

Anyway, that brings me to my current problem... (and I would really like some advice or pointers if anyone has gone thru this before):  HOW DO YOU JOBHUNT AS A SINGLE PARENT WHEN YOU DONT HAVE A GO-TO BABYSITTER??  My Mom and/or my Aunt were my go-to babysitters when I had to jobhunt last summer... but now Mom's gone and my Aunt works fulltime now (got tired of being retired).  There is a drop-off center that is awesome for being able to go to the movies or go get my hair cut, etc.... but to pay $15/hr for each and every interview??! That just adds a whole new dimension to jobhunting that I had never experienced before!  HOW DO YOU MAKE THE *RIGHT* CHOICES FOR INTERVIEWS WHEN YOU'RE TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION THAT YOU HAVE TO *PAY* TO GO TO EACH OF THEM??!  The reality is that each interview I accept will cost no less than $15 for the drop-off daycare center, and could be more like $60 if its a long interview and/or if I have to drive very far.  ~ A little perspective: last year it took 5mos (exactly the national average) to find a job, which amounted to about 1-4 interviews per week, totalling somewhere around 75 interviews, before I found what I thought was the right job. 

Do I try to change the type of jobs I'm looking for?  Do I stop looking for HR and/or Admin jobs to look for something that doesnt require a lengthly interview process (like retail or restaurants) or what??  The stress and worrying over this is actually preventing me from even trying (which will only make the jobhunting process longer, I'm sure).  Why cant we just tell our potential employers "I'm a hard worker, I'm dedicated, I'm a quick learner... just give me a chance!"??

I'm open to any advice or suggestions.... Hope to hear from some of you!

~heather