So here I am…3 weeks unemployed and getting no where fast! I guess the fact that I live in a regional area certainly doesn’t help, but I really dont want to move to Melbourne to find employment. Surely there is something local that I have the qualifications for (oh yeah…I don’t actually have ‘formal’ qualifications for anything) but I do have lots of experience…like 20+ years of office and admin experience…that’s got to count for something right?

Apparently not!

I’ve applied now for several positions from PA to Internal Sales Clerk and have either received the ‘Dear John’ reply or nothing. Some say they’ll keep my resume on file (which really means the same as ‘thanks but no thanks’…just a politer way of saying it) and some say that I’d grow bored with the position in a very short amount of time (which really means ‘thanks but no thanks’…just a politer way of saying it). So maybe its time for a new career path…

I could become a fitness instructor, …do I need to be fit? (I can do fit).

I could become a clown in a circus…I can be funny! (juggle? I could learn)

I could become a gardener…I can mow & weed (in between blowing my nose & sneezing!)

I could become a pole dancer…I can whizz round a pole (ok…I could whizz round a pole when I was 5 years old…surely its just like riding a bike, you never forget? I can hear my sisters now “You couldn’t ride a bike!” Minor detail!)

I could become a brain surgeon…I’ve got one that’s not being utilised (does that help qualify?) I am a little queezy when it comes to blood though. That may be a problem.

I could become a dressmaker…I have good scissor skills (ok…average) and I can sew on buttons. The actual putting the bits together and sewing them on a machine would be challenging, but I like jigsaws and its kinda the same.

I could become a cook…now this is a good one. I love food…surely thats a start? (Supermarket shopping?…doesn’t a junior kitchen ’something or other’ do that? I don’t do supermarket!)

Gee…I’m not getting too far. Looks like its back to square one!

If you have any ideas…I’m certainly up for suggestions. I’m great at virtual (ly) any thing I put my mind to.

As I mentioned in my last post I have found myself unemployed for the first time in many years. There are however numerous new ways to seek employment which weren’t previously available…like online employment sites. seek.com.au mycareer.com.au

After spending hours checking the online employment sites I decided I’d check out craigslist.com.au. Not a site I would generally visit for employment, but hey…what did I have to lose?

Well, I couldn’t believe my luck…there it was the position I’d been looking for…

I need a Personal/Administrative
Assistant to monitor and keep me up to date with my activities.

Duties and Requirements:

*Posting ads on Internet and news
paper
*Processing weekly check payment.
*Scheduling programmer’s, flights and keeping me up to date with them.
*Handling and monitoring some of my financial activities.
*Filing ,Faxing ,Creating and sending out letters, scanning documents, some
personal assistant duties for owners, and many other
*Managing expenses and invoices

I need someone with:
Good planning, communication and organization skills
Must be organized and able to assist in all the job Requirements
Works well with people, takes initiative and can handle multiple tasks
concurrently
Well balanced, flexible, vibrant, personable, positive and proactive
Must be an innovative and creative thinker
Must have excellent letter writing skills.

This position is home-based and
flexible part time job,you can be in any location you will be working from your
home doing all the activities.

Working hours:Mon-Friday 10am-2pm
daily.

Note:I need someone serious and ready to work from his or her home for this
position. Kindly get back with your resume if you are interested in this
position, send your resume to my E-mail at duncanken@live.com

Ken Duncan Panoramic Photography
& Tours

Ken Duncan…you know…KEN DUNCAN, the famous landscape photographer!

So I immediately applied for the position even though it was only part time hours and I really needed more…but it was Ken Duncan afterall and I’d find something else to fill in those other hours!

Next day I received an email back telling me I had the job and he was really pleased with my resume. He said he was in West Africa (now I did get a slight gut tingle since thats Ghana and I am familiar with scammers from that area) and he needed me to get started by filling out the application form and telling him what office equipment I had (fax, laptop, internet, scanner etc) the application form also contained my address and mobile phone number.

I waited for the reply which came today and my gut feelings were really strong. The email had several ‘typos’ but the one that stood out the most was ‘check’…he mentioned for me to get prices for any office equipment that I didnt currently own and he would forward a check for me to purchase them. Well, Ken Duncan is an Aussie…and Aussies don’t spell check they spell cheque. “Warning Warning”!!!

I immediately emailed the address on the Ken Duncan Panoramic Photographer’s site and although feeling incredibly silly…I asked the question.

Are you the real Ken Duncan?

I received a prompt reply (Thank you so much to Stephanie Packer for taking the time to read my email and replying to it! Sensational customer service.). The advertisement and position were in fact a hoax that was currently being displayed on several other well known websites.

Thankfully I didn’t get too caught up in this, but I did however send back the application and am now a little fearful of the consequences of my stupidity! I can’t believe that I got sucked in by a scammer. I’ve worked for a web based business for years…so why did it take me so long to read the signs?

Oh well…I’ve not given up hope. It’s early days yet, there’s a job with my name it somewhere (and most likely my name on several things I don’t want it on, plastered all over the internet!!)