Girl on the Brink: Surviving Desperate Times with Desperate Measures

No one has looked at my Millionnairematch.com profile in several days. I’m going to take it down when the pop-up reminder I’ve got set up in my Google calendar goes off; otherwise my $39 a month subscription will automatically renew. I’d rather have a mani and pedi for that.

And no word from Bailout Bill on whether he’s got the cash to pony up for my site  redesign. I wrote him a letter about helping me out in exchange for displaying his ads. To think that was Day 54! I sent another email today and am ready to dial his 877-number tomorrow.

Not feeling wanted and fear of rejection are two emotions you live with when you’re unemployed. You want an employer to value and respect your work, and when that’s taken away from you, for whatever reason, you begin searching for other ways to fill the void.

But the fear of rejection polarizes me. I dread following up on job leads. I figure, if prospective employers want me, they’ll call or email. If I have to ping their inbox for attention, I’m probably not their top candidate. I follow up because that’s what the career-advice sites say to do.

I’m never quite sure how to compose an email when I do follow up, that’s if you have an actual email address and weren’t forced to fill out an online form that sends your resume into the depths of a PHP MySQL Web database. You never hear from those faceless folks, probably because your resume didn’t contain the right keywords to turn up in a scan, or your fate is in the hands of some young HR babe who can’t wait to buy the new Hello Kitty lipstick.

Some of the ways I’ve started out my email: “If I’m still under consideration for the position, I have a few more questions. May I send them….” “You said you were going to talk to [name] about my application for the [name] position. I’m following up to see if you had a chance to talk to him and whether you had any feedback for me.”

What I’d really like to say—forgive me for harping on this—is what reject Molly Malaney said when the Bachelor’s bachelor Jason Mesnick chose Melissa Rycroft in the final rose ceremony. “You’re making a mistake!” I feel that way; they are making a mistake if they don’t choose me. I can deliver the goods.