refreshing life and living refreshed

Getting-By-Gig: Fredericks of Hollywood Grand Opening

In a nutshell… Lingerie looks better (and may sell better) on the mannequins than humans. I’m beginning to think mute visuals sell better than conservatively dressed girls handing out flyers.

What did I do? “Hi, come into Fredericks of Hollywood for happy hour and receive complimentary bootie shorts and cocktails from 5-8 tonight!” One women shot a demeaning stare at the mannequin, preceded by a guy eying the mannequin for his dreams later that night. G-L-A-M-O-R-OUS. Yes, just like Ferggie.

End result? $100 for 3 ½ hrs of handing out flyers. (Again, glamorous.)  However, I scored a pack of high-end shampoos and conditions from a grand opening at Pure Essentials which was…purely erotic.

Getting-By-Gig: Fifty Cent Power Promotion at Macy’s

In a nutshell…“Because every man who feels good…should smell good” Thank you Fifty, (phonetically pronounced fid-dee by Fifty himself) for the insight. Note to weaning fans: he was definitely digging Asian girls – three numbers in 2 hrs.

What did I do? Title: Bag Girl. I carried adoring fan’s items stored in Macy’s bags while they met Mr. Fifty.

End result? Paid $100… And I’m pretty sure Fiddee looked at me. No number, but there was a definite gaze. However, I met some really cool people from Macy’s and went out to a cute wine bar afterward.

Getting-By-Gig: Wicked Week at Macy’s

In a nutshell… Street Marketing 101: Don’t take yourself (or others) too seriously or you’ll never end your day feeling happy.

What did I do? Recruit as many people as I possibly could to come into Macy’s for the Macy and Wicked Halloween Weekend Celebration. How? Here a few of the many callouts I used to attract Union Square pedestrians:

“Hi! Would you like to have a free *Wicked* makeover at Macy’s today?”

“Want to look *Wicked* cool? Check out Macy’s FREE Halloween Face Painting today 10-12!

Afterward I helped the Macy’s girls hand out Wicked goodie bags (Note: majority of Macy’s Public Relations team is female, not sure if this is due to supply or demand.).

End result? Paid $100 for four hours, but only had to work for three. Plus I received three autographed Wicked Playbills to give to friends. Wicked cool, right?

Getting-By-Gig: TJ Maxxinista Fashion Show

In a nutshell… Tiring and Humbling. Quote from the event director “Girls, I know it’s been a long day. But it’s going to be over in just an hour. Now, I want all the pretty girls to come with me. Brand Ambassadors, I’ll be back in a second for you…”  

What did I do? Title: Brand Ambassador. As another Craigslist hookup, I was pretty pumped with my Craigslist luck. The day before the event I was paid into to attend a four hour TJ Maxx meeting that only lasted one hour. So I spent the remaining three hours shopping (10% discount for working). The following morning (after a 30 minute “lost in SF” moment), I arrived at Pier 39’s entrance, filled with a Catwalk, “red carpet” photo booth, and four clothes racks displaying Fashionista TJ Maxxinista prices clothes vs identical department store prices. As Brand Ambassador I convinced passersby to walk the catwalk with models or to walk the red carpet and get their picture taken in the photo booth.

End result? By then end of the day I was tired, hungry and annoyed by not being an incredibly skinny good looking person. But I was also $140 richer.

Getting-By-Gig: Ryan Leslie Signing at Macy’s

In a nutshell… Ever heard of him? Neither did I, until youtubing him before working at the Macy’s celebrity signing event. I only mention his name because I’m hoping that he might make it. He’s pretty talented, a one man show looping his music and then signing. An upcoming R&B artist has teamed up with HUGO to promote his latest CD and HUGO’s current men’s fragrance. The signing only lasted an hour, but after 20 minutes, the dwindling line had Macy employees running around the store collecting “fans”. However, I must say there was a code “lady in brown” stalker who showed up at the signing, requiring extra security.

What did I do? Handed out “COME SEE RYAN” flyers

End result? $100 for three hours

Job Hunters Seeking Prey

Alright, so you’ve made the move and are in your new turf. Great! Now, the next step to ensure that you won’t be knocked out of bounds (and run home penniless) you must make the bucks. Finding a job in a new city, OK any city, whether you’ve been there five days or five years, can be difficult, and tedious, and tiring, and stressful, and many more negative descriptions. However, one adjective that job seeking is not is impossible.

There are a few avenues to explore; all with their own pros and cons. Below is a short overview of becoming employed in an unemployable market. Moving to San Francisco when the state had an unemployment rate of 12% was daunting, but I managed to make ends meet - just like you will. 

While you’re in limbo trying to find a job, I suggest checking out gigs for odd (and small) jobs until something bigger breaks through. From my experience, that is how I primarily made ends work until I found a job I wanted.

In this section of the blog, I’ve included two components of the job seeking process:

1) “Getting-By-Gigs”, snapshots of gigs worked around the city (it’s hard to believe what people will pay you for).

2) “Job-Call-Strats”, different job seeking strategies to use to connect with employers, especially if you’re starting from scratch.