This week was a BIG one. I came the closest I have yet to getting a big girl job, and went to not one but TWO rooftop bars… Interested in the deets? Read on…
Monday: I found a new spot in Santa Monica, the community garden. After spending the day emailing people and applying for jobs I retreated to read the novel I’ve been working on for the LA Theta book club, Manhattan Beach, which has been a great read so far! It’s about a strong independent young girl growing up in New York City during World War II, and she’s breaking the glass ceiling and fighting for women’s rights in an incredibly inspiring way. Check it out if you get the chance!
Tuesday I had coffee in Culver City with an amazing girl I met through the LA Theta alumni network. She’s been such an effective mentor to me since then in my job search, and I’m so glad that I’ve been able to meet people like her since moving out here. I also had a phone interview with a company that I had just applied for the day before and it went so well that they invited me in the next day, on Wednesday, for an in person interview. Then I met with a previous co-worker of my father’s downtown at his company and was able to ask him some questions about his career. He taught me a lot about Sales Development Representative roles which seems like a very interesting opportunity to me, but I think that I’m going to continue to pursue more creative roles at this time. Finally, I went to Bespoke for my work for trade shift on Tuesday night and was told by my boss that I was acting like a “big ball of anxiety” about my career search which was true… and a wake up call to calm it down a bit! I believe that things work out the way that they’re supposed to. I just have to continue to work hard and be patient.
Wednesday I had an interview first thing in the morning which was the most intensive test of hard and soft skills that I had encountered yet between answering many theoretical questions out loud on the spot and practicing administrative tasks like editing and writing emails. It went well though because I was offered the job on the spot and taken aback with how fast things were moving. I needed more time to decide and had a few more promising interviews planned for the next week that I didn’t want to give up to start work at this company immediately, which is what they needed. I told them I needed time to think about the offer and took the night to think about it.
In the meantime, I went out for dinner at Chichen Itza with my friend Monique! It was a true hole in the wall restaurant and the food was amazing. I had the Yucatan potato salad which was delicious and slightly spicy as well as the chicken tacos. Monique got the tamale, and it was too much food for us BOTH to finish! I highly recommend checking this place out.
Thursday I ultimately ended up having to politely decline the company from Wednesday’s offer because I felt like it wasn’t the right fit for me at this time based on a variety of factors. They are an amazing company which I know another candidate is going to be perfect for, but for now I’m still on the job hunt for something that is going to be the right fit for both of us. It was really hard to do because I had that little voice in the back of my head doubting that I would find anything else but of course I have to believe that’s not true, and trust my gut based on the decision.
In the afternoon I worked at a coffee shop in Burbank with a beautiful lively exterior called Simply Coffee, which had amazing cold brew.
That evening, Conner and I went to Perch downtown, a literature themed rooftop bar where I ordered the “Lolita” and we found ourselves mingling with a corporate get together where a tipsy lady gave me a name tag with someone else from the company’s name on it, and a group of moms on a girls trip from Australia had us do a photo shoot of them with the LA skyline in the background. It was a fun experience.
Friday I met a woman for coffee from the LA Theta alumni group in Santa Monica. I had had a phone interview with her for a position at her company a couple weeks ago and asked her to coffee to just get some professional advice from her. We went to Dogtown Coffee and discussed everything and anything media agency and career related. She was so wise, and she is only 4 years older than me. 4 years ago I was a freshman in college at Cal Poly… where will I be four years from now?
I had another in person interview at a publishing company in the afternoon which I felt went well, but I’ve learned at this stage in the game you don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes, and I’ve learned not to get too attached to anything. The reason I got the interview was because a girl who graduated Cal Poly a few years before me spoke to me on the phone, and referred me to the position, which was extremely kind of her. These are the kinds of people that I’m grateful for, who are looking out for new grads like me and I know it’s going to be the kind of person I am when I have a career and a new grad reaches out to ME on LinkedIn.
That night Conner and I went to Teashot in Little Tokyo and had “cookie shots.” It was a cup shaped like a cookie with milk or coffee in it… and these quirky experiences are the reason that I can never ever be bored living in Los Angeles.
Saturday My parents paid a visit to Los Angeles, and we enjoyed the best kind of day: a morning with coffee at Philz followed by a grueling hike where we went 4 miles off path in the Hollywood hills on Mt. Lee, thoroughly earning our “Thai Hard” and “Drag Queen” drinks at the rooftop bar “Broken Shaker.” One time in college a boy at a party told me and my friend that he knew that girls liked dancing on elevated surfaces which is why they set up boxes to stand on. He was right and is still right and that is why, I believe, that everyone loves rooftop bars. They’re about as “elevated” as you can get unless you’re in an airplane.
Sunday My parents, Conner, and I went out to brunch at Rose Cafe in Venice Beach. I had pancakes the size of my head and my mom had half a bread loaf of french toast, it was delicious. We spent the afternoon exploring Abbott Kinney Blvd and checking out its crazy shops before enjoying the beach for a couple hours before they had to make the long drive back to the Bay Area. I’m so glad they visited me in my new home, and I hope that they had a good time on the various elevated surfaces that I brought them to including the Hollywood sign and roof bar!
Stay tuned for next week: Will I ever get a job? (I hope so!) Will I ever run out of rooftop bars to try? (Hopefully NOT!) Read on to follow up the caffeine and cocktail powered adventures of LA Living and Metropolitan Molly.