Now I'm a Corpgoth

Hi guys, it's July! You know what that means? My big list of blog posts that was nicely taking up space over on the sidebar is going to vanish under a contained monthly heading and you'll all get to see how many times a month I really post, without all the extra help from old already written posts. :) I'm enjoying being back in the blogging community though, and it's nice to connect with everyone out there (23 followers! YEAH!) so I'll do my best not to vanish entirely again. You never know what the coming year may bring, especially since I am now EMPLOYED! Which also means, I have an alter ego.

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You see, I've been trying to find a job for months now, and while other factors were involved (some people didn't want to hire a high school kid that could only get to work after 3:00) I have to believe that a lot of the time, jobs were turned away from me because of the way I looked. One day I was walking home from school and I stuck my head in a bunch of local businesses, just to see who was hiring. Mostly people nicely told me they were fully staffed. One lady looked me up and down a few times, then very pointedly said, "No." At first I was all confidence, showing up to interviews how I normally dress because it was what made me feel comfortable. I'll win them over with my attitude, I'd tell myself, and they'll see past the lip ring. But as job opportunity after job opportunity went by, I started to reevaluate.

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I tried dressing down. Apparently my view of dressing down is still out of place in the corporate world. Instead of all black, I wore some hippie-ish skirts. Instead of pitch black cat eyes, I wore grey eyeshadow. And then the job killer: I still showed up sporting my lip ring. I went to one interview that my friend had set up for me because she worked at the company where I was trying to get hired. I was wearing my lip ring but the interview seemed to have gone okay. When I hadn't heard anything back for a good while, my friend checked with her manager, and she said my interviewer had noticed my piercing, taken into account the company's "no jewelry policy" and set my app aside. My friend stepped in for me, telling her boss what a good employee I'd make (what are friends for right? :D) and she made it clear I could take my piercing out. Her boss reconsidered, but after a while when nothing was happening, I called to see if the hieing process was over and my friend's boss said the person who had interviewed me had somehow assessed my character in ten minutes determining I "wouldn't work well on the team."
Okay, they're interviews. Employers are supposed to evaluate potential employees, so when it comes down to it, an interview is basically putting yourself out there to be judged for the duration of the interview. And maybe I just interviewed badly. I was trying to get my first job after all, so I was probably somewhat nervous. I was trying to get jobs in the food industry (mostly coffee shops) so I realize there are regulations regarding piercings for sanitary reasons. Personally, I would think they would rather have a piercing closed with jewelry, instead of requiring someone to take it out and leave an open hole (ew), but when it comes down to it, it's easier for the employers in food industries to hire someone who doesn't have a piercing in the first place. I began to see that my image just wasn't fitting in a small town corporate setting. So. I changed.

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For my last interview, I showed up in black pants and a tank-top covered by a grey button down jacket I borrowed from my little sister. I wasn't wearing any makeup, I took my lip ring out, and I carefully kept my wrist tattoo hidden under the table. Voila! Job within a week. The manager seemed really nice and the atmosphere was laid back, but when she asked if I had any questions and I subtly asked about a jewelry policy I was a little uncomfortable to hear her say "We don't really have rules about that. You look fine, I mean, if you came in here with stretched ears or a big tattoo we might have a problem, we're very family oriented." I suppose I can understand body modification rules around food. But I really don't think some ink under someone's skin or the color of their hair will affect how they handle customers. Don't get me wrong, I'm beyond ecstatic to have finally landed a job, and overall, it seems like a very nice first job. Now I'll have references for other jobs and of course some money to spend on gothy goodies all over the internet put away, but I am a little disappointed to have to hide how I like to express myself to work in a frozen yogurt shop of all places...
I'll keep you guys posted on my adventures in Corpgothdom. While some of my paychecks will surly be going towards retainers for my lip ring and concealer to hide my tattoo as I project the image of "Corporate Girl!" I hope to use some of it to fuel my gothy hunger (new hair, fun accessories, experiments in makeup) and as I'm finally learning to drive, a car might be in the cards during the next year! That means ghost hunting, cemetery picnics, and clubbing/concert posts. :D

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