the test is how long?

update: had a wonderful weekend in dc/va and will update more on that later.

now, some job updates

first of all, i had a nice 2-hour lunch break with my friend diana, who i know from as far back as elementary school, but because of middle school-era girl scout connections, aim and facebook, we have remained friends and reconnected over the years. she spent the past year teaching english in china (undecided if i am jealous of this experience, would love to live abroad but china is a bit too far for me) and is now back in the nyc metro area looking for a job, maybe in the journalism realm. (sidenote: i like that word, realm. i used it today in a cover letter. do you think that's too pretentious sounding?) anyway, d had a second interview at a pretty neat sounding company in union square this afternoon, so she took a couple hours to catch up and talk over jobs and whatever with me. it was enlightening, i hope for both of us.

i have a compulsive need to help and advise people as a best i can. i think this was reflected in my two years served as a peer advisor in college. although i will never get over people asking little insignificant me for advice about getting a job in my line of work, i still can offer whatever life experiences and insights i have. my advice: don't take an editorial assistant position that's too administrative and has no hope for being promoted within the editorial department!

after my long lunch, i was plesantly surprised to see an email from my editor at boston magazine waiting patiently for me in my inbox! i had emailed her last week, asking for advice and consolation that i'm not crazy with this job. she offered me some sage advice: don't leave until you have something better (unless they're abusing me which they're not), play up your connections, gain relationships with hr departments at big publishing houses, freelance, and cold call editors and ask for informational interviews. the last two are pretty scary. and there are just so many places i would like to work and articles i would love to write freelance. where to start?

if nothing else, her letter inspired me to apply for more jobs. i found a good listing: reporter at legal newsletters. although its a little out of my knowledge range, its reporting, and good old fashioned daily reporting. the only requirements were experience or a 4 year degree. the benefits sounded good and the location was perfect. i sent my resume right away and heard back almost immediately. they would like me to come in this week for a short interview and a three hour test. a what now? a test. a writing and reading comprehension exam. like the sat. or a placement exam. although i'm a little unprepared and nervous for this, i actually think its a fantastic idea. for entry-level reporters, its a great way to measure someone's capabilities. if i applied for jobs by submitting my perfect sat ii writing essay (yes, i scored 800--booyah) then maybe i wouldn't be stuck answering phones for slave wages. there's something very constant and reliable about standardized tests. i did very well in high school, it was only in college that when i started having bad luck academically and professionally.

that being said, i don't really do so well with standardized tests. besides the sat ii writing, my sat, sat ii, psat and ap scores were all pretty disappointing, compared to my high school grades. i also feel caught off guard because there is no test prep book or textbook i can pick up to study for this one. i have no idea what will be on it. i'm also at a disadvantage compared to the other candidates who are coming straight out of college, because i haven't taken an exam since finals senior year, and the last semester i didn't have any final exams so my last exam was really in december 2004. great. i also had to take a short typing, math (?) and grammar test when i applied at us weekly, and look how that turned out. although, i think i did well on that test...i'm sticking by my jessica simpson/nick lachey story for that one.

i just have to trust that my life experiences since college have prepared me for this test. i'm putting my faith in my writing ability. if nothing else, i know that this job has made me a better writer. and i've read so many books (and, for that matter, magazine articles) in the past year that i know i'm a more discernable reader. maybe i should make a list of all the books i've read. that will make me feel purposeful.

anyway, my exam is thursday at noon. it will last three hours. what happens after that, i have no idea.