You Are NOT Your Job

There are millions of people who identify with their job. This is super common when you meet people with low self esteem and they immediately have to tell you they are in a job profession. “Hi, I’m ___ I’m an attorney.” No one cares. Are you going to sue me? Or did you just have to brag about your knowledge of the law? Nope, yep, and still no one cares. Guess what, when you ARE an attorney, the rest of the attorneys don’t care. You have to find some other way to impress. I worked at the Colorado Bar Association for a couple of years and dealt with all of them. When you know more than they do, they stop trying to impress you. The funny thing is, even when an attorney is not employed by an actual firm or has an actual client, they still tell you they are an attorney.

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So my last posting was basically telling you that the world still doesn’t know what they want to be when they grow up and get that degree. It really is a huge fail on the education system at a very young age. From day one children should be preparing on how to make money and make a living, other than living rent free in their parents basement. True story, … I had a friend who wanted to be a …. ready? A nurse. I was shocked and asked why. Oh she thought it would be fun. Damn girl, you ain’t seen fun until you are cleaning up shit and bed pans of your sick and dying patients. Fun? Damn, that is a one sick sense of humor. Me — fun would be more of an amusement park, a nightclub, a concert venue, sporting events arena … not a hospital. So I gave a very brief detailed account of what a day in the hospital looks like for a nurse, and then gave the detailed account of what happens when you get home, empty your pockets and collapse into a chair of exhaustion. Yeah, my mom is/was a nurse and as a kid you see things way differently. Mom didn’t say work was fun. She usually got on the phone and complained to whomever at how shitty work was. And then there was the no name stories of people who are dying, and their families. When you think you found your dream job or dream company, go online to glassdoors.com and find out what past employees say/think about that company. Find out how much those jobs REALLY pay before you commit to a career. And before you ever take a class, talk to someone doing it and spend a day with him/her (if you can).

My friend did not go into nursing and instead went into computer science and now makes a very healthy salary.

You can’t turn on any media without seeing the death of the Queen and all the royals. Now they have to say “God save the KING”, as the Queen was saved for 96 years. Since I live in the United States of America, it doesn’t really affect me.

Apple announced the new, but not really new iPhone 14. The chassis is the same, so I am pretty sure the cases will all still fit. After careful examination of all the devices … I have decided there is nothing wrong, or broken with my iPhone 11 Max Pro. The reality is it doesn’t matter what color the device is, because everyone puts it in a case. If you don’t, and you walk around with it naked, then you deserve what you get when you drop it on a marble, tile or hardwood floor. They did not upgrade the processor so it still have the same CPU as the iPhone 13. The whole SOS thing is neat, but I have that using Life360 app, which I have already endorsed. They are offering satellite texting free for 2 years. After that I would imagine the agreement with SpaceX will be finalized and the iPhone will use their services, just like any other app, but at a premium. So as long as you have a portable solar charger and the new iPhone 14, Naked and Afraid participants have another option.

I never need a 48 meg camera. Ever. In a year it would be full, even with the 1 TB. Or maybe that is the plan, right apple? Your iCloud storage is going to explode and you will need to upgrade that as well. Funny how it all just keeps adding up. I call it the “Cult of Mac”. Millions of users that will pay whatever apple tells them, and they keep buying every single one of their products. It literally took me 2 years to pay my phone off so I am really enjoying having a cell phone bill under $100. Evidently their apple card has paved the way for success as millions are putting their new devices on these cards that offer no actual cell phone protection, like the American Express charge card. The platinum gives an extra year of warranty. I have not looked at what the actual wireless carriers are offering, but the trade in program is awful. I paid over $1600 for my device and it is only worth $250 trade in. No thanks. It works perfectly and like most people out there, very little of its real potential is used. In reality, most people would be perfectly content with their entry level SE model. I don’t know who influenced apple to put the home button back on the main screen but the SE has it now. Love it or hate it, you now have another choice.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Do you know what “I” would do for the education system if “I” were in charge? Well, Mister Stephens, what would you do? First off, I would make it mandatory that every single high school student before the age of 16, take a career management class. We would call it … that’s right you guessed it, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Part of that year long course would be investigating, researching, job shadowing and interviewing real live people doing the job. It would include budgeting, finance, credit, and a slew of other actual helpful tactics to manage your career, the finances that go along with it and the ways you can earn income. When I was teaching that class, at the college it was too late to tell someone they picked a really shitty career with no hopes of ever making any money. Trust me when I tell you there are thousands of unemployed video game artists/developers. My year long course would include ALL kinds of professions, from trade to pHd and I would have forums where students could actually learn, ask questions and decide what is right for them.

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NO ONE plans to be an Uber driver, a ditch digger, or construction worker. It just doesn’t happen that way. And no one tells you that you can make money as an influencer, a sugar baby, a housewife/husband, … or even as a drug dealer. But yet, all of those occupations exist. Almost every job out there has the wonderful things and the shitty things. It is a good idea to know what both of those are before you commit yourself to that career. A buddy of mine from high school, super smart, went on to be a lawyer. He was very musically inclined and artistic, so I wondered why he would go in a direction like law. Well, turns out he didn’t stay a lawyer and he went back to his artistic side of things.

WHY do you want to be a millionaire? What do you want/need to buy that is THAT expensive? Know what your minimum and maximum salary needs are and focus on what is important. Making 200k a year sounds great, until you find out you have no life, and you work 70 hours a week. I think to myself, “If I didn’t have any bills, how much would I need each month to live comfortably?” Once you have that number you don’t have to kill yourself to overachieve. Just remember, NO ONE is banging down your door to pay your bills in full each month. They’ll get their money when they get it, right? As one of my managers once said, “We work to live, not live to work.” And when you confuse the two we will have a coming to Jesus meeting to get your priorities back on track.

Yo Biden. The department of education needs a revamp with a focus on finding students meaningful careers that will pay their bills. Each graduate needs an understanding of where their money comes in and goes out. It’s not rocket science, but kids these days can’t even do math or count back change. There needs to be a small business course so everyone can learn about tax breaks and advantages they had no idea they could claim. I don’t have a doctorate, so I don’t think that person in charge would be me. I just came up with the idea that could literally revolutionize America for a better tomorrow. Although it could be a lot of fun developing courses like, “eBay, and other online sources of income.” And while we are at it, everyone needs to take an ethics course.

Forgiving a small amount of debt doesn’t fix the problem of students going into careers with no idea how to earn an income. Millions of people have useless degrees that have no relevance to their actual source of income.

Another Gun Shooting

So the other day on Facebook I posted about gun shootings … and how every single shooter technically is a hot tempered, hurt, rejected, suicidal individual. No shooter ever thinks they are going to get away with it free and clear. Well, not school shooters anyway. So just in case you forgot, there was a black shooting in a grocery store in New York, a school shooting at an elementary school in Texas, and now another shooting at a hospital in Oklahoma. President Biden is proposing banning assault weapons, like Canada. AND raising the gun age to 21!

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While many people feel that illegal immigrants shouldn’t be here, the reality is our economy needs them. Think of the millions of workers that legally paid into a social security fund they will never legally be entitled. So you are wondering how is it that they can get jobs? Well, that is up to the employer to “verify” their documents that they are legal. They never go anywhere, and there is no administration or department that keeps a copy of those when you get a job. Weird right? It is all up the the HR person to say, “Yep, you look good.” and then they sign their name on a piece of paper no one ever looks at again. So maybe the HR person signs it anyway or doesn’t file it all together. When times are tough and you have ZERO applicants for your business, 10 illegal workers who want to clean, cook and serve doesn’t sound so bad. Just saying, … it happens.

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Biden also wants expanded background checks. I think that is a great idea. Can they also tap into every pharmacy database to search for particular mental instability drugs that could cause a patient to snap? Hmm, now there is an idea. They are also proposing a “Red Flag” law that would help prevent future crimes. I am hypothesizing that it would entail “friends” reporting anyone they think might be a risk, such as that cray guy on Facebook who isn’t a friend but you … somehow? Would social media cooperate and provide user data?

If you are an Amazon Prime customer, “The Boys” season 3 is coming out like, any day, so now is a good time to binge watch 1 & 2. The Kardashians is the same show, different day. But man oh man do I love Kris Jenner’s new home and I am in love with Khloe’s new home, which is right next door to her mom. Selling Sunset is my new favorite show. It has supermodel real estate agents selling million dollar mansions in West Hollywood. It actually is more like “Pretty Little Liars” after they get real jobs and get super rich. No one dies, because they are real life people, not characters. And talk about some bitchy characters. Check it out. I love it. You might like it too. Justin Hartley’s wife is in it, and also Tarek from Flip or Flop, his girlfriend is in it too, Heather Young. AND if you have Disney+ a new series Obi Wan Kenobi was just released. Looks good, can’t wait to see it. The first episode is 3 parts.

Staffing Solutions

Everyone is having staffing issues. Lack of staff, no one applying for open positions, and the COVID workers refusing to go back to the office, opting for new lifestyles that allow them to work from home or remotely. One semi-positive note is that there are literally thousands of graduates that are entering the job market as high schools and colleges award those valuable degrees. Some will join the military, some will go to trade schools. Others will get married and start making babies, … hopefully. Although that does not solve the issue of entry-level, low-end jobs that don’t pay a lot of money. Frankly, who wants a low paying job? No one. Except maybe someone who would LOVE to have a job, any job … in America. There are still thousands if not millions of immigrants who want to come to the great USA.

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So, Biden, Congress, if you’re listening, you need to open the borders, lessen the reigns on the number allowed into the United States, and help solve many of these staffing shortages/issues. The bigger issue that is dominant everywhere, in every country is affordable housing. You can’t just let a few million people move here when they will have nowhere to live. As is stands now, there is a shortage of housing and people can’t afford their rent as it is. So what do most people do? They have roommates, they live with their parents … in their basement forever.

And here are the latest COVID number from the NT Times:

DAILY AVG. ON MAY 18	14-DAY CHANGE	TOTAL REPORTED
Cases	103,231	+57%	82,874,061
Tests	801,177	+31%	—
Hospitalized	23,223	+29%	—
In I.C.U.s	2,497	+23%	—
Deaths	304	–17%	999,607

So I guess in the next day or week, the United States will hit a million deaths. Thankfully everyone has their shots and boosters, … right?

Help Wanted

For the past few years, the economy has been experiencing staffing issues. And in case you forgot, over TEN THOUSAND baby boomers are retiring every day, … and have been for quite some time. Throw in the COVID work at home variable and now you have even more people that don’t want to go back to a “normal” job. And while millions of people stopped driving to work, they also stopped buying gas and changing their oil. Trickle effect. Did you know there were gas stations that closed and went out of business due to no customers? For some people gas prices can dramatically affect their weekly cash flow. Most people only have a ten gallon tank, so a buck or so more shouldn’t destroy everyone. No one is crying because the cost of meat as doubled. The reality is most people have a lot of extra money because they aren’t doing other things that they might spend money on; like fancy dinners and date night. Concerts and festivals are out and have been, but things are opening back up again. Although I still am not going to Coachella. There are still millions of people who aren’t vaccinated.

And here are the latest from the NY Times:

DAILY AVG. ON APR. 5	14-DAY CHANGE	TOTAL REPORTED
Cases	28,693	–1%	80,128,432
Tests	870,272	+13%	—
Hospitalized	15,383	–27%	—
In I.C.U.s	2,308	–35%	—
Deaths	602	–40%	981,112

Technically if you have been hiding out for 2 years, and most of society got the shot, in theory, you could be safe without the shot. You still need to wear a mask and wash your hands like cray, but it could potentially happen. Due to staffing issues, many savvy travelers are taking advantage of the Air B & B market. There are a lot of really expensive homes that are dedicated just to being rented by the night. VRBO is another resource that takes advantage of people who bought into the whole “timeshare” scam. Gosh, that one week a year sounded great until you can’t change the dates. I have sat through timeshare presentations and it sounds all neat, but the reality is you want to travel to different places, see new things. Even the hotel or resort they are selling will lose its wow factor after a couple of visits. As a smart consumer, you can just rent those rooms/homes for the weekend or whenever. You still won’t come close to spending the money you put into a timeshare.

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Think about it, you really only have so many years of fun travel … before you get old, can’t walk, need help or extra time. Those good years are usually the years you don’t have the time or money. Just don’t get sucked into thinking a timeshare is a good idea. Take those fun vacations, save up for it. It doesn’t have to be super expensive. Don’t stay in a villa. Rent an air b&b that is AS nice or nicer than a villa. Home owners you stay with are happy to give you a fresh towel. Hotels have extended wait times for everything. I told you a long time ago that harsh immigration practices would eventually affect you and your vacations. The Motley Fool recommends buying some air b&b stock. That is a market that is continuing to explode as smart investors are buying homes just to rent. Real estate in any form of investing is a good if not great idea.

Who taught you how to lie?

How old were you when you realized you could tell a lie and get away with it? Oooooohh good question! It usually is one that you have to think about for a moment, and then you think about what it was that you did when you lied. Or worse, you think about the one time you decided to lie and you actually got caught. Damn. Not exactly ideal. Some parents like to live in this fantasy that their kids don’t lie, at least … not to them. My mom certainly did not teach me how to lie, and my dad wasn’t going to share HIS secrets. He was one of the biggest liars I knew and never once did he tell me the tricks of his trade. While it is something you aren’t going to ask your parents, it is something that everyone should be aware of, and what the consequences are. Just so you know, lying under oath is against the law, and if you lie in an interview, pray they don’t follow up with further questions. Termination can be an option. Remember the movie “Don’t tell mom the babysitter’s dead.”? Of course, you might not get caught and if it happens, they might just look the other way like in the movie.

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Did you know there are certain clues or signs that someone is a liar? Yep, it is true. In HR you learn all kinds of things when you interview someone face to face. Not looking at someone directly in the eyes many times can be a red flag. Whatever you do, don’t look away when asked a challenging ethics question. Don’t exaggerate your skills or abilities. Sure some things are hard to verify, but other things sometimes it takes a simple phone call. If you claim to know and have mastered Adobe Photoshop, then you should be able to detail your thought process when you retouch or edit a photo. Such as, “Well, before I touch a photo, I lock the layer and create a duplicate layer of that first layer in case if I need to revert back to original. I also like to have a “before” photo to show my results and the work that I have done.” Don’t be taken off guard or suddenly surprised when you are asked a technical question to determine your ability. Once I had an interviewer ask me to submit a marketing plan for the organization to prove my skills. I said I don’t work for free. If you want a marketing plan you hire me and I will do a SWAT analysis of your current offerings and make my recommendations for changes for improvement. In my opinion, if they are fishing for marketing plan proposals, they are already in big trouble. You better have an impeccable memory — so you can keep track of all your lies.

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Whatever you do, don’t change your “story” or lie. Especially if you are being questioned by a police officer. Stick to your story, no matter how awful or stupid it may sound. Although, technically, you are not under oath talking to a cop, supervisor, HR representative or even your parents, so you can just lie all you want. Just remember, there are consequences for those actions. Am I saying it is okay to lie? Yes, no … maybe. Would you spare someone’s feelings by not telling the truth? “That skirt is F’ing hideous.” vs. “I love your skirt! Vintage.” Exactly, we all saw Mean Girls so we know there are all kinds of lies we tell/see.

And for the record, “I” didn’t teach you how to lie. You’ve been lying for years. Some people lie to themselves daily, like the ones who catch COVID and are literally on their deathbed telling the doctor they don’t have it. Millions of people don’t go to a physician for a health check because they don’t want to hear the results, so they just live in denial. Words are power. Use yours to empower.

Veritas — Truth Serum

“A drunk man’s words are a sober man’s thoughts.”

Dispensing more good advice … this is my favorite quote. What it means in the simplest terms — if you get drunk and your sober friend does not, chances are you will spill your secrets and or truths. You won’t remember it, but he/she will. So keep that in mind the next time you decide to get hammered with your best “work” friends. You really don’t want your subordinate employee knowing all the dirt. Years ago I created a rule for myself that I did not associate with people from work, while I was still employed there. If one of us quits or moves on then it would be okay to “hang out” outside of work. If you go to the happy hour events with coworkers you will find out all kinds of secrets.

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Now some people think this is bad advice as they have made a lot of good or great friends from the workplace. Good for them. I also know of “friends” who had dirt on their other friends and used it to blackmail their coworkers into doing their bidding. In some companies things like, days off and preferred schedule shifts are highly coveted that can be easily granted or denied. Of course you can BE friends AT work. I am saying when you leave the building and go off into your merry little world, there really is no need to have a work friend join you.

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Women are catty (bitches) and men are … untrustworthy. And when it comes to money and the workplace, things can get even nastier. I am talking about sales people who steal sales from each other. Commissioned sales and friends in commissioned sales are not a good combination. Just remember that everyone comes from a different background and way they were raised. Simply being employed at the same company and working in the same department is not reason enough to have a new best friend. I have also witnessed when two best friends apply for the same promotion. You can already guess where that is headed. In the game of sales, there is only ONE number one salesperson each month.

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And just in case you haven’t had a role model tell you … NEVER get drunk at a work function. Romance and the workplace is not advised. You don’t want to work with your ex if you have a bad break up, right? I also do not advise in “friending” your new coworkers on any of your social media platforms, especially Facebook. People are weird and some people do not have good intentions. Remember, there is evil in this world, and sometimes it is in your own company. Trust no one.

My Resignation

Today’s date.

Dear Employer,

I quit. My last day will be __/__/2021.

Sincerely,

Wow, didn’t that feel good? Your resignation is simply a formal proclamation of your intention of separating employment with a company. Some companies may find you a literal threat once you submit your resignation and will terminate you immediately, yanking back that card key, credit card and all computer access. If they didn’t know you were pissed, you could sabotage the company from within, if you haven’t already. If you are around products or merchandise, or even cash, you could rip them off since you know how the systems work. In many companies, for some positions it is automatic for security reasons.

In this day and age, your clients/customer list is also an asset and you certainly don’t want one of your employees walking off with it and stealing your business. It happens. Anything you do online, including your keystrokes can and will be monitored. If you are in a situation where you KNOW you are going to lose your job, such as a company lay off or downsizing, be very careful not to let your guard down and screw it up. Meaning, don’t be late to work, don’t do anything illegal on company time (drinking on lunch), failing a random drug test, … surfing porn on company computers. Yes, all these things can and will end your employment AND that severance package AND your unemployment. Remember, you are a liability at this point and the company will try to cut it’s losses as much as they can.

So that resignation example was SUPER simple, and of course you can outline and detail every single reason why you are quitting that company, and you can nail them (whomever you hated for quitting) to the cross at this point. It is formal, in writing, and a “complaint” that HR and management will need to address. If that supervisor gets an abnormal amount of employees quitting then HR will step in and try to prevent it, by PIP of that supervisor. Sometimes he/she will get demoted. Yeah, that is super fun. It is even more fun when an employee “steps down” on their own. If you are a supervisor, and you are addressed with some “issues” then you may need to take a step back and determine your areas of opportunity as it will definitely affect your annual review.

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A two week resignation is only a courtesy, and by no means required. You can walk out of a job and never return. You are not required by law to list that shitty job on your resume. And if it was under a year, it might not be worth it at all. I am pretty sure you can even text message or email your resignation if you don’t want to show up in person. There are literally thousands of “jobs” out there, so there is no need to be abused by an employer/supervisor. GTFO and save yourself. Do you drive a car? Wow, you can be an Uber/Lyft driver. If you haven’t heard, there is a driver shortage … oh wait, there is an employee shortage. Why? Oh, you know, some of them just died. How dare they. Some retired. Lucky ducks. Others found that they don’t need a double income to survive. If you don’t have your shot, mask up buddy. Lots of weirdos out there are not vaxed and are running around naked.

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads, daddies, and of course all the mom’s who had to BE the dad (single, divorced, widowed). We can’t forget our father, who art in heaven. Say it. “Thanks Dad. You’re the best.”

Just Another Bad Situation

So, let’s pretend your work/life situation is not to your liking. It happens. There might be a coworker, a customer, or even a manager that you just absolutely despise. In some businesses, you might see that problem customer, over and over again, month after month. If it is a supervisor or manager, then you might be faced with making a difficult decision. Do you make that conscious decision to actively start looking for a new job, secretly, or do you suck it up and make the best of a shitty situation? Well, it really depends on how much you really hate that individual.

Like I said before, people don’t leave jobs because of the nature of work, they leave because of conflicts with managers. That “manager” might be the owner of the company so there may not BE any workable solution other than leaving. I worked for the owner of a 3 person company and he said to me “My company. My rules.” He was a financial planner and unethically told all his clients to sell a particular fund against his own prior advisement. Then he insinuated he had “secret” insider information (hush hush don’t tell your friends). Also illegal. He is long dead now, so no repercussions to him. Well, if you didn’t know, there is a fee associated with selling and when you have hundreds of clients all selling and then buying, that broker gets paid. It’s a really shitty way to rip off your customers so you can make more money off of them. Most people pay a professional to make smart decisions for them so they make money, not so they can keep paying stupid fees.

So with any relationship situation, it is best to start the list. You know, the pros and cons of that relationship. This applies to dating as well as work. What do you like? Why is it beneficial for you? Are you paying your dues? Is the person who is making life difficult really a secret mentor in disguise? Are you supposed to learn something from this person or teach something to this person? In many years to come you will look back and understand the “why” behind your reason for being there. Now ask yourself, do you REALLY want to start all over in a new environment? Bottom guy on the totem pole? Starting all over again sucks. Making new friends (if applicable). For some people the thought and idea of getting out is a fresh of breath air. Others are in their comfort zone and will continue to tolerate the shit. When you tell your employer all your life stories, they got you. You’re trapped. You just bought a new car. You have kids. You have a mortgage. You aren’t going anywhere. They will work you to death and you are just an employee number to them. Seriously at the end of the day, unless you are married to the owner or his/her kid, they don’t really give a hoot about you. If you leave, so what. There are a dozen struggling, unemployed people out there someone will happily take your job and laugh at why you quit. Your new job might be worse off than the one you are in now. So you hate ____ about your job. Everyone hates something about their job.

Artists who become self employed realize they have to collect on accounts and those types of conversations might not be so fun for them. Most small business owners find themselves in a boatload of administrative HR stuff, along with accounting. Hate it, but have to do it. So think carefully before you leave that cushy job in the nice cool air conditioning. What if that problem person just went away instead? Now there is an idea. Can you outlast that person? I worked retail for a really, really long time. I know that most hourly retail workers don’t have more than a year in them before they burn out. Sometimes you can just wait until they leave on their own, … or get enough bad surveys. Hmm, could your friends be that person’s customer and then they give him a shitty survey score constantly to get him/her fired? Yes. It’s a dog eat dog world out there and the only one who is looking out for you (other than me) is YOU. At the end of the day, you got bills to pay and responsibilities.

So I know that some of my readers are EXACTLY is this situation right now. My advice, if you are going to start looking for a job, tell your network. Let one of your contacts be your champion and get you that interview. Did you know you have been considered for positions before, but the hiring manager thought you were happy and would never leave your job? Oops. Always open to new opportunities and challenges. Actively seeking new projects/clients/1099’s. We never know what tomorrow holds, unless we are dealing the cards. So deal a wild card today. Did you write your items for your dream job? Who knows, it might be in your near future.

We Need To Talk

Those scary 4 words. You hear them from your spouse, teacher, supervisor and you cringe. From an HR perspective, I usually have to close the door as it usually means that employee is in trouble for … something. Attendance, no call no show, customer complaint, … or the dreaded “survey results” conversation. As a consumer, you can use an internal “anonymous” review of employees. We call this “Mystery Shopper”. Of course, this doesn’t work in every industry or field, but it is something that can actually get an employee fired if they get enough bad survey results. Every Fortune 500 company that has customers have surveys. They also have reviews. They also have to fear angry customers exploding on their social media pages. If management or someone in the company wants to get rid of you, they are going to find a way. Sometimes they are assholes and get you on a “technicality” like a survey result that you can’t prove or disprove or defend yourself. If you didn’t know, your “5 star” review of your Uber/Lyft driver is super important. You can use that as a weapon. However, they can rate you too, and if you get too many 1 star reviews, no driver will pick you up, regardless what level of car you select.

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So if you are the employee being rated, and you establish rapport with your new customer/client/friend, you can coerce them into giving you 5 stars. How? Ask them is there anything you can do for them before they leave the store to improve their 5 star experience. Maybe they wanted you to pair their phone to their car and you didn’t offer or ask? You are not a mind reader so ask before they rate you. When you are interacting let them know your goal is to provide a 5 star experience, and anything less is not acceptable for you. You can also let them know your job security and likelihood of helping them in the future depends on it. So, bad score, no employee. Got it. They get it. If they like you, they will use your name and say how amazing and awesome you are, and they are bringing all their friends and colleagues as new customers. Seriously, management loves hearing actual comments like that. I would tell my wireless customers I would give them free rollover minutes. <wink> Cost me nothing, but meant the world to them. It is also kind of important to know what you are being scored on so you meet or exceed those expectations. Like, did you offer financing? Join the membership rewards club? Ask for referrals?

So if you are working on your career plan, you should also track it. If you are collecting unemployment this is required. Use Microsoft Excel or some spreadsheet and copy and paste the job description, company information/history, in a way you can follow up and remember what you applied for. What if you apply for 25 jobs, all the same, and 10 call back and you have no clue what it is you applied. You want to sound smart and intelligent. Keep it in the cloud so you can update/review it on the go, or when you are about to walk into your in person interview. Having zero clue about the job or company shows you are unprepared and not a good fit. Use Glassdoor.com for additional company research. It is also a good idea to know who the owners/leadership are in the company.