In the last week, I was offered a job at Borders. This is the first job offer (which, indeed, resulted from the frist interview) I have ever gotten at Borders. I applied in Ellicott City, Annapolis, Los Angeles, Pasadena, and once previously in Santa Fe. They used to have the most annoying paper application of any retail store, two pages front and back with a request that the applicant list and describe employment and account for periods of inactivity over the last five years. I filled out that application maybe eight times, over the course of six years. I still have hand cramps from filling out that application. I never got a call.

Some time around last year they changed to an electronic, internet-based application, which requests even more information (professional AND personal references, area of college focus, reasons for leaving previous positions) and then had a personality test to see if the applicant is a leader, friendly, talkative, enjoys large groups, likes going out or staying in, enjoyed high school or thought about dropping out, likes filling out personality tests, likes lime with restaurant water . . . for thirty-five web pages. Five questions on each page. Filling it out eats up more time than the verbal portion of the S.A.T.s I did the electronic application in November to maybe get a Christmas season job while I wasn't at the library. I called them twice to ask if they were hiring, and went to the info desk to see if I could speak with a manager about my application. No response.

All I wanted was to be a bookseller. Most people might think that three years of supermarket, restaurant and cafe work, a job at a library, a four-year degree from a prestigious book-filled school, might make my application stand out.

I applied one more time last month, finally got an interview which went well, set up a second interview which also went well, and was hired . . . to work in the cafe.

I would have taken it, because I could use the money, and cafe workers still get a store discount; maybe if I stayed there for a few months, I could even be a book seller. Actually, I did take it, but two days ago I called back and turned them down. The other library supervisor quit, and once spring break is over, I will have thirty hours and five work days a week at the library and so I likely couldn't work out a good schedule at Borders. It could have been so beautiful.