Harry Potter and the Hectic Job Search

The Hogwarts Express has arrived! Harry is here! I've been waiting anxiously since, well, I left the theater of the previous installment of the brilliant Harry Potter series. And last week I finally got to have another dose of the beloved story.

I've read every book cover to cover, and sometimes back again. I've seen every movie numerous times, written about dear Harry in previous articles in school, and even dressed as the chosen wizard for Halloween once.

Besides getting lost in a magical world of spells, broomsticks, goblets of fire, sorcerers stones and invisibility cloaks, the thing I love most about J.K. Rowling's fantasy world is that I have always found a way to relate to the adventures of Harry and his mates. Although I am a mere muggle (blast!) and not going to battle with a Death Eater, I can see a little bit of myself in Potter.

Potter is trying to defeat Voldemort, while I am attempting to overcome unemployment. We both have mortal enemies where one cannot survive while the other still lives. Ok, well maybe I can survive while unemployment exists, but it's not the best quality of life.

My blog is my wand - my weapon - to take on that which must not be named - the recession. The more I practice, the better I get.

New York City is basically Hogwarts, a mystical place with creatures you've never seen before and never thought could exist. You don't need to go to the Lower East Side to see some interesting characters; they are walking among us all throughout the city. Who is to say that we aren't characters ourselves?

At Hogwarts the students are placed in either Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff. In New York people are placed in either Finance, Media, Fashion or Entertainment. Where do you belong? There are so many secrets to the city and certain places you can get in only if you know the password, have a special card or a shiny key. Bloomberg is our muggle Dumbledore, trying to protect us all from Death Eaters and trying to keep NYC the magic city it is.

Ahh the job search, isn't it just a wild Quidditch match? We run (or fly) around all over the place, avoiding being knocked down by the competition just so that we can catch the Golden Snitch (aka: the perfect job). And the interview process is really the same as the Sorting Hat Ceremony - we go up to be judged by a talking head who really doesn't know us and they decide where we belong. The online job board is my Marauder's Map, helping me discover where the open positions are and who is hiring at any given moment.

In this economy, finding a job is just as easy as capturing all of Tom Riddle's horcruxes. But I will remember Harry's persistent spirit and bravery as I set my sights on my desired position.

Who would have thought that a 24-year-old gal in NYC could see her self in a teenage wizard?

I don't know any spells for finding the perfect job, but when I go on my interviews I hope the employers can see that I am the chosen one. Accio job!