Yep. Read the contract, which they should have given you, to see the time limit.
wow, I always figured that mentioning being a “creative” would explain perfectly why I would want an office job and why I wouldn’t be looking for a heavy career-progression position.
How would be an “aspiring writer” be a bad thing? Wouldn’t that imply that I would want a stable day job, and I’m not going to up and leave in three months? 
I know that I’m going to get called on this again, but “aspiring writer” would imply that you’d write on company time, thus wasting it, or use material that they’d rather keep to themselves.
Methinks you could use the services of a career counselor.
Robin
Everybody knows creative types are troublemakers, and hiring them for office drone positions is just asking for it.
Not really. They would probably read that as “I could give a shit about your company, it’s just something to do” whereas they want someone who is more “Your company could be the heaven I’ve been waiting for and I would simply die to climb the ladder here”. In the businesses I’ve worked, they don’t want people who don’t want to move up in the organization. In fact, it’s driving a couple of directors/VP’s crazy at my company that some people on my team are perfectly happy in their (still complicated, somewhat high level) jobs instead of wanting to be promoted into even harder jobs.
In your case, my guess is that after 10 years these companies would suddenly realize that they’re paying the Office Manager the same as someone else higher up in the hierarchy (through simple yearly increases) when they still want to be paying scratch. They want someone who will stick with them for years, but not necessarily in the same job.
I definitely agree with your second sentence there, but not necessarily your first. My concern as someone looking for an employee is more along the lines of what interface2x said…that I’d be worried that your focus/committment isn’t on MY job, but on your “real” career aspirations. I think most companies look for people who they can see would be willing & able to continue to take on more responsibility over time. Someone who has a lot of energy focused on another career entirely that they are working on in their spare time is not someone I would assume would want to grow in the position I’m hiring them for.
Also, the specific phrase “aspiring writer” would translate in my head as “I really want to get a job writing, but I can’t find one right now. I’m taking a boring job because I have no other choice, but as soon as I find a job in my field, I’m out of here, and you’ll be lucky if I give you two weeks’ notice.” I definitely wouldn’t assume that the potential employer would “get” that you are looking for a nice, stable job to work at for the long haul.
Sarafeena raises a good point. I’ve worked with “creative” types, both aspiring actors and writers, and they can be a pain in the ass for management and fellow employees. The actors would take days off work to go on auditions and do bit parts, and the writers would write on company time using company equipment and company resources. In many cases, these employees are not known for being reliable. There was also the risk that the writer would find material from the workplace and use it in their writing, which is a risk many companies are not willing to take. You can still write on your own time; I’m not saying you can’t. But the company you’re applying to may have been burned by someone else and you’re reaping the punishment.
My point throughout all of this, which I think I didn’t do a good job explaining, is that you’re giving potential employers every reason not to hire you, and few reasons why they should. What’s hurting you is your belief that employers want to hear about your aspirations as a writer or your interest in parenting, which you think help you, but that having your degree is what’s keeping you out.
I urge you to use the services of a career counselor who can critique your resume, teach you interviewing skills and can tell you how you’re coming across and help you overcome any problems. Having someone do a fake reference check on your behalf may also be a good idea to see what these people are saying about you.
Robin
Not something you want to put on your resume if you are applying for an office job at, oh, say Vogue working for a rather demanding woman, for instance.
Me, aspiring writer or actor is one of two things - a hobby, as an employer I don’t, generally speaking, give a damn about your hobbies (I’m rather extreme on the idea of hobbies on resumes, other hiring managers think they are a good idea, I think they are most often a sign of a weak resume ‘I don’t have anything else to fill this page, so let me tell you that I’m an avid skiier.’), or another job - why would I hire you for my full time job when you already have a job that is your career.
No, it would imply that you are going to up and leave in three months.
First of all, look at what you’re saying: you’re an “aspiring writer.” An ASPIRING writer. What, exactly, are you ASPIRING to, if it isn’t WRITING full time so you can quit your day job?
Second of all, realize that not everyone knows how difficult it is to make a living as a novelist. You do, obviously, but you’re likely to be talking to someone who thinks WRITING the book is the hard part, and it’s easy money from there on out. So, logically, what’s to stop you from quitting the minute you finish your novel and the royalties come rolling in?
Yup. When you say “creative,” many people are going to hear “flakey” and/or “pretentious.” I want my co-workers to be reliable, efficient and able to file the TPS reports correctly. Many people who boast of their creativity don’t seem to have these traits. Which is not to say that I don’t work with some wonderful writers, dancers and artists–just that these folks don’t talk about how creative they are; they just do their own thing after work.
From what I have seen, when there’s a background check involved, the forms you fill out are more precise and they state something to the effect of “don’t leave out any information” and then you are required to attest that the information you have provided is complete and truthful, to your knowledge. It’s nothing like submitting a resume.
Only when they ask a question as precise as “what is your full and complete educational background” is all of that information “material.” Leaving stuff off your resume that doesn’t seem to relate to the job you’re applying for is arguably not omitting “material” information.
My experience as a placement counselor in a temporary agency is this: if they really want to hire someone, they will regardless of the placement fee (they’ll either pay it with pleasure, go behind the agency’s back or negotiate with the agency) and regardless of the employee’s less than solid work background. Back when I was in that field I was the fairy godcounselor to many a job hopper. It was a great feeling and would have been even if I did not make a tidy commission on the placement.
That’s the beauty of temp to perm. Employees can overcome a bad resume by proving themselves to be great members of the team through not just their work, but their ability to function within the company’s culture.
This was in NYC, btw. I made placements in legal firms, banks, the garment center - you name it.
I’m having more trouble with this stuff than I had thought I would. They want the transcripts and letters of rec. scanned and made into .pdf or Word documents. Well, the scanner and Word weren’t getting on too well, so I did the .pdfs. And now they’re all separate files–one page per file. There must be a way to combine them. I really thought I was geeky/techie enough to handle this.
The paper apps of the past were easier.
One of my firends is only two months into a job and realized that the situation was all fucked up. We talked yesterday, and he had already put in his notice. He’ll move back to the States and will look for a job, and this little mistake isn’t going on his resume. For most people it’s better to have a blank of a couple of months than a join and quit.