Am I Allowed to be Discouraged Yet?

So remember that library job I found on Craig's List? Yeah, scam. Close enough anyway. I sent an email to the address they gave, and I got one of those auto-reply thingies saying click on this link to officially submit an application. So I do. And the next day I get another email saying I'm considered a potential candidate for the job, and to click this link to confirm that I'm actually interested in it and not just some spambot sending out random fake applications and they'll be calling me about an interview. So I do. And that was going on two weeks ago. I'm thinking I'm not going to be getting a call.

I did get a call last Tuesday. I got all excited thinking it was the library people . . . it was Hasting's calling for an interview. Disappointing, mostly because they would pay less, but still. This is my first interview in seven and a half months of job hunting. So I go in Wednesday, and it seems to me like more or less a typical interview . . . not that I've had that many . . . like, maybe three . . . but still. I thought it went pretty well. She tells me that they're doing a few more interviews the rest of this week, and I'll hear from them either way. So I figure I'll get a phone call Monday or Tuesday. I got a rejection letter on Friday. Seriously? What. The. CRAP?!?! You tell me you're not even going to be done interviewing people for the rest of the week, and less then 12 hours later you've put a rejection letter in the mail?!?! Does anyone else see something wrong with this picture?

Okay, I understand (more or less) all the crap about the economy, and there's no jobs and unemployment and blah, blah, blah. Yeah. I know. What I don't understand is why, when I apply at a place which I know is hiring, I don't get called for an interview. And I don't understand why, when I do finally get one, it gets tossed out practically as I walk out the door. And you can say whatever you want about nepotism and I don't know the right people and all that, but Luke's gotten a job at KMart and Convergys, and interviews at both Super 8 and Crystal Inn. So that's obviously not the problem. In the last eight months I've applied at:

Hasting's (twice)
Smith's (both locations)
Macey's
Bath and Body Works
Hallmark
Bed, Bath & Beyond
Kohl's (twice)
Michael's (twice)
Hobby Lobby
Border's (twice)
Albertson's
the library
JC Penny
Dillard's
Convergys
TJ Maxx (twice)
Old Navy (twice)

I know there's more, but I can't remember them now . . . mostly because it was back in February and March, and the applications have expired by now, and I've just plain lost track. And with almost every single one of them, I've known for a fact they were hiring. Either from a sign in the window, or an online posting, or a tip from someone, or something. I don't get it. How is it that out of 40+ applications at places that are definitely hiring, I've only landed one interview? How can there possibly be that many people in Logan looking for a job. This is supposed to be one of the places with the lowest unemployment in the whole freaking country - practically every employment survey we've found says so. Are people screwing with the numbers or what? What is going on here that Luke can be offered four jobs and I can only get one failed interview? I just don't get it.

I held off on applying to be a sub last week because I thought that first the library and then Hasting's was going to come through. Is it too late now? It certainly wouldn't surprise me a bit.

P. ost S. cript
Allow me to attempt to counteract such a downer post with an epicly hysterical fail. If you don't laugh at this one, there is something wrong with you. :-)