The process
It's Monday, everyone. This time next Monday, much of America will be celebrating the unofficial start of summer, otherwise known as Memorial Day.
For me, in my current situation, it will simply be Monday. I continue to explore the market for an appropriate job opportunity, and have been developing some good contacts and possibilities over the past several weeks. I find it odd how long it's taken to move forward even this much, but the job market is certainly not like it used to be.
My wife and I have had a running joke for a number of years on how the job search process worked for her (she's retired now) versus how it functioned for me. In my case, when I would decide to explore new possibilities or be unexpectedly unemployed, it would generally take some time to get things going. And even when it did move forward, there were often multiple interviews that would lead to anticipation and then disappointment when I would be informed that the hiring company had selected another candidate.
And my wife? The joke between us was "one resume, one interview, one job." Always. I don't know if she was just so super-selective in her prospecting or she simply wowed the potential employer, but I seldom remember her ever taking more steps than that to secure a job.
Of course, as I have matured and my experience is greater and better developed, I seek higher-level positions than I might have twenty years ago. And to be fair, given my current status of being unemployed, I have applied for many, many, MANY positions that probably are not a good match with my skill set. But we convince ourselves that we have to do SOMETHING, so applying for additional positions is not a bad thing.
What continues to surprise me, and is no different than it was years ago, is the number of companies that do not bother to let candidates know that they are not being considered. Worse, to me, are those that ask candidates to spend significant amounts of time completing online applications (most of which duplicate EXACTLY what's contained in my resume, of course), tests (this is a newer phenomenon in my experience, as I was displaced three years ago and don't remember testing this frequently), phone interviews, videoconference interviews, and traveling to company locations for in-person interviews. And twice I've gone through that entire gamut in these two-plus months in the market, and both times did not get an offer of employment.
Disappointing? Of course. Discouraging? Somewhat, but the task at hand continues. I firmly believe that we make our own luck, and that's what I seek to do most every day of my forced idleness. That and worthwhile projects around the house, and I have completed more than I care to detail here.
So the process continues. And I am confident that it will take me to the right outcome. I just don't know when....
For me, in my current situation, it will simply be Monday. I continue to explore the market for an appropriate job opportunity, and have been developing some good contacts and possibilities over the past several weeks. I find it odd how long it's taken to move forward even this much, but the job market is certainly not like it used to be.
My wife and I have had a running joke for a number of years on how the job search process worked for her (she's retired now) versus how it functioned for me. In my case, when I would decide to explore new possibilities or be unexpectedly unemployed, it would generally take some time to get things going. And even when it did move forward, there were often multiple interviews that would lead to anticipation and then disappointment when I would be informed that the hiring company had selected another candidate.
And my wife? The joke between us was "one resume, one interview, one job." Always. I don't know if she was just so super-selective in her prospecting or she simply wowed the potential employer, but I seldom remember her ever taking more steps than that to secure a job.
Of course, as I have matured and my experience is greater and better developed, I seek higher-level positions than I might have twenty years ago. And to be fair, given my current status of being unemployed, I have applied for many, many, MANY positions that probably are not a good match with my skill set. But we convince ourselves that we have to do SOMETHING, so applying for additional positions is not a bad thing.
What continues to surprise me, and is no different than it was years ago, is the number of companies that do not bother to let candidates know that they are not being considered. Worse, to me, are those that ask candidates to spend significant amounts of time completing online applications (most of which duplicate EXACTLY what's contained in my resume, of course), tests (this is a newer phenomenon in my experience, as I was displaced three years ago and don't remember testing this frequently), phone interviews, videoconference interviews, and traveling to company locations for in-person interviews. And twice I've gone through that entire gamut in these two-plus months in the market, and both times did not get an offer of employment.
Disappointing? Of course. Discouraging? Somewhat, but the task at hand continues. I firmly believe that we make our own luck, and that's what I seek to do most every day of my forced idleness. That and worthwhile projects around the house, and I have completed more than I care to detail here.
So the process continues. And I am confident that it will take me to the right outcome. I just don't know when....
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