I’m throwing my hat into the ring now, as I’ve run out of excuses to not look for a job, and frankly I need to get out of this freaking apartment. I’m a little scared, honestly–I’ve never done much job hunting (most of my employment history is working for my parents) and what little experience I do have doesn’t really qualify me for anything. Add in that I’m a university drop-out and haven’t worked in well over a year (although, until April it would have been illegal for me to, so I have some excuse) and, well, I’m worried that anyone I contact might laugh me out of their office.
(I have had a response to one email I sent out in response to an ad–I’m hoping they’ll get back to me. It would be something and maybe help me build a portfolio.)
When I went solo, I knew I faced exactly this situation–I worked free lance in Kansas City where I had 20 years of history, networking and connections. I’m now in Boston where I know my husband, our realtor, and our kitties.
So I put alway about 3/4 of what I earned at that last consulting gig. No unemployment since I fulfilled the contract, and I am very fortunate that my husband is more than able to support us both.
The thing is my brain is gonna rot away soon. Today’s excitement was . . . lemme see . . . laundry! I had to stop and think for a second.
After we move into our new place here in a couple of weeks, I’ll hit up all the professional associations in my field and see if that nets me anything. Otherwise I’ll probably start wearing an apron and high heels.
Unemployment benefits, short-term savings (trying not to pull money out of retirement; it would be like eating my seed corn), and help from my parents. No credit cards, borrowing from friends, or anything like that.
At the end of September, if nothing happens, I’m bailing out of Cleveland, renting out my house, and moving back in with my parents in Buffalo, using “home home” as a base of operation for job hunting. I’ll probably be relocating again; likely to Chicago or Dallas, which have relatively recession-proof economies and a consistent, steady demand for planners. A tough thing to do at 42, but I don’t think I"m the only one in such a situation. At least my parents are there for me. This also likely means it will be the end of a LTR I’ve been involved in; she can’t relocate from Cleveland for another year, end of story, and she’s not open to a long-distance relationship.
Elmwood, here’s hoping you find a better relationship with the better job. I know I’m looking forward to meeting new people when I find work, I’ve spent the last 2+ years stuck in the ass end of town with limited social contact, any change will have to be an improvement.
I had a second interview with Overstock.com and there was much rejoicing. I received an email informing me they chose another candidate. There was much sadness. Yesterday, I was skimming through craigslist and saw an ad for Overstock for the exact same position. I was sort-of waiting to hear back from another company, and last week they sent me back my writing sample with a lot of comments and a “thanks but no thanks…”
This hurt my pride considerably. I am not a stupid person. I have two degrees that prove I am a mostly capable human being! I am a published writer in both fiction and academic fields!
In the meantime, I’ve used up all my savings but I still have freelance gigs.
2 applications out today, one for a position I didn’t get last time I was looking, but now I have exactly the experience they wanted.
Two possibles that I’m mulling over, neither lists the actual times their ‘part-time’ covers, usually code for inconvenient. Neither gives a contact for getting more info, just a PO Box for sending in the application.
Well I’ve been predicting it for months and now my boss (well ex-boss, but the report-to chain is messy) just called to tell me that Thursday is probably THE day…
I guess we’ll see. I’m not too excited about it - yet.
Well I just got off the phone with my “real” boss. He is the man whose budget I am on.
He tells me that either I will have to go, or the guy who reports to me.
And he says that this decision will be made as soon as I get back from medical leave.
He as asked me to come in for an hour on Monday and talk to him face to face to help him make the decision.
Pure numbers: it make more sense to keep the man who reports to me. They don’t need a man who does what I do for the work that they have and the guy who reports to me costs less. I told him that too.
Yeah, isn’t it a pisser when you know that the job and you are a good fit, and the interview(s) go well, yet they say no - and the job is still open. Any conclusion one can draw from that isn’t flattering to one’s ego.
Just got off a phone interview. The man cut the interview short because his boss was about to make an offer to someone else, and he felt that I was the better fit and he wanted to call his boss and stop her so she would have time to interview me.
I am supposed to interview with them again Monday or Tuesday.
I have a phone interview on Monday. I applied for the job this morning online and got a call back straight away from the agency - the chap I spoke to felt that I was an excellent match for the position (maybe he says that to everyone - but in this particular case, the job does call for a specific blend of experience and skills that is indeed a really close match for mine).
If I get this job, it’s like a 50% pay increase compared to my previous one - normally, I’d be afraid of reaching that far, but I haven’t had a pay rise for the last 5 years anyway (so I was being paid below the market norm) and there doesn’t seem to be anything about this job that I can’t actually do… so maybe…
I already found out that I’m over-priced for the aforementioned job. Not *a lot *over priced, but over-priced none-the-less.
Although I may be laid off next week (we will see Monday if it is me or the guy who reports to me) it is *way *too early for me to start making compromises. I have other irons in the fire. The thing is, if I were to take this job, I would already be at the top of that pay scale - there would be no upward mobility.
The man called back and asked me if I would be willing to wait until Jan - they will open a job in my salary range then.
As always, I didn’t close any doors, but I’m doubting I’ll be available by then. Who knows? Life is funny.
The telephone interview seemed to go quite well - it was a fairly relaxed discussion about how I thought my experience fits various aspects of the job - as well as a bit more in-depth a description of the role. At the end of the discussion, the HR manager said they’d be in touch sometime over the next few days.
After the call, I was determined not to sit and over-analyse, so I went out for a brisk 5 mile walk - when I came back and was getting dinner ready, I got a follow-up call from the agency asking me how it went - which I thought was a nice touch - about a minute after hanging up, the agency called back again and asked me if I am available for an in-person interview on Wednesday (with the HR manager and one other person (no details yet, but I assume the sales director, to whom the successful candidate will report).
Can’t help thinking that such a fast turnaround must be a fairly positive sign…
Not sure if this in-person interview counts as the first or second round…
Woohoo! A follow-up in person is a very positive sign Mangetout! More lucky vibes being sent. Keep us updated.
My meeting with my boss brought no answers today. He re-iterated that he only had room in the budget for one of us, but he made no indication which he would keep. I guess I’ll find out soon enough.
My first post in this thread is back a ways…looking for an entry to mid-level urban planning job (not competing with you Elmwood, you’re WAY ahead of me). I just found out my kitty has cancer, so I haven’t felt like looking. Absolutely nothing in Tennessee/Kentucky.
I got a job offer this morning. It’s a classroom facilitator for a satellite campus of Utah State. Basically, I will be sitting in a class, making sure the A/V equipment works and the students don’t destroy the classroom for 20 hours a week. The pay isn’t great, either. But I don’t even care. It’ll be a regular paycheck (to augment the writing stuff) and they flat out told me at the interview that I’ll be able to read and write while I’m there. It starts on Aug 25.
Well, I’ll be looking again after November 5th. That sucks and I don’t even really have time to start looking. It’s hard enough to find jobs, but my worst fear is that people will throw jobs at me now before my current job finishes.
Of the two jobs I applied for last week, one has been withdrawn and I’ve made the shortlist for the other.
One other job has come up since then that I could apply for - sent off the application yesterday.
One thing I’ve noticed since I was last looking (March 2006), every job I’ve looked at has asked for application by email with post or hand delivery a distant second. That’s a complete turnaround from the “no email applications please” that I used to see.
This also likely means it will be the end of a LTR I’ve been involved in; she can’t relocate from Cleveland for another year, end of story, and she’s not open to a long-distance relationship.