For me, this process started more than a year ago when I joined the estimated 18 million Americans out of work. My story was no different from anyone else’s – I showed up at work, was told to report to HR as part of a “reorganization,” and within twenty-five minutes I was out on the street with my desk in my hands wondering what exactly had just happened.
Over the next 14 months, I reached out, e-mailed, called, begged, and networked my way to no particular destination. I joined job search groups, revamped countless resumes, answered myriad advertisements, rehearsed multiple elevators speeches, and after several near misses and close calls, I finally managed to achieve…
…nothing.
Well, technically that’s not true. I gained a lot of friends, learned a great deal, and found out more about myself than I ever knew before, but to imply that all of these achievements and learning experiences in and of themselves should be some sort of reward means trying to ignore the pile of bills that come in each month with only a slowly dwindling savings account to cover them. Life doesn’t follow the predictable pattern of television sitcoms where everything is happily resolved at the end of a half hour with some lesson to be learned by everyone – no, it’s actually a much longer, frustrating, and tedious process. And it’s one that continues as I type these words.
So, why am I starting this blog? I mean, there are countless other Web postings about the job search process out there, so why add yet another voice to the cacophonous process that marks the modern job seekers’ dilemma? I can’t promise my experience will be any more “unique” than anyone else’s; but then, a shared experience hopefully offers some value if for nothing other than entertainment for the equally misfortunate. And if we can share a few stories and tips along the way, who knows what might happen?
Stay tuned – it should be an interesting ride!
No comments:
Post a Comment