Another sometimes chronicle in my quest to recover gainful employment.
I would like to compare my job search to an emotional marathon, but the metaphor doesn't quite work. There is no runner's high. I don't know where the finish line is placed, and no amount of training has ever prepared me for this.
My job search has not been a point A to point B endeavor. There are times when multiple job postings seem to magically appear when I type in the magical keywords, and yet other times there is an apparent dearth of jobs that match any skill I have.
I'm searching for three completely different types of job to try and expand my chances:
1) A job that matches my skills and interest.
2) A job that matches something, anything, in my background.
3) A job that is local, and open.
I've said repeatedly that I'm one of the lucky ones. We don't need my paycheck to survive, but it would make life at home much, much easier. I want to resume resurrect my career; my not so brief interlude is way past its expiration date.
I want back that illusion of control, and sanity to my life.
I've sent off several resumes recently. I've heard, nothing. And I will do it again soon too. Probably with the same results.
The routine is nothing but familiar. Every couple of days I search Monster, CareerBuilder, and Craigslist. I scan through the emails that Monster and CareerBuilder send every week.
When I find something close to my skill set, I look up the company and try to find out about them. I try to do that with the "Company Confidential" ads too, but sometimes my Google-fu isn't quite up to the challenge.
Afterwards I tailor my resume to put in keywords from the ad and write up a new cover letter. It sounds much simpler than the work entailed. I wish I could find humor in how many different ways there are to describe nearly identical jobs, with all of the new descriptions a keyword tied to the job posting. The electrons now placed just so, I fire it off, and then I honestly forget about it. The odds of hearing back are slim, I've had now three responses in as many years. My confidence level is currently best described as "shaken, not stirred."
And yet somehow I have not given up just yet. I'm still attempting to continue my professional career. I am trying to strike a balance when I send out my resume: I am trying to find a job, but still have a shred of restraint. I have not started to mass mail my resume, but I have applied to jobs I would have passed on just a couple of years ago. I can't completely explain it; I don't know if it is holding on to a shred of hope and dignity, or a luxury of not being desperate for my paycheck, yet.
One of the few barriers I have not crossed, is taking a job that will cost more than I will earn. I try to cut what corners that I can to lower the threshold, but it is still a pretty simple calculation. Will the job pay for fuel, the increase in insurance, wear and tear on the car, a bit of extra food, and the big one – daycare, and then have a few dollars left over. And too often the answer is no, surprisingly so.
In the past I've taken some of these jobs, and not one was worth it. The pay wasn't always the reason those past positions were bad. Some jobs were just nightmares. The pay was always at least one issue of many. It isn't about ego at this point. I am resigned that I will have a difficult time earning close to my last salary, but I still need a salary that will cover my needs.
I worry about even considering crossing this line. Taking a job that makes my life more difficult should be easy for the most oblivious employer to spot. It would not pay dividends in my career, my attitude, or productivity. I've seen it first hand, and the cliché of walking a razor's edge does have merit.
I am positive that my current gap in my employment does not help my search. I'd like to say that I'm just in a lull, but don't feel that is adequate anymore. A lull is temporary, a rut is a routine. After three years, a lull doesn't quite cut it anymore. I've attempted to develop new skills, and trying to keep the ones I do have at least somewhat current. Once that seemed almost easy, but this a different place and not the time it once was.
I know I should be searching more than just on the computer, but I am at a loss to figure out where to turn next. All of my strategies have not netted a single offer. I've tried networking, and still have no leads. Temporary agencies and contract placement firms have not worked for me in the past, and have continued their traditional roles. Some will not proceed when they see I am unemployed. The classifieds/Monster do at least offer new opportunities, and normally something that matched at least one of the three types of jobs listed up top.
The search will continue like this, until it doesn't. I will finally give up completely, or an employer will finally agree that I'm worth taking a risk upon again. Either way, the search will end abruptly, and without much notice.