Sorry for the lapse... I was on a secret mission

My apologies for the long silence -

BUT....

I have some news...

I HAVE A JOB!!!!!

Hallelujah!!!

Funny how life works out. I spied the job posting on Indeed.com (Great site!). It was a position with a local non-profit organization that I'd actually done business with at one of my previous jobs.  The idea of working for them had never crossed my mind but it just seemed to jump out at me from the list. 

Ah, what the hell.

So, I shot them my resume and a cover letter, got a call the very next day and interviewed the day after that. The next day I had an offer.

I started my new position two days after I filed for my last available week of unemployment benefits. 

And right after the transgender blizzard (Nemo aka Charlotte) dropped a few feet of snow on us.

Trans-storm Tootsies

This storm was relatively gentle on us - we didn't lose power and were able to dig out without much drama although it did take 7 hours to clear our driveway and walk with the snowblower.  But I think I would've walked the 8 miles to work in that snow if I had to.

I always believed that everything happens for a reason and this job with this particular organization coming at this particular time... was destiny.

It's a small office populated with people who are positive and supportive and respectful of each other and the customers.

I have an office to go to, a job to do that is challenging and fulfilling and I am surrounded by genuinely nice folks.

I am beary, beary happy.

Resumes, Cover Letters and References - Oh My!

Well-rounded executive with superior people skills

If you haven’t been in the job market in a while, you’re in for a rude awakening. Everything has changed. And I mean EVERYTHING. 

First you need to update the resume. What type of resume do you want? Oh yes, there are types now. Do you need a chronological resume or a functional resume? Can’t decide? Well then there’s the hybrid resume.  

Once you complete your resume you need to have an online presence. This is the digital age, remember? The days of mailing out your resume with cover letters are gone. If you’re not internet savvy – get savvy. Fast.  

LinkedIn, CareerBuilder, Monster, Indeed.com… those are just a few of the places where you need to create a profile and post your resume. And each has its own quirks. Some only accept a text version of your resume - some change the formatting when you upload. Be prepared – this can take a while. 

And you’ll need to read up on the current lingo – Google will become your best friend and translator. Here are a few tidbits I found in job postings: 

·       Value added support (as opposed to useless support?)

·       Bias for Action (is inactivity an option?)

·       Appreciation of importance of a patient-centered mission (Really?)

·       Bachelor’s Degree “perferred” (not a fan of Spell-check?)

·       Comfort in a fast-moving environment with frequent changes in scope or direction of projects (Translation: Applicant must have ADHD)

And the Insurance companies will stalk you. Apparently, they are desperate for sales people because until you ask them at least three times not to contact you they will send daily emails and call weekly. When I informed the man on the phone that I am really not interested in a Sales position, he said “We don’t do sales. We identify a need and we fill it.” 

All righty… 

And jobs have new spiffy titles now. I read a posting for a Distribution Generalist for a Publishing company – sounded interesting until I read the job requirements and realized the position is actually a newspaper delivery person.  

Ok… 

That Manager position at Mr Happy's Café looked appealing. They were looking for an energetic, well rounded, organized person with People skills. But it doesn't pay that well... and there's something just wrong about a place that describes itself as "Your Daddy's Stripbar." 

I think I may have found my dream job though. This is even better than that Walmart Greeter.  I want to drive the train at the Mall.

All Aboard!!! I'd call it the Bear Express

Check out these wheels!

I could cruise slowly like a shark around the mall... sneak up behind some doofus on his cell phone and... 

DING!DING!DING!  

I'd ring that big bell just to see him jump. Oh man, what fun. Whole lotta play value here.  

Well a girl can dream…

For those of you who are still searching for a job, here are a few tips: 

• Be sure your email address is professional looking – “HotsieTotsie at Hotmail” may send the wrong message to a potential employer (Unless he’s Mr. Happy).
• Adjust your privacy settings on Facebook. Those drunken half-naked pictures from your BFF’s bachelorette party won’t get you the job (Unless it’s at Mr. Happy’s Café). If you want to see what your online rep is, just Google yourself. You’d be surprised what comes up.
• Keep track of all your logins and passwords. Not only do all of the job search sites have secure logins, but many companies use a digital application service that requires you to create a profile just to apply.
• Be sure to have everything ready before you start the application process (resume, cover letter, references, etc). Take your time – but not too much time. Applying for jobs online sounds like it should be fast. Yeah, not so much. Some applications are 12-15 pages long and if you take too long, it times out. Everything lost, start over. (Scroll to the bottom of the application page – make use of the “save and complete later” button if you need to stop for any reason)
• Don’t get discouraged if you get no reply. Most employers utilize a software program that scans resumes for key words – if yours doesn’t hit those keys, the resume drops into a black cyber hole (formerly known as the circular file). Count yourself lucky if you get auto replies.

 Most of all… keep your chin up and know you’re not alone.

Bear hugs to ya…

Once more into the abyss...

So you may have noticed that this blog was quiet for a while... because I was working. Yes, after several months, I found a new job. Well, I didn't find it, actually their recruiter found me.

Things were really looking up. I started on January 9th, and after a month I seemed to once again be hitting my stride. It took some adjusting... After a large corporate environment, this company was tiny - I was employee number 8.

But it was interesting and I was learning about a new industry and the people were nice... and it was good money.

I should've known.

A month in, the shit hit the fan.

The small software company I worked for suffered a catastrophic hardware failure. They were forced to spend buckets of cash to replace most of their networking hardware.

Two days later, they realized that the financial loss was greater than they had expected. And they had to make some difficult decisions.

One of those decisions was to lay off that brand new Project Manager they'd just hired...

That would be me.

So... it's back to unemployment and the never-ending search for a new job... cruising the online job sites, networking and shooting applications and resume`s into that huge black hole where no one really reads them.

 Linkedin and Monster and CareerBuilder, oh my...



Everywhere you go, there you are...

Happy Autumn, Mr. Bear...

There you are, surrounded now by perky yellow mums, and as if that weren't bad enough, they've exchanged the stars and stripes for a flag with a basket of peaches on it. Apparently you are the central piece in the neighbor's "Homage to the harvest."

When you were a mere sapling, did you ever imagine you'd end up as a painted lawn ornament?

It's an interesting topic. I had this conversation with my nephew recently. How we end up as adults doing something completely different than we originally intended to do when we started out as youngsters. And yet, it fits.

Myself, I went to college, but I studied what was expected of me. It seems I spent a great many years doing what was expected. I held jobs for years and did them well, but without any great passion. And now, I find myself in a job that was dropped into my lap - and I find that it is just... right. I am passionate about my work, it requires all of the creative skills and talents I possess and it is fulfilling. I make a difference.

That matters. It's important to know that what you do makes a difference. That your presence here on this planet will not go unnoticed.

Some people know from the start exactly what they want to be and go about single-mindedly accomplishing it. I tip my hat to them. But some of us take a more circuitous path. We "evolve" into who we are meant to be only after taking several wrong turns.

But then, I think that's why we're put on this earth. It's not where you get that matters... it's how you get there and the lessons you learn along the way.

The journey is more important than the destination.