Everything has a beginning and this blog post is no different. For starters, you should know that I’m a job seeker too. I was once quite comfortable in a profession I had worked in for over 20-years. I thought I would retire from that job; after all I had survived four corporate purchases of the company and three rounds of lay-offs. However, in December of 2008, I and over 800 of my coworkers were laid-off in a restructuring.
I Hadn’t a Clue
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Image by ianztrainz.com http://ianztrainz.com/oldsite/project10.htm |
I wasn’t concerned at first. My employer provided an outsourcing program that gave me a few months of classes to aid me in my new job search. My new plan was to smoothly transition into another job which was referred to in the class as a landing. Well, I’m here to tell you the flight’s still up in the air. My employment search has been akin to one of those early silent films where a rickety looking bi-plane is kind of swooping and weaving in the air. You’re not sure if the plane is going to crash or land and you’re also glad there’s no audio because if there was, some of the screams being uttered along the way wouldn’t have been pretty. I was frustrated and I really didn’t know what I needed to do.
My expected smooth transition stretched into over eight months of unemployment. I found during that time a lot had changed in the job market. You’ve no doubt discovered that fact too. I had a lot to re-learn. But first, it took me realizing that I needed to change. My resume required a major facelift. I had to re-invent myself. I couldn’t simply send off resumes like I used to. For one thing there weren’t many jobs being advertised to apply for. The entire job search process had changed and it was up to me to get out of the ‘box’ I was mentally in, go beyond what I knew and do things differently.
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Photo by Mr. T in DC. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/deed.en |
Get Out of Your Box
I was introduced to PRO-NET and the CBE over a year ago. That’s when I finally determined I was going to climb out of my box. The realization came to me one morning as I watched a crazy bird pecking repeatedly at its’ own reflection on an aluminum potting bench in my backyard. The more I watched that bird the more I began to equate his behavior with the methods I’d been using in my job search. That bird kept doing the same thing over and over again. If it had only jumped around to the other side of the metal there would have been no reflection. Yet, it kept on doing the same thing over and over again. Watching that bird made me think about what I’d been doing. It wasn’t working. I had to change my entire job search strategy.
I’m not saying you need to start bird watching, but if we want to find success in today’s job market, each of us have to update our methods. We must become informed about today’s job market and employ new tools to work ourselves back into employment. For some of us, I included, it may not be easy. We have to work at it. Your search may take you on a journey of rediscovering yourself. Maybe you’ll finally find that dream job you always wanted; but you’ll never find it if you don’t first get out of the box and re-invent yourself.
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Photo by Tswgb http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Jersey_Airport.JPG |
Take Some First Steps
Since I started utilizing the resources the CBE and PRO-NET, my search methods have had better success. My job search is ongoing, but I have a plan now and I’m working that plan. From time to time, I’ve landed some temporary contract work and my airplane’s no longer flying wildly out of control. My search for a permanent job search is still evolving and yours may do the same. Hopefully, in the process we all will share with one another what’s we have learned and what works and doesn’t work. In the meantime, go to the CBE One-Stop Employment Division website at http://www.onestops.com/newindex.asp and check out the resources, such as the Job Seekers and Customized Services tabs. Schedule an appointment to meet with one of the staff to discuss your job search strategy and begin re-inventing yourself.
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