“The trouble with unemployment is that the minute you wake up in the morning you’re on the job.” - Slappy White

Whether or not you are employed while job searching the biggest step is getting started.  I know.  Just call me Captain Obvious. 

One of the reasons why we put off finding a new job or tell ourselves the job we’re in isn’t so bad is because job hunting scares the bejeebers out of us.  Yes, it is daunting.  But, just like eating an elephant, all you need to do is take it one bite at a time.

Vanna, if you please, bring out the list . . .

1.   Find your heart’s desire.  Grab a notebook or Post-It and write down what types of jobs you would like to do or companies you would like to work for, even if they’re seemingly out of your reach.  Saying you want to be a movie star or a world famous belly dancer may sound silly, but it may also be that tiny little voice you’ve been shushing urging to take a look at your inner entertainer.  You need to be your own biggest cheerleader.  If you don’t believe in your dreams, who else will?

2.   Find a pattern.  Take your list and group any job or company into as many relateable groups as possible.  If you have a list of, say, ten items and the top three are the humane society, Red Cross, or youth director, maybe a shift towards the non-profit sector is in order.  Or, if you are leaning towards such positions as development director, recruiting, or even accounting, take a look breaking into education.  Ivy covered walls look pretty, but they don’t bring in money from donors, give tours to potential freshmen, or allot financial aid to thousands of students.  Getting a handle on what career paths you want to travel down now will help your actual career search later.  

3.   Find jobs to apply to.  That’s all for tonight, folks!  You’ve been a wonderful audience . . . Okay.  Seriously.  Now it’s time to do the leg work.  Times, they are a-changin’.  Gone are the days when you would get spiffed up to pound the pavement in hopes to land an on-the-spot interview.  As someone who has worked in human resources (HR), do not assume that just because you dropped off your resume you will get an instantaneous interview.  Just because it looks like we’re just sitting at a computer playing Angry Birds doesn’t mean we are.  Presumptuous interrupting of the workflow of HR is not the best way to get your foot in the door.  It’s actually a great way to annoy the gatekeepers of the hiring process. 

Next we will cover how actually take that focused energy and actually search for jobs . . . Onwards and upwards!

Positive Thought for the Day:

"Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs." - Henry Ford

Abandon all hope, ye who enter here...

That's what it feels like when entering the realm of job searching.  Job hunting can wrench the gut of even the most experienced job seekers.  Do not despair, friends.  We can work (no pun intended) through the process together!

My two main goals of this blog are to be informative and encouraging.  Looking for a new job; let alone finding a career, can be confusing, isolating and disheartening.  I have waded through the drudgery of crafting resumes, trying on suits, and smiling through interviews.  I feel your pain . . . 

However, being in human resources, I have also sat through interviewees’ stories of cut up underwear (yep!) and received applications filled in with glitter pens and Xeroxed notebook pages submitted as cover letters.  My posts will hopefully offer some insight into the minds of those working through the hiring process as human resources (HR; I have been surprised at how many people do not what HR stands for) representatives.  Maybe this insight will help smooth out some of the bumps in the road along the way to reaching your dream job.