I Just Got Paid Today

My year of unemployment has come to an end, at least for the next six months should I get to serve out my entire contract. And, after what seems like eons, I garnered my first paycheck today. Due to the timing of the payroll and the company's holiday schedule, it was only for three days but it was the sweetest cash that I have earned in a while and I am thoroughly excited.

I spent this last year polishing just about every aspect of my employable world, my resume, my interviewing skills, my professional skills through continuing education, my outlook, my aspirations and my well-being. I exercised, ate even less and lost some weight and increased my frugal reins in addition to spending quality time with my children. It has been quite journey. Now, I am simply grateful and elated for the opportunity to work while remembering my fellow compatriots for whom unemployment marches on. I am rooting for you all.

Improving My Odds in the Job Market

I'm back studying again in earnest, this time to gain national certification - that which will add some alphabet soup after my name. Anything that I can do to improve my odds in the job market. Actually I did get a call from an HR department of a prominent company based in New Jersey. Unfortunately, it is a 3 hour commute each way by car (due to the inevitable traffic) and virtually impossible by train. I would definitely have to relocate to take this job but I'm far from actually crystallizing that thought.

I am still pursuing the opportunity anyway because none of us ought to rule ourselves out. The whole contact and interview process requires practice and real world scenarios are invaluable. The initial phone interview was good practice. I haven't interviewed in months and I must say, it is amazing how quickly you can fall out of interview fluency. Ultimately, if I don't stack up against the other candidates, then nothing is lost and at least I've polished my chops a little bit. If, perchance, I do become a finalist then I will make the geographical determination then.

In the meantime, I will focus on my studies. And, as I am wont to do, I will make yet another declaration about how I will be resorting to brevity while I do so. Yet, as I scroll back through my posts, I see that I revert to wordiness almost immediately. Alas, such is me.

Reflection on a Graduation

Well, I am graduating first thing in the morning and while I should turn in early, it probably will not happen as usual. Anyhow, I'll be the proud recipient of a Certificate in Business Analysis and a Certificate in Project Management. Yeah! However, the resulting job offer that I expected to snag due to this dual achievement has not materialized yet. I still believe that I will find something but as I stare deeply into the abyss of an aging job search, it is hard not to get discouraged.

I do believe that everyone is allowed to be discouraged sometimes just as long as despair does not become our modus operandi. We should get mad and we should get angry sometimes so that we can dispel the internal stresses that are bound to build as we constantly assess our jobless situation. Then we must dust off our boots, strap on a new outlook and continue the search.

Tomorrow morning, I am to show up in professional dress looking the part. Though they call it a graduation, it is a lot more than handing us our certificates, patting us on the back and sending us on our merry way. There will be representatives from area companies and career development professionals to give us another huge helping of job search guidance. Maybe some of us will get lucky and make a beneficial contact that leads to employment.

But just in case, I will be taking a civil service test on Saturday morning. It is for a position that pays half as much but I have to create opportunity and options for myself. We are being told to think outside of the box when it comes to seeking employment these days which essentially means we must pursue every lead even if it is for less money. So, I will do it.

A Whole New Ballgame

Back to school means more to me this year than it ever has. Though I will miss having my children around, they and I have some serious work to do. They are each facing a challenging academic year and I am facing a very challenging job search. All of the career counselors that I have come in contact with recently have stated emphatically that searching for a job is different this time around; in fact it is a whole new ballgame.

Though I have been diligent and put into practice much of the new tricks that I have been given, my search has turned up empty; my application of the new rules is not as effective as I had hoped. I am now a brand. I must market and sell myself. I must network and meet new contacts. I must write a winning resume. I must write winning cover letters. I must be aware of body language. I must conduct effective interviews. It is up to me to close the deal.

So, I need to focus real hard. I need to leverage every ounce of my being in this pursuit and to that end, 6 1/2 hours without children will give me the time and space that I need to help me achieve this goal. Back to school, not a moment too soon.

School's Out for Summer

I'm done, I'm done, I'm done! I'm done with school, just awaiting the official graduation ceremony. I thank you all for your support. Now comes the next part, studying for the very difficult national accreditation tests where success will put some fancy letters beside my name. Can I get any more fantastic than I already am? I must. Competition is stiff and every little bit counts toward getting one's foot in the door these days.

Well, I am off to go celebrate before reality hits me. May I suggest my newest favorite bottle of inexpensive wine, Impala Run Shiraz 2004 from South Africa. It is imported by a Medford, NY based distributor so I don't know how much of the market they have penetrated beyond the Island. Anyhow, at a tidy $8.99 for the large bottle, it cannot be beat on price and taste. Put away those Australians, this one is good.

Performance Interruptance

I simply couldn't imagine my classmates in their underwear and chickened out of my aforementioned presentation. I was up til 2am working on it but I just could not muster up the courage to go "on stage." I failed performance 101. Alas, I feel dreadful and riddled with guilt.

I hope to be able to re-take the class to redeem myself. My inability to perform had nothing to do with my topic or qualifications or anything, I was simply afeared. It is completely irrational at this point and it is quite possible that I am beyond forging new pathways in my brain without professional help. Nevertheless, I am hoping that with advance warning and a much longer time-frame to prepare, I can have a presentation so well rehearsed that it helps to greatly reduce the forces of panic next time around. I shall see.

The tools of public presentation are very useful tools that can be applied to job interviews and other networking tactics necessary to round up and get that new job. So all I have to do is buck up and fear not. It seems a little late to still be trying to convince myself but I have to acknowledge the problem which is the first step toward a cure. This is what the experts say. I have even given a new name to my condition, "performance interruptance." It is faux Latin so it has to rhyme.

Hiding

Tomorrow I have a major presentation for class and I am absolutely terrified. It is to be a 5 minute speech on any topic using the "best practices" tools of public speaking. Unfortunately, I have such debilitating stage fright that my brain has blanked completely and I cannot even come up with a topic. That's the way I feel many times when I sit down to write this blog. Even though a blog can ultimately become something of value and many people create one precisely for that reason, I actually do not want anyone to know that I write it and am perfectly content to remain undiscovered. So far that is the case.

I have been writing this for over a year now but I still have not found any comfort zone where I no longer fear discovery. This blog was to be an exercise that would help me break out of my frightful shell but so far that has not happened. One day I hope. In the meantime, if I don't drop dead from a heart attack tomorrow, I will be back here as usual, hiding.

School's In For Summer

Today, I finally started school. O Happy Day! This first 8 hours of class, yes, 8 hours, only 3 times a week though, gives one an immediate satisfaction of accomplishment. Career Development education is an excellent remedy for the unemployed blues. The opportunity to add a valuable, marketable boost to one's resume, especially in this extremely competitive job market, should bring out the inner sunshine of any dispirited soul. You can't beat it!

In fact, I learned today that there is a special program for those who were employed in any of the top financial services firms in New York. They get a whopping $11,000 each for career development training. So, if you are one of those lucky 50 or 100 thousand people laid off, there is money for you to learn. I am not one of those but I still got a deal so there is no excuse. Let them misspend some of that stimulus money on you!

Anyhow, due to my new summer schedule, this would be a fine time for me to learn the art of true blogging; brevity. I should stop now, right?