Full time job!

No, I have not found a full time job. It seems that time is not infinite when you are not working.

I try to treat job hunting as a F/T job, but I also believe in balance. You can drive yourself crazy scanning job sites - which of course is not the best way to find a job (network! network! network!). So I put time into the gym (good for mind and body), house work (I hate cleaning, but I can manage laundry), and a few little projects around the house (they actually get done when you don't have to work 40+ hours a week). But you do need to put time into the job hunt.

So now that you know that scanning job ads is not the most productive way to find a job, you need to get out and network. Not as easy as it seems. When was the last time you talked to someone in your business network just for the sake of staying in touch? Hmm? How about lunch? A coffee? No. Too busy at work right?

Starting to network when you are suddenly out of work is TOO LATE. Okay, sorry for the all caps. You still have plenty of time. Really. Please don't cry.

So even I, who has changed jobs a few times, sometimes don't have the time to invest in networking.

I have worked at a few companies and usually hang on to a couple of good friends from each place. So the networking there is somewhat easy, cause I like having lunch with them anyway. So long as we work near each other or try to plan a brunch a couple of times a year.

But sometimes you just need to send out a ping (or poke in Facebook terminology) to make sure that people remember you. Not everyone is keeping up on their networking are they? When was the last time someone contacted you just to keep in touch? Were they looking for a job at the time?

We all go through times when we need a job and your friends and past colleagues are your best source. Most people don't take offence to you touching base and asking about job opportunities.

Some people only contact me when they need a job reference or want to discuss changing jobs. I guess I've made a good impression, or they figure if I can change jobs fairly easily that I can offer some help. No problem! Love to help.

But I don't begrudge the fact that they are looking for help. We will all need it some day. Give back to the universe as it will give it back to you when you need it.

I do not have a magic list of jobs waiting to be filled, nor do I have a huge list of high ranking execs looking for people. I just have some good 'practices' that help when you need them.

The best time to network is while you are still working. Too late right? Just remember this when you get back to working. For now, start working your network. Get the word out that you are looking for a new opportunity. The more people that know you are looking the better. But make sure they know what you want.

So back to the full time job of job hunting. You need to put the time in. It's that simple. Mind you, it is totally okay to take some time when first laid off to relax, recover, rethink. Don't panic and start looking for a job the next day. Take the time to navel gaze, think about what you want to be when you grow up (if ever), inventory what you like and don't like.

Sometimes, what you've been doing isn't what you were cut out to do, or maybe there is something else you really want to do.

And maybe having a full time job isn't what you want at all. I've always thought working for a living was overrated anyway.

SHH

Job Searching is itself a job

When they say you need to treat looking for a job just like a real job - they mean it.

You spend lots of time working on it, you get bored from time to time, you have snack breaks, work on it through the day, wonder where the time goes and finally are very glad when you quit for the day.

Mind you, I think I have better balance when I'm job searching, and in this case am not currently working while searching. Yes money running out is an issue, but it's amazing how much you save by not going to work, buying coffee and lunch, and anything else you use your cash for.

I only need to go to the bank for a cash infusion once every couple of weeks. While working it was every week or more often!

I also get to the gym a little later in the morning, but I'm home and working by 10am! Some people don't actually do any work till 10am, even if they've been in the office since 8am! Mind you, they are getting paid to be there. No one is paying me to be here. But money is still my main motivator. I need a job that will pay the bills. If I can also fing a job that I like maybe even finally LOVE would be an incredible bonus.

So the level of reserve funds impacts what I settle for in ways of a job. So far, I am still navel gazing a bit on what I can apply my fairly broad skill set to. Oh, I am applying for jobs, but I'm staring to look at the less traditional jobs that I would have looked at before.

My Mother still tells her friends I work in 'computers' which is IT mainly. I did once working on a technical help desk, I programmed code, built servers and applications. But I then moved towards more people oriented jobs. I kept getting moved into management roles with staff reporting to me. I've also been in consulting, worked for small companies, and fairly large corporations. Departments I've been in include HR, Learning, Sales, and of course Technology.

Well, I'm not sure blogging is part of my job description, so I should get back to 'work'. Of course, as my own boss, I could make it a prioroity!

SHH