There have been many days I have thought to discontinue this blog. To be honest, I just never feel like writing. I also don't feel like I necessarily have enough to say about the theme of the blog, which is learning new things because of a major life shift. However, I am going to try to continue because I still think the writing practice will be good for me, and who knows ... maybe I'll come up with something profound to say.
I've been in Charlotte about six weeks, and so far I have had only two interviews, both of which I am still waiting to hear back on. Fingers crossed. This is the first time in about seven years that I have had to actually go out and look for a job the traditional way, so I am figuring some things out as I go.
Number one is although moving is overwhelming, try to start applying for jobs right away. I got a jump on applying, and because of that, I had an interview scheduled for two days after we arrived. That led to a part-time retail job. Yes, I know it isn't the final solution, but it does a number of things for me. To start, any interview is practice for the next one, and that is useful. I obviously can't live on a minimum-wage part-time job, but some money is better than no money. In addition, I have read in a number of places that the longer someone is out of work, the harder it is for him/her to find a job because potential employers wonder why the person can't find a job. At least I can say I am working, so I don't have a big gap in employment.
Probably the most important thing the part-time job does for me is give me some purpose and an opportunity to get out of the house and interact with other people. Being unemployed isn't easy for a variety of reasons, one of which is having far too much time on your hands to sit around the house and dwell on the fact that you need a job, and if you don't find one, your financial situation will only continue to become more dire. Having part-time work helps alleviate that situation at least a little.
Number two is the resume/cover letter issue. Much ado is made over cover letters. Everyone says if you don't have a good one, you can forget about anyone looking at your resume. Well, that is mostly true, but there is more to it than that. I read that you should revise your resume to accurately reflect the skills needed for a particular job, just as experts suggest you tailor your cover letters. I can now tell you from experience that this is true. I applied for a job that listed a requirement of knowing how to process payroll. I know how to do this, but it wasn't a major responsibility of mine, so it isn't on my resume. I did, however, state in my cover letter that I had experience in that area. Unfortunately, whomever was reviewing resumes didn't read my cover letter, and I got an email saying, more or less, "Sorry--we need someone with payroll experience." If I had edited my resume to reflect this skill, I might have gotten an interview.
Number three deals with automated calls. I got one from Home Depot while riding in the car, and I figured I could go ahead and take it. Bad call. When I had to answer the question about whether or not I would provide excellent customer service, I went to press "1" to answer "yes," right when we hit a bump, causing me to press "2" for "no." Really? Who would even answer no? Regardless, that disconnected the call, and I couldn't get in the system with my confirmation number any longer. If you get an automated call, make sure you can actually take it. If not, you are given the option to try again at another time.
Number four is about the interviews. I went to interview with a temporary agency, so I wasn't interviewing for a particular job. Still, I realized the importance of wording your answers the correct way. When I was asked about what I didn't like about my last job, I stated there wasn't enough structure. This led the interviewer to bring up how this can result in having to do others' work. That is not where I was going with that idea (although it was definitely true), so then I had to kind of back peddle. I guess it would have been better to stay the expectations weren't clear. Furthermore, I went to an interview for an admin job with a school system, and one of the questions they asked was how I would encourage people to work collaboratively. I had a good answer, but I didn't give it at the interview. I definitely think you need to go out and search for common interview questions and practice answering them, but this experience taught me you won't be prepared for everything, so take a few moments to compose your thoughts before answering. I think in my case I tried to rush too much, and that is why I didn't answer the question the way I could have.
So, the job search continues. I have learned a few things I think will help me along the way. That being said, when I interviewed with the school system, they were running behind with the interviews, so I had the opportunity to chat with several other candidates. If there was a common theme among us all, it was it's tough out there!
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