more ways to stay sane while searching for jobs

1. don’t believe the hype. for some reason the last couple years we have been inundated with those news stories. the ones that declare, “the 25 best jobs that are recession proof” or “the 10 best cities for work,” ok, believe the hype but don’t get fooled by it. still search as broad as you can.

2. take a loooong steamy bath with candles or incense burning. learn how to relax. investigate ways to stay ok.

3. buy the best shampoo. for the record, shampoo will never ‘herbal essence’ me, but a kick arse shampoo sets me ri-right…every daggone time. trust.

4. watch hgtv’s ‘house hunters’. this show makes me almost cry or throw fits. did you see the episode where this lady finds the most beautifulest (i know!!) home in cabo san lucas…ol’ girl even had an office with a 360 degree view of the ocean. lucky ass. but i love hgtv’s ‘house hunters’ you get to learn about cities, countries…the housing market…you get to dream. to me, tv today is mostly craptacious…but a few good shows still exist. or..write your own…and submit. keep all possibilities open and on you.

5. more of a warning, i am really troubled that companies are looking into people’s facebook and myspace pages. i equate that to determine an employee by looking at the bumper stickers in the parking lot. so be careful with what you put out there…or just watch your privacy settings or your name. it sux because you can’t have total freedom online…somehow it has been determined that it is expectable for hiring managers to inspect and use your online profile to access you as a potential employee. but what i want to ask is who is checking the facebook profiles of those already working in the office? will hr decide to let them go if they post a britney spear’s video on their myspace profile? and just how far is this gonna go? so, be careful out there.

6. go to the library. there are so many disciplines of study and so much instruction. you never know if a new focus or “light bulb” idea may happen. and it’s free.

7. don’t get caught up in your own disappointment. and if you do, don’t self-destruct. each breath you take could yield a new opportunity.

8. consider reality tv. my friend has insisted that we are going on ‘the amazing race,’ but we haven’t come up with a good story yet. i have auditioned for a few years ago, why don’t you try. you never know.

9. find good music. i’d suggest for those into a more instrumental yet funky mix kodomo’s “still life.”

10. if you’re a girl and you like oddly bad girl stuff and you just need to feel “liberated” try the last few minutes of ‘deathproof’ i could listen to the dialouge all day. quentin tarantino has a way of capturing a truly down, raw yet entertaining glance at girl speak. before you get it twisted…this movie is a movie…a violent one. but the cinematography is perfect…still picture perfect. the story is creepy and again…violent. but the artistry of the dialouge is genius. features…rosario dawson, tracie thoms, zoe bell (as herself) and mary elizabeth winstead. i’d suggest…just fast forward to this half of ‘deathproof’ it’s wild and it soothes my pain for all of 30 mins. or so. that’s if you are into riotgirl wicked violence…soothing…(ahem…) pain.

and then again…maybe i’ve said too much.

ways to stay sane while searching for a job

my insanity should be checked, job or no job, on a regular basis. but if that means it would stop the smiles that i get, maybe i shouldn’t ask for an examination after all.

the latest list of companies downsizing is ugly. it literally makes me sick…it makes my heart hurt and when i think of those numbers i think of families, more so people losing their much needed salaries. i rejoice at the prospects of president barack obama leading this country with an eager and resounding gasp of relief but i know that even he with all of his exuberant productivity so far, visions and dreams has said that it will take time. and that’s why i’m here…listening to a watering effect of techno music to later formulate an article for…but mostly to help keep you sane.

if you are currently unemployed what i am about to say will not help you but you should know that

“More than 2 million Americans requested benefits under the extended program in the week ending Jan. 3, the most recent data available. That’s in addition to the 4.6 million people covered under the regular unemployment insurance system, though the 2 million figure is not seasonally adjusted and is volatile.”

the end of january 2009 saw a 71,400 jobs lost. 2008 saw a loss of 2.6 million jobs. in december of 2007, the number of the unemployed was 11.1 million.

feel better? you shouldn’t. it doesn’t make me feel any better, i’m just giving you the facts.

so here’s a few of my suggestions

1. everyone stresses networking. but who are you gonna network with if no one is working? i say still network. tell everyone you know you never know what sympathetic ear might become a helping hand. try the school you graduated from. try even your church. try contacting colleges or their websites for career help and information. don’t discount the power of communicating out who you are and what you want. to be honest, it’s never worked for me but i hold out the hope that it could and frankly i haven’t tried it so much recently.

2. don’t despair. if you find that you are depressed about not finding an opportunity, if everywhere you go, you suffer a “no.” if you can’t pay your bills, travel to relocate, if you can’t find a win. DO NOT GIVE UP. DO NOT STOP LOOKING. NEVER. you can take a break from the stresses of looking and applying. you can whine and cry for hours about there being nothing out there. BUT NEVER STOP SEARCHING. if you find that you can’t take the strain, talk to someone. get help. i find that if i feel like i’m losing HARD, if I’m having an usually tough day i try to find something i can win at, a video game, a quiz show (for me specifically it’s jeopardy, the 12 year old school kids edition), or it’s finding a new hobby, but lately for me it’s running 5 miles with crazy music rattling the insides of my brain. i somehow revel in the achy legs, blurry vision and muscle strain only because it’s a goal and i win every time. it helps my bravado. possibly do self-satisfying volunteer work. try volunteermatch.com. or try your hand at something…a hobby, a freelance opportunity, creating a blog…writing. picking up an instrument you’ve always wanted to play. read novels. just get that satisfaction back of winning at something.

3. if you haven’t made that jump to getting on a social networking site like myspace or facebook…try it. you may connect with old friends who can possibly help or at least all those hours you spend finding the right music and layout for your page will at least take your mind off of things for a bit. (ok, i can’t believe i just suggested that)

4. be patient with people. i can’t believe that i actually get mad when people try and cheer me up. they say, “it will get better,” “a lot of people are not working right now,” or “have you tried (fill in the blank…)?” and they study me with their eyes like what they’ve suggested is the answer. and bless their hearts, mostly, it will be something so basic and remedial that i’ve tried it a thousand times over. they are just trying to be sweet, so be patient and tell them what you’ve tried…and be patient. and listen. and be patient and tell them.

5. GO OUT. i’ve been blessed with kooky friends who like wine and i like wine, i even like getting into discussions about wine. GO OUT and laugh and make fun of people’s weird black and white ‘where’s waldo’ sweaters. or go to a club and practice ne-yo’s “closer” dance moves or even soulja boi. just be sure to not waste away in gloom…life is still all about living.

6. explore your passions.

7. try learning a new language. take a class.

8. strategically try and analyze what makes you happy and try to get there as if it would cost you your life. out of crazy circumstances some of the best most ingenious things happen.

9. look up travel ideas at travelchannel.com and dream up a vacation in the greek isles of mykonos.

10. if you’ve applied to a certain “genre” of jobs and nothing’s worked, try something else.

11. most importantly, find a good friend, someone who is that perfect mix of a realist and a dreamer that you can discuss your lowest moods and your successes. i am blessed, i talk to God and my special…both always seem to put a smile on my face at the end of my “sessions” and there have been many sessions.

12. worse comes to worse and you are still hurting…post it here. i can try to help.

but why?

i just don’t understand…i don’t.

why…why…why when i say…and i’ve said awhile now that i wanna leave ohio…wanna go…leave it a trail of dust blowing behind my heels…then why do people still say, “here’s this job i want you to check out.” and i smile, hopeful-like and find out that it’s in freakin ohio. when i say…when i declare that i want to relocate…why? what is this phenomenon and why don’t they take me serious?

and i say, “i don’t like ohio. it’s too conservative. it’s not for me. nothing has ever worked here for me.” and they say, “yeah, ohio pretty much blows. the job market is jacked all over the place but ohio and michigan have been hit really really hard. and yeah, ohio really sucks. but here’s a job posting.”

who is the person that’ll be like, “eff ohio. here’s something from ___________” ?

i don’t get it…i don’t.

what is God trying to tell me…

so…we are being released in groups from work. our HR positions have been splintered and shipped to india. the majority of my department left, only to leave a group of us to do menial tasks, at best.

my bestest bestest work bud/friend was apart of the first group. we had worked together for three years…i even trained him on his function and can remember the very first day we met and that he wore a suit and tie. we laughed about that much much later, having watched our semi-stuffy typically corporate department fall apart.

i heard from him recently. prior to his exit, i had discussed with him that i’d have my resume re-structured and after the finished product i let him see it. he wanted to copy the format to see if it would garner attention. which was fine. we had spent many many many days discussing dreams, academics, disappointments, anxiety, disdain with our environment…countless days sharing the success stories of other people who seemingly get awesome jobs and/or strokes of luck while we had felt so left behind in the process. sometimes our conversations would literally turn my stressful days into good ones. we are both guitar players and video game addicts, imeem fiends and so on…

well, as fate would have it he landed a dynamic job, for a cool company, making almost twenty thousand dollars more. the opportunities for stuff he never should have been denied were even offered in this new role. possibly contributing to the success other than copying the resume format was getting an MBA, as well after busting his arse working and going to school for years.

i say this…to say this. if that resume’s worth was to get him a job and never have any pay off value for me…the money is by far not wasted…even if it never works for me. he’s a dynamic guy who will go far and in whom i believe in…to the very core of me.

and i say this…also to say this. if my resume’s format isn’t working for me…and i have a master’s…of all the places i’ve been applying to for months on end without any gain…what is God trying to tell me?

think outside the…

there are certain phrases that i hate. for some reason the mention of them, no matter how cute or steamy the sayer…the repetition of ‘it’ drives me into a fit of helpless rage.

i, heartbreak, admit that i hate the term, “think outside the box.” for first…who the eff said i think in a box? i would like to imagine my thoughts are more circles or bright clouds…or um…in the shapes of floating leather jackets or um…barbie plastic sandle shoes. or lego blocks. or the facial frontal creative canvas of an etch-a-sketch. not a freakin box.

anyway…i’ve newly discovered a way to channel my distraughtful thoughts. oft i get locked into a frenzied mind-dance of self-doubt & defeat…but if i calm down enough to look at the issue from a whole new perspective…opportunity sprouts like a freakin newborn tree. try it sometime but the equation to equal anything requires a bit of trouble or agony…a puzzle…a problem.

for example. i am having zero luck pinning down a job in my old categories. but…i’ve learned through a bit more researching that my current position (soon to be over) coupled with a bit of my interest…a bit of my passion…equals a whole new crop of jobs to apply for.

so try this…

your issue, sprinkled with time…a new perspective…then move.

more specific??

my degree (master’s and bachelor’s) is in journalism, my professional background HR…my passion is in communications/writing…these facts open up many other possibilities i’ve never searched for…hence
technical writing (for i’ve written many procedures)
direct marketing (communication and writing again…in a corporate yet more expansive market)
public relations
advising/counseling/recruiting
i’m web saavy…
so, web marketing / research
and…
after hearing slowjams.com on the radio over the weekend…i’d love to dj an internet radio show…
and on and on…

don’t give in…just keep going.

here’s to thinking outside…you.

oh the extension!!!

so i’ve regally learned my end date and it has been extended just a little bit. will it really happen? me…a small girl looking up into the darkness of hovering clouds…asking, “is it really gonna happen? is it ever gonna happen?”

a rather intoxicating conversation with a boston-born chica…talking about vegas like it’s the answer. not sure what the answer is…still searching. but officially adding vegas to the list in its own category. and flaunting a more pr/marketing hint to it…as suggested by the boston born-chica who gets really upset with me…it’s almost usually a sort of mr. miyagi moment…me=danielson. but i think she just really wants me to succeed. God bless her heart.

anyway. tomorrow i will leave on a trek to have my resume reworked or uplifted for a grand total ($$$)…a friend of mine tried careerbuilder’s resume service and started getting calls the following week. i prefer to go and have a sit-down, face to face first…so we’ll see how it goes.

wish me luck. while i wish YOU luck.

i’ll keep you posted.

hot links

so…listening to amos lee’s ‘keep it loose, keep it tight’ and just having sent a bunch of job links to a new acquaintance…i decided to share.

good luck…think BIG…and be positive. from the author of a pretty cool series of career help books this link is to his site that has a ton of info.

so, thank him if something works out…

http://www.knockemdead.com/internet_resources.php

i’m looking for a new…

it’s flippin cold outside, snow up to the arse and i’m listening to a jazzyslow downer by leela james. ohio-land is a wintery mess today. we are under some type a level. whatever. and i’m still grinding out the tales of job jizzy (a frantic, frenetic job search that has been all but fruitless) ‘cuz i get easily off pace and distracted and i hate being confined when joy…joy isn’t involved. the economy/job market is screwy to say the least and we learned in a meeting a couple weeks ago that our jobs are heading to india…when they get rid of us sometime early summer. nice!!

so i’ve debated paying someone two to three hundred dollars to rewrite/reconstruct
my resume. not a crazy sum…but crazy if nothing happens. so…i’m currently analyzing job postings and plugging into my rez…what the employer wants…that i have. sounds simple enuff. i suppose i’ll see.

looking out the window…simple enuff.

but what’s a girl supposed to do when what she really wants to do is be on location making her own film, sitting in a loft in new york city entertaining and sitting on the floor of her massive window that overlooks the city, or learning to surf in LA, or running for a train in chicago, or being john mayer or ani difranco or van hunt or lenny kravitz’s guitar tuner number 50, or front row at a jill scott or ledisi show, or being a copy editor for simon and schuster or working for a non-profit, or writing travel, music and or film reviews for a publication, or being angelina jolie’s stand-in (yeah…far fetched indeed-have you even seen the prevs for her new film???!?!) or ordering a nice lite meal in miami, while sitting outside and watching all the beautiful people walking hotly by, or flying to the south of france or brazil or somewheres….aye…

simple enuff.

what i’ve learned thus far. and possible recaps.

okay…so it has actually been a while since i blogged about the (insert scary music) job search and my progress. today…yes, super bowl sunday…tom petty on mute i will update you.

what i’ve learned thus far. and possible recaps.

internet job boards aren’t so hot

word of mouth is best

yahoo’s ‘answers’ feature rocks when it comes to compiling information about anything job related-it pretty much works like a huge word of mouth info board. not only can you find insider information about job searching, where to look, industry and business company specifics…you can learn about qualified headhunters/job coaches, resumes, cover letters and areas of relocation. the difference is that this network consists of people like us…the positive piece is you gain a lot of information from ‘regular’ people…the key is constantly working at it…on all levels.

yahoo is cool like this because it is just information overload from all sorts of perspectives. that works wonders any day.

also…if you want to work for a certain company and you find their listings on an online job board…it will take longer to do but i’d suggest building a company profile on that company’s own website instead of going thru a bigger site with waaaaay more applicants.

another suggestion….which i did last week…is to find a headhunter. we spoke, i submitted my resume…fingers crossed…prayers said. find out if the headhunter/job coach has a good track record. this is important.

oh, and make sure your resume reads like your own story…don’t go all ‘generic.’ make it read like a story only you can tell. you have to stand out. there are certain words and catch-phrases that are a total turn off…vague, overused…don’t say much. look ‘em up…and get them out of your life.

and never stop telling folk what you are looking for…you never know who knows someone who can get you in.

hopefully this’ll help. continue the good fight and leave me some advice…we are…after all, in the same boat.

and yahoo…dear yahoo…i could really write good copy for you. what do you think? and i just know you have an HR department.

go giants!

everything may be wrong

i had a revelation the other day…everything may be wrong with my job search. i am going to explain it like this…my current search has been primarily for hr positions in city x, y, and/or z. but why am i searching for an hr position while my passion is writing? why am i only focusing on hr when i complain…all the time about the confines of corporate america? why then am i settling for something that doesn’t captivate my joy? why am i settling for less than what i want? and why am i semi-searching for writing jobs, while i have many other passions?

sometimes we get tricked into thinking that our goal has one road…when in actually there are many routes to success. don’t forget this.

i was operating under the idea that my road for a job change and locale…had a lineal road. not true because there are many avenues we can take to get there. from reading various stories and articles about successful people, i’ve learned that goals, dreams, aspirations and answers…such as life…is way too wildly various. so why can’t our paths be wildly various as well?

i’ve newly learned what it means to never stop. to always be ready to change, ready for change and be willing to fix or alter the process. if you land at failure…keep going…don’t stop there because you’ll end up cheating yourself.

and if i may get spiritual for a minute…i was thinking…is God not allowing this for me because it just truly isn’t me? it won’t bring me the joy i want? it’s not where i need to be? He has something better? for i’ve tried and tried and tried…nothing’s working. maybe my focus is off.

if something isn’t working…immediately try something different…and maybe at some point keep trying that old thing…just in case.

with me, sure, i’ll stay on jobfox, monster and careerbuilder. i will continue to look at company profiles and make contacts. but i will also try many other industries that i am interested in. we are more faceted in more than we sometimes realize.

sometimes all appears to be lost…when winning is just around the corner.