Dilemma

What Lies Ahead

Well, I woke up today and started wondering how long this madness of being unemployed was going to carry on. At the onset of this thought, I went to a folder on my computer which is a repository for all the jobs that I apply to. My method of retaining this information is as follows:

1. Find a job posting to apply to
2. Select print and save the job description page as a PDF
3. Save the PDF to my folder: “Jobs applied to”

I do this each and every time. Part of the reason is so I can keep track of where and when I am applying for the Unemployment agency in Florida in case they ask me for proof. The other part of this process is to prove to myself, when I am doubting whether or not I have put enough effort into the search, that I have indeed been putting out my best effort in looking for my next career opportunity, by being able to look back on the total files saved and the dates of creation. Initially, I had kept a log in a notepad of this information, but decided that was getting very tedious and annoying. So, I resorted to this method which works perfectly. I looked at it again today and noticed that I have saved about 65 jobs in this folder as PDF’s (or, if the page does not output correctly as a PDF, then I copy the contents of the job description and save it as a text file). Now, these 65 files do not include the emails I’ve sent to a few Advertising Agencies (I believe the number to be about 5) as a means of reaching out, even though they had no job postings. Also, this doesn’t include my initial notepad of jobs that I had applied to in the initial weeks of having been laid 0ff. My notepad contains a total number of 24 jobs. When considering these facts, my best estimate is around 94 jobs in total. Along with this is the fact that it has now been 7 months that I have been out of work. That means, on average, I’ve applied to about 13.4 jobs per month. Breaking this down even further; 3.4 jobs per week.

During this time, I’ve had only one interview and the company found me from my profile on Creative Hotlist. I interviewed for the position and found that the opportunity sounded ideal for what I was looking for; this was back in December. After about 2 followups with the response being that the position is delayed or is on a hiring freeze, I surmised that either they were not interested in me or that they would contact me when the position was truly ready (I also didn’t want to come across as a nuisance, even though I have an urge to send a third email, I mean, it had been about 3 months as of April since my last inquiry and I still had not heard of a final decision). Update: I followed my instincts and sent a third follow up on April 16th. I received a reply on April 23rd and was told that they liked me (which was great to hear), but that they are not able to create the position for their department at this time. Should something change at a later date, they will let me know. This was great to hear and it was equally nice to be able to put behind me the nagging thought of, “are they still interested?”. I never stopped applying for other career opportunities just because I landed an interview, but it was the only “second-stage” opportunity I have had, and it was nice to have some form of finality with the matter.

Personally, I have applied to a number of companies throughout the United States and locally to Florida. That means that there was 89 (not including the 5 applications that I sent out to companies that had no positions listed) positions that were at one point available that I felt qualified enough to apply to. In terms of these other jobs that I have applied to, what’s even more trying is knowing that I have had personal referrals for some jobs through direct acquaintances/contacts on both ends. While this doesn’t always tend to lead to an advantage, it appears that more and more people are landing back in their careers (or another form of it) through their network and while I still have to make my case as to why I am qualified, it’s perplexing that no one seems interested in setting up an interview. In my case:

1. I know of a few companies that are still hiring
2. Have posted positions that need to be filled
3. Have received my application and, more than likely, applications from others that are qualified
4. Have said nothing
5. Only to re-post the position a few weeks later
6. I look at the position (again) and review my resume, while coming to the conclusion that I am capable of fulfilling this role
7. And with no response from the company, I am left wondering: “Why not?”

I know what I am capable of and I know that of all the positions I have applied to, that I am able to perform the tasks required of me and with a fair amount of time, digging deeper in to my role to find more efficiencies that will provide a good return to the company and my direct team. Maybe it’s truly an issue of responsiveness and the companies that have been applied to are just slow to respond. Maybe phone calls or emails will start happening in the coming weeks and will hopefully lead to my next opportunity. Maybe I have to hold out a bit longer then others that have been able to bounce back and if so, OK, I can handle that. I can deal with that outcome. This is all a possibility. A possibility that I am still fervently holding on to.

Update 2: I just had the opportunity for another interview today, May 28, 2009. It was a really great experience and I feel that the position’s details and my background complement each other really well. I hope this opportunity yields itself to me, as I see so many opportunities to learn and grow, and to obtain even more knowledge in various areas of advertising, print, SEO, video, writing and production. These are areas that I have knowledge in, but could really obtain more direct knowledge. It also provides the opportunity to really have more of an overall impact and the way the interview was set up felt extremely casual and seemed to diffuse any stress I had coming in. It was conducted positively and addressed all my issues/concerns. I really hope this opportunity pans out as I feel that I was equally received very positively. I know I did the best that I could and feel that it came across as such. I will be told of the decision in about a week and a half. Exciting opportunity; anxiously awaiting!

——-@ds

Spouting 4

What a great weekend this has been. Went to a former colleague’s house party and pretty much just sat out on the pier. I was able to meet up with other friends and just talk, and pretty much chill. Saturday was a great day out here in Orlando, FL. Although it did rain later on in the evening, it was pretty much great throughout the day. Was able to take part in a boat ride on their lake, which I always enjoy sitting back on a boat and enjoying the ride. I made, what I call, “My infamy”, which is BBQ shredded beef. Suffice it to say, I received a good amount of compliments about it and it was gone in a few hours!  Very cool.

Later on, I left to go watch UFC 98 in which two of my favorite fighters, Rashad Evans and Lyoto Machida fought. Lyoto was able to defeat Rashad (who came in 18-0-1) with a knock out in the second round and take the title. Lots of speculation that Lyoto will retain this title for a long time. Personally, I was happy with either one winning, but Lyoto has a very nice, controlled style and now he is 15-0 with the title. A perfect streak, congrats! Sad to see Rashad get knocked out though. That’s life and as he said afterwards, it had to happen sometime and when it does you have to move forward. I agree with the moving forward speech, it’s what running without condition encompasses and I hope everyone will be able to continue doing the same.

——-@ds

Dunkin' Donuts can create Frozen Assets

For a couple of days now, a number of people online (myself included) have been trying to help a fellow Facebook friend and (for some of us) a former co-worker (who was laid off as well) win the “Create Dunkin’s Next Donut” contest. Her name is Kimberly Brooks and she has already been featured in one of the Orlando’s (Florida) local newspaper blogs, Orlando Sentinel. The article entitled, “Orlando woman needs your vote to win Dunkin’ Donuts contest“, has a lot more information on the contest as well as the other finalists. I won’t repeat much here (please visit the blog or Dunkin’s website for more information about the contest), outside of asking for everyone’s help with catapulting Kim to the lead. According to Dunkin’s donut contest site, she is currently in 8th place with her submission, “Frozen Assets”. This donut would be exceptional as it is stuffed with Bavarian mint chocolate. A few of us are also using Twitter to help promote her donut. This contest will continue through May 27th, 2009, so we do not have much longer (13 days to be exact) to help her win and you can only vote once per day. So, gather your friends and head to the Create Dunkin’s Next Donut website and vote each day until the end of May. If she wins, she’ll obtain $12,000 and her donut will be sold at some Dunkin’ Donuts locations throughout the country. I know I’ll be in line to grab one and you can to, if you remember to vote for her donut: Frozen Assets!

——-@ds

The Job Seeker’s Cry

We Are Here and We Are Ready

I’ve written a lot about my personal trials, refocusing and the shifting in my thinking about the current perils of being unemployed from my perspective (and about myself on a personal level). This post today is being written for those companies throughout the U.S. that have positions posted, but seem to be stalled in their hiring; or failing to do so. By “failing to do so”, this is not meant for companies that are still on a hiring freeze or those that do not have the budget to hire another person, rather, this is meant for the companies that are in the exact opposite position. They have opportunities needing to be filled and the budget to fill them, but they seem to be slow in doing so. It’s not that there’s an expectation for a day or a week turnaround. It is understood that this is a time consuming process, but on behalf of those of us that are in need of work and are actively seeking day in and day out; we need you, the company, to be better. Right now, we need you to come through for both of us as we are seeing your positions and are applying, but to no avail, there seems to be a lack of response from you. In addition, you need us, because until that position is fulfilled, either your business is being held back and/or someone is seriously overworked, which can still have a detrimental affect on your business. It’s difficult to be in this situation, but to constantly see opportunities that are available and some that consistently reappear with new listing dates, but with no response to the previous applicants before it is re-posted, is defeating. One can directly assume if there is no response; no interest. It is a fair assumption to make in today’s job application process. Yet, given what is going on in the economy and that it is not a secular issue, there should be better diligence in the application process.

It’s not that we don’t understand (“we” being the unemployed/laid off). Current economic conditions have caused many companies to reign in their hiring budgets. Many have tried to combine different types of positions into one to cut down on the overhead. And along with this comes the countless flooding of our voices reaching out to you via our resumes, contacts, emails, faxes, head-hunters/recruiters, online job listing services, phone calls and (if the job seeker is lucky) personal contact every time a company puts out a listing, even if it is for only one position. We understand that you have a bombardment of cover letters and resumes all detailing to you why the applicant is qualified and it becomes almost burdensome to try and respond, or to make a decision. But, let’s face it: for all the good and bad, we need you to make that decision. We need you to have your HR departments, or your hiring managers, be more conscientious in their hiring practices and to actually want to fill these positions (not have to, but want to). Not only do we need you to be better, your business needs you to be better, because it needs us to help it continue to succeed. With respect to the aforementioned, I do not want to demean the fact that there are many employees out there that are doing the best they can and a lot of HR representatives that are over worked and understaffed, trying to do what they may feel like is an insurmountable task; reviewing hundreds if not thousands of applicants from every corner of our country, for only a handful of positions. Filtering through tons of applicants, even from some who may not really be qualified, but still felt the need to just “try”. We know that it is a time consuming process and that many people are doing what they can to the point that it may not seem like there’s enough hours in the day. They understand, as do we, that no one wants to be in this boat and all of us are not going to make it out anytime soon, but nothing is more defeating than for companies to seemingly do nothing, while constantly post that they have an opportunity.

Given this, even more stringent criteria is being placed on filling open positions, which brings up another issue: relocation. In spite of the state line divisions within the United States, we are still one country. This means that an applicant in one state is not incapable of moving to another. Sure, it’s not the ideal situation for everyone, but it may be the only realistic situation for some. To those companies that have “no relocation” on their job postings: Stop for a moment and consider that if the only thing standing between you and an applicant, is the fact that you’re in another state, that doesn’t mean that the applicant isn’t qualified or is unwilling to move his or her self to your state for your opportunity without the need of your help. You can still talk to and consider those of us that are in different states. You can make it clear that you’re unable to assist with the relocation, if this is truly the case, and allow us to consider that choice of having to shoulder the entire cost of the move for the position in your company. This should be the case if only the relocation is the barrier. It’s clear that not everyone is able to relocate without some help, but there are plenty of other people who are able to consider this as an option. If you are able to help with relocating, then we would greatly appreciate it! However, I am confident that I speak for many others that would like to not be overlooked, due to an issue of distance, if they have the means of moving for an opportunity without your assistance. We all understand what is going on and some concessions will have to be collectively made, but distance should not stand between you and those of us capable of making the move.

In the process of writing this, I’ve started to notice that there’s been an uptick in people being hired and this is great news. It’s a positive feeling to an almost dreadful experience. Yet, I believe it is possible for us to collectively make it even better:

1. For those of us that are out of work and see positions that are available, but of no interest to yourself, please pass them along to your other friends and/or colleagues that are seeking as well.  Even consider posting the positions to group boards or social sites to spread the word for others that may be interested in it
2. If you’ve found employment, make sure that when you’ve had a chance to settle in, that you look for positions within your company that are available and pass those along as stated in number 1
3. If you’re currently working, please don’t take it for granted and refer to 1 and 2 to contribute to those of us that are still searching

The steps above are only part of a solution and will do some good, because as more people transition out of being unemployed, that means the next opportunity might swing towards the rest of us that are still in this boat. However, with companies like Disney laying off large numbers of people as they have recently done, that equally decreases the chance for those of us that have been out of work for a while (even those that have been out longer than my current running of 7-months) to find employment. In the end, we (applicants) understand that you (companies) are constantly being bombarded with resumes from persistent hopefuls. But, again, we need you to be better and for you to be dutiful; for both our sakes. Just as the seeker needs to re-evaluate him or her self and the options that are available to us; companies need to re-evaluate their processes and to make sure they’re not overlooking someone based on an issue of semantics and/or location. Reviewing a resume is a subjective process. One that is meant to quickly filter through a stack of applicants to a much smaller stack of potentials. Now more than ever, the process of reviewing resumes should be subjectively re-evaluated. Times are changing, but they are changing on both ends of the equation and that means that both sides must update their processes, and expectations. We have to do this together in order to find the balance that is needed in order for us to have a mutual benefit and sustainable impact.

——-@ds

**Please feel free to leave your comments here on the blog site.

Good times

Had a couple of days of partying and fun. On Friday, May 8th, I went out to a former colleague’s birthday celebration at BJ’s Brewhouse (if you like this place, you can also find them on Facebook and become a fan). I’ve been to this place before and although I am not much of a fan of their beers (as they are a brewhouse, as noted above), I do like one of their dishes, which is their jambalaya. I like spicy food and they put a good amount of seasoning in it. It was an overall fun time, which for a few of us, ended up spilling over to the Blue Martini (a dance and lounge bar). I always have a hard time at places like this, not because I do not like the music or the scenery, but because I always feel a bit out of my element there. It’s not an environment that’s conducive to the type of person that I am, but it’s still nice to try and do things that do not perfectly fit with who you are.  Regardless, I had fun and after a few drinks, I headed home.

Saturday, May 9th

Another former colleague of mine is having to go back to her home state of Massachusetts. She was laid off a few months after I was, from the same company, and mostly all of the former colleagues and personal friends came out to wish her well and see her off in the only way a blue-eyed, small wonder should have it done, a party at Firkin & Keglers! After a number of hours of a few drinks, eats and watching people bowl, I ended up returning home. This marked the first time I had ever been to this place, which looks like a place that has an element for everyone built into it. It was fun and equally great to see everyone together again. It’s sad to know that she’s going to have to leave, but I’m sure this isn’t the last we’ve seen of Meg. Hopefully, she knows that we’re here to help in any way we can, especially when things get better. Maybe that’ll lead to a return to Orlando for the Mcbiscuit!

It’s unfortunate that things have had to turn out the way they have for some of us, but I firmly believe that as things settle and return back to normal, we may find ourselves in even better situations and positions in the time to come.  Even if the first place isn’t the best fit, there’s bound to be the next best opportunity right around the corner. Persistence and an unyielding spirit will help guide you through, but perserverance will help keep you going!

——-@ds