Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Now Hiring Fun and Energetic People...

As the new kid on the block I've been browsing through the blog; tearing up with Amber's talk of her move, cringing at the trials of the truly unbelievable things that happen when the husbands are gone (trust me, appliances ONLY break on holidays and during deployments...it's the law), talk of retirement, job successes and challenges. I was reading through the entries and hoping for some divine inspiration as to what I should talk about; just a simple intro or try for something deeper. I was hoping for something to convey a little bit about myself.

But, try as I might it seems that I am hopelessly fixated on my job search, or shall I call it my never-ending job search? Grrrr. And sadly, it seems that at the moment that is very much defining me. So, in place of a standard intro I'm going to share with you all a little bit of my hopeless (to date) job search saga.

Let's begin with the obvious. I need a job. But, I'm in Eureka and the jobs are not needing me. Strange, I know. My resume is beautiful, I've done a bit of everything in my particular field. I've presented papers at national conferences, done some stellar projects, have time as an appointed government official (sounds important, huh? It really wasn't but it sounds good so I thought I'd throw it in just to impress you). I've got some letters to slap after my name, it's all good, right?

Well, no. Seems these picky people actually expect me to have spent more then 2 years at each one of my previous jobs. Ha! Silly, silly people. What are they? Civilians? Sheesh.

Let's put this little "moving" problem that I have into perspective, my daughter is 2, she's living in her third state. She asks me daily, "mommy are we still in Californa?" (I know it's not spelled correctly, it's the way she says it....like there's no "i" , it's quite endearing actually.) I think she keeps asking just to make sure we didn't pack up and move while she was sleeping or watching Wonder Pets or something. We've lived in 5 different states in the last 8 years....really unpacking is completely optional at this point.

I don't point any of this out to complain. I actually like it. We wanted to make those moves. Either Jon was advancing out of his job or was taking an early transfer to a place we wanted to go to, and we have always been fortunate to go to places we wanted to go to or at least ended up enjoying. So, it's not been a bad thing at all. Our kids are wonderfully well-adjusted and resilient. Our dogs tend to get a bit freaked out when we take long vacations, though, it seems they are always surprised when we get back home and it's still the same house we left! Silly puppies. But all in all it's been really great for our family.

And really, it's been because of those moves that I've gotten to add such great experiences to my resume. Those moves (and an extremely supportive spouse) have given me the opportunities to grow and expand my horizons. I've had the liberty of changing career paths with moves and trying out new things. The things that most working adults get to do during their careers. I just got to do it in a condensed format, rather then changing jobs every 8 to 10 years I do it every 18 months or so. Hey, my desk drawers never get too cluttered.

So, here I am today. With my resume and my basket of experiences and no job. It's been 18 months and countless applications. Half a dozen interviews, one written test, lots of eligibility lists....no success. It's demoralizing, it's frustrating, it makes me want to cry sometimes.

I had yet another interview last night. I'll be shocked if I get it, the interviewer was kind enough to admit that they have a temp worker in the position currently, "who we really like". (Gee, ain't that sweet?) After the interview I went and picked the kids up from the sitters and took them out to dinner to drown my sorrows in a fiesta chicken salad and an Oreo shake (and half my son's french fries) and on the way home something funny happened. We were passing a video store and on the sign there was an announcement that said, "hiring fun and energetic people". My son was like, "mom, you could work there, you're fun and energetic." Okay, other then him giving me WAY too much credit because I'm feeling terribly un-energetic...it really hit me.

I AM fun and energetic. I'm also smart and creative and sometimes I'm funny, I'm a hardworker, I love numbers, I know how to delegate. I may never get that high-power job that my husband is convinced I'm craving (okay, he's right but I'll never admit it). I am so much more then what the writing on my resume says I am.

5 comments:

Just a Girl in a Port said...

I'm so glad you joined us. You have so much to offer. I can't wait to read more from you.

C Anderson said...

Ugh, the challenge of being over qualified; and therefore, too skilled and accomplished for a manager to hire you on the off chance that you would take over his/her duties...as if you wanted it the first place. You just want to be valued and have a paycheck to prove it. PM me on CC for my personal email. Send me your resume. Who knows, I may know someone who wants to hire someone energetic and fun (sorry-had to).

Flo said...

You certainly ARE more than what is listed on your resume. If employers were smart, they would realize that all the big names and major corporations we've worked for mean nothing if we are unmotivated and jaded. Keep your fun, energetic spirit and know that it does mean something to many people, even if not to potential employers.

Also, welcome. I'm so glad you joined us :)

JulieAnn said...

Aaaaahhhh! I completely understand what you're talking about!!

As frustrating as it is, I try and look at it like you - as a chance to expand my horizons. I've been a preschool teacher AND a college professor! I've worked in a flower shop, and in offices... fortunately dear husband knows that it's hard for me to find jobs and is very supportive.

Good luck on your search - I hope you find something soon.

Amber said...

So glad you're writing with us, Elaine! And I'm with D, you are totally fun and energetic!

Sorry you're not finding the right job for you among the "elite" around here. (((hugs)))