Huh... that California dream just won't die.
I applied for a sweet position out there on May 2... almost three weeks before the LACOE interviews. I now have to adjust my percentages, because I got a note back today that the first step has been completed. Nothing indicating that an interview is forthcoming, but merely notification (from a real person, too) that I'm on the radar screen.
I'll take my chances with that.
What's particularly cool about this situation is that it's in a great location, and not in the maelstrom. That's all I'm gonna say about it for now, but of course, you the loyal reader will be among the first to know.
***
Any conspiracy theorists out there?
I am. Recent events have something percolating in my head about the way things are going generally and the nation's political atmosphere. Get out your tin-foil hat, because I'm all-in.
It's taking me days to write it, though. But I'm hammering away and when it's done, I'm hopeful for some feedback. In the meantime, where do you stand on these conspiracy theories?
1) The Reichstag Fire was staged by the Nazis.
2) The mob/CIA/LBJ shot JFK.
3) Courtney killed Kurt.
4) 9/11 was an "inside job."
5) David Stern rigged the Hornets' draft pick.
Stay tuned...
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Monday, June 11, 2012
Day 389: Blocketty Blockhead
That first day was difficult. He was stressed, we were stressed, Moose and Piper were stressed. I didn't know if it was going to work.
Now there's a family that is interested in adopting him, and it's really hard to envision him not being here. But if the situation is good for him, it's the right thing to do.
But I am sad thinking he might be gone soon. Because he's really a sweet little guy.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Day 387: Rejection Etiquette
You can learn a lot about a company, its people and its philosophy by how they handle rejection notices.
Andrew Hudson is the Colorado-based creator of a well-done jobs list (http://www.andrewhudsonsjobslist.com/) and writes on job-search issues. His most recent weekly report had a piece on what I'm now naming "rejection etiquette."
Anyone looking for a job the past several years gets the following response to a job inquiry:
1) An automated response thanking you for the application. Usually this has no further information, such as when the process will move to the next phase. About the best one can hope for is a statement saying in effect "If we like you, we'll be in touch."
2) If you were able to interact with a decision-maker, they may acknowledge receipt, and may provide a little more information about what happens next.
3) No response at all.
4) Snail- or e-mail notification of rejection. This sometimes happens months later. I recently got notification (in May) of a job I applied for in December.
5) Snail-mail notifying you of receipt and/or timing.
In the past year+, I've applied for literally hundreds of jobs. I've been logging them and tracking status. For just incrementally more than 24 percent, I've received official rejection notices. Here's how the rest of the categories break down in my experience:
1) Rejection notification: 24 percent.
2) No response: 66 percent.
2) Automated response, no details: 6 percent.
3) Personal response: 3 percent.
4) Snail-mail notification: 1 percent.
So almost one in four, you know your fate. Unfortunately in most cases, those are your best prospects because that usually means you passed initial hurdles to get closer to getting the job.
But the shocker is that for about two-third of the resumes you send out, you hear exactly nothing. Not that they got it. Not that they like you. Not that they DON'T like you. Just... nothing.
I've been a hirer before, and it never crossed my mind to not tell everyone who applied their status, especially after a decision was made. It's not just rude to not do so... it's unprofessional.
At the very least, a company should notify applicants of receipt of an application. Ideally they will say "we'll call you after X date if we're interested." That way, no call means no go and you move on.
Even better if they send a letter to applicants post-decision saying thanks, we've hired, maybe next time. How hard is that? Answer: Not that hard.
A job applicant usually has some kinship/affinity or at least a positive image of a company it seeks to work for. If that company or its representatives cannot be bothered to show some respect to people who regard it well, that's a surefire way to change someone's mind about that company.
Beware the companies that have no respect for the job-seeker.
Andrew Hudson is the Colorado-based creator of a well-done jobs list (http://www.andrewhudsonsjobslist.com/) and writes on job-search issues. His most recent weekly report had a piece on what I'm now naming "rejection etiquette."
Anyone looking for a job the past several years gets the following response to a job inquiry:
1) An automated response thanking you for the application. Usually this has no further information, such as when the process will move to the next phase. About the best one can hope for is a statement saying in effect "If we like you, we'll be in touch."
2) If you were able to interact with a decision-maker, they may acknowledge receipt, and may provide a little more information about what happens next.
3) No response at all.
4) Snail- or e-mail notification of rejection. This sometimes happens months later. I recently got notification (in May) of a job I applied for in December.
5) Snail-mail notifying you of receipt and/or timing.
In the past year+, I've applied for literally hundreds of jobs. I've been logging them and tracking status. For just incrementally more than 24 percent, I've received official rejection notices. Here's how the rest of the categories break down in my experience:
1) Rejection notification: 24 percent.
2) No response: 66 percent.
2) Automated response, no details: 6 percent.
3) Personal response: 3 percent.
4) Snail-mail notification: 1 percent.
So almost one in four, you know your fate. Unfortunately in most cases, those are your best prospects because that usually means you passed initial hurdles to get closer to getting the job.
But the shocker is that for about two-third of the resumes you send out, you hear exactly nothing. Not that they got it. Not that they like you. Not that they DON'T like you. Just... nothing.
I've been a hirer before, and it never crossed my mind to not tell everyone who applied their status, especially after a decision was made. It's not just rude to not do so... it's unprofessional.
At the very least, a company should notify applicants of receipt of an application. Ideally they will say "we'll call you after X date if we're interested." That way, no call means no go and you move on.
Even better if they send a letter to applicants post-decision saying thanks, we've hired, maybe next time. How hard is that? Answer: Not that hard.
A job applicant usually has some kinship/affinity or at least a positive image of a company it seeks to work for. If that company or its representatives cannot be bothered to show some respect to people who regard it well, that's a surefire way to change someone's mind about that company.
Beware the companies that have no respect for the job-seeker.
Friday, June 8, 2012
Day 386: 7,000
That's how many page views this little baby has as of this moment. Whoever you were... thanks.
I'll try and make things more interesting, or at least interesting enough that you keep coming back.
I'll try and make things more interesting, or at least interesting enough that you keep coming back.
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Day 383: Optimism
I feel good about the future.
Things are going to work out. It seems inevitable. And one advantage to being beyond a year without work is that if the wait is 13 months or 16 months or whatever, I've already gotten through most of it. So every day is one day closer to the end of this.
It's kind of like the old movie cliche about someone marking days off the calendar. But now it's completely relatable... tomorrow is exciting, because tomorrow is nearer to the good stuff.
I may have told this story before, but I'm going to tell it again.
I moved back to Gawd's Country in late 2005 with the ultimate goal of getting back into school and finishing the last 26 hours I needed to get my long-neglected degree.
As part of the process to return to school, in the summer of 2006 I had to petition the Powers That Be at Beloved State U. to get back in. For several days, I did not know if they were going to let me back in. If they were, it was going to be scramble time... I would be notified, and then I would have literally about 48 hours to enroll and take at least one course. It was like awaiting a military mission: When they say "Go" you go right then.
At precisely the same time, I had an unanticipated job prospect arise in Colorado. This prospect went from nonexistent to fairly possible in a very short period. As it turned out, there were a matter of days where the result was going to be either return to school, or pack up and leave. Even more daunting: what if both prospects panned out, and the decision wasn't made for me?
I wondered what I would decide: fulfill a lifelong dream of completing school? Or take a job in a great location and substantially increase my income? It was going to be difficult.
Beloved State U. accepted me. Prospect did not. Decision made. I'm grateful, because going back to school was a great experience and very satisfying. Knowing what I know now, it absolutely would have been the right thing to do no matter how enticing another alternative might have been. My future is much better because of how that worked out.
So sometimes, you have to just roll with it, and trust that things happen for a reason.
Things don't happen in a void... you can't just passively hope for the best, you must take action... ANY action... to set things in motion. I pursued both of those prospects in 2006, and only one of them came through, but it was the best one. And it put me in a position to have options.
I continue to believe that my effort toward getting back in the game will yield results. And I also think it's quite possible that soon I will have to choose between multiple options that hit me at the same time. That's going to be a nice problem to have. But I also think that I've gained enough experience and wisdom to carefully weigh those options and make the best choice.
That's damned exciting. And it could happen tomorrow.
Things are going to work out. It seems inevitable. And one advantage to being beyond a year without work is that if the wait is 13 months or 16 months or whatever, I've already gotten through most of it. So every day is one day closer to the end of this.
It's kind of like the old movie cliche about someone marking days off the calendar. But now it's completely relatable... tomorrow is exciting, because tomorrow is nearer to the good stuff.
I may have told this story before, but I'm going to tell it again.
I moved back to Gawd's Country in late 2005 with the ultimate goal of getting back into school and finishing the last 26 hours I needed to get my long-neglected degree.
As part of the process to return to school, in the summer of 2006 I had to petition the Powers That Be at Beloved State U. to get back in. For several days, I did not know if they were going to let me back in. If they were, it was going to be scramble time... I would be notified, and then I would have literally about 48 hours to enroll and take at least one course. It was like awaiting a military mission: When they say "Go" you go right then.
At precisely the same time, I had an unanticipated job prospect arise in Colorado. This prospect went from nonexistent to fairly possible in a very short period. As it turned out, there were a matter of days where the result was going to be either return to school, or pack up and leave. Even more daunting: what if both prospects panned out, and the decision wasn't made for me?
I wondered what I would decide: fulfill a lifelong dream of completing school? Or take a job in a great location and substantially increase my income? It was going to be difficult.
Beloved State U. accepted me. Prospect did not. Decision made. I'm grateful, because going back to school was a great experience and very satisfying. Knowing what I know now, it absolutely would have been the right thing to do no matter how enticing another alternative might have been. My future is much better because of how that worked out.
So sometimes, you have to just roll with it, and trust that things happen for a reason.
Things don't happen in a void... you can't just passively hope for the best, you must take action... ANY action... to set things in motion. I pursued both of those prospects in 2006, and only one of them came through, but it was the best one. And it put me in a position to have options.
I continue to believe that my effort toward getting back in the game will yield results. And I also think it's quite possible that soon I will have to choose between multiple options that hit me at the same time. That's going to be a nice problem to have. But I also think that I've gained enough experience and wisdom to carefully weigh those options and make the best choice.
That's damned exciting. And it could happen tomorrow.
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Day 381: Progress?
Everyone seems a little uncertain how to be around me, because I'm (apparently) taking this latest setback so well.
I guess that's personal progress. When you've had some near-misses, I think you can go forward one of two ways: It either crushes you, or you roll with it.
Naturally I am disappointed. Of all the ones I've missed on, this one would have been the best one to get. But I gave it my best shot, prepared like mad to be ready... overprepared, in some ways, because they never actually asked questions directly pertaining to the specific business, which is a little weird... and I did everything possible to be a strong candidate.
Of course I look for things I could have done better, but one thing that may have hurt me is what someone once called being "G.U." -- Geographically Undesirable. If it came down to a tossup between me and another candidate, and that candidate was local... well, it makes sense for them to make that be the deciding factor.
I don't know if that was the case, but certainly it's not unrealistic to think that could have been an issue. No longer wait, and no haggling over any relocation expenses.
But none of that matters now. That prospect, for now at least, is behind me. The future is ahead, so that's where I need to focus my energy.
I used my hours on the road this weekend to set some personal goals, not all of which are tied to employment. As anyone can attest, and as I understood throughout this most recent job chase, you can only control so much of things, and some things are simply out of your hands.
So I'm going to work very hard to master completely the things that I can control. And the rest will just work out, right?
I guess that's personal progress. When you've had some near-misses, I think you can go forward one of two ways: It either crushes you, or you roll with it.
Naturally I am disappointed. Of all the ones I've missed on, this one would have been the best one to get. But I gave it my best shot, prepared like mad to be ready... overprepared, in some ways, because they never actually asked questions directly pertaining to the specific business, which is a little weird... and I did everything possible to be a strong candidate.
Of course I look for things I could have done better, but one thing that may have hurt me is what someone once called being "G.U." -- Geographically Undesirable. If it came down to a tossup between me and another candidate, and that candidate was local... well, it makes sense for them to make that be the deciding factor.
I don't know if that was the case, but certainly it's not unrealistic to think that could have been an issue. No longer wait, and no haggling over any relocation expenses.
But none of that matters now. That prospect, for now at least, is behind me. The future is ahead, so that's where I need to focus my energy.
I used my hours on the road this weekend to set some personal goals, not all of which are tied to employment. As anyone can attest, and as I understood throughout this most recent job chase, you can only control so much of things, and some things are simply out of your hands.
So I'm going to work very hard to master completely the things that I can control. And the rest will just work out, right?
Friday, June 1, 2012
Day 379: Ugh
Just got the word. LA isn't happening this time.
What can I say? It doesn't get any easier to not get the job. This one sucks a little more because I got close, again, but this time I had to pay my expenses to do the interview, and that's a $900 investment that just went up in smoke.
I didn't even have that good a time out there, because I was so focused on the goal I didn't really do anything "exciting" other than go watch the ocean for a while.
Man.
I have a 12-hour round trip the next two days. I guess if I am going to have to have a pity party, it's just as well that I do it alone. I'll get it out of my system and in 36 hours it will be history. Done with it.
Yeah, it's frustrating, but that does me no good to dwell with it. I applied for a good job this morning that would also be a great fit, but I know for a fact I have to wait on the process on this one and an answer won't come before July 4. So... yeah.
I'm really, really, really tired of this shit.
Have a great weekend!!! Smiley Face!!!!
What can I say? It doesn't get any easier to not get the job. This one sucks a little more because I got close, again, but this time I had to pay my expenses to do the interview, and that's a $900 investment that just went up in smoke.
I didn't even have that good a time out there, because I was so focused on the goal I didn't really do anything "exciting" other than go watch the ocean for a while.
Man.
I have a 12-hour round trip the next two days. I guess if I am going to have to have a pity party, it's just as well that I do it alone. I'll get it out of my system and in 36 hours it will be history. Done with it.
Yeah, it's frustrating, but that does me no good to dwell with it. I applied for a good job this morning that would also be a great fit, but I know for a fact I have to wait on the process on this one and an answer won't come before July 4. So... yeah.
I'm really, really, really tired of this shit.
Have a great weekend!!! Smiley Face!!!!
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