Things Are Looking Up!

When I got laid off in 2011, and having been down that path before, I hit the job search hard. Before landing a part-time job that I was grateful for but the chief requirement of which was being able to withstand six straight 12-hour overnight shifts, I must have applied for 500 jobs.

Most of those were in NWA, but many were not. I applied for jobs all over the U.S., including Hawaii and Alaska. I also applied for jobs in USVI and Europe.

Nothing. All that effort netted a total of only a few solid interviews. I applied for countless jobs at the Beloved State U., and only got a single phone interview for one of them. It certainly didn't make me feel the degree I had gone back to get in 2008 had exceptional value. I mean, if the U didn't think enough of it to hire me, what was anyone else going to think? I also had applied for the job the football coach wound up giving to his chippy (and hence leading to his firing), so maybe my "skills" weren't what was marketable.

Anyway. That was then. Now I'm in New England, and the market here is astonishing. It's so encouraging.

Less than three weeks here, I had an interview arranged for a substitute teaching job. (I tried to do this in Fayetteville, and couldn't even get a callback from the district.) On Dec. 10, I was working for them. I worked two other days, too, and could have worked another... however, I had another job interview that precluded that opportunity.

That interview is going to yield work; I met with a placement firm and they've got more positions than people to fill them. Starting next week, I expect to have even more options.

Today, I sent an application for a great job. Maybe I'll get it. But, I found it simply because I was interested in the organization and looked at their careers site. And I see usually more than one job a day that I am qualified for. And the best part is, there are so many possibilities that I can be a little choosy. I don't have to apply for *every* job I see. This is liberating. I can now work, hopefully, for a company or an organization that I respect and that has a compelling future.

In Arkansas, that was pretty much the U, and not much else. Of the few truly stable companies there, they each have issues that gave me pause. But, I still went after jobs there because I had no choice.

Now, in theory, I don't have that problem. I can pursue opportunities that pay not just a living wage, but  also are personally rewarding. It's exciting. 

Interpretation

If you apply for a job that you are a good fit for, yet you're told within hours that you're not a candidate, how should you interpret that?

* Did they already have someone else in mind?
* Are you considered overqualified? In this case they cited "three+ years experience" and I am the "+" part of that equation?
* Are you overpriced?
* Are you delusional? (I'm not, but some cases that could/would be the case.)

I don't understand and never have why being "overqualified" is a drawback. Can you imagine a team of film school newbies having a casting call and telling DeNiro that he was "overqualified" so they couldn't use him?

Puzzled. Puzzled...

Where is Jobless Journal?

I've had a few reasons for not writing as regularly here.

One is a major move; that's taken most of my time for the last six weeks. Second is that prior to that, I was plugging in 36 hours a week with a part-time gig that involved overnights... that took a little wind out of my sails, especially because one component was a six-days-straight stretch of 12-hour overnights.

And then there's the fact that a couple of my haters (maybe more) were visiting these environs. I want to distance from those people as much as possible.

But, the job search has begun anew in my new location. Fortunately, the prospects here are abundant. Now that the move is over and we're settled in, it's time to get back on that horse. I've already applied for a handful, and in some cases gotten responses. Those were before the move, so I don't know if the lack of interest was because I was inquiring from a distance of half a continent.

Anyway. Here we go.

The LA job

Well, I got closer this time... but still no go. Second time with these folks. Today I got official notification about my latest SoCal fling.

However, this time it is not bittersweet. It was a great job and I would have loved it, and it would have gotten me back to my favorite city, Los Angeles.

But seeing as how I'm moving to New England in six days, there were going to be some problems.

The process took too long. There's really no reason why something should take four months to determine. There's following a process, and there's being bogged down. Pull the trigger for cryin' out loud.

But it's over, and now I will focus on what's ahead. Should be fun.

It's not me, it's you

So we're moving. A long way away.

I don't have a job yet, but I'm confident I will be able to do better there than I did here. The market is robust, and especially in my field. It didn't exactly rocket my self-esteem to have to settle after 15 months for an unskilled labor gig that a high-school graduate could easily muster. That's not why I went back to college.

I'm grateful for that work, however. And I had a boss who was a prince of a guy. Him, I'll miss.

But the people in the rest of this place... not so much.

There were many, many good people here. But there were also many, many cliquish, selfish and self-serving, unprofessional shitheads here as well.

Unfortunately, a lot of the latter types had the jobs.

The two places I worked here had some good people there; some will be lifelong friends even though we'll now have many miles between us. However, a team is often built in the image of its leadership. And in my experience, that created some problems.

I've come to look at my work experience here as similar to dating a seriously flawed but very hot girl (or guy, if you're into guys).

When you meet this person, you're reduced to your most basic state. Beautiful plumage, the Norwegian Blue. You get swoony and you start overlooking things, because you're just enamored with the physical. It's even worse if the sex is good, because then you start making more excuses.

But what if the person is a smoker, or a drunk? Lindsay Lohan is (or at least was) attractive. But she's a total train wreck. Do you want to deal with that on a steady basis?

What if they're rude or a jerk? Some women love the "bad boy" but that really works out long-term, does it, ladies? Being stood up, not having phone calls returned, being treated shabbily... at some point, you get tired of it.

What if they're criminally stupid? What happens when the crowd you run with gets wise to your date's ignorance and gives you that look when they do something embarrassing? What happens when you want to discuss something important and significant in the world and they want to non-ironically tell you about the hilarious thing they saw on Jersey Shore?

What if there are huge philosophical differences in things you like? There are things I like in my life that I feel make my life more enjoyable. I love watching sports and football. I love music and movies and books. I couldn't imagine myself long-term involved with someone who didn't like any of those things. It's just not a good fit. Someone who wants to spend lots of time gardening or going to church, or participating in Renaissance Fairs... I'm not against any of those things, and they could even be interesting at times. But in general, that's just not me, and it's not going to be me.

You realize at some point that the limited pros are significantly outweighed by the glaring cons. I suspect most of you know exactly what I am talking about.

It's beautiful here, the air and water is clean. The fall is the best time here... but like that ill-matched love interest, it's not enough. It's not progressive enough, it's not smart enough.

I see way too many confederate flags and symbols. (NB: You lost. Get over it. And, it's offensive. Educate yourselves.) I see too many people who cling to their guns and religion and shun peace and science. I see too many people who don't take advantage of a world-class library but spend hours repeating talking points they hear and see on right-wing media. I see too many people who are quite happy to settle for a mid-level job in a mid-level town. Many choose to do so because despite the flaws, it's generally OK here and "acceptable" to raise a family. It's not hard work to live here if you're willing to forgive some things.

I've never been able to do that. Is the grass always greener? I don't know. But, I know myself enough to know that I like the advantages a real city has to offer. Culturally, I want to be able to experience music, movies, art and other things as it develops. People here got excited when Blue Man Group did a show.

Blue Man Group started 25 years ago.

That's just one anecdote, but it's typical. When we scouted a place up there two weeks ago, we were able to order Chinese delivery late one night. That doesn't happen here. It's pizza. Or if you want late-night eats, there's McDonald's, Taco Bell, IHOP. That's not OK with me. The streets here roll up at 10 p.m. It's even worse in Bentonville.

It's not hell, but it's not me. It's you.

Transitions

Yes, this is still alive. But I've been busy planning a cross-country move so I'm kinda scarce around these parts.

At the same time I am juggling job prospects, still. One is scarily promising: two days ago I sailed through an interview. Tonight is my last overnight at the PT gig, and then I work days Saturday and Sunday and that will be that. I'll officially be unemployed again.

The difference

I'm writing my "Dear John" letter to this place, but one component that will probably be there is building its case today...

You've heard numerous complaints from this precinct regarding the unprofessional conduct of a lot of employers regarding responding to applicants. A sample of my applications within the last year showed that just 24.1 percent actually bothered to even let me know if they had received my information, or asked for more information, or extended an interview.

We're moving to the Big City soon. Today I applied for three jobs.

All three have already acknowledged receipt. This is how you do it, son.

Adios, Smallville.