shadowkat | Doing The Happy Snoopy Dance...

Ahem, [tap, tap, tap, tappity, tap, tap...pauses for effect,
big grin]...

I GOT A JOB!!! A REAL FULL-TIME COMPLETE WITH BENEFITS ACTUAL JOB!!!

[tappity, tap, tap...fall down in complete exhaustion.] "Okay,
that is all...you can go about your business now..."

I'm considering posting that on the discussion board I've been posting and lurking on off and on for the last three years.

At any rate - Sorry for the spam, just be happy that I have no clue how to do that text flowing thing that has the headline moving across the page. Not completely up on the computer tools yet, I'm afraid.

And yes - it's true. No fluke. Accepted the job on Wed morning.
Start date is September 13. It's not a temp job. It's not temp to perm. And it's not with the company I was temping with. And no, I didn't settle.

The job is with a health care company. A health care company that also suffered in 2001, due to 9/11, but rebuilt itself and is stronger than ever. Sort of like me. It entails my analytical, legal writing, and negotiation skills. The people there were incredibly nice and they really appear to want me. The company I am temping with was disappointed to hear that I was leaving them. But incredibly impressed with my professionalism. Location is perfect - it's in Manhattan, mid-town, about 30 minutes away from my apartment. No switching trains. And close to several friends who work or live in the vicinity. It's located in a place I dreamed of working but never believed I ever would. And most important of all - this company believes in training it's employees. Training is a vital part of the experience. So no more money needs to be spent on business courses - yay! It's not a perfect job, but it is the best job I've interviewed for and the best opportunity I've ever had.

This whole job hunt ordeal has been a lesson in patience, endurance, and perservance. It hasn't been easy. These past few weeks have been incredibly stressful. Won't bore you with the details. Suffice it to say, I've been racing around Manhattan a lot these past two weeks.

This job was, for those who are interested, # 69 of the 81 jobs I applied to between May 30-July 20. Before that I had applied to literally 40 jobs every two weeks give or take a week. So multiply 40 by 3, 3 by twenty months, and you have a good idea how many resumes and cover letters I sent. That does not include the network contacts. Career counselors. Temp agencies. Staffing agencies. Head hunters. Informational interviews. Career fairs. And mass resume mailing that I tried. I haven't done the math, but I think it is safe to assume I sent out over 3,000 resumes, averaged 10-20 interviews a year, and had over 500 rejection letters. Most people didn't say anything. There is nothing more demoralizing than hunting a job in this world.

So what worked? How did I get it? I know that was the question I asked whenever I saw anyone get a job. How did you do it?

I got this job the same way I got the last full time one. Through an ad in The New York Times. That's right - no agency, head-hunter, friend, network contact, business associate, career fair, career counselor, staffing agency got me this job. I got it the old fashioned way - pounding the pavement, or rather the internet, which isn't so old fashioned.

I found the position by setting up job agents with key word searchs in the areas I was interested in. NY times automatically did a search and twice a week sends me emails with lists of jobs that fit those keywords. Yes, I had to scan through lots of crap. That's part of it. When I found jobs that fit what I wanted, I sent a cover letter and a "targeted" resume. A targeted resume is basically a resume that uses language from the want ad or job. You show the recruiter that you have the skills they are looking for by targeting those skills in your resume and backing them up. Don't lie - they'll catch you. Trust me on that one. For an example of the type of resume I used, see my memories - resume and cover letters by live journal user kenshui (I believe).

This ordeal has also been a lesson in friendship. Over these past three years, I've learned a great deal about myself and others. That human beings do need each other. That like it or not we are connected. From one another we can learn a great deal if we are just willing to listen, and check our egos at the door. I learned how to find a job partly on the internet, by exchanging information, reading job hunting tips, and others live journal accounts. I also learned we do affect one another's lives and journeys for good or ill, when we least expect it. And that no matter how alone or lost I or someone else feels - there's always someone out there who is willing to give me a hug or a smile, the moment I ask. I cannot thank the people I've meet online enough.

These past few weeks I've felt a bit like Buffy in Grave
climbing out of the hole. Just like Buffy, I had to do it myself. But just like Buffy I had friends, both far and near, who helped and aided me along the way. Thank you to everyone on my friends list or who has commented in livejournal for never allowing me to forget that.