From Hippie Grandma to Job Seeking Professional – Job Hunting 2.0

Job hunting 2.0 is my new job hunting efforts after making the changes I talked about in my last post. As a refresher, here’s what I’ve done: I’ve updated my resume with my new Certified Scrum Master credential and set up a new email address so the automated candidate tracking systems would reread it and pickup the updated. I used a new resume format and posted it on LinkedIn, Monster, Dice, Indeed and Zip Recruiter. I’ve had my hair colored and styled, invested in replacing my makeup, and had a new photo taken and posted it.

After uploading my new resume and photo on LinkedIn, I posted an update there to announce my renewed job search effort. There were far fewer job postings for IT Project Manager on the LinkedIn job board than I’d seen before but I found a few new ones.

Within a couple of weeks I received a call from a recruiter about a position in Hermitage, TN (just east of Nashville), and soon thereafter received a call from another recruiter about a position in Franklin, TN, (just south of Nashville). Okay, this is more like it!

The first recruiter suggested that I create an addendum to my resume to give some detailed examples of the projects I had managed in the past. I think this is a great idea. Resumes must be brief enough so that a potential recruiter or employer can quickly scan and see if you have the skills they are seeking. But, once you have their attention, they want more detail. I created it and quickly saw the advantages of having this type of document to supplement my resume.

A phone interview with the Hermitage company was arranged and held. It seemed to go reasonably well, but I just wasn’t able to get a good read on the manager’s impressions of me. He did tell me that it would be a week or so before I would hear back from him.

In the meantime, I received an email requesting that I take an online test for the Franklin company. Within an hour of taking the test, I received an email requesting an interview with someone from their HR department. We spoke later that day and it seemed to go well. A day or so later a telephone interview with the hiring manager was arranged. Again, that interview seemed to go well.

Then today happened. First I get a “we regret to inform you…you have not been selected for the job” email the Franklin company. While I was crying over my peanut butter chocolate ice cream, I received a call from the recruiter regarding the Hermitage job. She told me that although they had nice things to say about me, I didn’t get that job either! What a crummy day!

There were two other recruiters who contacted me last week, but I haven’t heard back from them. So again, I have to pick myself up and brush myself off and try really, really hard to get past losing those two jobs and move on to other possibilities. I know, I know, “everything happens for a reason” and “something better will come along” but you know, it all sounds pretty trite right now.

We have had to live with our son and his family far longer than we expected. I’m sure we’ve worn out our welcome and besides, Malcolm and I are ready to have our own nest again. We also have a lot of ground to make up financially and we need to get started. I never, ever thought it would take this long to find a job or that I would have this much trouble finding a job in my field. I sorely regret accepting the buyout and leaving that giant shipping company.

So for those of you who are still there, appreciate what you have and be happy that you were wise enough not to take the buyout. I wish I had been wiser. And oh, by the way, if they have reconsidered the ‘you can’t come back’ clause, PLEASE let me know. I’d come back in a heartbeat if they’d have me.

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