Friday, December 11, 2020
Lost my Job in January - my thoughts on how to get your next job
tldr; Do something each day to move you forward. 2020 has been rough on everyone. I am not alone in this. In January of 2020, I lost my job due to 'budget' cuts. It was BS. The leader of the department did not like me and to be honest I didn't think much of that individual either. My Good Boss had retired 7 months before and I had seen the writing on the wall for a few months so I was not surprised in the least. It was a surreal experience to say the least. I was offered in essence 9 months of salary. But I was going to walked to the curb right now. That was interesting and not surprising. What was sucky though was I was not allowed to say good bye to any of my co-workers. That was how management worked in this department. The entire department was taken to another room and held there away from me while I got to pack up my desk and leave. What made it even more surreal was that I had an interview already scheduled for the next day. It was a job that I felt I was perfect fit. So home I went. Got up the next day went in for the interview, It went well. Called back for a 2nd interview and guess what. I didn't get the job. Also, found out during this time that my mother in law (who I loved) was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Not kewl. Spent the next month or so just spending time in the garage building stuff and going over to see her and the family. I think having that time off was good for me. and for my family. I didn't really start looking for a job until March. Remember when COVID hit? yep about that time. Great time to be looking for a job. Here was my process. 1. I treated looking for a job just like a regular job. 2. I got up each morning. I dressed as if I was going to work. Then I went to my home office and I worked on finding a job. 3. I looked at the various job boards. I considered the positions that were available and I picked 1 or maybe 2 to apply for. I spent at least an hour or two writing or tweaking the resume and developing a cover letter for the position. I entered the position in an spreadsheet and tracked date applied etc... 4. It would now be noon or after. I would have some lunch. And head to either my office to work on learning new skills or to my workshop to build something. I built I cannot even tell you how many side tables, desks, cat trees, etc... during this time. The wood shortage for COVID hadn't really hit yet. So I was able to run my menards card up quite a bit. 5. I worked each day at working. I took weekends off. But I treated looking for a job as if it were a job. End of April I was offered a consulting gig with the State. It was a very good position. I accepted it. Turned out to be a great group and I was able to offer them alot of help and it was rewarding. I worked from home so that enabled me to be flexible and I enjoyed the working from home. I actually quit looking for another job because COVID and stuff. End of May, one thing alot of people don't know. I got a very serious MRSA infection in the back of my head. I was very sick. Due to the nature of my position. I could not afford to take time off. I also was having a huge fever etc.. This is great in the middle of pandemic when you need to go to the doctor. First of August, Job is going well, I am settled in. State is even talking to me about becoming a fulltime permanent employee. I am seriously considering it. It isn't my dream job. But it is a good job and it pays the bills and the people I was working with are really nice. But along comes from out of nowhere a chance at what for me would be a dream position. Long story short. I applied interviewed 4 times and now am in a dream job for me. Lessons I learn and continue to learn each day. FROG - kind of my catch all right now. It means Fully Rely On God. Each day I put a silicon bracelet on with FROG on it. It reminds me that God is in control and I need to just rely on Him. If you want one as well. Just ask. I have some extras. Always. Keep Learning - I took the 9 months off as a chance to both learn what the job search process was now and I also took full advantage of every learning opportunity that I was offered during this time. Whether it was a recruiter telling me what I did wrong in an interview or the guy at the hardware store telling me the best way to apply some stain. Don't count on your employment situation. The economy changes, the work changes, leadership changes. Mine did. Yours probably will. I think my new company is great. But they are in this to make money and if things change. I fully expect them to make good business decisions. My new boss? Yes he is a good guy. So as long as the boss is good. The position is good. My advice to you. If you are in the position I was in. First Step back and consider your position in life. Take a day perhaps a month then start. Do something each day to move your search forward. Don't trust that just because you are the perfect fit for a job that you will get it. Until you are receiving paychecks. You don't actually have a job. If you have questions for me or want to talk feel free to reach out.  |