You know this whole being unemployed crap sucks. You start feeling like you are less of a person. Like maybe you really weren't good at your job. Regardless of the fact that I was laid off due to the economy. You start to panic a bit. What if you don't find a job. What am I going to do since I can't even find listings for the job I do online or in the paper. What to do. What to do!
It also didn't help that my neighbor took great delight in telling me that if I apply online that only 3% of the time will they actually look at my resume. Thanks for that lovely bit of news.
Anywhooooo..
I have been in panic mode a bit. Should I take tons less money then I was making. Should I apply for admin type jobs even though they weren't my thing. I am qualified for them.
Funny how self worth is all caught up in your job and how much you make.
But I made a decision today. Did you hear all the cheering over that? *snort
I made a decision that I am only going to apply for jobs that I honestly want for one month. That means for the entire month of September I am only going to be applying for construction estimator positions.
Now this doesn't mean slacking off and just waiting for one to appear on craiglist or some other job site. Although if they show up on there I am going to apply too! This means actively searching out construction firms in my area also. This means sending my resume to those companies in a cold call type of way. Who knows maybe someone will take a gander and go "you know maybe we do need a new estimator".
I know I am taking a chance by not applying to all open jobs that I can do. But you know what? This is my life. I want to be an estimator. I loved that job. I was good at it. I actually found it fun for the most part. Why should I short change myself by automaticly looking for something I know I won't be happy doing.
Yes, the economy sucks. Yes, there are not many open jobs. Yes, I may be making a mistake. But it is my mistake to make. I don't want to short change myself.
By making this decision I felt like a weight was lifted off my back. I know money is going to be tough. Unemployment sucks. But on the other hand thank goodness I am getting unemployment! But this just seemed right to me.
Wish me luck!!
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Sounds like a great plan. I remember the last time I was unemployed, I gave up trying to find something in MY FIELD and decided to accept the first thing that came along. Seven years later I'm still in the same job and miserable!
ReplyDeleteThe thing is, I was just looking for postings in my field and didn't do anything more proactive like you're talking about.
You don't want to settle for less if you can help it. I hope it works out for you!
Excellent! *\_@_/* <--- that's me waving my pompoms for you.
ReplyDeleteGood luck! Im glad you came to a decision and I think its good/reasonable because you have a specific plan with specific dates. Now you can really spend your time searching out jobs you want without having to worry that you are not applying for jobs you dont. good luck!
ReplyDeleteGood luck! I think you've got a great plan! I had the same problem when I was looking for a job... I can't believe the lack of openings compared to only a year ago! I tried sticking to JUST my field, then tried responding to every ad I was qualified for, then went back to the original plan with a few exceptions. :-)
ReplyDeleteSince I just finished college with an accounting degree, my problem was that there are PLENTY of EXPERIENCED accountants out there looking for jobs as it is, and my resume rightfully didn't quite add up. But eventually I DID find a job that is PERFECT for me, (not as much number crunching as I'd hoped for, but I get to work from HOME, yay!), and I probably never would have applied had I gotten caught up in accepting anything!
I know you'll find something right up your alley!