An interview!

Hey,
I had a phone interview yesterday. It was an initial, "weeding out" conversation, but I enjoyed it. If nothing else, it gave me some practice. It's at a place that I would love to work at and my qualifications fit it very well. Time will tell . . .

This economy is rough, but people do want to help

I've been networking for several months and it has obviously not helped me land a job yet. Nor has it actually helped me secure many interviews. However, I keep reading that it is the only way to go and I had a couple of interesting situations pop up last week...

1. A while back, I had an internal company recruiter contact me after reviewing my LinkedIn Profile. The position was a good fit and something that I would both enjoy and be good at immediately. However, after a short delay, the position was put on hold. But I've checked in with this HR person every couple of weeks. And during the last call, he let me know that it was unlikely that there would be any movement on the role for an extended period. :(
Then he suggested that I contact another company, local to that geography, and gave me some contact details. Wow. That is somebody with vision. He knows that establishing a relationship with me will bear fruit in the future even if a different company ends up hiring me right now. Anyway, I contacted the person to whom I was referred and started a dialog. Not sure if it will result in a job offer or even a formal interview, but the company is growing and there is definitely some possible positions for which I am a fit.

2. I contacted an external recruiter about a position for which she was conducting a search. That position turned out to not be a good fit. (So, far this is all part of the normal job search process). But this recruiter then referred me to a hiring manager that she knew was looking for somebody like me but that was not able to pay a recruiting fee. That does not always happen when the recruiter has no chance for a fee. So, I called the hiring manager (different companies involved than those above) and we had an informal networking conversation. It was a great dialog. Then we had a formal interview. Then a second round interview. And next the HR person called me to set up travel arrangements for me to fly in for a face-to-face interview session. However, before the travel arrangements could be finalized, the company completely changed the job description and now I was not only no longer one of the top 2 candidates, but really not a match at all for the revised position. :(
Ouch.
However, a couple weeks later I got an email forwarded from the hiring manager that was from somebody else he knew asking if the hiring manager knew anybody that would be a good fit for the position description attached. It is indeed a good match for me and is even a better role than the position with the original company would have been. Again, Not sure if it will result in a job offer or even a formal interview, but it was nice of that hiring manager to go out of his way to make me aware of an open position that was not even with his company.

3. I will also echo Sheri's comments on the Net2Work gathering. I missed the first half of the first meeting (schedule conflict) but was blown away by the presentation that I did catch. And the function as a whole exceeded my expectations. Highly recommended.

It's been a long time

Seems like it's been a long time since I wrote here. Time has just been sweeping me by. I've relaxed my job search a bit. Am not as frantic as I was initially. I have still been taking advantage of some of the great programs offered at Iowa Workforce. Went to a resume writing workshop yesterday. Have also started going to a great program called Net2Work which is being held at the Botanical Center. There was a great inspiration talk 2 weeks ago by Drew McLellan, the Top Dog at McLellan Marketing Group here in Des Moines. He talked about how to market ourselves and offered good tips about social media networking.

I am still keeping my daily "to do" list which keeps me on track and where I keep track of the jobs I've applied to and the rejection emails I've gotten. No luck so far with interviews. It's difficult when you're competing with several hundred people. But, because of my lay-off, I've got to do a lot of things I couldn't have done if I were working. Have gone to art galleries, had a garage sale during the week and have gotten to know people at Iowa Workforce! Life is good!!

The perks of being unemployed

Unless you are Jack Welch, the perks of being unemployed are not like those of the employed. There are no junkets to Las Vegas. There are no free golf outings. No limousine rides. No franking privilege....
However, every now and then I run across some small perk of being unemployed. I got an email this morning that outlined such a perk.

Lost Your Job?
FranklinCovey Products Gives Those Unemployed A Boost

******************
FREE FRANKLIN PLANNERS on April 24-25, 2009
******************

WHO: Individuals who recently lost their jobs are invited to visit a FranklinCovey store nationwide or call the FranklinCovey Call Center at 800-654-1776 to receive a free 2009 Franklin Planner*.

WHAT: FranklinCovey Products is giving those who have recently lost their job a leg up during these recessionary times. Individuals recently unemployed can receive one 2009 Franklin Planner for free by providing the names of their last employer and supervisor, and the date they were laid off.

WHEN: Friday, April 24 (in-store and call center) and Saturday, April 25 (in-store only)

WHERE: Your local FranklinCovey store (Friday and Saturday) or the FranklinCovey Call Center at 800-654-1776 (Friday only)
Find a store
Call Center hours are Monday-Friday 7:00 am to 6:00 pm MST

WHY: Getting organized for a job search can ultimately save much time and frustration. Having one place to track all information, contacts, appointments, job leads, and interview notes can make a job search less stressful and more productive. Planning and organization are an integral component of a job search....

I also got a very uplifting email this morning (see below) so my day is off to a great start (although not as great as if I had gotten a job offer--hard to top that).

This is God. Today I will be handling All of your problems for you. I do Not need your help. So, have a nice day.
I love you. And, remember... If life happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do Not attempt to resolve it yourself! Kindly put it in the SFGTD (something for God to do) box. I will get to it in MY TIME. All situations will be resolved, but in My time, not yours. Once the matter is placed into the box, do not hold onto it by worrying about it.
Instead, focus on all the wonderful things that are present in your life now. Should you decide to send this to a friend; Thank you. You may have touched their life in ways you will never know!

Now, you have a nice day.
God

(Technically I did not check the SMTP header on the email so it could be a spoof and not actually be from God but I am going to go with it anyway).

--
Mike
Original story that WHO-TV did on me: Iowa Job Seekers

Job seeking no more.....

My title as a job seeker has officially ended! As of 8:30 this morning........the search has ended. I was offered a great job and of course accepted! I am now a billing and insurance coordinator for a great company. I start on Monday and will still keep you up to date on the job.

To those of you still seeking..........Good Luck! It will happen.....a little bit of faith can get you a long ways! Just think of what you can do with a lot of faith!!