When you get knocked down, dust yourself off and push forward

When you begin a job search it can be under a number of circumstances. Maybe you’re looking to advance in your career and you’ve met the ceiling with your current employer. Or perhaps you’re not fond of where you work and you’re looking for an out. And despite the national unemployment numbers, many of us are looking for gainful employment because we’ve been let go. Call it downsizing, restructuring, whatever, it still sucks. Obviously, being out of work sucks, but looking for that next opportunity is the real pain in the ass. This may come as a surprise, but many of us don’t actually grow up and know exactly what we want to do and for those of us who do, many times the dream doesn’t quite match the reality. Whatever the reason the days of loyalty are gone. Being rewarded for good work has become an annual two percent raise (if you’re lucky), which no longer keeps up with the cost of living increase.

I recently was terminated from my management position in television news and despite that fact that I was doing a good job; I was still let go. And unlike other professions you can’t just start your own company. Not unless of course you’ve socked away billions in an industry that already severely undervalues its employees. So, knowing this I decided to make a change. Regardless of being in my mid-forties and having two small children, I returned to school and decided to work towards a different, more lucrative career.

But this isn’t about life-changing decisions, but rather the journey. Regardless of my decision to jump head first into a new industry, I still have to work in some fashion to help provide for the family. This is where the journey seems to be a never ending figure-eight. At last count, I have probably sent out nearly 600 resumes and applications and in that time maybe had a handful of interviews. It’s crazy, because you think it’s just a matter of time before you land that next great job. And one month becomes two, then two becomes six. Then the unemployment runs out and you start to panic. Not to mention every single extra expense that can happen, will happen. And the panic then turns to anxiety. That’s when you re-evaluate your application process and start applying for pretty much anything that will provide a paycheck.

And then today happened. For the first time in months I had an interview, albeit a casual one to just talk with someone who had interest in my managerial background. When it’s sometime between interviews, you treat it like you’re meeting the royal family. Grooming is essential and my stylist, also known as my wife, put a stunning wardrobe together. I looked good and felt good. I arrived to the interview early and was completely relaxed. Five minutes had passed, since I told someone that I had arrived. I believe that I saw the guy I was supposed to meet, but he didn’t even acknowledge my presence. A couple more minutes had passed and he came out, but was stopped by someone else who needed his time. But what happened next was literally jaw-dropping, at least to me. He sent another out on his behalf to tell me that he was caught up in a last minute meeting and wouldn’t be available for at least 45 minutes. Are you fucking kidding me? A manager interviewing me for other potential manager opportunities didn’t even have the sack to come out and introduce himself and take care of his business. Let’s just say for the sake of argument he really did have an emergency. As a professional, you would introduce yourself, apologize for the change of plans and either ask the person to be patient or ask them if they would like to reschedule. I had no idea if the guy even wanted to meet with me at that point, so I said I would call him and left. Has this what professionalism has become? A sackless wonder who sends out someone else, because they don’t even have the character to treat someone with respect? It’s not about the job at that point, it’s the fact that we’ve become a global society of disconnect. What if our meeting would have been the beginning to something incredible or at the very least, we would have that contact that could potentially lead to something in the future? Or maybe nothing would come out of it and you could have just had a conversation with someone for thirty minutes getting to know someone you would otherwise never meet. These are the times that you question how someone like that is employed and someone like you is not. Life’s not always fair and sometimes the inept fall forward. I know this too shall pass and I will be better for it. It’s at those moments that remembering your ultimate goal should always remain your primary concern. It doesn’t make me feel any better to go another week without a job, but that’s not going to stop me from continuing to push forward. I know ultimately that Karma is a fickle mistress who can make your wildest dreams come true and a moment later reign down a holy hell that can leave you in a never-ending nightmare. I’m not asking for the dream, but sure would like to wake up from this damn nightmare at some point. But until that time you just have to get back up, dust yourself off and keep moving.

#perspective #outlook #newlife