I am Job Hunting at the moment and it’s not going very well. Granted, its early days and I’ve not applied for many positions but I’m still starting to get a little worried. Maybe I am just being a little impatient; it’s just that I have never been without a job since I was 15 years old, often juggling two jobs at once.
I do officially have a ‘job’, but it is in the UK and I am on a career break until July 1st. I can return to this job but it would mean leaving my husband (and cat) in California and living separately.
The company I work for in the UK actually has an office really close to where we live in Irvine (about 15 minutes) so I was hoping to arrange a transfer, but I’m finding this difficult, more difficult than I expected. I guess after working for the same company for 15 years (in various positions – Communication, Customer Service, Administration, Social Media), I expected that all the awards I have won and my loyalty would help. I’m speaking to a nice lady today about available positions so fingers crossed this will lead to something and I will have a job soon.
However if it doesn’t, I really don’t know what to do or where to start. I’ve never been unemployed and if I don’t get a job soon I will go stir crazy!! I am enjoying my lazy days at the moment, A-Z blogging, playing with the cat and lazing round the pool.... but I know this can’t go on forever and the longer I am out of work, the harder it will be to get back into the routine of going to work.
Some inspirational quotes to keep me motivated:
If you have any advice for me on job hunting, top tips, or simply any experiences you want to share, please let me know. I’d love to hear from you and welcome your comments.
Good luck with the job. You'd think the company would love to have you since you have a proven track record.
ReplyDeleteThank you! My UK work friends (for the same company) have all agreed they would be mad not to find me a position but they are not the ones making the decision, and they are biased!
ReplyDeleteHopefully the nice lady will be charmed by your winning personality and she will give you a job! I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.
ReplyDeleteI'm not meeting her till next week now....I need to get my positive head on and buy some smart clothes so I at least look the part...any excuse!
DeleteGood luck with the job search!
ReplyDeleteThank you, I appreciate the positive vibes!
DeleteI hope you find one! To be seperated from your husband and so far away isn't good either. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteNo, I don't want to be living apart from him. We've been inseparable since we first met 12.5 years or so ago now. Thanks for wishing me luck!
DeleteI'm sure something will come your way, particularly since you WANT to do something. I wish I could offer you a bit of sage advice, but see, I'm retired and love not having to be in the daily grind.
ReplyDeleteThanks bish! If only I could afford to retire early, that would be very nice, a few more years to go for me though :(
ReplyDeleteRowena,
ReplyDeleteGood luck. I hope the place in Irvine can find a position for you. I haven't been able to find a job and finally got old enough to draw my SS, although this is not enough to live on. I applied all over the town where I live and nothing. I think I am too old now, so I can't really offer you any tips. I wish I could.
Thanks for visiting my blog today.
Sunni
http://sunni-survivinglife.blogspot.com/
Hi Sunni, thanks for sharing your experience, that's sad that you couldn't get a job, companies are not allowed to discriminate on age! Irvine is a large place so I'm hoping I will get something eventually, I'm not that fussy what I do :)
DeleteMy daughter is looking for a job too. She graduated college last May and still hasn't found a "real" job.
ReplyDeletehttp://joycelansky.blogspot.com
Hi Joyce, that doesn't sound very positive..., hope your daughter finds something soon.
DeleteI'm in the same position right. Now job searching is especially difficult right now. I'm thinking about taking a break for a while and just going back to get my Masters degree. Luckily, I have a part time job to keep some food on the table but it's minimum wage and not exactly enjoyable. Here's hoping there are bright things on the horizon for both of us!
ReplyDeleteHi Jessica, I think if you can afford to do your masters then go for it! You could try and keep your part time job at the same time, if studies don't get in the way, then you have the best of both worlds. I will keep my fingers crossed for you that everything works out :)
DeleteI'm also looking for a job. It can be really frustrating when you aren't getting the opportunities you had hoped for. I just keep my eyes on the prize and know that the right thing will happen. I'm actually thinking about venturing out on my own with backup as a bartender. Could you wing it for awhile in the states doing some odd job until you find something else or is that out of the question? And for me, breaks are great for a couple of weeks and then they become maddening. Good luck to you!! Jennifer a.k.a. Urban Gypsy Girl
ReplyDeleteHi Jennifer, oh no competition ha ha....I am just going to apply for loads of jobs if it doesn't work out with my current company in the states. I might see if a recruitment agency can help....I don't know if they work the same as they do in the UK. I'm happy to do most jobs, not looking for the same as I did in the UK and I know I don't have enough experience to get a design job. My favourite job was a bar job I had, I might try and do that again? If anyone will have me! Good luck to you too and thanks for the advice :)
DeleteI'm looking for a job too! And I hope everything will turn out great for the both of us. Good luck! And thank you sooo much for dropping by my blog. I really appreciate it. <3
ReplyDeleteSincerely,Miss Uncertain---sidetracked
Oh no another one...seems like we are all job hunting. I'm sure things will work out in the end, just need a little patience and fate will play some part no doubt. Good luck with everything!
DeleteI'm sorry that you're having such a difficult time finding a job. I follow Ramit Sethi's blog at http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com. He's very unique and I've picked up some really good tips from his website about networking, email scripts, negotiations, etc. Many of the resources are free and might be helpful. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteJaime at Awakenings and Reflections
Excellent, thank you jaime. I'll check that out, I think networking is a good idea. Appreciate your help!
DeleteGood Luck, hun. Are there any volunteer opportunities that you could look into nearby - volunteering would look better on your CV than nothing. Just a thought. I'm also job hunting (although I have a job that I've outgrown) and it's just as difficult to find the right thing to progress but to also suit my personal situation - why are things so hard :(
ReplyDeleteHi laura, I've check out voluntary work, the only issue is that they want you to commit to a minimum amount of time a week for say 1 year, and if I get a permanent job I don't want to be juggling too much...good idea though, maybe I'll have another look. I don't know why things are so hard sometimes, I guess it's just life's little way. Good look with finding a suitable position too! X
DeleteLove the job doodle, good luck. I don't understand why it is so difficult to transfer you especially since you stayed with them for so long. A colleague of my recently transferred from spain to the irish office because the husband got a job here. Was easy as pie for her.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by! I thought it would be easy too and I spoke to lots of people UK and US before I left for CA so I had some connections. I guess things are done differently here in the US, or maybe they just don't want me! I won't give up!
DeleteHope you get a job you love soon. Maybe the perfect fit will suddenly appear!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting my blog!
Mary Montague Sikes
I hope so too Mary....I'm sure things will work out,must stay positive!
DeleteFirst of all, I love your job-hunting sketch. I actually quit my career as a software engineer once I started making full time money writing online. If you can write quickly, you can make very good money with CrowdSource on Mturk.com. I actually make most of my money with the Yahoo Contributor Network, although that takes a bit of time to build up, and they aren't paying out as much as they used to in some areas. I write about TV, and about technology, and both of those are dong very well so far.
ReplyDelete#atozchallenge, Kristen's blog: kristenhead.blogspot.com
Hi Kristen! thats great they are doing something you love and writing for a living. I would love to do something design based but it is so competitive, I don't have the confidence to go for it...maybe one day!
DeleteI am really surprised they haven't hired you on as a transfer. I have heard the job market in CA is pretty tough, though. Good luck with your job-hunt!
ReplyDeletetm
Hello...I'm still hoping to sort the transfer out, I've not had a definite NO yet so fingers crossed...if not I guess its not meant to be. Thanks for wishing me luck!
DeleteMe too in job hunting. I just resigned mine and is now out in the real world. And don't worry you are gonna get in to a great work space. Sending all good luck to you. :)
ReplyDelete