I took a week off writing to deal with the (un)employment issue. It’s not just about finding a job, it’s about dealing with the emotional rollercoaster that goes with it. When I first began employment about 15 years ago, the deal was to walk into a place, with your own pen, dressed professionaly, ask for an application and complete it. Then you would ask to deliver that application, along with your resume and cover letter, directly to the hiring manager so he or she could see your face, say hello, and get a general first impression. Two or three days later, you would place a follow-up phone call to the hiring manager, greet them respectfully and ask politely if you can schedule a meeting to discuss your application.
Today, the process has changed and you can do all of the above while sitting in your underwear on the couch; the process has become so de-personalized. There is no first impression, no direct contact, and no follow-up. It makes me wonder how organizations survive in a climate of making hiring selections based solely on a resume – because those are always 100% accurate depictions of an individual.
How many really great people, people who would be perfect for the face of the organization, are passed over because they don’t have the skills to write a resume?
I know the economy is in terrible shape. I know there is very little I can do when an organization is in an external hiring freeze. I know I can do very little about changing who I am (short of the order and presentation on paper).
I’m not being selective with my job search, and I’ve peppered the job boards with applications and resumes. I realize that I may have limited myself with my education, experience, and recent gambles, but there really isn’t much of a market for an ex-high school-English-teacher-turned-pilot. I’m doing the best I can with being positive, upbeat, and having the right attitude, but I do have really difficult days in the midst of that.
I hope this economy turns around quicker than what the analysts are predicting. I hope I can be led into the right place for right now. Mostly, I want to do the right things with the right peoples, but that may have to wait a while. I’m going to end with a poem by Shel Silverstein.
PECKIN’
The saddest thing I ever did see
Was a woodpecker peckin’ at a plastic tree.
He looks at me, and “Friend” says he,
“Things ain’t as sweet as they used to be.”
Posted by stevebragg 
