The Diary of a Struggling Optimist
Friday, November 20, 2009 at 12:19PM
William Henry Nurmi II has a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University and a MBA from the University of Phoenix. Bill has a background in operations management, logistics, and sales. Bill is an avid bicyclist and is a volunteer on the board of directors at the Mission of Hope Cancer Fund. He lives in Lansing, MI and is currently seeking new employment while serving as a Post-Graduate and Career Transition Fellow of Optimism with Moment-to-Moment Enterprises. Bill’s Fellowship project entails writing about optimism and providing advice and consultation on marketing, sales, and new program development. Today’s post is the second of series of posts that Bill plans to write under the title: “The Diary of a Struggling Optimist.”
Well, as I begin my footwork I realize that I am doing some of the right things and some of the wrong things. I’ve been told that the best way to find a job is just simply get out and meet new people in the business world. I do some of this, on a regular basis in fact, though it is not always amusing to me and I am not always as motivated as I should be. Meeting new people and mingling is something that takes energy, and sometimes I am just clean out of energy. Have you ever been to an event or party and done nothing but walk around and talk to people the whole time? It’s exhausting! Especially when they occur at 7am! Sometimes I just don’t have the energy to put on a happy “social face” and make new friends.
Applying for jobs posted online is not a “wrong” thing to do, but it is difficult to sell your self over an electronic submission of a resume, especially when the company may have 1500 resumes to go through. If yours is number 500, it may in fact be the BEST one, but they are never going to get that far to notice you. Once that person gets to resume number 50 they are going to have the patience remaining of that of a 2 year old, thus you may never get that call.
So, where do we go from here? Everywhere I turn somebody has to point out to me the obvious. “Moderation and/or balance are the key”. Well, of course that’s what needs to be done! One must strike the right balance of methodology to look for a new job. One must also find the right balance of work and play in their life, eating the right balance of meat versus vegetables, and so on….. blah blah blah. Does this not go without saying? It’s like I swing on a pendulum. Balance and moderation have never been my strong suits. If one of something is good, wouldn’t five be even better?! And wouldn’t ten be great! And twenty, that would be amazing!! That to me seems to be the intuitive answer.
At this point the correct recipe of job prospecting has eluded me, though I have made at least some progress. I have submitted resumes to five general freight companies to do logistics and operations work, and three more to food distribution companies to do the same. I also took a call from a recruiter and scheduled an interview for an account management position with a building supply company, and applied online for an entry level HR position here locally. Even if I only get a ten percent phone call return on my efforts, I would only have to submit 3 more resumes/inquiries to get one call.
OK, this seems to be an optimistic point of view, and I like it (Pendulum swings). Though next is where it’s hard to remain optimistic. I had to do this much, just to get one call back, and that call guarantees nothing! What’s the use anyway! (Pendulum swings the opposite direction). I might as well give up!
Then on the other hand nobody ever said that it was going to be easy to find a job that I like and is financially acceptable, though I think maybe sometimes I just want easy. Isn’t that just our mantra of life here in the United States? EASY.
This raises the question in my head, do I just want what’s easy, or am I willing to do the work to get that next great job?
BN
Reader Comments (2)
Your job search can be as easy as you want it to be and still generate excellent results. Your bio mentions you're a cyclist. Imagine a 50 mile ride. From start to finish, you've got a specific distance to travel and your distance is the same as the other riders. What if your tires aren't inflated properly though? Harder. What if you are wearing jean shorts instead of bike shorts? Harder. What if you have a standard pedal versus a pedal clip? Harder. What if your bike frame is steel instead of aluminum? Harder. What if you got little rest and nourishment prior to the ride? Harder. They all play a role in how quickly you reach the finish line and how much pain and discomfort you experience along the way. How much energy you have to summon for your journey depends largely on how well you prepare and how smart your choices are in terms of your gear. For your job search, the preparation is in your resume and how well you pinpoint what you have of value to offer. Your gear would be your networking contacts and the resources you use to tap into business and employment news.
You love to cycle. Treat your job search like the ultimate ride.
Do you acknowledge that it is correct time to get the personal loans, which would make you dreams real.