Hiring?
Posted on April 11, 2005 10 Comments
It’s been a while since my last post, and for good reason – Brian is out of a job. (To recap, Brian is my live-in boyfriend of six years.) This is both a blessing and a curse for us. On one hand, we’re happy because we both knew Brian’s job wasn’t right for him. He’s been with this company for two years, and always felt he could take on greater challenges than the company could offer. However, he’s never really known what those challenges might be, despite looking into other employers and career fields.
Now comes the open door and the kick through it. And with it, fear. Even though my job’s secure at the moment, I cried in front of a client (oops) when I listened to the message on Thursday. Half of our rent check is gone at the moment (yep, I’m freaking out). We’re OK for now – we have an “emergency fund” to fall back on and luckily Brian just paid off his car – but if the job search becomes difficult or long, it can put a strain on things financially or emotionally.
Brian’s got his own plan at the moment, which involves some time to chill and lots of hours at the library. I think he’ll be calling a temp agency in the next few days as well. Meanwhile, here are some tips for those of you who find yourself suddenly out of a job, courtesy of about.com:
http://jobsearch.about.com/cs/jobsearchhelp/a/jobtips.htm
One area we’re finding really helpful is the value of a network. In a city like Chicago, the greatest jobs may never hit the search engines – usually they’re sucked up before anyone hears about them.
When you first graduate, a network is not necessarily readily available – it takes years to develop relationships that can help you advance in the working world. But once those contacts are in place, I’m becoming increasingly aware of just how wonderful it is to have them. One woman I work with happens to be a former recruiter and still knows tons of them, others have spouses/family/friends that work in the financial world. Just being able to email a resume to one person could turn into a coffee break, which could turn into an interview and then maybe a job.
As Brian gets smart on the job hunt, we’ll continue to budget wisely. Hopefully we can find him a new job or career that fits him a little better.
PS- I finally finished my taxes! OK, my aunt did them for me under the H&R Block “relatives are free” clause. Whatever, they’re done. And I’m getting $640 back…yahoo! Ordinarily I’d want to stick that into savings, but this time it’s going straight to my wisdom tooth payments and brace-face fund.
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April 12th, 2005 @ 4:12 am
Best of luck to you and yours. The unknown is the hardest part to deal with sometimes. Hang in there; We bloggers are here for ya.
April 12th, 2005 @ 1:43 pm
Sorry about your DH – that can be intensely scary and stressful. Sometimes these “challenges” arise because something better is around the corner, so hang in there!
April 12th, 2005 @ 1:48 pm
Good luck with the job search. They can be stressful.
A friend of mine is of the opinion that the fact that you’re owed a Tax Refund is essentially a bad thing. It means that you’ve lent the government money, for no interest, for an average of 9 months.
April 12th, 2005 @ 2:25 pm
Thanks everybody! I appreciate the support. Indeed, the unknown is the scariest part. I look forward to more advice from fellow job-hunters to pass along!
- Nicole
April 12th, 2005 @ 2:36 pm
Good luck! It’s times like this the emergency fund is a blessing. :>
April 12th, 2005 @ 4:39 pm
I’ve known 3 types of unemployed people. All men:
1.) Loses job but has enough emergency money to live quite comfortably and ease their way back into work at their leisure.
2.) Loses job, continuously looks for employment and complains there are no jobs available. Does not have the financial stability to take the job search so leisurely. Puts an unneccessary burden on family.
3.) Loses job, and starts looking again immediately. The job they are looking for is high paying and advanced, but in the meantime they STILL MAKE MONEY. They do this by getting readily available jobs which may not be as “prestigious”.
I know someone who would delivered newspapers at 3:00am till 6:00am then went to local schools at 7:00am and would substitute teach. Even though those two jobs didn’t bring in the same amount of money and prestige, his wife and kids supported him 100% through it because he was still TRYING. Even though the money was not direly needed, they appreciated the fact that he was a working man and not a house bum.
Hope this helps
-J
April 12th, 2005 @ 5:35 pm
Wow, good luck and great that you have an emergency fund. I used to live in Oak Park and I was single. So I understand your concern about losing half the rent check. Things will work out..they always do!!
April 12th, 2005 @ 8:48 pm
I’ve been laid off before and it was intensely stressful. I do hope everything works out for your SO. He just needs to hang in there, be cheerful and carry on.
I agree about the networking part. It makes sense to tell everyone you know that you are looking for work: neighbours, co-workers, ex-colleagues, your real estate agent, your banker… You never know where you will hear about the ideal job.
Good luck.
Canadian Capitalist
April 13th, 2005 @ 12:01 am
The most important thing is to keep a positive attitude!
May 12th, 2005 @ 1:33 am
Hi Nicole,
I am a newbie on your blog, since I saw it today.
Why don’t you ask people reading your blog, if they can help Brian in his job search ? Networking is the in-thing dudette.
Ravi