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job hunting again

February 25th, 2012 at 09:50 pm

I was laid off, very unexpectedly, a month ago from my
"dream job" when they lost one of their biggest clients. A corporation probably would have kept the younger, cheaper, but also less experienced employee (that would be me, in this case) and have let the older (69), costlier, more experienced employee go, but this firm was more in the nature of a family firm.

So I get to revise my 2012 goals back to "get a job" again. Sigh. That's been my #1 annual goal since 2009. This territory is just way too familiar.

But I'm tackling it with gusto.

A couple of differences between now and 2009:

First, the economy. We're on an upswing now, rather than still reeling from the blow. It's slow, but the market is definitely different.

Second, my personal circumstances. Other than job-hunting and gaining such experience as I could, the other dominant theme of the past 3 years for me was dealing with family illness. Unfortunately, my beloved Henry Hound, my Phoebe Kitty, and my Mom all passed during the 14 months from May 2010 to July 2011. I still have Teddy Cat, and he, unfortunately, is chronically ill, too, but he's hanging in there so far. He was diagnosed with Chronic Renal Failure just after Thanksgiving. We've gotten used to the new routine of sub-Q fluids and meds twice daily, I've found online sources for his supplies that are half the cost of getting them from the vet, and he seems stable for now. But much of what was holding me back from pursuing the job market more vigorously was that it was actually very helpful to be working part-time during the past two years. It gave me a lot more flexibility in terms of being with first Henry, then my Mom.

Third, the fact that I have accrued some experience, albeit not yet enough to be really competitive. But when I left teaching back in May 2009, I had no practical experience in accounting other than my participation in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program.

Over the course of the past 2.5 years, I had jobs with first H & R Block, then two small CPA firms, plus a temp Office Manager job that kept me employed part-time most of the time. Then that job that I just lost was three months of full-time work that focused more on business accounting & taxes and less on personal taxes, so I did learn a tremendous amount. I may still be below the critical threshold for getting the job I really want, but I *am* awfully close.

In the month since I was laid off, I submitted nearly two dozen job applications. I've had 5 job interviews (3 this past week) plus another phone screen that didn't lead to an interview.

One of the jobs that I interviewed for this week would be another "dream job" situation; the other two would have their advantages, and I'd take any of them if offered.

Hopefully an offer will be in the offing soon.

9 Responses to “job hunting again”

  1. creditcardfree Says:
    1330207362

    Oh, I'm so sorry to hear this. May the next job be just around the corner for you this time!

  2. patientsaver Says:
    1330208116

    You certainly have had your share of trying times with family/pet illnesses and the job situation. that's really great that you've had all that interview activity recently. I can't say I've noticed a sustained uptick in the job market. It seems to get a bit busier, but then it slows. right now, for me, it's very slow.

    However, the Prudential contract job may not be completely dead. I did hear back from the manager that she just didn't have her ducks in a row and she wanted to talk about the job. We'll see.

    Hang in there, Dido. It's GOT to get better. I'm betting you'll get one of those jobs you interviewed for.

  3. Dido Says:
    1330215196

    good luck to you, PS, on the Prudential job. I hope that reemerges as a possibility.

  4. Thrifty Ray Says:
    1330229387

    So sorry for all youve experienced. I sure hope life gets a little easier soon for you! Hugs

  5. PatientSaver Says:
    1332028684

    How are you doing, Dido?
    Haven't heard from you in a while.

  6. Dido Says:
    1332040006

    Thanks for asking, P.S. I'm still in the same place, hence, no posts. I had one week two weeks ago where I had 3 interviews that all felt as though they went well, and I was very hopeful; then, in a 24 hour period the next week, I learned that I hadn't gotten any of them. That blow actually put me in more of a funk than the original layoff did. I've had one interview since then.....they said they'd get back to by the end of the week last week, and I hadn't heard anything, but one of my references told me that he got a reference call, so maybe that job (which is temp-to-hire at one of the biggest local employers) is still a possibility. Meanwhile, I've decided that the time has come to spend a little for career coaching and professional assistance with interviewing skills, and I've been reworking my resume a bit. And trying to spend time with my cat Teddy, who is still in good spirits but who seems to be shrinking away....most kidney-failure cats die of starvation because they just don't eat any more, plus they go into "metabolic acidosis," which causes muscle wasting...so my formerly 12 pound cat now weighs 7.5 pounds. I presume this is his last spring so I try to spend as much time outdoor with him as I can...he's always been an indoor cat, so he is not allowed outdoors by himself. Hope all is well with you (I'll have to pop over to your blog to catch up).

  7. Dido Says:
    1332040117

    Thanks for asking, P.S. I'm still in the same place, hence, no posts. I had one week recently where I had 3 job interviews that all felt as though they went well, and I was very hopeful; then, in a 24 hour period the next week, I learned that I hadn't gotten any of them. That blow actually put me in more of a funk than the original layoff did. I've had one interview since then.....they said they'd get back to by the end of the week last week, and I hadn't heard anything, but one of my references told me that he got a reference call, so maybe that job (which is temp-to-hire at one of the biggest local employers) is still a possibility. Meanwhile, I've decided that the time has come to spend a little for career coaching and professional assistance with interviewing skills, and I've been reworking my resume a bit. And trying to spend time with my cat Teddy, who is still in good spirits but who seems to be shrinking away....most kidney-failure cats die of starvation because they just don't eat any more, plus they go into "metabolic acidosis," which causes muscle wasting...so my formerly 12 pound cat now weighs 7.5 pounds. I presume this is his last spring so I try to spend as much time outdoor with him as I can...he's always been an indoor cat, so he is not allowed outdoors by himself. Hope all is well with you (I'll have to pop over to your blog to catch up). Oh, and I also used the job disappointment to motivate me to cram for and take the Registered Tax Return Preparer exam, which I passed, so I will soon have a professional certification in my new field.

  8. PatientSaver Says:
    1332078160

    The very same thing has happened to me at least three times. I have what I think is a positive job interview experience, but then, nothing happens. In the past, my sense of how the interview went usually bore fruit, and I'd get an offer, but this time around, it hasn't, which is really disconcerting. You start to question yourself.

    My most latest promising job prospect has gone the same way, although at least this time, they invited me to follow up with them if I didn't hear anything, and when I did, she told me they were still doing first round interviews. Maybe they are seeing more promising candidates and thus are conducting a greater number of interviews to be thorough, thus lowering my (or your) overall chances for the job.

  9. Dido Says:
    1332081753

    Thanks, P.S. Yes, there are a number of qualified candidates "on the street" and that makes it harder--even harder for me because I have so little experience in my new field given the career change. I can't seem to get my target job because I don't have enough experience, nor can I get the job one step below (more of a bookkeeping or A/P or A/R Clerk role, because I also don't have day-to-day experience with those jobs, either...my experience is almost all in CPA firms, doing year-end adjustments & financial statements & taxes.

    Sorry to hear your most promising prospect hasn't yet borne fruit.

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