“The only job that stars at the top is when you are digging a hole.” ~ Anonymous
In the 1993 mystery, Holes, juvenile detainees at Camp Green Lake work camp must dig a hole 5 ft deep and 5 ft in diameter to "build character," despite the danger of the desert sun, rattlesnakes, and yellow-spotted lizards, which can kill. The digging is relentless and the warden is even worse, until one day, the camp's real reason for existence is discovered and the inmates are sent home. Without the aid of a persistent lawyer, the detainees would have continued day after day digging themselves into a deeper hole before finding a way to climb out.
I wonder if you guys feel like one of the movie’s main character’s, Armpit, who asks, “What are we diggin’ for man?”, and was answered by another character, X-Ray, who replied, “Like Mr. Sir said, we diggin’ to build some character.”
Most likely you feel that all you have done is dig and dig and dig for a job this year, and all you have to show for it is an empty hole. The truth is you have developed character during these days of unemployment! You are not the same person who was handed the proverbial pink slip. You can use that character to your advantage when networking and interviewing. You are a resilient soul who has fallen in a hole and is now reaching for the rim to lift yourself out. It’s time.
* Whatever it takes, find a way each day to be looking up, not down. Try one or all of these:
Make a few more calls to those you know who are working and ask them if they have heard of any openings in your field of interest.
* Look online at a job board you haven’t looked before and enter different search criteria to see what appears in the search. Interestingly, there is a difference in what you put in the search criteria and what a few word changes will net in the results.
* Target 5 companies you want to work for this week, and go online into their “career” or “jobs” link and apply directly. (As a bonus, seek out connections on LinkedIn who work in the company you are interested in, and ask if they can make a connection with the hiring manager, or Human Resources)
* Attend just ONE local networking event, and take your business cards (please, if you haven’t already obtained business cards, accomplish getting them THIS week)
“First law on holes - when you're in one, stop digging!” ~ Denis Healey
If what you are doing in your job search isn’t working, try something else!
GOOD NEWS: Over the weekend, there were several hundred jobs posted online on just one of the websites that I check regularly. This is during a holiday weekend period! Just keep turning over every rock, and hopefully, this will be the week you find a great connection.
CONGRATULATIONS: James W. who has accepted a Finance Manager position in Dallas, Texas. James shared, “You told us that we have to do what we have to do in searching for a job, including widening our job search area. I contacted my previous boss in Texas and he referred me to the sister company. It is the power of networking that landed me this job.”
BACTS FACT: “Whatever you are doing today, consider the person who crosses your path a potential networking partner.” ~J. Smith
THAT'S IT: Here’s my take on the news. Turn it off. Depending on the channel you watch, you are going to get a different slant on the job figures. Some of these news channels shovel a lot of you know what, and others are more on the mark. There is so much information (and mis-information) out there about the unemployment figures, none of it makes sense. The only thing you know is that you are still not employed.
In Holes, one of the movie’s characters, Mr. Pendanski, states, “D-I-G, what does that spell?” I know with the right tools in your hand you can dig yourself out of this hole you find yourself in. You’ve gone far enough into the ground. It’s time to find the sunlight.
I hope you all enjoy the week,
Jan
Jan M. Smith
Inland Management Group
Human Resource Consulting & Support to the Service Industry
(951) 302-6483
www.inlandmgtgroup.com
www.janmsmith.com
Twitter: @temecula_hr
Facebook: http://facebook.com/#!/InlandManagementGroup
LinkedIn: http://www.LinkedIn.com/in/janmsmith
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