Lady Luck and the Job Search

A strange thing happened to me this week.  I got an interview.  For an entry-level job.  From a company that generally does not hire entry-level people.  A job I applied for the day before.
The job- a great job that I would be perfect for, that happens to come with a for-real actual salary and real-live benefits.

The company- a major player in the sportswear field where I have applied approximately 1,426,823 times before and never heard a single blip from. This time they replied mere hours after I hit that "submit" button on their Taleo site and scheduled the interview for the following day.

This turn of events is so strange and unnatural to me that I naturally came to the conclusion that some form of luck must be involved.

Luck has to be involved.  It just has to.  I have friends with fantastic jobs because their best friend worked at the company, or because they happened to intern at a company that was ready and willing to hire soon after the internship ended.  (One of the companies I interned with had a position come available, AND they were interested in hiring me... but... in the middle of the interview process it was announced that the company was moving out of state.)
Here's the rundown from a great article on The 8 Secrets of "Lucky" Job Seekers, and my analysis
1.  Truly believe you are a lucky person- I have not been thinking luck has been on my side, in fact quite the opposite.  But, as you know from my previous post, what I have been doing is working on believing in myself.  And I've taken steps to change my Debbie Downer mood:  I've been dressing the part, I've changed my weekly schedule for better organization (Friday is "blog day"), and I had lunch with my biggest networking supporter.  All of these things impacted my attitude in a positive way.
2.  The grass isn't greener on the other side- Oops.  I was doing this two paragraphs ago.  I enjoy supportive and loving family and friends, safe and comfortable shelter, and good health.  There are many people WITH good jobs who do not have these things.  And, as I know from experience, sometimes the circumstances of your job are detrimental to those good things.  Count your blessings.
3.  Don't be a Negative Nancy- It's true.  No one wants to be around a person shrouded in negativity, so why in the world would anyone want to hire someone who has a black cloud hanging over their head?  I'm no Negative Nancy.  I'm Kinetic Kristina!

4.  Embrace Spontaneity- This is one of my strengths, and the whole reason I applied for this job when I did.  I had gone to the unemployment WorkSource office that morning, because I had received a letter that my unemployment benefits had run out and I needed to apply for an extension.  When I explained why I was there, I was told, "We can't help you because we're not the unemployment office.  We're the WorkSource office.  Our job is to get you a job."  This prompted me to go on a little rant about how I was feeling unemployable- career change at the wrong time- no one will hire me for the old career because I clearly don't want to do that any more- no one will hire me for the new career because I don't have any experience- etc.  They were very kind in listening and letting me get it all out.  Then they directed me to telephones kiosks that are directly wired to the unemployment office. While I was on hold, I thought, "What the heck.  I'm right next to a computer kiosk.  I'll just lean over and do some job searching."  The rest is history.
5.  Be Prepared- Yeah, I still need to work on that elevator speech.  Why is that so hard?  But, as I have mentioned before, I do know how to be prepared for an interview!
6.  Strive to be a Connector- I know I've mentioned before that I'm a Myers-Briggs INFP personality type.  I can't think of another personality type least likely to be a "connector" according to this article.  Thankfully, they are only suggesting that lucky people strive to be connectors.  Every day I do just that- I strive!

7.  Always Think of the Glass as Half Full- I think this goes along with #2. 

Special note- while originally typing this blog entry about luck, rather ironically, my computer suddenly turned off and stopped working. How's that for luck?

8.   Keep Your Expectations in Check- The article ties this to patience and persistence.  "Lucky" people don't take all those setbacks and negative responses personally.  "It must not have been meant to be." and "Everything works out.  You didn't get this job because something better is waiting for you." are two sentiments I hear a lot.  However, as a longer-term job seeker (since May), it becomes harder and harder to see things this way when your opportunities seem to be fewer and farther between.  My expectations with this super job I'm interviewing for were low.  I've applied to approximately 1,426,823 of their job openings with no results.  I had no reason to believe that application number 1,426,824 would be any different.  Lesson learned- it may not seem like it but every job application has a chance of getting noticed.  With a little bit of "educated luck" (similar to an educated guess?) that one application could be your foot in the door to something fantastic.

And I have to add- what about expecting that your computer is going to keep working?  Huh?  I think my computer has been bad luck. 

Believing in Myself

Cul de Sac comic published 12/3/11.

I love this heart-warming reminder about the importance of believing in yourself.  This cartoon appeared in the paper at the perfect time for me.  Lately, the job hunt has had me feeling rather down.  Truth be told, I struggle with believing in myself enough as it is.  Add the demoralizing, inhumane process of looking for employment and the normal daily struggle becomes a seeming insurmountable task.  Oh, how I wish it was as easy as standing on top of a manhole cover and willing myself to believe in myself.  GRRRRRRRGHRRRRRRR! 

If you're a member of my facebook page (and please join if you haven't!), then you know I'm still waiting to here back about a job.  The waiting part is so frustrating and has led me to this current not-believing-in-myself rut.  Here's the recap of all the ups and downs:

• October 9 (two months ago!)- one of my former instructors, "Carol," asks me if I would be interested in a potential position at Company I.  One of her friends was doing some freelancing work with them and heard they might be looking for someone to come in and help with a big project.  Being the valuable networking friend she is, Carol instantly thought of my name when asked if she knew anyone who might be interested.  Yay!  I believe in myself!
• October 10- Carol sends my name and a brief recommendation to two employees at Company I who are directly involved in this big project, "Janice" and "Emma".
• October 11- Emma sends me an email.  Would I be interested in coming to their office on the 19th for a meeting?  YES!!!!  Just give me a time.  Super believing in myself!
• October 14- I'm panicking a little bit.  The believing in myself meter drops.I still don't have a time for my interview.  What do I do?  I decide to send an email to both Janice and Emma.  Emma emails me back right away- how about 4pm?  The meter is back up!
• October 18- While preparing for my interview, I realize that I had not confirmed my availability.  D'oh!  I quickly rectify that problem and attach my resume, but my believing in myself meter falls a little bit.
• October 19- Emma thanks me for confirming (meter goes up!) and mentions, "by the way, this is not an interview but an informal get-to-know-you chat."   What does that mean??!??  Is that a good or a bad thing?  The meter goes down a bit.  I think the informal-get-to-know-you chat goes well.  Emma remembers me from a previous interview for a different position at Company I, which seems to be a good thing.  But have I convinced them that I'm ready, willing, and excited about doing the kind of work that they need?  The meter wavers.
• October 20- I send a thank you email to both Janice and Emma.  And wait.  Every day of waiting causes the meter to dip a little bit further.
• November 15- Almost a month after my informal-get-to-know-you chat Jessie asks me if I would be interested in returning for a second "conversation", this time with the VP for the department, "Lydia."  I believe in myself again!  I immediately confirm my availability for the conversation.
• November 17- I meet with Lydia for about 20 minutes.  Short interviews, or conversations, always make me nervous.  On the plus side, she has a scientific degree as well, so she understands the technical-and-creative-at-the-same-time thing.  My meter wavers a bit as I relive the conversation in my head.  Lydia told me she could get the final approval very soon (as in the next day).  I send my thank-you email that night and get an auto-reply response.  Lydia is working remotely on Friday and will be out of the office the following week.
• November 18- No word.  The waiting begins.
• November 30- Still no word.  I send another email to Lydia to check on the status of the position.  And I receive another auto-reply response.  Augh!  She is working remotely for the week and may not be able to respond to emails quickly.  My hope falters with every passing day.  I feel that at this point every day of waiting lessens my chances by a little bit.  Meanwhile, due to a severe case of I-really-want-this-job-itis, I don't have any other opportunities in the pipeline.  I start to feel that this job is my last hope at employment.  I've been out of school long enough that my appeal to employers is falling rapidly.

Oh, if only it was as easy as Alice makes it seem!  At lease she was able to remind me that believing in yourself is really important.  Not only is it something I should work on improving, it is something I absolutely must work on.  Success is not possible without it.  So, without further ado, GRRRRRRRGHRRRRRRR!