Busy Being Idle - What do you do to relax?

Yesterday started strangely. I found myself logging on to Monster.com before coffee. Silly me.

After searching the job postings for nearly two months, I began to feel as if I had gotten involved in a Cheech and Chong parody:

ESSAY: What I Did On Summer Vacation:

• The first day I went downtown to look for a job, then I hung out in front of the drugstore.
• The second day I went downtown to look for a job, then I hung out in front of the drugstore.
• The third day I went downtown to look for a job, then I found a job. Keeping people from hanging out in front of the drugstore

Not all routines provide comfort.

Now that my preoccupation with finding a job is over, I have a couple of days remaining before my first day at the new office. Before all of this, I was a fairly busy guy during my free time -- always tinkering with one project or another. I should just kick back and relax, but I probably won’t. Since I had put most of my projects on hold during my search, I’m trying to pick up where I left off.

Projects I’m working on include:

• writing a training manual on mastering the use of Excel formulas. I intend to submit the course to the local community college. Perhaps I’ll end up teaching this course to adult students in the evenings or on weekends. Who knows? I’ve linked a sample section here, in case you’re interested in that sort of thing.
• working on certificate courses to brush up on my business skills. While there are numerous sites that offer free on-line training or seminars, I’ve found those offered by Accountemps and Robert Half to be pretty good. Once you are registered with either of these placement agencies (this usually requires an interview at the local office and the taking of assessment tests) you are granted access to over 300 courses with which you can earn CPE credits. Not a bad deal.
• working on my household budget, which is currently in shambles. The good news is that I can see things getting better in the not too distant future.
• renewing neglected contacts with friends and family.

Lastly, I’ll probably try to write in this blog more consistently because I’m finding it to be a fun activity.

"Hey, pal, your excuses are your own!"

Ricky Roma’s admonition from the movie, Glengarry Glen Ross, rang loudly in the back of my mind. The situation was beginning to get out of hand.

I had resigned my position prior to beginning a serious job search. The motives underlying my decision will be left for another day. The salient point here is that the normal procedure for career advancement (get a job, then quit) was disregarded.

“I’ll temp for a while until I land something permanent,” was the thought process, although the use of the word “thought” here is debatable.

Good intentioned people wished me luck. Others questioned my sanity. Who could blame them?

"Hey, pal, your excuses are your own!"

The job search became an all-consuming enterprise. From the relative isolation of my home office, with 24/7 access to job information, day and night became indistinguishable. There was no schedule, as in the framed hours of the workday, to guide my efforts. If I was awake, I was looking for a job. Social contacts were minimal, at best, as I hunkered down to the task at hand.

With each delay, setback, or missed opportunity, I found myself imagining the worst. Have I miscalculated my abilities by that much? Was what I left behind as good as it was ever going to get? Surely, this just couldn’t be true. Could it?

I had heard all of the excuses: underqualified, overqualified, why did you quit? Yada, yada, yada …

I began to suffer from “Three Bears” syndrome. Would I ever find the job that was just right?

I need help, but I am hesitant to ask. Nothing seems normal anymore as the strain of uncertainty begins to take its’ toll. Simple things develop unanticipated complexities. The future seems scarier than usual. I remain steadfast, head held high, as I peer into the abyss. My predicament is viewed as self-imposed. After all, I did quit. I must be insane!

"Hey, pal, your excuses are your own!"

There’s that voice again. What have I done?

Then it happens.

I’m asked to participate in a preliminary phone interview. That conversation results in an invitation to meet. I feel that the interviews at the office go well, but I’m afraid to get too excited. I’ve been down this road before.

References are checked, additional questions are asked, and time marches on. I try not to wait by the phone, but I do. I check for new Email incessantly.

Finally, the much anticipated offer letter arrives.

Thank you, Lord!

Job Search Do's and Don'ts

• Don’t do as I did -- leave first, search later -- as doing so will only introduce angst into the job search process.
• Do always believe in yourself.
• Do remember Ricky Roma’s admonition. "Hey, pal, your excuses are your own!"