Phone Interview II

The second phone interview was with the VP of Legal. I spent the morning preparing and believe the VP and I had a good rapport. My software licensing and SaaS experience would suit me well for the position but unfortunately, I lack experience with outsourcing and managed services. I don’t anticipate making it further in the process, but heck it was good practice. I’ll still continue to read up on and learning more about IT. Why not since I have the time?

Today I got my lawyer insurance application form, W9 and independent contractor agreement from my friend and will start working for her shortly. It’ll only be 5-20 hours a week, but heck it’s something to keep me going during the search. In any event, I can’t wait to start reviewing contracts again. It looks like I’ll be working remotely, so my home will be the new office.

March 20, 2017 was free small cone day at Dairy Queen. I walked to the Dairy Queen on Main Street, and to my dismay, it had folded! But a quick internet search revealed that there was one only a 10-minute drive away. Mimi and Boo were happy to get the free cones. I hope you took advantage of the free ice cream today.

Days Fifteen, Sixteen and Seventeen Lesson:

1. Keep on Learning since You Have the Time Now

Total Contacts Reached Out To: 39

Total Applications: 38

Time to Relax!!!

It’s officially two weeks from the dismissal date. Not much happened today other than working on networking and resumes.

I have interview number two with the software-as-a-service company on Monday so I spent the rest of the day preparing for the interview by studying contracts and listening to seminars. I highly doubt I’ll get past the next interview but I’m getting pretty darned knowledgeable about IT contracts and data-privacy laws. This will help me down the road.

I also did a postmortem on the last job to evaluate my flaws. I learned a lot during the process and highly recommend it. Since you have the time now, you should try this. First, divide a page of paper into two columns. On the left side, jot down all of the mistakes you made on your last job. Come on, everybody makes mistakes… On the right side, jot down how you would correct those mistakes. This exercise should help you view yourself from an outside point of view.  Review this evaluation everyday so you can correct your flaws in time for your new job.

Relax and have a good weekend!

Day Fourteen Lesson:

1. You can Improve Yourself By Doing a “Postmortem” Evaluation of the Mistakes You Made on Your Last Job

Total Contacts Reached Out To: 38

Total Applications: 37

How to Broach the Subject of Recent Unemployment to Kids

We still haven’t told Mimi and Boo about my recent unemployment, which is going on to week two soon. Mimi has caught on I think. She senses that it is strange that Papa is walking with her to school every morning now and spends his day “working” at the public library. However, it is true that I am working at the library since the job search is a full-time job. Further, we aren’t eating out two or three meals during the weekend any longer and trips to Target complete with mystery bag toys are gone. It’s only been about two weeks though… At some point they are going to find out.

Mimi, at the tender age of 10, gets really upset about things and I can imagine her being really scared about my unemployment. Worse yet, I can imagine her fear transcending to seven-year old Boo (especially because Mimi is a bit of a drama queen and overreacts to things). In that sense, the scenario would probably involve Mimi telling Boo that Papa has lost his job, we will be kicked out of our apartment tomorrow and we will die of starvation outside in the freezing cold next week. Natsu and I will consult and discuss a good time and manner to let the kids know the news.

This morning I told one of Boo’s classmate’s father about my situation when he asked me about my job. It felt weird coming out of my mouth, like someone else answered the question. The whole reality of being suddenly unemployed still seems like somewhat of a bad dream- one that I’ll awake from soon once I get a new job.  The father sympathized with me and described when he went through the same type of unemployment a few years ago. The more people I talk to, the more common I realize downsizing is.

Finally, I got the fastest job rejection I’ve ever received. I applied for a company attorney position around 11:26am today and… got the rejection at 11:36am! At least I got closure. Of the 37 applications below, so far I’ve gotten 3 rejections and 1 interview so far.

Day Thirteen Lessons:

1. Being Let Go is Far More Common than You Think

2. A Rejection Received for a Job at Least Provides Closure

Total Contacts Reached Out To: 37

Total Applications: 35