I got another new job!

OK, think I'm back now. For reals.

Soooo I got another new job. But gee Lara, didn't you just start a new job 4 months ago? Why yes, yes I did. What happened?

Before we went on vacation my phone rang and it was a company I'd interviewed when I was interviewing with everyone back in June. I met with the bank (job I took) on Monday and this company was one of the three I had that same week on Wednesday. I thought I killed in the interview and I really liked them, they were actually my number one choice. The Director of Sales said I would be perfect to manage the Sales Associates. I said that would be fantastic. Annnnnd nothing. I sent my think you e-mail and even called when I got the bank offer. Silence. Crap. Until my phone rang four months later.

I was sitting at work and when it rang, announced, "SERIOUSLY?". I listened to the message from the recruiter and decided to give them a call back, ONLY to give them a piece of my mind. No call for four months and I'd taken another position, I was ready to do some scolding.

The recruiter and I played phone tag for a few days and while I was in Atlantic City the Sales Director started blowing up my phone, We played tag all day Friday because casinos don't want you to have cell reception, and I told him I would call on Monday after I got back.

Monday we finally made contact and he said that he wanted to offer me the position of managing the Sales Associates. When we met in June the position wasn't open, but it was now. They didn't post it online, didn't interview anyone else, they wanted me. Then I asked about the compensation and the tide changed. Let's just say things became very intriguing. I told them to make me an offer and I'd seriously consider it.

Last week on Wednesday they called and made me an offer I couldn't refuse. Before signing I did want to come in and meet with them again to make sure I remembered everything correctly and they weren't crazy. Thursday I met with the Sales Director, had lunch with several members of the team and laughed harder than I have in a long time.

They kept asking what they could give me to make me come aboard. They have free snacks and whatever snack I wanted they would have for me. (I asked for Skittles). They told me about the cool bags they had and I could get a hoodie too. We talked about movie drinking games and how Patrick Stewart bared his chest far more often than necessary in Star Trek Next Generation. (Really, it's a lot)

At the end of the day I knew what I had to do, I was going to leave my job of 4 months, leave my team and get a new one.

I was so nervous all weekend because I felt terrible about telling the bank. I knew my team really liked me, I had a few new hires and felt bad about leaving them so soon. I actually called out on Friday and went to the Junior League Shopping Spree because I knew I would just sit there and look at them and feel bad.

I met with my boss first thing Monday morning and surprisingly the conversation went really well, my boss understood and wished me all the best,

We told my boss' boss and he said that even though I'd given 2 weeks notice, I could leave at the end of the day. I packed my boxes, said goodbye and left. I knew that was a possibility and maybe new company will let me start on the 10th. If not, I get 2 weeks of vacation while I wait to start.

I don't believe that everything happens for a reason. I believe that life is a series of choices and there are crucial decisions that you make which shape the course of your life. If I had stayed at Sweet Briar College instead of transferring to Pitt I would have never became a KD. If I had stayed in Pittsburgh instead of moving to Martinsburg to manage a jewelry store I wouldn't have met Kevin. And if I had just ignored that call I wouldn't have known about this amazing opportunity.

I guess you just never know how things are going to work out.

Would you ever quit a job after four months?

Linking Up!

Job Search 101

Today is the start of week 4 at my new job. I honestly can't even put into words how happy I am that I made the switch. For the last 4 years I've been a sales trainer. New hire training, on boarding all that fun stuff. It was a great experience, I learned a lot, but it wasn't me. I was out of my element and just unhappy. Prior to my time in training, I'd always been in management and honestly, that's my esweet spot. You see, I'm a terrible soldier. I need to lead the troops, lead the department, be in charge and responsible for the the direction of the group. When I realized that just wasn't going to happen at my last job, I knew it was time to go.
Side note: My new boss lets me do whatever I want, change all the policies, re-organize the process flow, re-structure everything as I please You name it, I can do it. I LOVE IT SO MUCH.

So, you might think, whoopie do, who cares. You wanted a new job, found one and there you are.

This last job search was really successful. Far more successful than any ones I've done in the past. At the beginning of May I started sending out resumes with a loose goal of being in a new position by July. Almost immediately I started receiving calls. All in all, I sent about 25 resumes, I had interviews (phone and in person) with 7 different companies, received 2 offers and withdrew my interest on 2 (at least one of the 2, I'm fairly confident I would have received an offer.) Here's the kicker, I was technically changing positions. I was only applying for Sales Manager jobs and I hadn't managed people in 5 years. By all accounts, I should have struggled to find something.

By no means am I an expert in the job search but there were a few things that I think made all the difference this time around.

1. Resume - Do whatever you need to do to create a good resume. Show it to your friends, family, church people, whoever you know who has ever seen a resume before, and ask for feedback. Some of those services that charge you to do your resume are pretty good and the rest are scams. Do your research before forking over your money.
  - Don't regurgitate your job description in your resume. I'm interested in your personal accomplishments, not that you're "skilled in MS Word"
 - Don't go crazy with your resume. Keep it simple. Keep the formatting simple, don't use crazy fonts. One of the big things I did this time was to use my standard resume, even though my management experience didn't show up until page 2. I'd used functional resumes in the past and didn't have any luck.

2. LinkedIn - If you don't have a LinkedIn profile, make one. Make one and connect with everyone you've ever worked with. LinkedIn generally has additional job postings that you won't find on Indeed or Career Builder. In addition, LinkedIn often runs specials on their Premium Service. It's $39 a month and you can usually get a code for a free month.

When you sign up for the Premium service, use an old Visa gift card for the credit card number. I have a few Visa gift cards that have $1.37 left on them. I never remember to use them at the store but they're perfect for when you need to enter a credit card for a trial membership. You get your membership and when they try to charge it, nothing happens. That way you aren't surprised by the bill. (This is why I now have a subscription to Amazon Prime.)

The Premium Service will bump your profile to the top of lists of recruiters searching for candidates, tells you how many people have applied and gives you a salary range (super helpful!)

3. Monster and Career Builder are better for entry level positions. Avoid them if you have 5 or more years of experience. Whenever I update my resume on either of those sites, I immediately get inundated with e-mails from insurance agencies and call centers. I've actually scolded recruiters who've called me to be a call center representative. I've trained and managed in call centers, I'm not interested in being on the phones. Sometimes I ask if they've actually read my resume.

4. Network - If you're unemployed or about to be unemployed, tell EVERYONE YOU KNOW. There's no shame in not having a job, but if you don't tell people, they won't be able to help. There are a ton of jobs that never get posted. Your friends can help you find those opportunities and a lot of companies have referral forms for current employees to refer you. You have a better chance of getting to the hiring manager if you have an advocate in the company.

Go to networking events. They're fun, there's usually wine. You meet oodles of people and it's generally a good time. If you're not an extrovert, these can be really difficult but they can also be a lot of fun.

5. Apply for jobs outside your comfort zone - You NEVER know what traits a hiring manager is looking for. I applied for what seemed like 100s of Sales Manager jobs a year ago and got 0 replies. This time the companies who were interested in me were looking for a sales manager with a strong training background. The worst that can happen is that they say no.

6. Be Honest - When you get a call from the recruiter, or a face to face interview, be honest. I really think being completely candid gave me an advantage this time around. When they asked why I was looking to leave training my response was: "Being a trainer for the last 4 years has been a great experience but I want my own team again. I'm tired of training people to have them go off and make money for other people." I told that to the CEO of a company and he said, "Good, if you had any other answer, this interview would have been over."

7. Follow-up - Do your due diligence. Thank the manager you met with, thank the recruiter, all of these people will give you their card. Thank them for their time and don't forget to let them know why you are the best person for the job. If you can, send a hand written thank you note. Since writing notes has fallen out of favor, it really helps you to stand out from the crowd of other applicants.

 

Most importantly, DON'T GIVE UP! There are jobs out there to be had, you just have to keep looking! Even if you need to take a week or 2 off, don't stop, there will be something out there that's a perfect fit for you!

If you're looking for a job or to change positions, hopefully some of these tips are helpful! Happy searching!

BTW -  I was thinking of offering some resume revision services. If anyone is interested, e-mail me at larabadanes at gmail dot com.

Linking up!

 

 

When was the last time you searched for a new job?

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