Career Path

After almost 4 months of looking for a job I have been offered a job as a buyer's agent with a  local Realtor.  It's is a new career path that I've decided to take.  I'm a little nervous about this adventure but I feel that it really is the right move for me.

After about a month of hints from Scott that I would make a great Realtor I had a job interview with a real estate agent for a market assistant.  I didn't get that job, I didn't think I really would have but hadn't had an interview in a while and needed the interview experience.  The day after the interview I received a call back from the Realtor and she stated that she kept thinking about me for a position as a buyer's agent.

A buyer's agent will take clients who are looking to purchase homes out and handles the contracts and negotiations for the buyers.  I will have to get my real estate license and take classes but I will have continuous education through the company.  I'm very excited to get started in my new career.  I truly feel that this will be a great career and a long career for me.

Unemployment Update...

I haven't done much on updating my unemployment status and so now is as good as ever.  At the beginning I did have a few interviews, one as an admin for an advertising firm and I did make it to the third interview for an inside sales position.  However, since then interviews or even call backs have been scarce.  I have sat at the computer for long hours of the day try to find jobs that I am qualified for and that I would succeed at but again, those are hard to come by.  So, I apply for at least 4-6 real jobs that I am really qualified for a week and a bunch of others that seem to be dream jobs and hope that someone will call me back.

On a positive note, I have taken this time to really enjoy summer vacation.  I haven't had a true summer vacation since I was 16 and only had one job that was about 25 hours per week.  I have been truly burnt out on corporate BS that I just don't want to deal with office drama any more.  It has mentally taken a huge toll on my life and I'm just not ready for that.

On a side note, after talking with Scott about the job front he suggested that I  look into a career in Real Estate.  Since I seem to have an eye for what needs to be done to sell a house, I might be able to use my sales experience and be out of an office with that career path.  It's an option that I'm willing to take a look at.  Who knows, it might be something I really like...But getting started might be difficult.

Now that I have a few options in mind as to what I can do for the future I may see if any of my resumes are received and if I get any call backs in the next month.  If not, I'm going to start seeing how much it takes to get licensed and get moving on a new career.

I do keep in touch with old co-workers, ones who have moved on and ones who are still at my past place of employment.  How my old employers are still able to make payroll amazes me!  I love hearing gossip of not being able to pay for stamps, or people being asked to leave or even the possibility of clients being on the edge of leaving and my old boss begging them to stay.  Of course the clients that do stay, the company does the work for free.  And then there are the two idiots that I worked with who think they are the smartest people there and constantly do nothing and get paid huge bonuses.  I like to think that my being laid off from this company was the best thing that has ever happened.  I have been able to get three of the worst people out of my life, reduced stress and enjoyed a much needed vacation.  Now I can sit back and wait for the sinking ship to go down....

Week 3

It's been a couple weeks since I've been laid off and honestly I'm still enjoying my mini vacation.  I obviously really needed a break.  I'm sure it will hit me soon that I am short on funds but right now I'm ok with staying home during the day and not going out much.  I have picked up the pace on sending out resumes and trying to make contacts.

Today I was lucky to make a contact courtesy of my dad.  He has a college friend that has business contacts in St. Louis and he is going to pass my resume along to them.  It is still a waiting game to see if I am qualified for any open positions with their company's.  I, also, applied for a few government jobs and a marketing job that I found.  Maybe this week I get a call back.

Starting a new business

For some people who are laid off the thought of running your own business might cross their mind.  You think you can run a business better than you last boss.  You wouldn't have let the company get to a point where it has to let employees go.  Or have you ever just always wanted to be your own boss but not sure where to start?  I'm currently stuck on the latter.

I feel that there are a bunch of ideas out there that I want to do.  I would be a great boss but where do I start?  Do I go the consulting route?  Public Relations?  Event Planning?  Trade Shows?  So many ideas but so little of understanding where to start.

Suggestions?

New Week, New Outlook

As the week begins I have found a couple new tools to help me in my job search.  I have never hid the fact that I'm not the biggest fan of Twitter.  However, I do acknowledge the benefits that it holds for someone in my situation.  So a few months ago I decided that I should rejoin the Twitter world and see what I was missing.

Although I haven't tweeted much, I have taken advantage of those that post jobs on there.  And this past weekend Scott showed me the wonders of TweetDeck and how that can help me.  I now have a fancy setup that allows me to get up to the minute posts from anyone who mentions St. Louis Jobs.  It's been great when I'm screening who I want to apply with.

I, also, completely redid my resume.  I thought it needed to be more eye catching and so I changed the format so that hopefully it is.

Besides those two changes Monday wasn't as productive as I had hoped.  My great aunt, Zia Julie was admitted into the hospital over the weekend and I spent most of the afternoon with her waiting for her to be released.  It's amazing, they tell you that you are being released and then 3 hours later they finally bring in the paperwork.  All in all she is much better and was able to walk out on her own.  Not bad for an 85 year old!

It was also Mathew's 4th Birthday!  I hung out at the Birch house last night to celebrate with him.  Mathew cleaned out the Cardinals aisle at Target.  He got Cardinals jersey, bat, ball, wrist bands and Toy Story 2.  We played a little baseball before dinner and then worked on some puzzles.

Day 4 and 5

Yesterday I completely slacked off from doing anything productive for myself on the job front. Instead I uploaded my brother's LinkedIn profile and helped him officially get started and hopefully on the right foot.  He should be able to start looking for jobs in the DFW area now.

I did search a little more on LinkedIn for a recruiter for myself.  For some reason finding a recruiter to help in my job hunt is proving harder than I would have imagined.  I did a little searching on Craigslist, I'm very iffy of the quality of jobs that are on there but it doesn't hurt to check them out.

Today I reviewed my weekly e-mail from CareerBuilder and Monster.  I'm not sure I trust the jobs on there.  Hence my last, oh so awesome, job came from Monster so I am very cautious of what I choose.

Monday ends my week off and it's back to being my own recruiter.

Here's to the weekend!

Day 3, Decisions

I've receive a few job suggestions from friends and have tried to alter my resume and cover letter to adjust to each job listing that I have found.  Still no calls from the 7 that I applied for on Monday.

I'm also realizing that I have not really had a vacation in over almost 2 years.  My last vacation was when I went to Costa Rica in 2007.  I did have a month off before my move to St. Louis from San Antonio but I was working remotely in San Antonio for the new job.  I need a metal break to regroup and figure out new job or new career or start a business.  So many decisions.

Day 2

Today is my second day of unemployment.  I'm taking today as a day to decompress from 10 months of hating a job that pretty much just paid the bills and rarely taking a vacation.  Although I have applied for some jobs I really feel that I truly need a break from all things work related.

My goal is to look for work in the morning, take a break in the middle of the day and then back to looking again.

Next week, I will create some business cards and print out my resumes and hit the pavement.

Goal:  New recruiter!

Ch-Ch-Ch- Changes

Life has been very good for me with the exception of work.  Work was just a place that I went to but dreaded the 8 hours that I was there.  Our group had slowly been going down hill.  Since December we started losing clients at a rapid pace.  Once clients started to leave our staff was informed that our jobs were no longer safe.  Although our boss stated that no one's job was safe there was a select few that knew who that really applied to.

In our office, our boss has her favorites.  She has her golden boy, the one who barely works but can do no wrong in her eyes.  The office gossip, the one who spies on everyone in the group and reports back to the boss. And then there is the clueless few who just do their job without questioning.  But it was the 3 that questioned the motives of why or actually had a suggestion that went against the grain were the ones who were not safe.

So in early February the first was let go.  We found out that our group lost $12,000 in monthly revenue from January.  The funny thing about the person who was let go, she didn't lose a single client.  Golden boy and office gossip lost clients.  My boss stated that this employee didn't know what she was doing, in fact Golden boy never properly trained her when she was hired.  Then two weeks later we lost our biggest client said they were giving their 30 day notice and so was another company.  There went at least another $12,000.

Still everyone is on edge because we never knew who was next.  I was struggling to get an appointment for our newest client.  I was focusing my attention all on this client but it wasn't enough.  My boss removed me from this client and said that I was confused and didn't know what I was doing.  Even though that was false, I was unable to get contacts on the phone and unable to have conversations with the prospects.  Just another way my boss would lie to clients.

So I my clients were dwindling down.  My law firm was ending at the end of the month, they were easy and didn't have to make calls for them.  Another client wasn't even paying us and I was told to not worry about them.  So I was down to 2 clients.  In my last weeks there I was told to clean my calendar up and get caught up on my calls, for what I wasn't sure.  I was also helping with research, looking up e-mail addresses to help with another side of the company.

Everything seemed to be working well.  I even scheduled 2 appointments last week, of course with no response from my boss.  I had gotten used to rarely receiving praise from my boss, unlike the screaming of joy that I often heard with Golden boy or Office gossip got an appointment.  So to my surprise when I pulled into the parking lot on the morning of Monday, March 22 I saw my boss's car I knew something was going on.  She is rarely in the office before 8am.  I went to my desk and started up my computer.  I had just tried to open my e-mail and noticed my my password didn't work when my boss told me that we needed to talk.

She stated that due to the loss of clients they couldn't afford to keep me with the company.  She asked if I knew this was coming.  I did say that I had an idea something was going to happen.  I didn't go into detail with her but she had threaten me that I needed to get appointments, which I did, and I needed to clean up my calendar, which I did.

I learned that my now ex-boss has informed my co-workers that I was let go do to the economy and inconsistency (I had more appointments than Golden Boy since I started).  Also, I must have known that I was going to be let go since I updated my LinkedIn profile.  I'm still wondering why my boss needed to 1. tell my co-workers about LinkedIn or 2. stalk me on LinkedIn or 3. why what I do on LinkedIn matters.  I love how my ex-boss creates lies about me to make herself look better.

I have learned that my ex-boss is a horrible person and does not know how to manage a team.  She cannot motivate a team.  She is great at putting people down and lying about people or clients in order to better herself.  It is the business world and there are shady people out there but the shady people try to hide their shadiness from others.  They do not out right lie to subordinates about their team members, nor do they have people spy on team members.

As annoyed that I am with my ex-boss I am so happy to be no longer working at my last job.  I am officially happy for 8 hours a day again.  Less stressed and edgy about what will happen next.

Now my step to find what I really want to do started as soon as I was let go.  I officially have the time to really search for my dream job.  I'm actually excited to take this time to ask the questions.

My goal is to document my unemployment process.

Day 1.

Filed for unemployment and applied for 7 jobs while talking with ex-coworkers to discuss office morale.