I am going to open this blog with a note that I really, truly, honestly am seeking any and all advice and opinions from anyone who reads this particular blog entry. Whether you read it on blogger.com or after it posts to my Facebook page, I just need everyone to read it and offer me their own takes on the subject matter.
And that subject matter is: How to best adjust after losing a job and what the best approach is to kicking one's job search into high gear. Today marks one full month since I was laid off by my former employer. Since then, I have focused on updating my resume, investing in some interview-appropriate attire (I did not feel my work standard of the past five years - consisting of short-sleeved, button-up Dickies workshirts, jeans, and Adidas - would suffice.....), haircut, shave, and spending literally hours in front of my home computer sending out resumes and cover letters and registering on job search sites. Additionally, I have had several friends and former colleagues offer to send my resume out to some of their own contacts, which has been very nice. That is my present. What I am curious about is attending something that was offered as part of my exit package - a career coaching workshop put on by a company called Lee Hecht Harrison. These seminars are geared toward career assessment and consulting, giving one access to a job search team, and four months worth of access to their career resource network and its member sites. They do not find you a job, but seem to try and help one fine tune their job search and provide advice and resources to help one focus. As I write this, it sounds pretty damn good and I may just move forward to check it out; I know at least two or three former colleagues who are currently taking advantage of it and seem to be getting something out of it. I was driven to ask the question of its effectiveness after seeing a brief story on the local news about a seminar put together in S.F. to bring those who have been laid off together and - it would appear from what I saw - commiserate and perhaps network or even refine their interviewing skills, etc. My attitude about this story was, "Well, how can they network when they are all out of work?" But I guess it goes with the theory that perhaps they know someone who knows someone, etc., etc., who might be able to help YOU out even if they can't help THEM out. Right? Still not sure. What really sort of irked me was when the reporter was speaking to one particular attendee and the attendee said, "What you DON'T want to do after getting laid off is to sit at home, sending out hundreds of resumes....that's just the WRONG thing to do!" Um.....excuse me? Exactly what is the RIGHT thing to do then? I think it is understood that one's resume is not necessarily going to get one the job; it sort of brings you to a company's attention to perhaps get your foot in the door for an interview, but I really do not think it is effective working going out and about as a walk-in to company's, leaving your resume at the front desk, maybe getting to only four or five company's in a day when you can directly email it to any number of company's HR departments or fax it to them and maybe get through over a dozen per day (as I have been doing).
So.....what IS the best way to go about a job search in this day and age and in this particularly nasty economic climate? Has anyone else used a career counselor such as LHH? What are your impressions? Any advice anyone can give? At this stage, I am truly open to any and all comments and advice anyone out there can provide. And maybe in so doing, we can help each other as well as any number of others to really drive their own searches. Let me know.....
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