January 28, 2017 at 9:00 pm
Great editorial.
I was unemployed for 6 months prior to the gig I am in now. I was working in the video game industry where I focused mainly on digital marketing. When I got laid off from the high-risk move I made to a smaller start-up of other rockstars, I made another high-risk move to move out of the video game industry all together. I had just bought a house and had my first kid around this time. It was very scary trying to find work while having a mortgage and a newborn at your feet while trying to do phone screens for entirely new industries.
I'm a bit different than most of you. I wasn't technology/IT looking for other technology/IT work. I was digital marketing who had worked in software development (video games) for 7 years looking for a new beginning. I spent most of my time crafting my resume, writing custom cover letters, and updating my blog/social sites. I got lucky enough after that 6 months (right at the cutoff of my state unemployment benefits) and found a gig with a digital marketing agency. They needed smart digital marketing people who were tech savvy to fix a data problem.
Fast forward almost 4 years now, I fix the problems, contributed to the productization that led to the sale of the company to one of the nations largest agencies, and now working as a data architect. To me, it's all about finding a good opportunity and capitalizing on it with the resources available. I can't stress enough on the good mentors (other seniors), good educational resources (this site was one of them) as well many more mentioned in the editorial and thread are critical, but don't forget your communications with your resume, social media networks, and blogs if you got em'.
January 29, 2017 at 8:14 am
Andy Warren - Saturday, January 28, 2017 2:15 PMA powerful story Rod. I'm glad you found your way through that period of change. It's an ongoing challenge for all of us to stay current and even to figure out "current" should be.
Thank you, Andy.
Kindest Regards, Rod Connect with me on LinkedIn.
January 29, 2017 at 12:11 pm
Eric M Russell - Friday, January 27, 2017 1:57 PMMy periods of unemployment have been brief and far between, but what it has taught me is the following:- If you're not interviewing, eating, or sleeping, then you should be studying.
- When needed, I can technically live off of significantly less money than what I regularly earn.
- Employers interpret nervousness, desperation, and dishonesty as inexperience. When asked a question, simply answer to the best of your knowledge and without hesitation. Even if your answer is incomplete or technically wrong, you will still score points on the basis of confidence.
- Recruiters work for whomever is paying their commission. Respect what they do; but just keep that in mind.
- Use an Excel sheet or something to keep track of your prospects, status of leads, and notes. After every interview or phone call, ask yourself what you learned.
- Don't get discouraged by a lack of leads, and don't allow yourself to be lulled into a false sense of security because you happen to have what looks like a good lead. Wake up every morning and keep at it until the first day of your new job.
- Don't be afraid to take on a new job that's outside your comfort zone. If your new job is identical to your last job, then you'll end up stuck in the same rut.
Honesty. Don't forget interviewers appreciate honesty.
Gaz
-- Stop your grinnin' and drop your linen...they're everywhere!!!
January 30, 2017 at 3:42 pm
Eric M Russell - Friday, January 27, 2017 1:57 PMMy periods of unemployment have been brief and far between, but what it has taught me is the following:- If you're not interviewing, eating, or sleeping, then you should be studying.
I have to disagree with this. You need to treat your job search as your job, not as your life. Even in your job search, you need to maintain a work/life balance.
Drew
J. Drew Allen
Business Intelligence Analyst
Philadelphia, PA
January 31, 2017 at 7:55 am
drew.allen - Monday, January 30, 2017 3:42 PMEric M Russell - Friday, January 27, 2017 1:57 PMMy periods of unemployment have been brief and far between, but what it has taught me is the following:- If you're not interviewing, eating, or sleeping, then you should be studying.
I have to disagree with this. You need to treat your job search as your job, not as your life. Even in your job search, you need to maintain a work/life balance.
Drew
Yes, by all means spend time with the family, exercise, escape for a couple of hours into a good movie, or whatever else makes you happy. My point was simply that the job search itself should be approached as an actual job. You should have a solid game plan, climb out of bed by 7:00AM, and put in a full 10 hours with same urgency as if you're were under a major deadline at work. That is, if you want to be sitting in a new job within 6 weeks, as opposed to 6 months later. For most people, 6 months of unemployment would be a financial disaster.
"Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Instead, seek what they sought." - Matsuo Basho
February 1, 2017 at 6:52 am
Eric M Russell - Tuesday, January 31, 2017 7:55 AMdrew.allen - Monday, January 30, 2017 3:42 PMEric M Russell - Friday, January 27, 2017 1:57 PMMy periods of unemployment have been brief and far between, but what it has taught me is the following:- If you're not interviewing, eating, or sleeping, then you should be studying.
I have to disagree with this. You need to treat your job search as your job, not as your life. Even in your job search, you need to maintain a work/life balance.
Drew
Yes, by all means spend time with the family, exercise, escape for a couple of hours into a good movie, or whatever else makes you happy. My point was simply that the job search itself should be approached as an actual job. You should have a solid game plan, climb out of bed by 7:00AM, and put in a full 10 hours with same urgency as if you're were under a major deadline at work. That is, if you want to be sitting in a new job within 6 weeks, as opposed to 6 months later. For most people, 6 months of unemployment would be a financial disaster.
I was out of work for well over a year (think it was age thing) and found that after a few months you cannot treat job hunting as a full time job without going mad or getting depressed. In addition to job hunting I started a web skills course (with the provider disappearing half way through). and doing voluntary IT work for a charity. I know a number of people over 50 who have had similar experiences both in IT and other industries). The UK is incredibly ageist and this includes companies in the Times Top 100 Companies to work for!
February 1, 2017 at 7:40 am
mjh 45389 - Wednesday, February 1, 2017 6:52 AMEric M Russell - Tuesday, January 31, 2017 7:55 AMdrew.allen - Monday, January 30, 2017 3:42 PMEric M Russell - Friday, January 27, 2017 1:57 PMMy periods of unemployment have been brief and far between, but what it has taught me is the following:- If you're not interviewing, eating, or sleeping, then you should be studying.
I have to disagree with this. You need to treat your job search as your job, not as your life. Even in your job search, you need to maintain a work/life balance.
Drew
Yes, by all means spend time with the family, exercise, escape for a couple of hours into a good movie, or whatever else makes you happy. My point was simply that the job search itself should be approached as an actual job. You should have a solid game plan, climb out of bed by 7:00AM, and put in a full 10 hours with same urgency as if you're were under a major deadline at work. That is, if you want to be sitting in a new job within 6 weeks, as opposed to 6 months later. For most people, 6 months of unemployment would be a financial disaster.
I was out of work for well over a year (think it was age thing) and found that after a few months you cannot treat job hunting as a full time job without going mad or getting depressed. In addition to job hunting I started a web skills course (with the provider disappearing half way through). and doing voluntary IT work for a charity. I know a number of people over 50 who have had similar experiences both in IT and other industries). The UK is incredibly ageist and this includes companies in the Times Top 100 Companies to work for!
Here in the US, pensions and other entitlements provided by the employer post-retirement are practically extinct, especially in the IT industry. Only government and unionized workplaces still have them. I'd say that the IT industry in general, and this probably applies to Europe as well, is more favorable to senior citizens, because it's all about what you know, not how much weight you can lift or how fast you can move. Most IT professionals could work remotely from bed we had to.
"Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Instead, seek what they sought." - Matsuo Basho
May 6, 2017 at 11:27 am
Gary Varga - Tuesday, January 24, 2017 2:57 AMben.taylor.devops - Tuesday, January 24, 2017 1:53 AMStefan LG - Monday, January 23, 2017 9:44 PMRod, thanks for the useful tips!
The challenge is to find the time (while employed) to stay up to date with new technologies and trends.
Also, employers will provide and/or pay for training that will benefit the current business model, not employees' careers.
I am funding most of my 'career' training out of my own pocket, which can be a problem if you are unemployed or do not have enough money...I've had employers in the past who have offered training, my biggest problem was always finding time as there was always something "more important" to do rather than spend a day, or even a few hours, doing training. I've ended up doing the vast majority of mine at evenings and weekends, either free courses (MongoDB was a particularly good one) or working through a collection of online tutorials and ebooks.
I'd be interested to know how common this is, do other people struggle to find time for training during work hours?
This is so common. Across the board. Across sectors. Permanent or contract. Public or private sector. New to the profession or world renowned. Not everywhere. But most.
I guess I've just been lucky. For two thirds of my working life I was working for companies who insisted on training and educating employees and made sure that people got whatever time was needed for it; most of the other third I either was free to use whatever time I needed at work for learning and/or got to go to the odd course or seminar or meeting with people I could learn from now and again.
Tom
May 6, 2017 at 3:00 pm
TomThomson - Saturday, May 6, 2017 11:26 AMGary Varga - Tuesday, January 24, 2017 2:57 AMben.taylor.devops - Tuesday, January 24, 2017 1:53 AMStefan LG - Monday, January 23, 2017 9:44 PMRod, thanks for the useful tips!
The challenge is to find the time (while employed) to stay up to date with new technologies and trends.
Also, employers will provide and/or pay for training that will benefit the current business model, not employees' careers.
I am funding most of my 'career' training out of my own pocket, which can be a problem if you are unemployed or do not have enough money...I've had employers in the past who have offered training, my biggest problem was always finding time as there was always something "more important" to do rather than spend a day, or even a few hours, doing training. I've ended up doing the vast majority of mine at evenings and weekends, either free courses (MongoDB was a particularly good one) or working through a collection of online tutorials and ebooks.
I'd be interested to know how common this is, do other people struggle to find time for training during work hours?
This is so common. Across the board. Across sectors. Permanent or contract. Public or private sector. New to the profession or world renowned. Not everywhere. But most.
I guess I've just been lucky. For two thirds of my working life I was working for companies who insisted on training and educating employees and made sure that people got whatever time was needed for it; most of the other third I either was free to use whatever time I needed at work for learning and/or got to go to the odd course or seminar or meeting with people I could learn from now and again.
Tom, you're right - you've been lucky. Most companies I've worked for always say their employees are the biggest asset and training is important. Then no training is approved...ever. Even better is the scenario when training is offered...and it's 100% completely irrelevant to your job. There's no training for what people actually do. Then you get given some goal to complete a training course. :w00t::angry::crazy:
Viewing 9 posts - 46 through 53 (of 53 total)
You must be logged in to reply to this topic. Login to reply