Rome wasn't built in a day (the beginning of the work)

I started on my Parachute reading assignment this week, covering 4 chapters, plus some of the appendices.  Since I am, in fact, job hunting (and have been for a while), I found reading the first few introductory chapters very appealing.  They talk about job statistics (unemployment figures, etc.), and how the figures can truly be misleading-- NOT to despair! I don't think I had ever begun to lose hope, but I had begun to wander off the hunt.  I had a vague idea of the career I wanted, but no real directions or compass to guide me toward it. 

Initial chapters also talk about ways to keep from losing hope.  Not that I didn't find the first 2 keys helpful, but the third one resonated with me in the truest way.  It was like a bomb went off in front of my eyes-- an epiphany!  Find meaning in everything-- even if you don't know what the thing means.  Know and trust that in time, it will mean something (The old adage, "Hindsight is 20/20.").  It is easy to look back at the progression of events in my life to see how I arrived here (Philadelphia, unemployed, blogging, etc), but to see that here means something leading to there, is often hard to see. Why not just know that it will eventually become clear? That made complete sense to me. Of course I know my actions today will hold repercussions for tomorrow's tomorrow. BUT!! I do not need to see them (yet) in order to take solace that situations will work out, lead to better offers or environments, and create a bright future.

I have read parts of Parachute before, but refreshing my brain on the anomalies that exist in the job markets was helpful, too.  The fact that employers and job-hunters seek each other in two opposite styles is sort of mind-boggling to me.  You would think someone would have fixed that by now!  We first want companies to read our resume when we email/mail it to them.  Companies first want to hire from within. 

The brief dialogues between imaginary career counsellors and job-hunters brought up another resonate truth: career counselling and job-hunting techniques should be mandatory classes in secondary schools. Who among us has NEVER needed to know how to write a great resume, or look for a job online? I can only think of one person: my grandfather, a self-employed mason who finds all of his work through referrals.  The point is we should be empowering people at a young age with the tools they need to succeed in this world if we are investing in them like we claim ("we" in this case being politicians, parents, mentors, educators, and the like).  Otherwise, the world might be headed for an irrepairable downward spiral.

Alright, back off my soapbox.  Obviously, re-reading the 5 best and worst methods for finding a job were helpful. Who wants to waste energy in an already-exhausting procedure? Not me.  We've all told our friends to call us if they hear of a job opening or posted our resumes on company and/or work-related websites.  I'll keep doing those things. You never know, right?  This time, I actually want to do the homework on myself, like the book says is most effective.  I just might find out my ideal job is in Zimbabwe purifying water for orphans.  Time will tell.

I read up to my first exercise in the book. Admittedly, I was a bit stumped.  The basic idea is to list ten different ways to answer the question (positively), "Who am I?" Then, for each of the ten responses (nouns or adjectives) list all the reasons why that answer was given and what about it is attractive to you.  I am not ashamed to say it was hard to come up with the ten responses. I definitely need to know more about me.

I know this might sound like a cop-out, but the paper was pretty sparse.  I have work to do... that was the point of starting this journey. Here is my messy, "thinking" handwriting and a sample of the words I chose for myself. If you know me, can you think of anything I missed?

Homework aside, I found a really inspirational quote (p. 49) that I just may turn into a graphic to share on social media, but for now, I'll share it with you.

"One of the saddest lines in the world is, 'Oh come now. Be realistic.'  The best parts of this world were not fashioned by those who were realistic. They were fashioned by those who dared to look hard at their wishes and then gave them horses to ride."

Let's all dream A LOT! The saddest people in the world have lost sight of, and given up on, their dreams. I plan on dreaming and being happy.  Here's to those who dream out loud!

Speaking of dreams, I have some great news!  I was so inspired by the start of this blog, I started on some serious job-hunting on LinkedIn.  I found job postings at a record label. Most of them were financial or IT-related. Then, I found it! I applied for a job as a publicity assistant at a major record label in New York City.  Not only that, but I called my last employer, who is a tremendous networking asset to those who know him.  He happily referred me to one of the executives at the parent company, who in turn forwarded my reference to the head of publicity at the hiring label. All I would really like is an interview. I know I would be a great addition to a challenging, exciting environment.  This may not be my dream job once I finish Parachute, but for right now, I'm salivating!  Keep your fingers crossed for me!

If you read all of this, thank you. Knowing someone is out there, enjoying my words means more than you will ever know.  Please comment below to let me know you're following along, if you have any questions, didn't understand something, or even if you have a critique (grammatical or otherwise).

See you back here next week!