SLOOOW Progress is Progress none the less

It's a SLOW week in job land. Why? Every working stiff is out of the office! HR can't post new jobs when HR is taking the week off...

Next week should see more traffic.

This lul in activity is fine with me. It gives me a chance to get some on-line jobs applied for that I've been putting off. You never know when they're just going to recess back into their black hole, so I like to get them done in the first few days of seeing them.

If light can't escape a black hole, what fate does my resume hold?! :-)

Last week I spent some time networking. I finally talked to the recruiter at the Hartford, we had a good phone conversation, so I'm hopeful that now I'm more recognizable to her when she sees that I posted for any jobs there, which coincidentally I DID today, for a Team Leader position, (the manager who manages "people" :-) So maybe I can move to the top of the heap having already made it past one gate keeper.

I also connected with a few former colleagues who are clients of the outplacement service. Some have found jobs, some have not. One fellow agreed to meet with me to talk about his journey after being downsized, and how he landed at, where else, "The Hartford"! Yeah! So I will meet with him tomorrow or next week. (Poor fellow apparently doesn't get the week off, being the "new guy" and all.)

And in the true spirit of recession proof jobs, (those being health care and GARBAGE. People will always have garbage...right??), I applied for an Operations Manager position at Waste Management in Burnsville. I figured I'd be only one of very few applicants, as they say occasionally you have to ride along with the trucks and start your day at 2 am. Apparently, there is much analysis to be done watching a driver do his route, and my job would be to find operational efficiencies, etc. (The only thing I'm finding at 2 am is a freakin 24 hour Starbucks...)

2 am is not a problem per se... I can get up at 2 am, I just can't stay up until 2 am.

Last week I also had a recruiter contact me about an Operations Manager position in a printing/manufacturing industry. They didn't so much care out the technical aspect, (I know financial services, not printing presses!) but more on the leadership competencies. We had a half hour phone interview and I will hear next Monday if she's going to send me into the company for an interview with "The Prez".

And finally, I went down to New Prague today to meet with and old friend of mine who is an assistant VP at a small town community bank to find out more about the world of banking. She said she loves her job, it's multi-faceted, and she wears a variety of hats in a fast-paced environment and that no day is like the one before. It sounds just like my old job! So, my instinct to possibly pursue a banking leadership position was solidified by our meeting, I was glad I got in touch with her.

So, I've been chipping away! This concludes my BORING update, but it's the nature of the beast, or the turkey, as the case may be.

And now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to Target. This time: tin foil

;-)