Jobless (But Not Hopeless!) 12/30 - Lieutenant Dan's Blog

Lieutenant Dan's Blog

Jobless (But Not Hopeless!) 12/30

Posted on December 30, 2013 at 03:19 PM.

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I would like to lead off here by thanking everyone for the support in my original posting, you guys are great!

It has been a very busy time, but I got off the gas just a little and took Christmas Day 'off' and have been a little casual during the Holidays; job hunting in my sweats and t-shirt. Things are quiet on the employment front this time of year, and while I haven't just quit, I understand the real action will be next week rather than right now.

Having said that, I got a call from a local personnel group last week and they liked my resume'. I went to meet with my contact last Friday afternoon (casual Friday, yeah! Polo and khakis) and had a great chat with her and her boss. I filled out the paperwork so I'm in their system, and they have me in mind for a good position with a company I already am familiar with. We'll see how it goes!

Today, my contact also emailed me a link to an MS Excel assessment test, which I surprised myself and scored 73% on (avg score being 75%). Made me feel pretty smart, actually, because while I used Excel most days the past 10 years, it was in very limited, small form; no formulas, table/chart creation, very little formatting, etc. So that felt pretty damn good.

I am still keeping on with my unemployment paperwork process and weekly certifications/job search logs. My prior boss confirmed that she faxed back the paperwork they wanted from her last Thursday so first payment should be in January 7th.

A nice side-benefit to my job searching is it has stimulated my wife to look more often as well. Ideally I'd love for her to land a job before me as she's been out longer, but hell we'll take what we get in that regard

On a side note, my Christmas went as well as it could. I gave my wife a nice cover for her Kindle Fire, and she gave me the Extended Edition BR of The Hobbit: AUJ, which made me love the film even more than I did. The weekend was great too, with my Seahawks tying up HFA and the Division by beating the Rams. The Seahawks season has been really huge for me to have something to cheer for and feel good about.

Happy New Year to everyone, and I'm keepin' after it! Time for my job browse for the day.

Comments

# 1 DJ @ Dec 30

Glad to hear you had a good Christmas, Dan. And, nice that you've got your foot in the door somewhere already. I'm hoping for the best for you and your wife. That would be a nice way to kick off 2014 is if both of you landed jobs in the first quarter.

# 2 TreyIM2 @ Dec 31

Howdy. Sorry that you and your wife have to go through that. You sound like you're in good spirits, tho, and that's the key. Chin up. There may be down moments but an overall good spirit about thing trumps that. I definitely know because I went almost 2 yrs jobless and was trying my hardest to get a job. Finally landed one 2-3months before my unemployment benefits were up but had to get out of that spot and landed another job before quitting that one. Been at this current dis-organization for 3yrs come Jan 31st. Easier to get jobs when u have a job, they say and it's true. My sis has not worked in 4yrs. It's tough for her. Lots of sleepless nights for her but she tries to keep that chin up.

Anyway, good luck to you and your wife and even though I don't know you, I say a prayer of good energy for you and yours.

# 3 Steve_OS @ Dec 31

Best of luck Dan!

# 4 Lieutenant Dan @ Dec 31

Thanks so much everyone, I woke up cranky today and not even my workout fixed that. Your comments and support are greatly appreciated and are helping me out this morning!

# 5 So Cal @ Jan 2

Just want to stay to keep your head up and stay positive, something will come along. I went through this a few years ago, and ended up being unemployed for a year and a half and on top of that I was denied my unemployment benefits because a change in office personnel at my prior employer. All I can say is thank God for family and little odd end jobs here and there. You are doing it right by keeping a routine, it keeps you busy, structured and gives a daily purpose, and finding a job is one in itself. Best of luck to you

# 6 Lieutenant Dan @ Jan 2

Thanks TRHST and So Cal. Best of luck to us all...have some Paul Simon playing on iTunes and going to do the daily search. At least the playoffs are this weekend.

Thank heavens for that because today is 'bills and rent' day, ugh.

# 7 poulka @ Jan 2

Hey Dan my wife is in a similar boat as yourself. She has been on job boards for the past year and a half. She is still trying to find something, I will keep you, your wife, and my wife in my prayers and for a better 2014.

# 8 Lieutenant Dan @ Jan 3

Thanks poulka! Good luck to us all in 2014, amen.

# 9 erickonasis @ Jan 13

oh man just saw this. So this is what i have to look forward too urrgh! My job has been rumored to be merging and that could be a good or bad thing. Polices are changeing like crazy and my bosses boss just got fired. IDK whats going to happen next just trying to keep the faith

# 10 Lieutenant Dan @ Jan 13

You hang in there, E. Keep your ear to the ground and listen for clues about your area/department. I wasn't released due to a merger, even when we did have a big one at my job prior to this job. I hope you weather it fine, but think about updating your resume' and references as a just-in-case precaution.