Since the last time I spoke with you, I have purchased a new MACpro laptop. WOW! It is intimidating but I love it. It is a little awkward at first, everything is left rather than right. But I'm left handed so it all works out.
Right now I am on hold for a webinar I am taking from RightChoice. I'm actually enjoying these webinars. I have learned quite a bit. My resume looks great, I know what my skills and talents are and I can convey them articulately. How about that?!
I'm still having quite a bit of anxiety. I need to learn how to relax. How do I do that? I can't seem to sit still for any amount of time. I feel like I should be working. I've been getting a lot of alcohol for my birthday so maybe that's a hint to chill out. Great Irish whisky of course.
Gotta run and participate in my webinar. Be back in a little while.
Well, I'm back. I waited for 15 minutes but the facilitator never showed up. I got caught up in the classical music and reading until I realized I'd been on hold for 20 minutes. Yea me! Focus Kate, focus.
I signed up for the same webinar on Sept 14th so that should be good. I also signed up to go back to school starting next Monday. How about that? On-line. I'll start with some business classes and then I will really conquer the world. Gotta dream right?
I did do an e-learning module from RightChoice on Interviewing. I liked it. I found out I couldn't take the Negotiating webinar until I took the e learning Interviewing and another class, I can't remember the other one.
I got lists of the most asked questions, how to answer them according to my experience and skills, and what the interviewer is looking for. It is a game and honestly, I like it. I give a great interview if the interviewer is good. Sometimes you have to lead the interviewer to ask you the right questions so you can give them complete answers.
Some things to keep in mind; never talk about personal information until the end of the interview and you have been asked for the second time, "Tell me about yourself". Also, try not to talk salary. It might be less than you want but what if the job is your dream job? Would be willing to work for less than you were making? Don't disclose too much. If they want to know what your salary requirements are you state, "I'm sure what you are offering will be in the range". Be positive about your previous position -- it's difficult sometimes but nobody likes a whiner. Move on.
Most of all be confident in yourself. You have a lot of life skills and talents you haven't even used yet. We wonderful human beings tend to discount all the amazing things we can do. Remember you are the solution to some company's needs. Don't settle. It's out there for me and it's out there for you.
That is the scary part. Starting over again. I don't like the learning curve. I was good at new beginnings when I was a child. We moved a lot. Always a new school and new friends. Just when you got used to everything, it would be time to move again. That is the hardest part in losing my job. I had been there for all those years. It had become home, something I knew and could count on. There was my downfall. I made it a living entity instead of keeping it in perspective and remembering it was a job. The best part of that is, I get to keep most of it with me. The rest is just paperwork.
I also became complacent. I'd start a new project and it would be shot down. I was always being sent off to do things that would never come to fruition. Although I did learn tremendous things along the way. So, it backfired on The Corporation. They got nothing; I got smarter.
I had quit and decided to stay.
Now, I'm working on 'my transition' phase and it's going slow but sure. Soon I'll have a direction. I'd like to do consulting for a few years until I can figure it out and then go out on my own. If you know of any Corporate Social Responsibility consulting firms looking for a great employee, tell them I'm available to talk.
I've got to do some laundry and work on my resume. No, I still haven't finished it. I need to stop dragging my feet. I told myself I had to have it done by Friday. I also have an appointment with my RightChoice counselor. Her name is Kate. Great name!
Mr. Lovejoy is working out of town for the next several days so I am going to watch Chick Flicks and Documentary Films. I'm crazy for both.
I'll write again tomorrow.
Slainte
Kate
One of the most profound things I learned at Whitworth was about mental constructs. I think the concept of mental constructs is something we innately understand, but we don't know that we know it... if that makes sense.
ReplyDeleteAt any rate, our primary roles are an inherent part of our identities. Our jobs become our identity. Any primary role, or major mental construct requires the grieving process when a large change is introduced. This is true even for change management in corporations.
You probably know some of this. But I do have a point.
I think you were more effective than you realized because your identity was so wrapped in your role. I don't think you'd have accomplished near as much as you did without your drive, passion, ambition. The downside is that the change is harder to bear when it occurs.
The part that's painful to me, and I think to many others is that the "downsizing" was so impersonal. For me, at least... it felt so impersonal. I felt so worthless. I still do. I feel like I was summarily dismissed. Like they aren't feeling any part of the grieving process without me. That the connection was one sided. That is the part that really hurts.
But know, KNOW that the blase' attitude is NOT from the people who count. There were real connections. Real LOVE there. It's oh so disappointing that the "layers above" had such a change in HEART, SPIRIT.
The company I started with seven years ago is NOT the company that laid me off.
Hi Mamma Kate. A little unsolicited advice, to do with what you like. When you feel anxious, like you should be doing something, stop to breath, meditate, stretch, or do a yoga practice. It helps me. You feel like you are doing something, and it is so good for your mind and body. There are free yoga videos on youtube. Or you can pop Eddy Izzard "Dressed to Kill" in the box and laugh for an hour! "What on earth is that"!!!
ReplyDeleteLoves!
Sarah