Back on familiar turf

Yes yes yes! After a quick discussion with the hubby... I'm ready to accept. I'll be going back to work for a very very familiar organization that I've oodles of experience with!

Familiar ground Take 2

Back at the local non profit office for round 2. Couldn't sleep last night from the anxiety. Today's interview was scheduled to be with the IT Director and the CEO. I was very, very nervous.

Things turned out amazingly well though. The CEO turned out to be a passionate, intense and powerful young woman probably around my age with young kids too. She was so down to earth and even exchanged dates of birth and baby names and such with me. Her passion for the mission of the organization was inspirational and we shared a lot of common ground in terms of our management experiences. Towards the end of our interview I had goosebumps and had to hold back some tears even. If I could work under her, I would consider myself a lucky person.

At the end of our talk, she basically let me know that they wanted me on board. And that she looked forward to seeing me back there. I couldn't believe it.

So I went back home... and waited for the offer. The next morning, the HR director called. And I had the official offer on the table.

SIGH.

A fascinating Interview

Yesterday I interviewed with an offshoring company. It was definitely one of the most interesting interviews I've ever had. The position was a Project Manager job. Something I've had 4 years experience with. From an experience point of view, I had everything they were looking for and more. What i was lacking was the official certification. I've been preparing for the certification exam, but the book (PMBOK) is a difficult one to get through on your own. It's a rather dry textbook and would be much more enjoyable as a companion book to a class or a lecture.

My interviewer was very learned on the topic. He asked brilliant questions about project management, listened patiently to my answers, and then recapped my answers but added all the appropriate terminology from PMBOK. I was enraptured. Listening to him talk was like listending to PMBOK speaking. And it was way more interesting that reading the book.

After the interview with him I met with the girl that I would be taking over for. She was able to give me all the information I needed first hand because this was the job that she had been doing herself for the last few months.

I was impressed. And I could tell they were impressed too. Sure enough, the offer came the next day. I spent the whole weekend discussing with the family and finally had to turn them down on account of the distance - I would be spending 1.5 hours at least on the road daily. And the odd hours - lots of nightime calls etc. Tough to do with a toddler and a husband with a stressful job.

It sure felt good to get the offer though!

Hiking

In a moment of clarity yesterday morning, I realized 3 things. 3 things that together compose the small mountain I am climbing. (Note: Climbing is good for one's heart and health. It is also very powerful for clearing the head and providing blinding insight into the soul's purpose)

Recognizing the three components of my mountain was an "aha" moment for me. Here they are:

1. Taking a step away from IT to explore other spaces/careers for 2 years.
2. Taking a 2 year break from work to focus on my son's care.
3. Moving cross country 2 times in a 4 year period already marked by 1 and 2 above.

The result - no current experience (not an issue for most people i'm interviewing with), no recent technical skills (easy to brush up thanks to the internet and my local barnes and noble), and the biggest one - zero local network.

Bam! There's my mountain.

Mama wants her 50 cents!

These days I feel like my Dad. In '91 when we moved to the US, we were a family of three in need of income. I was a full time college student with 20 hours of allowed income per week. This didn't go very far... Dad had to get back into the workforce. But how? As what? His context had changed. In India - he was a big shot. He'd run his own business for 20 years, was a national award winning electrical engineer and was a highly respected professional in his world. If he were job-hunting there he would've been snatched up by some awesome company in a day. But here he was in America, where electrical engineers have to fulfill different criteria, no current work experience no network. And a family he wanted to take care of.
I feel like Dad these days. And so many of his teachings are coming back to me. Like the "Mama wants her 50 cents" story. Told to me when I was 10. Still the foundation of my belief system at age 36. Here's a link to the original story from Napoleon Hill's "Think and Grow Rich".
If he could reinvent himself at age 50, I'm pretty sure I can find the rest of my career after a 2 year break! :-)

Grilling

Today I interviewed with a leading security company. Very well established (since early 1900). Very reputed. Very interesting position. The last point is on account of the fact that one word in my resume resulted in the recruiter contacting me. Coldfusion. A programming language/application/tool that I had developed applications in almost 9 years ago. It's been at least 6 years since I touched it. But it's making a comeback now and it popped up in a keyword search and that's how I got involved.

I had already explained to the recruiter exactly where I stood with this. I was in no way portraying myself to be a Coldfusion guru anymore. They were still interested. So, in my dashing Ann Taylor suit, feeling like a million bucks, I drove the 20 miles to their office.

I interviewed with two people. The first person was my would-be manager. He was amazing to talk to. His philospohies on management blew me away. In turn he saw great potential in my range of experience.

The second interview was a little intimidating. The interviewer had a list of technical questions and grilled me relentlessly. At the end of it I had no idea where I stood... and I waited... for the recruiter to call with feedback...

He finally called and said "yes"! They wanted me back for round 2! Hooray!

My Fairy Godmother : Ann Taylor

When you've spent a couple of years not caring about the spit-up stain on your shirt or the crumbs from your toddler's snack time treat that mysteriously found a way to hide in the crease of your pant leg, you need to find a place that can outfit you and make you feel like the million bucks that you are worth, when you have an interview to go to. Enter Ann Taylor.

We are blessed with an Ann Taylor factory store within a 5 mile drive from our house. They know me now, and not just by name. They know my size, which blouse I wore to which interview with which suit. I love the Ann Taylor store. I go there every time I need a new interview outfit. And they make me feel and look great, every time!

The first time I went to buy a suit in years, I went with DH and son in tow. They sat outside the dressing room while I tried on each of the suits. When I'd walk out to show them, I felt like a model on a catwalk. What a devoted audience. They oohed and aahed and made recommendations. And when the winning suit was identified, looked at me like I was the Queen of Corporate America.

"Mama's going back to work after 2 years," said DH, "we have to make her look as good as she is". Little one nodded emphatically and proceeded to say," Mama, nice. Mama office?"

I looked in the mirror and caught a glimpse of a familiar persona...

Goodbye dowdiness.
Hello sharpness.
Thank you Ann Taylor.

Familiar ground

Today was my first round of face-to-face interviews at the local chapter of a global non profit that I had previously worked at in another city. What was supposed tobe a series of two - one on one interviews - turned into a 4 person panel interview. As I walked into the room I had to reach into my toes to pull my voice back into my throat.

They were a wonderful group of people who made me feel at ease at once. My familiarity with the inner workings of the office, on account of my previous experience at a different chapter of the organization, gave me the confidence to answer the questions that came flying at me from all directions. This was my first face to face interview in over 3 years and the dust quickly came off and I eased into the talk...

I *think* I did well... and of course I came home and promptly sent off 4 thank you emails to the panelists. I do hope they call me back....

The right job

I have learned that when you are interviewing for the right job for you (and there can be more than one), the right interviewers accept you for who you are. Strengths. Weaknesses. The whole package. I've had phone interviews where the interviewer has seen the gap in my career or the one year I spent teaching Math as a big problem. I've heard the hesitation in their voice as they try to assess my "market-worthiness".

But - at the right places, and I've run into 3 so far, aside from a quick question of why I'm looking for a job, which warrants the answer that I've taken two years off since my son was born, the question never came up again. The interviewers have focused on the skills that I have and been truly impressed with my diverse work experience and have actually seen that as a thing of value. These calls have turned into amazing face-to-face interviews. And even into job offers.

Swap meet

Yesterday we were at a dinner party. Everybody I met that was working somewhere wished they were working somewhere else. And everybody that didn't have a job, wished they had a job, just any job.

This led me to an idea - what if we had a big, giant job swap meet. People at company A who wanted to work at company B could explore that, while folks at B who wanted C could meet that desire and so on and so on.

Think of how many $$ we would save on the hiring process. Now, of course, you'd want the hiring managers there too to approve the candidates who want to switch over. But one could just wrap it all up in a day.

Kismet

So today a really weird thing happened. I have been scanning the non-profit section of craigslist for months looking for something interesting. I have also been scanning a local non profit website for open positions as I used to work for their San Diego chapter before the baby arrived. And I loved it. If I could go back there I would in a heartbeat.. In all these months, nothing in my line of work ever showed up. But today, my hands shook as I clicked on a link that said "___ seeks Business Analyst".

I was so excited I had to leave the laptop and walk away to do some deep breaths. Really. So it was only the next day that I could really sit down to put together my application...

What took my breath away was the fact that this organization doesn't usually have a position titled BA... They just recently created this. Sometimes the Universe gives you proof that it has been listening all along.. This was one of them.

Are you Linked In?

Linked In - a professional networking application has now become my new favorite website. Years ago, a good friend, (to whom my post involving Calvin and Hobbes is dedicated), sent me an invitation to join. Back then I pooh-poohed it. I thought signing up would be a colossal waste of my time. Then others started sending invitations to other networking applications. My theory was validated further. What was I supposed to do? Join 6 different websites just to make my friends happy?

In April of this year, I decided that it was time to go back to work. But where was I to start? I had no network here in Dallas. My last job was in San Diego. And my entire collection of friends, colleagues and bosses were all in the Boston area. That's when I decided to give Linked in a shot. And it hasn't let me down! Through it I have reconnected with so many of my former colleagues and managers. Friends too.

I currently have 38 contacts in my direct network. And I am obsessed with growing it daily!

Linked In is a great way to get introduced to people too. Thanks to a former manager, I was able to get in touch with a recruiter here in the Dallas area.

Network, network, network!

Everyone says that your network is your most powerful job search tool. Most jobs aren't advertised. They're filled through referrals. Etc. etc. I've always known this and even touted this to friends looking for work in the last few years. I have finally realized first hand how darn true this is.

My husband has been telling me for the last month that I should write to the people I know and tell them explicitly what sort of position I'm looking for and ask for their help with sharing contacts or freelance work. I had been holding back from doing this on account of two things:

1. I didn't want anyone to feel awkward because they didn't have any help to offer.
2. I didn't want to feel desperate.

Well, I finally caved in and wrote an email last week. To tackle 1) I suggested they could offer me advice. Who can resist that? Everyone's got advice. And the unsolicited kind is the source of 60% of the world's quarrels. So, come on! :-)
and 2) I figured that it's alright to admit I need some help. I'm not less of a person because of it. Isn't that why say "Network, network, network!"? What's the use of an awesome network, if it ain't doin' nothin', you know what I mean? ;-)

So - I sent away! So far I got some great advice and one rock solid lead :-)

Oh, and when he read the email, my husband said, "It's a nice email, but you sound a little desperate.." :-0 !

Channelling....

Back when I was in college, going clubbing was the highlight of my week. My friends and I would get ready for the event, starting a few hours before we had to leave our dorm. We'd start by blasting club music in our dorm rooms. Somehow the loud music got us into the "clubbing mood". As we listened to the music and danced around, we would get ready. Deciding what to wear, how to do our hair, makeup, earrings etc. It was an intense process and it took those entire two hours to channel our inner Divas and transform us from our sweatpants and ponytail personae to dancing queens.

Trying to get into the mindset of a career woman is rather similar after you've stayed home for a couple of years. You have to surround yourself with .. and channel the inner corporate woman! The woman that is there, deep inside you. I have decided to do this by turning my study at home into what my office would look like, if I did sit in an office building. It is surrounded with white boards - to help organize my tasks for the day, bulletin-boards with pin-ups of inspiring words, a printout of my resume, calendar (no more life is a blur) and documents and contacts from my former work.

It works! I feel like I have an actual office now. I call it my war room. And my mission is to figure out the next step of my career and start working, pronto!

It's a bit like Dating.

I've spoken with two recruiters since I started my job search 6 weeks ago. The first person was a lady who was very chatty and encouraging ... promising to call me for interviews and projects down the road and what not.. I believed her.. and even though I didn't really want to work for the company she was representing, I thought she'd call because she said she'd call. Right? Wrong! She never called.

Yesterday I spoke to a really nice recruiter. I was so nervous about being interviewed after such a long time, that I actually had butterflies in my stomach. He was really cool and sounded very impressed by my background and potential and said how high my market value would be had I stayed in the corporate world. He even went off the record and told me how to modify my resume a bit so that the job would be mine. We got to the point of setting a billing rate... and then in the end he volunteered to make the edits to my resume himself and send it to me by the end of the day!!!! I was over the moon. I couldn't believe my good fortune. All evening I nervously checked my email and voicemail. But there was nothing!

I'm quickly learning that this is much like dating. "I'll call you" doesn't mean they will...

What's the big deal with referring?

So here's what I don't understand. People who have jobs that are hesitant to reach out and offer to refer a job seeker to their place of work. What's the big deal? It's not like one is asking them to
"get" them a job. You're just trying to get your resume noticed. In a world where HR people are getting slammed with resumes, all it does is say "Hey take a look at this person's qualifications. Perhaps you'd like to talk to them"

That's all. And with the size of referral bonuses at some companies, perhaps it'd be worth their while?

Job searching.

I'm searching for a job. It is not fun. No one is calling me back. I've written, re-written, re-re-written my resume. Nothing is working yet. It appears that the issue is that my technical experience stops at 2004. 4 years ago. Although I did work till 2006, I'm not highlighting them much in my resume, because after the first iteration of unleashing my resume into the universe I discovered that hiring employers were not pleased with the mid-career diversion into charitable occupations such as teaching and working for non-profits. It flummoxed them and gave them a reason to ask me to work for free.

So with the market the way it is, there are a gazillion people out there with more current experience, so it doesn't seem like it is worth their time to dig deeper to find a pearl or two in my resume. This results in me not getting a chance to meet potential employers in person and show them that I really am a good hire.

I'm getting desperate now. All I want is to grab someone's attention with my resume so that I can get an interview call. I briefly thought of putting a Calvin and Hobbes cartoon at the top of my resume just to make them stop and look. :-)

Back in the Rat Race

Two and a half years ago I took the exit ramp off the career highway, when my son was born. Many things have happened since then. Events often beyond my control and my wildest imagination. Motherhood is a glorious blessing, but how nice it would've been if the University of Life had a comprehensive course on what to expect and how to prepare. Sadly, none such exists.
I chronicled many of these experiences in a previous blog. Now I find myself trying to return to a place I knew - a place where I have an occupation other than being a full-time parent. This return trip is proving to also be quite surprising ... and the need to chronicle this weird phase must be fulfilled.

Hence this blog... a humorously tinged account of my experiences...