I had an interview in late January that was a perfect fit for me, from the organizational culture to the job duties. My interview with the CEO was a long, leisurely chat about concepts and goals, since it was decided early on that my technical skills would meet all of the organization’s needs (and then some).
A small problem arose when it became clear that organization’s budget did not meet my needs for a full-time position. I tried to math it out to make it work; I discussed it with my agent and my partner, and finally, I had to let it go. I was very sad, because I am more motivated personally by the “feel” of a job than the details of pay and benefits. But the latter must be solid in order for me to have the former!
I returned home to my desk and my ongoing job search, which is practically a full-time job in itself; updating resume information and tailoring application packages to each potential employer takes a lot of patience, adaptability, and focus on your mission.
That last bit sometimes eludes me; my desk faces my back yard, which is a bit of a haven for birds and small wildlife. Squirrels, especially, are hard workers, and rather than be satisfied with the peanuts that I throw out for them, they want the seeds in the bird feeders.
It would be easy for me to take a part-time position, or take a job that pays very low to just have something in addition to my freelance work, which I have set aside in order to concentrate on updating my online social profiles and website in preparation for interviews. But I don’t want the easy-to-get peanuts; I want the stuff that’s harder to reach, for the reward will be a more satisfying role in an organization that will challenge me and keep me engaged with colleagues and projects.
Granted, applying for a job doesn’t involve squirrel parkour, but I have learned that I must tailor my skills to better match a position. My resume for a design-centric position, for example, will look different than my resume for a communications-centric position. Both are accurate and honest, but I need to keep my resume to two pages!
Thank you for reading this mental tangent of mine today. Online research and applications are tiring, but this hard work will eventually pay off once I find a new job that matches me. 🙂
rubicat 