Today, one creates a pdf of one's resume and posts it to a few hundred hiring websites which are the cyberspace equivalent of black holes. Some employers will send you a courtesy e-mail to thank you for your submission. A few will advise you that you are not qualified, so keep looking elsewhere. (And have a nice day.)
Of course, in this day and age, one must use job search websites in order to find employment. This requires unique skill and imagination, because one must try to suss out what algorithms these websites use to serve up the best match for your perfect job.
What I discovered fairly early on is that I needed to use several different keywords in my search. "Marketing Manager" is the most helpful. "Copy Manager" does bring back copywriter positions, but it's also served up jobs in the copy centers of various office supply stores.
For some reason, one of the recruiting sites has pulled the word "accounting" out of my resume (I started out in accounting), so all I get from them are jobs that call for a proficiency with numbers. Sure, I can still use a 10-key calculator with the best of them -- but does anyone use a 10-key calculator anymore?
One offer came a little closer -- it was a short-term position writing copy for product descriptions. Which is right up my alley. Except it was for plumbing supplies. I did entertain the possibility as a short-term fix, and certainly, once I was up to speed, I'm sure I could do the work. But it didn't seem fair to the potential employer to ask them to take on someone with that big a learning curve, especially for such a small amount of time. I know from toilets and faucets, but when it comes to all the widgets and gadgets that are behind the scenes, not so much.
Then there are those positions which have been offered up that are totally out of left field.
My favorite? Quality Assurance Specialist (Nuclear) for the Department of Defense. What I find particularly amusing is that it keeps being served up. Well, okay, maybe it's because I've clicked on it a few times, just to show my husband, or to try and figure out what the connection could possibly be. (I'm still stumped.) Now I'm getting other job notices from the Department of Defense. Admittedly, I think I'd enjoy the Editor position in Alexandria, Virginia, but the commute would be killer.
In the meantime, I'm keeping busy, signing up for classes at the library for programs like Excel and coding. And I'm helping a friend create a website, which is pretty clutch (as my kid would say).
Thanks to all of you who've stayed in touch, even though I don't see you every day anymore. I treasure your friendship and your help on this up-and-down journey of mine.
Please keep the good thoughts coming!
P.S. A special shout-out to Jeff, who let me know he still has the jar of colored buttons on his desk that I gave him one birthday. (He was always changing the color of the "shop now" buttons on our emails.)
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