The last time I initiated a job search it was April 2002. From the dust of Arthur Andersen’s collapse, I charged out into the world of online job-searching and multiple resumes. You couldn’t convince ME the economy was in a slump — oh no! To anyone who tried to dampen my spirits, I said, “The economy might be in a recession, but I’M not!” I believed in myself. I knew the jobs were out there. I knew my future position was ripe for me to find. I got three job offers within three weeks of being laid off at Andersen. I picked one and barely felt a ripple in the smooth flow of paychecks into my checking account.
Then again, I believed in a god back then. I loved my Andersen job and knew I’d love the next job, too. I felt fresh and ready to tackle the challenge of the interview process. I knew I wanted another plain, vanilla, ubiquitous executive assistant position. I knew where I was heading and nothing could stop me.
This time I don’t like my current job and feel discouraged about finding a job I “love.” My spirits are considerably lowered by my failure to pick an enjoyable job in a pleasant company. I think I’m ready to look for a more interesting, challenging position, but I’m not sure what that would be. The future is murky. Worst of all, the reality of our soft economy has fully sunk in and this time I believe everyone who says it will be hard to find another job. I’m scared. And I don’t have a god.
This is what I know so far: this blog has reminded me of how much I love to write. I’d like a job that involves writing/editing/proofreading. I know this will probably mean a pay cut since I’ll probably have to go back to the entry level for those jobs. Only as an executive assistant do I have the experience to command the $40,000/year and up jobs. I’m looking in marketing, publishing, technical writing, and I’m looking at positions in the marketing/PR department of any kind of organization. I’m looking at any job description that includes the words “assistant,” “writing” and “editing.” This masters degree in English literature from Cornell has got to be good for something.
I’ll cast a wide net, keep my eyes open, hold on…
0 Comments