Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Frustration

It will soon be almost three weeks since I started looking for work seriously (approximately since my return from Paris) and my efforts seem to be in vain. I did not expect to find work quickly, the more senior and qualified you are, the longer it takes to find a job. However, I would have appreciated an interview or two, or even a screening phone call from HR at the very least... some show of interest from the companies where I am applying. I got nothing. The automatic e-mails you receive when you apply online don't count. I even applied for a few positions through contacts already working at the company in question, which I think should have increased my chance of exposure to the right individuals.

The silence is frustrating.

But I guess this is the price to pay when you leave a place for six years. My professional network in Vancouver is rich with folks working across industries, thanks to past jobs and the MBA. In Montreal, my last job was as a technical writer and it ended in 2002. The contacts from that position are few.

I'm positive things will eventually solve themselves and that my resume will end up on the right desk at the right time. It will just take a little longer and I have to learn to be more patient. In the mean time, between resume writing and e-mails, I'm keeping myself busy with house chores, reading, and a bit of exercise.

2 comments:

Charleydog said...

I don't believe that the lack of jobs is a result of you being out of the country for awhile. I lost my job at Komatsu when the company moved to the USA in June 2009. I still have not found a job, nor seen too many suitable ones advertised. I am a senior technical writer with a Masters degree and 20+ years of experience.

Melissa said...

Hmm... Technical writing is a tough one. I used to work as a technical writer until 2005, but I saw too many jobs being moved to India and had an interest in project management, so I decided to make the switch. Mind you, if the entire project is being done in India, then Canadian and US companies do not need PMs either.