A day of decisions.
The Scotiabank interview went well, but I'm thinking the position may be a bit junior. What am I saying - I know it's too junior but again, can't really let that bother me too much. I suspect the hiring manager thought as much too. There had been some previous discussion about a more senior position that has not yet been posted. I followed-up with my contact there to see what the status is and whether he thought I might be a good fit for that position. I suspect this other position may be more Web development and less marketing but stay tuned.
Alas, I didn't feel quite as good as I had hoped after that interview. Why did I think I was a shoo in for that job. Silly girl. The hiring manager would still like to interview at least a half dozen more candidates so that's likely to take another week or two. He may short list or go directly to making an offer. At this point I can't count on anything.
I think I hear a contract calling. Yes, I think my slightly less positive feelings following the Scotiabank interview was my cue to explore the contract opportunity with Rogers. It may be a short-term gig or not; it may totally screw-up my EI claim or not - I'll never know unless I try. Left a voice mail and sent a follow-up e-mail confirming my interest in exploring the contract option with my contact there. Whoo hoo - he responded in the early afternoon saying he'd call me later. Never did call but we exchanged a couple of e-mails towards the end of the day to negotiate an hourly rate and the commitment to discuss further on Tuesday morning. What do I know about hourly consultant rates. Did I price myself too high or too low? We came to a compromise but I somehow feel he may be getting the better end of the stick. Oh well, it's my first (and possibly my last) consulting job so it can only go up from here.
A persistent headhunter finally tracked me down about an opportunity with a utilities company. This is more of a B2B opportunity and I'm not convinced it's a good fit. While my current mantra has been that I can't afford to be too picky, I didn't think I would be getting so many calls so soon. None of them may work out in the end, but I think I can afford to pass on this one. She liked me; she really liked my, and it was just a phone interview. I know; I interview well and come across as being very assertive. Assertive but not aggressive. I clarified that I don't have an aggressive personality in the workplace either - more silent but deadly. No, not the fart type but learn by listening with a deadly strike if you cross me. LOL.
The plan for the rest of the evening is to watch pirated movies. When you're unemployed, you can't afford to be going to the show every week. We're heading into a long weekend - our second year of celebrating Family Day. What a bogus holiday. But what do I care; it's a day off. I guess it would actually mean more if I was working. There's always next year. And with that, I sign off for the 3 day weekend.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Day 10
Nothing much happening today. Still agonizing over decisions with nothing much to go on. Had lunch with a friend from HP and asked for her unbiased opinion. I love her line when I described the Scotiabank opportunity - "you should see your face when you describe it to me". An interesting observation. I guess I'm making subconscious messages with my facial expressions. That should tell me something.
I spoke with a headhunter from yesterday about the details of a position she sent me. It's more of a B2B marketing play but as I always say, a good marketer should be able to market anything. Not sure if that crosses customer lines i.e., B2B versus B2C. As I said, I can't afford to be too picky, so I give her the go ahead to submit my resume. She tells me the client already has one candidate that they like and they would like to see another 3-4 resumes. I guess mine will be one of them.
I receive a call from Scotiabank telling me my interview will be with a different person - the Director hiring for the marketing position (which is probably a more junior position than the other one that was mentioned). Maybe this is a sign that I should go ahead and commit to doing contract work for Rogers. Hmmmm. Spent the afternoon reviewing the Scotiabank site and asking a former co-worker if she had any inside scoops on the hiring manager - nothing.
Now for the unproductive part - spent the rest of the afternoon trying to memorize the words to Jason Mraz's song, "I'm Yours". I've got most of it memorized but still need the song playing in the background to jog my memory.
Online searching turns up no new positions.
Another online find - streaming episodes for True Blood. That Bill's a cutie. Ah yes, something to occupy me for the next couple of days.
Tomorrow could be my big decision day or the decisions may already be out of my hands. I've had this happen before. Two possible opportunities and neither one of them comes through. Fingers crossed that one of them does. I think you know which one I'm rooting for.
It's too early yet for my usual midnight snack so I'll continue to watch True Blood episodes.
I spoke with a headhunter from yesterday about the details of a position she sent me. It's more of a B2B marketing play but as I always say, a good marketer should be able to market anything. Not sure if that crosses customer lines i.e., B2B versus B2C. As I said, I can't afford to be too picky, so I give her the go ahead to submit my resume. She tells me the client already has one candidate that they like and they would like to see another 3-4 resumes. I guess mine will be one of them.
I receive a call from Scotiabank telling me my interview will be with a different person - the Director hiring for the marketing position (which is probably a more junior position than the other one that was mentioned). Maybe this is a sign that I should go ahead and commit to doing contract work for Rogers. Hmmmm. Spent the afternoon reviewing the Scotiabank site and asking a former co-worker if she had any inside scoops on the hiring manager - nothing.
Now for the unproductive part - spent the rest of the afternoon trying to memorize the words to Jason Mraz's song, "I'm Yours". I've got most of it memorized but still need the song playing in the background to jog my memory.
Online searching turns up no new positions.
Another online find - streaming episodes for True Blood. That Bill's a cutie. Ah yes, something to occupy me for the next couple of days.
Tomorrow could be my big decision day or the decisions may already be out of my hands. I've had this happen before. Two possible opportunities and neither one of them comes through. Fingers crossed that one of them does. I think you know which one I'm rooting for.
It's too early yet for my usual midnight snack so I'll continue to watch True Blood episodes.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Day 9
An uneventful day - well, for the most part. Got caught up with a couple of my former Bell Aliant co-workers. They're on the hunt too, although I think my hunting may be a bit more aggressive.
Followed-up with some headhunters. One job I had seen previously on Workopolis and had purposely not applied as it seemed too finance-focused and kinda boring. The headhunter tells me the company is looking for someone who is more familiar with software development than finance. My software development experience is limited to SceneCaster and MediaLinx (?). What the hell. Can't afford to be too picky, but I did some further online research on the company and it looks oh so boring. No stone left unturned. Told the headhunter it was worth exploring further. Another headhunter e-mailed me to tell me she liked what she saw. Of course; I'm good. I only applied to the position yesterday on LinkedIn. It looks a little too junior and the salary range is a bit too low but again, worth checking out. She'll call me tomorrow.
My Rogers contact is really pushing the contract angle. He tells me he has approval to bring someone on on contract basis while he works through the full-time hire. Decisions. Decisions. Further research tells me that you do not require a GST number if you make less than $30,000. I'm hoping that if I choose to go the contract route - initially - it wouldn't be long enough for me to invoice $30K worth of services. I still don't know any of the details of how this relationship would work, other than it would be a contract. My concern is that Rogers has screwed me before with "internal candidates". Do I risk forgoing a steady contract with benefits to do something that's sound leading edge and exciting. Again, I'm getting ahead of myself. I really can't make any decisions until I meet with Scotiabank on Friday and hear the details of what the opportunity/s is/are there. The contract position with Rogers really interests me but it could also really screw up my EI claim.
Speaking of EI. Filed my claim online. It's confusing. The government really needs help in writing straight-forward explanations. I think I filed it properly - ended up including my Bell Aliant info as well since I couldn't quite figure out if I needed to or not. Better safe than sorry. Mailed in both ROE's for processing. They say I'll know the results of my claim within 28 days. That delay may work in my favour if I decide to go the contract route with Rogers - assuming that option is still available next week.
That's it for today. Didn't have time to start my exercise routine. Ah, it's better to start on a Monday anyways, or so I tell myself. I'm still hooked on The Mentalist so I continue to get caught up on missed episodes. Only one or two more to go.
And now it's time for, well, you know.
Followed-up with some headhunters. One job I had seen previously on Workopolis and had purposely not applied as it seemed too finance-focused and kinda boring. The headhunter tells me the company is looking for someone who is more familiar with software development than finance. My software development experience is limited to SceneCaster and MediaLinx (?). What the hell. Can't afford to be too picky, but I did some further online research on the company and it looks oh so boring. No stone left unturned. Told the headhunter it was worth exploring further. Another headhunter e-mailed me to tell me she liked what she saw. Of course; I'm good. I only applied to the position yesterday on LinkedIn. It looks a little too junior and the salary range is a bit too low but again, worth checking out. She'll call me tomorrow.
My Rogers contact is really pushing the contract angle. He tells me he has approval to bring someone on on contract basis while he works through the full-time hire. Decisions. Decisions. Further research tells me that you do not require a GST number if you make less than $30,000. I'm hoping that if I choose to go the contract route - initially - it wouldn't be long enough for me to invoice $30K worth of services. I still don't know any of the details of how this relationship would work, other than it would be a contract. My concern is that Rogers has screwed me before with "internal candidates". Do I risk forgoing a steady contract with benefits to do something that's sound leading edge and exciting. Again, I'm getting ahead of myself. I really can't make any decisions until I meet with Scotiabank on Friday and hear the details of what the opportunity/s is/are there. The contract position with Rogers really interests me but it could also really screw up my EI claim.
Speaking of EI. Filed my claim online. It's confusing. The government really needs help in writing straight-forward explanations. I think I filed it properly - ended up including my Bell Aliant info as well since I couldn't quite figure out if I needed to or not. Better safe than sorry. Mailed in both ROE's for processing. They say I'll know the results of my claim within 28 days. That delay may work in my favour if I decide to go the contract route with Rogers - assuming that option is still available next week.
That's it for today. Didn't have time to start my exercise routine. Ah, it's better to start on a Monday anyways, or so I tell myself. I'm still hooked on The Mentalist so I continue to get caught up on missed episodes. Only one or two more to go.
And now it's time for, well, you know.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Day 8
A good day. My Scotiabank contact came through - an e-mail followed by a call. I'm meeting him on Friday morning. He tells me there's actually two positions to be filled, one of which isn't even posted yet. We'll meet to discuss which might be the better fit. I'm excited but don't want to get my hopes up. What if neither is a fit.
Next up - my meeting with Rogers. The Starbucks is too crowded so we head back to his office. He gives me a brief synopsis of this "new organization within an organization". A Canadian version of Hulu and then some. The conversation was only a half hour but I liked what I heard and I hope he did too. He's young, but as my friend said, very sharp and astute. I could work for him, but I'm getting ahead of myself. We conclude with him saying he will go about setting up formal interviews with his colleagues, but he also wants me to consider starting on contract - immediately?
I sent my thank you e-mail and received an almost immediate response. Position/s will formally be posted - ugh- formality, but he will start arranging interviews next week. He really wants me to give some more thought to starting on contract next week. I told him that that is what I needed to give more thought to - I don't have a GST number and contract work really screws with my EI claim. He asked for a rate. Off the top of my head I gave him $100/hr (negotiable) plus expenses. Easier and cheaper to just bring me on full-time and I told him so. Let's see what action this brings.
I'm in a quandary. The Rogers opportunity seems more exciting and more up my alley, but I don't know enough details about the Scotiabank opportunity to make any rash decisions. A bank is stable and I have experience with this one. The last time I worked on contract there it included benefits. The salary range might be a bit low. Hmmm. I have nothing confirmed from Rogers, so again, I'm getting ahead of myself. Things happen for a reason so I'll just have to wait and see how things play out. Grrrrr.
It's that time again, but first another streaming episode of The Mentalist. I need to catch up.
Next up - my meeting with Rogers. The Starbucks is too crowded so we head back to his office. He gives me a brief synopsis of this "new organization within an organization". A Canadian version of Hulu and then some. The conversation was only a half hour but I liked what I heard and I hope he did too. He's young, but as my friend said, very sharp and astute. I could work for him, but I'm getting ahead of myself. We conclude with him saying he will go about setting up formal interviews with his colleagues, but he also wants me to consider starting on contract - immediately?
I sent my thank you e-mail and received an almost immediate response. Position/s will formally be posted - ugh- formality, but he will start arranging interviews next week. He really wants me to give some more thought to starting on contract next week. I told him that that is what I needed to give more thought to - I don't have a GST number and contract work really screws with my EI claim. He asked for a rate. Off the top of my head I gave him $100/hr (negotiable) plus expenses. Easier and cheaper to just bring me on full-time and I told him so. Let's see what action this brings.
I'm in a quandary. The Rogers opportunity seems more exciting and more up my alley, but I don't know enough details about the Scotiabank opportunity to make any rash decisions. A bank is stable and I have experience with this one. The last time I worked on contract there it included benefits. The salary range might be a bit low. Hmmm. I have nothing confirmed from Rogers, so again, I'm getting ahead of myself. Things happen for a reason so I'll just have to wait and see how things play out. Grrrrr.
It's that time again, but first another streaming episode of The Mentalist. I need to catch up.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Day 7
After a weekend reprieve from blogging, I guess you could say it's now officially a week since I was laid off last Monday. A new week and I'm now trying to structure a daily routine.
Being laid off allows me the luxury of sleeping in - a bit. I set the alarm to wake me at 8:20 a.m. but usually don't attempt to get out of bed until I feel the heat start up. Then the routine starts - make my bed, get washed up, coffee, war paint, get dressed. The pace is slow and before I know it, it's 11 a.m. The rest of the day is e-mail, networking on and offline, researching for meetings and of course, searching for a job.
Today probably wasn't the most productive day. It started off with a surprise call from a former Globe and Mail colleague. We figured it has been almost 13 years since we both worked at PointCast Canada. It was nice spending some time catching up. She gave me some advice about a start-up she is consulting for - bTrendie.com. I had connected with the President, through a old eBay Canada contact, about some possible marketing opportunities. She tells me the start-up is still in the early stages and nothing is likely to happen, marketing-wise, for another couple of months. And of course, they have very little money. Time to move on to other things.
Put a call in to my friend at Scotiabank to see if she had any leads about a contract opportunity. I followed-up directly with some old colleagues; hopefully it will lead to my resume landing at the top of the hiring manager's pile.
The afternoon went by quicker than it would have if I had still been working, if you can believe that. Gulped down a Campbell's Soup-in-Hand and received another surprise call from a former Bell colleague - she's currently on mat leave. Spent an hour getting caught up on the Bell Aliant goings-on and all of my former colleagues who have since joined me on the unemployment line. We're going to do lunch once she gets settled into her parents house - likely towards the end of the month.
Late afternoon and most of the evening was spent looking through the online job boards. Nothing new.
The unproductive part of my day was spent looking for online episodes of The Mentalist, my newest obsession. Clips and highlights everywhere, but no full episodes anywhere. I searched high and low - YouTube, Joost, Hulu, TV.com, CBS.com; I was even willing to pay to download an episode from iTunes. Nothing. I finally found a site that is illegally streaming full episodes which I'm watching even as I type this.
Tomorrow, I'm meeting with my financial analyst and have an information meeting that I'm hoping might lead to something. I'm seriously considering offering my services pro bono for the opportunity to make a contribution to the development of a "new organization" we're going to discuss. Let's see how the meeting goes first.
And now for my tea with cheese and crackers.
Being laid off allows me the luxury of sleeping in - a bit. I set the alarm to wake me at 8:20 a.m. but usually don't attempt to get out of bed until I feel the heat start up. Then the routine starts - make my bed, get washed up, coffee, war paint, get dressed. The pace is slow and before I know it, it's 11 a.m. The rest of the day is e-mail, networking on and offline, researching for meetings and of course, searching for a job.
Today probably wasn't the most productive day. It started off with a surprise call from a former Globe and Mail colleague. We figured it has been almost 13 years since we both worked at PointCast Canada. It was nice spending some time catching up. She gave me some advice about a start-up she is consulting for - bTrendie.com. I had connected with the President, through a old eBay Canada contact, about some possible marketing opportunities. She tells me the start-up is still in the early stages and nothing is likely to happen, marketing-wise, for another couple of months. And of course, they have very little money. Time to move on to other things.
Put a call in to my friend at Scotiabank to see if she had any leads about a contract opportunity. I followed-up directly with some old colleagues; hopefully it will lead to my resume landing at the top of the hiring manager's pile.
The afternoon went by quicker than it would have if I had still been working, if you can believe that. Gulped down a Campbell's Soup-in-Hand and received another surprise call from a former Bell colleague - she's currently on mat leave. Spent an hour getting caught up on the Bell Aliant goings-on and all of my former colleagues who have since joined me on the unemployment line. We're going to do lunch once she gets settled into her parents house - likely towards the end of the month.
Late afternoon and most of the evening was spent looking through the online job boards. Nothing new.
The unproductive part of my day was spent looking for online episodes of The Mentalist, my newest obsession. Clips and highlights everywhere, but no full episodes anywhere. I searched high and low - YouTube, Joost, Hulu, TV.com, CBS.com; I was even willing to pay to download an episode from iTunes. Nothing. I finally found a site that is illegally streaming full episodes which I'm watching even as I type this.
Tomorrow, I'm meeting with my financial analyst and have an information meeting that I'm hoping might lead to something. I'm seriously considering offering my services pro bono for the opportunity to make a contribution to the development of a "new organization" we're going to discuss. Let's see how the meeting goes first.
And now for my tea with cheese and crackers.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Day 4
Seems I always get around to this at the end of the day, just when I DON'T feel like doing this. I almost feel compelled to write a little something. Part of it has to do with a word of advice I received from one of my mass e-mail contacts - he wouldn't considering hiring anyone in marketing who wasn't active online i.e., no blog, no job. While I admit that I never would have started this blog without those words of wisdom, some aspects of being active online just aren't me. I'm not really a Twitter-er, mostly because none of my friends Twitter. Yes, it's a Facebook world in my universe of friends. The other part, I guess, is the routine of updating my daily travails in finding a new job.
Today was pretty much the same as yesterday. Went through my e-mail and tried to re-connect with some old contacts. I find most of the job boards don't update their job listings until the end of the day, so I don't usually start my online job search routine until late afternoon. Today it was early evening before I started, even though it's a Friday. Yes, I have no life!
I did a bit of research in preparation for my meeting on Tuesday. Saturday is usually my non-PC day, so you may not hear from me. I've printed off enough articles to keep me busy reading and then tomorrow night is my niece's birthday dinner. It will be a nice distraction from job hunting.
Signing off now for my usual tea with cheese and crackers. Maybe I'll watch a video tonight just to mix it up a bit! Whoo hoo.
Today was pretty much the same as yesterday. Went through my e-mail and tried to re-connect with some old contacts. I find most of the job boards don't update their job listings until the end of the day, so I don't usually start my online job search routine until late afternoon. Today it was early evening before I started, even though it's a Friday. Yes, I have no life!
I did a bit of research in preparation for my meeting on Tuesday. Saturday is usually my non-PC day, so you may not hear from me. I've printed off enough articles to keep me busy reading and then tomorrow night is my niece's birthday dinner. It will be a nice distraction from job hunting.
Signing off now for my usual tea with cheese and crackers. Maybe I'll watch a video tonight just to mix it up a bit! Whoo hoo.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Day 3
I just realized I don't have to put the date 'cause it's posted automatically with each post. Duh. It's the end of the day and I'm tired; almost didn't feel like blogging but it's kinda therapeutic. It's tiring looking for a full time job. So you get to sleep in an extra hour, but you don't want to get into the habit of sleeping in.
Woke to alot of e-mails waiting for me on my Blackberry. A referral from an old friend came through and now I've got a meeting on Tuesday. Lots of homework and reading to do over the weekend, but it keeps me invigorated. The glass is half full, the glass is half full.
A late morning doctor's appointment and refilling as many prescriptions as possible before my benefits run out, took up the latter part of the morning and noon hour. My pharmacist tells me I had a crappy drug plan but I guess I don't have to worry about that any more.
More e-mails, online networking i.e., Linking In with new contacts, and an end-of-the day appointment with my Dermatologist.
Spent the evening online scouring the job boards inbetween watching Smallville and Supernatural. I cried when Clark and Lana realized they could never be together. Kept channel switching with 30 Rock at 9:30 - John Hamm - yummy. Anyways, I digress. I saw a couple of iffy positions and WTF, I applied for them anyways. I figured that each company should have the appropriate filters in place to screen me out if I'm over-qualified.
Tomorrow is another day. I'll do some more research in preparation for my meeting on Tuesday. Right now, it's off for some tea and crackers with cheese. Do I sound like an old lady or what!
Woke to alot of e-mails waiting for me on my Blackberry. A referral from an old friend came through and now I've got a meeting on Tuesday. Lots of homework and reading to do over the weekend, but it keeps me invigorated. The glass is half full, the glass is half full.
A late morning doctor's appointment and refilling as many prescriptions as possible before my benefits run out, took up the latter part of the morning and noon hour. My pharmacist tells me I had a crappy drug plan but I guess I don't have to worry about that any more.
More e-mails, online networking i.e., Linking In with new contacts, and an end-of-the day appointment with my Dermatologist.
Spent the evening online scouring the job boards inbetween watching Smallville and Supernatural. I cried when Clark and Lana realized they could never be together. Kept channel switching with 30 Rock at 9:30 - John Hamm - yummy. Anyways, I digress. I saw a couple of iffy positions and WTF, I applied for them anyways. I figured that each company should have the appropriate filters in place to screen me out if I'm over-qualified.
Tomorrow is another day. I'll do some more research in preparation for my meeting on Tuesday. Right now, it's off for some tea and crackers with cheese. Do I sound like an old lady or what!
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