Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Day 40 – Warn Notice – reprieve, sort of

Well it is Day forty, though I noticed that we get few days of reprieve.  The numbers don’t work out.  Boeing likes to give warn notices on Friday so people have the weekend to think about it and not go ballistic in the office.  Thinking back to my emotional state on Saturday after finding out, I can understand this.  Having no idea why, maybe it the same one or maybe makes it easier or cheaper for them to have our employment end on Friday, hence the day April 23rd for our lay off. The final outcome of this is that we end up with 63 days of warning instead of the 60 as advertised.   However it is figured, there are now 23 more days to go.

Didn’t search a whole lot today, but there were two jobs of interest in Boeing, and one job at Microsoft that I applied for.  That is more successful than most days. 

Some of the overall pressured was relieved in my situation today.  My wife, who hasn’t been working in order to stay at home for the children has successfully interviewed and decided to accept a position.  We have been in pretty good shape financially, but this will make it easier over the longer run.  This will also mean another big pot of change being brewed up, as we figure out how to get things done around the house with all the changes that will be happening.

As I covered in yesterday’s blog,  I created a new LinkedIn group called April 23rd Networkers dedicated as a networking resource for the people being laid off in this wave.  Today there are 14 registered members in the group.  This is a great start.

In searching for a group icon I came across this:

I love the bright colors and the idea of celebration, but in the end I decided on the Butterfly.  The Butterfly is a traditional totem of transformation and this is a journey of transformation:








Tomorrow: Search and Apply, hopefully finding at least two more jobs to apply for.

I have to say that it isn’t about making a certain number; it is about being consistent in searching, and applying for the jobs that match what I can do, and what I would like to do.

 inSite Group                                54
Jobs applied for:                           30
Rejections:                                   10
Job Posting withdrawn:                   1
Interviews:                                     1

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Day 39 – Warn Notice – April 23rd Networkers

Another day of no news, I’m anxious to hear the response from my interview.  It has been over 3 weeks.  My mind keeps going back to it.  I guess I just need to learn how to be more patient.

The biggest event of the day was getting the inSite group together for a telecon today.  It was the first meeting and about 14 people attended.  Notes were published and sent out to the larger group.  It was good conversation, with some information shared that some hadn’t heard yet.  And others with additional perspectives were able to add information.

We talked about creating a LinkedIn group so people can continue to network after our layoff date.  I actual made this group already; naming it the April 23rd Networkers.  I was also asked to put on a LinkedIn training session, which I’m happy to do.  We also talked about the Boeing Alumni group that is on LinkedIn, so I went out and joined this group also.

I'm happy that I made it to exercise again today this morning before work.

Tomorrow: Searching and applying.

No changes in the numbers today, so I will leave them off.

Monday, March 29, 2010

Day 37 & 38 Warn Notice – Just thinking

Two days today instead of just one.  Missed yesterday and thought I would add it on to today.  I spent most of the day doing other things (like watching Duke earn their spot in the final four).

One of the problems with my searches is getting so many job possibilities that there is no way to get through them all.  I have been limited searches as much as I can, like using only jobs that have been posted in the last 24 hours.  Searching on terms like change management creates a problem in that it brings up every management position as well as any job with the word change in it and this creates a list of positions that is impossible to get through.  Yesterday I learned that if I put this in quotes as “Change Management” then it brings up only those jobs with the whole phrase.  This has helped quite a bit, I have several of these phrases—one having the word development in it that brings up hoards of software development jobs.  Learning to use quotes to limit the searches further  was a big learning yesterday.  In the process, I found one job that I’m interested in applying for, though I haven’t gotten to it yet.

Also yesterday, I started thinking about what all I need to do to be prepared for life after Boeing.  Thinking about what type of computing equipment and software I will need.  What other things like cleaning out my desk and get my personal affects brought home.  I also have personal information on my work computer that I would like to save.  I will need to get a new mobile phone (need to do this before losing the Boeing discounts).

I have been exclusively using a gmail account for job searching related activities.  This is account is listed on my resume.  I also have a Google Voice account, this allows me a private phone number supplied by Google that I can use for free calling across the US and can forward to any physical phone I want.  When someone calls my number it rings on all my phones not just one.  So I can have it forward to my home phone and my mobile.  When I leave Boeing, I will need to change mobile phones, but the number on my resume will stay current.  I have also been getting my Google calendar ready to be used more.  I guess it is ready, I just getting my head around what this means and what I need to do to make it ready.

I have some other smaller things that I have listed that need to be completed.  I also have to sign up for cobra about two weeks before my layoff date—I think this is the Friday after next.

Today, I was using what I learned yesterday in my searching.  I now have 11 companies that I search directly on their job sites.  Today I found 4 or 5 jobs that I want to take another look at and possibly apply for.  I have 8 aggregators that I use that I have not gotten through yet, but I pick one and see how far I get.  Like today I used Simply Hired (which is my favorite) I got 82 jobs listed I the last 24 hours to sift through.  This is great it has been like 5 to 8 hundred.  I was able to go through the 80 job quickly and I think I picked 4 that I wanted to read through and get more information.  In this process, I decided to add AT&T to my search list and found 3 positions to look more closely at.  And then I notice that several of the job where coming from a place call JobFox.   So I added my resume to this place. 

It turns out that JobFox has a free service and then they have a pay for service area.  After I entered my resume it asked a lot of questions to determine more information.  I’m not sure of the service, after answering the questions they provide a list of jobs.  Some of these were way off, and based on a job history of 15 years ago.   So my feelings of this site are mixed right now.  If I can adjust the information that they have and make it more relevant to my job history then I think it will be good.  If not, then I may have hurt myself by entering my resume on the site because of the erroneous jobs that it is linking me up to.

Over the last week or so the amount of exercise that I have been getting has been dwindling, so I have recommitted to keeping this up.  Today, I got up early and went to the “Y” before work.  :)   I hope to continue this—which means I have to get myself to bed at a decent hour.

No change in the job numbers though the inSite group went up by one.  Tomorrow, having a virtual meeting with others that have received their warn notices.  About 10 people have indicated they want to attend.  The whole inSite group is invited.  It will be interesting to see how many people call in.

Tomorrow: Prep for meeting, check out the positions I have waiting in job queues.

 inSite Group                                53
Jobs applied for:                           27
Rejections:                                    7
Job Posting withdrawn:                   1
Interviews:                                    1

Group went up by one.

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Day 36 -Warn Notice- another day down

Good day searching, found two jobs to apply for.  One at Google and one at F5.  Didn’t spend much time on searching, I was outside mowing my lawn by 11:30. I did bit more searching later as I watched the Basket ball games; though I was only half heartedly looking and didn’t find anything worthwhile.

Early on I took a trip to the library and picked up a huge stack of books.  I decided to send them back today and thought I would share a little  on the that I thought were the best:

The number one guide for updating my resume was from the seminar help in Boeing.  After the seminar this book is what I used the most to get my resume into shape.   High Impact Resumes and Letters: How to Communicate ...

I used this next book as a general reference while working on my resume, information in interviews and searching.  Knock 'em Dead 2009: The Ultimate Job Search Guide ...

Great reference as I started moving into the internet job searching.  Good reference.  The Ultimate Job Search: Intelligent Strategies to Get ...

One of the standards, this book has a lot of information.  In addition to the section call finding a job that covers what most of the other books also cover, it has a large section on finding a life dealing with issues of getting really clear about what you want in life, not just a job.  What Color Is Your Parachute? 2010: A Practical Manual ...

Tomorrow: Search some more in the morning
 inSite Group                                52
Jobs applied for:                           27
Rejections:                                    7
Job Posting withdrawn:                   1
Interviews:                                    1
Job Applied for continues to grow nicely.  Hopefully the interview field will start to increase.

Friday, March 26, 2010

Day 35 – Warn Notice – A dip in the road

Didn’t seem like I got anything done today or at least it didn’t seem that I worked at it very hard.

I went into the office, cleared out some of my desk items, and reviewed some of the awards that I have received over the years.  This process of review spanned the time at the office and later at home as I examined the certificates and added them to my portfolio.  There was something about this process that left me melancholy.  Somehow thinking about accomplishments and the people that I had teamed with to do those accomplishments caused me to reminisce over my time at Boeing.

I did apply for a couple jobs at Boeing today, but I didn’t search outside.  And I started thinking about what other things that I need to get done before leaving Boeing.  Getting the rest of my stuff from the office; getting set up computer wise; getting insurance set up; and thinking about what other things I need to. 

Part of this melancholy is because it has been three weeks since I had the interview and I haven’t heard anything one way or the other.    This has been on my mind; even though I know that it is still within a reasonable time frame for a response.   I believe that I will hear one way or the other; I’m just not being very patient.   

Tomorrow:  Searching and catching up on emails.

 inSite Group                                52
Jobs applied for:                           25
Rejections:                                    7
Job Posting withdrawn:                   1
Interviews:                                    1

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Day 34 – Warn Notice – Information Interview

Part of the day was spent getting ready for my first informational interview with a gentleman from Price Waterhouse Coopers.  A friend of mine set this up with a friend of his.  Nervous going into this because I really didn’t have any idea what to expect.  I was very grateful when I heard about the possibility to talk to someone from PWC, and even more grateful after talking to him. 

He was very gracious, straight forward and much more giving than expected.  He has already forwarded my resume to one of his team members; and he is willing to meet with me again in month, (at his suggestion).  He has also offered to be a reference within PWC and to provide introductions.
 
One goof on my part, I had asked for a ½ hour meeting, so as we closed in on the ½ hour I was trying to close the meeting thinking I was starting to encroach on his time; worried I was making him late for his next meeting.  He kept asking questions which I answered and then we finally broke up the meeting about 45 minutes into it.  Then I saw on the calendar that his OA had actually set up the meeting for an hour.  In my thank you note, I explained my mistake.

Learning a lot in the interview, I came away excited to look at jobs at PWC where going in I didn’t have a open mind to the possibilities.

Yesterday’s blog went down the bunny trail of social networking.  This area is important in the job search and may be important in my next job because it is an area where I have passion.  This morning I was sent a link which links to a great article from the wall street journal on the same subject, well worth checking out: Facebook generation vs the fortune 500.

These 12 work-relevant characteristics of online life represent changes that are taking place in the workplace.   These are being driven by technology and the ability of younger workers to more readily accept and leverage the changes.  As a more mature person entering the job market after a long time, I need to consider how I can leverage these same technological changes to make myself more valuable.

I also received another great link today.  This one was to a video, which takes about 15 minutes to listen to.  Which is a lot of time, but I highly recommend that you listen to it.  The video is called “Changing Your Happiness Baseline” and is on the topic is on Positive Psychology or study of what makes people happy.  It talks about how performance can be improved over 50% just by doing simple exercises. 

Here are six simple areas for improving your happiness baseline:
   Gratitude (In morning write down 5 things you are grateful for)
   Journaling (Just 3 minutes on a positive experience)
   Simplify vrs. multitasking (Focus on one thing and get more done)
   Utilizing your strengths   (Define your strengths and use them)
   Exercise (Just Do it)
   Meditation (Concentrate on your breath)

Doing the gratitude exercise in the morning will show effects all day.  Do it for 21 days and the positive effects will last for 6 months.  Journaling for 3 minutes a day improves your immune system and reduces doctor visits by 50%. Exercise is as powerful a medicine as taking anti-depressants.  All of these benefits are easily achieved and can make a big difference in your job search and life.  Learn these and more in the video.

Is it worth 15 minutes?  Check it out here: Changing your Happiness Baseline

Here is what I’m grateful for today:
   My wife and kids
   My friends (and their friends)
   The goodness and charity of people
   The notes of encouragement, thankfulness, ideas, and empathy
   Unbelievably, this process of career change

I just pray that I feel the same way in 10 months on the last one.

Tomorrow: resume search

 inSite Group                                52
Jobs applied for:                           23
Rejections:                                    7
Job Posting withdrawn:                   1
Interviews:                                    1

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Day 33 – Warn Notice – studying

Tomorrow I have an information interview with a prospective employer.  The purpose is to discuss if my skills could be a match for them.  If yes, then there may be more steps taken.

Not quite sure what I should be studying, I looked at the company website and downloaded a few of PDF’s to read.  I also found some corresponding material from other areas and looked at those.  I still have quite a bit of reading to do to be prepared.  I’m worried that this will be a waste of time, since it took me away from searching and applying for other positions, at the same time I'm a bit nervous about how to go about having this conversation, and excited about possibility finding a position.

Should be able to catch up on the searching on Friday, and it isn’t about who gets their application in first, it is about who comes across as the best qualified.  There seems to be more questioning about what's the right thing to be doing.  This is a whitewater learning experience, there are some principles or guidelines, but it is pretty much feeling around in the dark as you go and determining what the best next step is and d it.

Also today, I attended a couple of community of practice meetings; I didn’t say much, but I want to stay connected with these communities.  It’s strange to be so consciously about staying connected with people, this is new for me.  This is a lesson that I think is worth learning.   The more I learn about communities and networking, the more powerful these are for our future.  Not just the FaceBooks and LinkedIn of today, but the next generation of these, ones that promote deeper and wider ranging connections and collaboration.  I’m also becoming very intrigued with the notion of virtual worlds, and how these will come into the main stream.

Tomorrow: More interview prep, interview, and then searching.
 inSite Group                                52
Jobs applied for:                           23
Rejections:                                    7
Job Posting withdrawn:                   1
Interviews:                                    1

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Day 32 – Warn Notice – Fixing my process

Today was more of the same, but different. because I started getting a handle on my process.

Last night I stayed up late designing a spreadsheet to help guide my searching.  This spreadsheet has three sections.  The first one is for companies that you want to search (Boeing, Microsoft etc.).  The second section is to hold job aggregators that you want to visit (like linked In, Simply hired, or Craig’s list).  The third section is just to hold any special search terms that a person is trying to use on all sites.  This allows you to quickly copy and paste this into search boxes.

To use the spreadsheet, you put in the name of the companies/ aggregators, links to their job sites, and then any special instructions for each one if needed .  There is a cell to enter the current time using the keystrokes ctrl shift: and another cell for the ending time that uses the same keystrokes.  Then the amount of time is calculated for how much time was spent on the site.  There is another cell to add in the results.  So far I’m working with the following format j4/r2/a1 which would mean four jobs came up, I read two jobs and applied for one.  There is also a column to put in special instructions for the site.

I have found that I’m coming up with a lot of accounts and passwords.  I’m trying to use the same account and password on everything, but they have different rules so you can’t.  To help me remember, I have added comments to the company name cell.  In this comment I put the account name and password, then I just have to mouse over the name to get the account information.

I built this spreadsheet because I wanted to get a sense of few things.  Am I getting to all the sites I want to on a regular basis.  What is the return on investment for the sites that I am visiting?  How much of my time is spent searching? And how much is wasted on other activities?  Do I really need to go to companies if the aggregators are finding the same jobs (thought I could comment on this)?

The first tab in the workbook is called template and the daily process is to copy the template and then rename it to the current date.  You add or subtract information from the template so that it always has the most current search information.  As you get ready to visit a site add the current time in the start column (ctrl shift : ) and then click on the URL.  Upon return enter the ending time.  The sheet automatically figures elapsed time.

Today using this gave me a much better appreciation for how much time I am spending on what.  I could see what I was getting done and how I was losing time during the day. This awareness will allow me to become more focused on the highest valued time spent job searching.  At least that is my theory.  

If you would like to see if the spreadsheet will work for you check out this link: Job Search Sheets.  You can look at it here or download it and play with.  If you make improvements, which I hope you do, can you shoot me a copy?  I will then make the new version available.

Today, I found two jobs to apply for.  The first was at Boeing and the second was at Expedia travel.  I later had second thoughts on the Expedia job, feeling I was under qualified for the job.  I will take another look at this position in the morning.

I haven’t heard anything back from any of my other applications including the job I interviewed with.  I have an information interview coming up on Thursday, due to the efforts of a friend of mine getting me an introduction.  I also will be having another information interview next week with a friend of mine because the company she works for is expanding.   These are both hopeful activities.

Tomorrow: boning up for my interview on Thursday, job searching – find two positions to apply for.

 inSite Group                                53
Jobs applied for:                           23
Rejections:                                    7
Job Posting withdrawn:                   1
Interviews:                                    1

Monday, March 22, 2010

Day 31 Warn Notice – In the Grind

Began the second half of the 60 day warn period today.   I’m spending a lot of time in the searching, but I’m afraid the grind that I’m going through isn’t as productive as it could be.  I need to start paying attention to how much time and effort I’m spending on each task.  It is easy to go to one company and spend quite a bit of time and then leave with no job applications entered.  I need to apply my process knowledge and then my process improvement knowledge to speed up the value of my process.

It was another day with nothing to apply for at Boeing.   I’m going to move this search to the end of the day.  It seems that jobs can appear at any time and instead of going in a few times a day, I might as well just look once.  

Found a job at Microsoft and applied for it today.  It looks like it would be a good job that would use my skills well.

Thought this quote that I found today was applicable to the job searching:
             “Be absolutely determined to enjoy what you do.”  Gerry Sikorski

Tomorrow: Improve search process; find 2 jobs to apply for.

 inSite Group                                53
Jobs applied for:                           22
Rejections:                                    7
Job Posting withdrawn:                   1
Interviews:                                    1

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Day 30 Warn Notice – Keeping my eye on the ball

Thirty of the sixty days have come and passed.  Only thirty more days to go. 

When I learned to juggle it was about paying attention to the balls in the air.  Your hands will go to the proper place if you can see the arc of the ball.  The balls that I’m throwing into the air now are job applications.  They are harder to pay attention too because they float in the ether for a while, and maybe you get a call back to set up an interview or the ball just disappears without a sound.  I keep trying to throw more and more balls up into the air so that I see the arc coming down.  The hope is that my brain will have enough time to get in position for the catch.

Today, put my resume on a couple more jobs sites, looked at many, many job postings and ended up not applying to any.  I also pulled on a friend for some information about their company.  My searching is getting more refined.  Will try using one or two standard search phrases and look how at how they compare in bringing up good jobs.

I don’t know how I am to keep my eye on the job searching ball when the Basket ball is being tossed around at March madness.  I had one eye on my searches and one eye on the games, both sides probably suffered from partial attention.

Today I have felt calm and tired; I thought I would be more worried at the half way point but I’m not.

Tomorrow:  Apply for one or two positions, start creating a searching order, and call for an information interview.

Numbers – No change today.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Day 29 – Warn Notice – Aye, Aye Captain

Happy to find two jobs that I felt qualified enough to apply for today.  The first one was for a manager’s job at Boeing—not sure if this is a good strategy, thought I would expand my search to include management jobs.  The second job is one which I am excited about, it is working with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.  I have a lot of respect for the mission and the accomplishments that this organization is having.  This would be a great way to give back for all the blessings that I have enjoyed my whole life. 

Since my numbers get reported each day here, I have been feeling a bit anxious that the numbers have not changing fast enough and I felt pressed to show progress.  The Gate's application took extra long because it was the first cover letter I have written, I expect the next one won’t be so hard.

Last night we went to the movie Invictus.  If you haven’t seen it I would highly recommend it.  It is playing at the Crest for $3 here in the Seattle area.  It is the story of Nelson Mandela and the South African Ruby team and their quest to win the World Rugby Cup.  It is a story of courage and leadership. 

In the movie, the poem Invictus by William Ernest Henley was cited as a poem the Madela use as a guide in his darkest time.  When I got home I looked up the poem and read the words, and can feel the power that they must have brought this man who was in jail for so long.  I hope by sharing them here you may also feel the power:

    Invictus
            by William Ernest Henley


    Out of the night that covers me,
    Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
    I thank whatever gods may be
    For my unconquerable soul.

    In the fell clutch of circumstance
    I have not winced nor cried aloud.
    Under the bludgeonings of chance
    My head is bloody, but unbowed.

    Beyond this place of wrath and tears
    Looms but the Horror of the shade,
    And yet the menace of the years
    Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

    It matters not how strait the gate,
    How charged with punishments the scroll.
    I am the master of my fate:
    I am the captain of my soul.

I am the master of my fate.  I am the captain of my soul.  Those are powerful words.  I can see how these would have been helpful to Mandela.  They are helpful to me—they help me feel more powerful and put me in control of my destiny.

 inSite Group                                53
Jobs applied for:                           21
Rejections:                                    7
Job Posting withdrawn:                   1
Interviews:                                    1 

Day 28 Warn Notice – Which Wolves

In yesterday’s blog, the emergence of the pang took center stage.  There is something therapeutic in paying attention to what is happening in the body.   My belief is that the unconscious mind talks to us through emotions and that these emotions can be located through our body.  The act of being in the moment and paying attention somehow releases the energy that gets bound into these emotions.

The feeling of the pang was absent today, it may not be gone.  I’m certain that the fear of time running out and my time with Boeing coming to an end will arise again.  I believe it will arise in the same fashion, as the pang that I describe yesterday.  If I am too preoccupied it will grow and may surpass what I felt and turn into something larger and different.  If noticed early and attended to, then at that point then it will begin to recede.  It really is that simple.

The magic of writing each day is that it gives me a few minutes to stop and ponder about what went on today and how it showed up emotionally.  This wouldn’t have to be shared with the world to be effective, though I believe it does have to be heartfelt and authentic to have any therapeutic power.

My hope for today was to find a good job lead.  I was blessed with two.  The first is a position with the Gates Foundation.  This organization has caught my heart because of the good work that they do.  I don’t like that my current employ supports the defense business, so working for a company like the Gates Foundation has quite a bit of appeal.  I found this position in my regular searches, so I think I might be getting the hang of this. 

Writing is not easy for me, and for it to be good takes a lot of time.  This type of writing is relatively easy, and I know it could be much better if I spent more time editing and polishing my writing.  This is nothing like writing a cover letter.  These take me forever and the harder I work at it the more mistakes I make.   I spent a good chunk of the day writing or thinking about writing a cover letter to send to the Gates Foundation and I still have more work to do on it.

The second lead was received in a call from a dear friend.  And this will result in a information interview sometime next week.  Thank you friend. :)  I have been studying community building and social networking for the last year and have been amazed and the power of what I was studying.  And at the same time, I had no concept of my own network.  Receiving this warn notice is just what I needed in order to understand what I was learning, to understand the my network is of the greatest importance.  And not just in troubled times.  My gratefulness grows with each day.

I know this seems like the reverse of what I said about the paying attention above.  It has to do with how you feed it.  By not letting yourself get sucked into the negative emotion your dissipate it.  The same happens with positive emotions, if we don’t let ourselves get pulled into it, it will dissipate also.  My appreciation and gratefulness is growing because I am letting myself get pulled in.

The Cherokee have a story call the two wolves that goes like this:

A Grandfather from the Cherokee Nation was talking with his grandson.

"A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy.

"It is a terrible fight between two wolves."

The young grandson listened intently.

"One wolf is evil, unhappy, and ugly: He is anger, envy, war, greed, selfishness, sorrow, regret, guilt, resentment, inferiority/superiority, false pride, coarseness, and arrogance. He spreads lies, deceit, fear, hatred, blame, scarcity, poverty, and divisiveness."

"The other wolf is beautiful and good: He is friendly, joyful, loving, worthy, serene, humble, kind, benevolent, just, fair, empathetic, generous, honest, compassionate, grateful, brave, and inspiring resting wholeheartedly in deep vision beyond ordinary wisdom."

The grandson paused in deep reflection of what his grandfather had just said. Then he exclaimed; "Oyee! (in recognition).

Grandfather continued; "This same fight is going on inside you, and inside all human beings as well."

The grandson paused in deep reflection and recognition of what his grandfather had just said. Then he finally cried out deeply; "Oyee! Grandfather, which wolf will win this horrific war?"

The elder Cherokee replied, "The wolf that you feed. That wolf will surely win!"

Which wolves are you feeding in your life?  And how is that working for you?

Tomorrow: Finish up my cover letter and research.

 inSite Group                                53
Jobs applied for:                           19
Rejections:                                    7
Job Posting withdrawn:                   1
Interviews:                                    1

All the positions I applied for at Boeing are closed to new applications.  I’m sure they have invited the people for interviews already.  I’m considering the chance of getting an interview with any of them now at 0%.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Day 27 – Warn Notice – Pangs

Today, I asked people about being my formal references.  Asking others isn’t my natural way of being.  I’m more comfortable giving than receiving—I love to give.  Asking makes me uncomfortable and at the same I am honored in people’s respond; people generally respond much better and faster than I expected.  Two responded almost immediately out of the three asked.  The third person, often  takes a while to respond because he is so busy.

I was able to get back to Amazon.com and review the resume entered yesterday.  It looked fine.  AT&T ‘s program that was especially bad at sucking my resume in, ended up spending a lot of time trying to reformat it; went back to review it and it still looks terrible.  They also ask for salary history, which I don’t want to give.  Feel that gives them a leg up if we get around to negotiating salary; I guess I could inflate everything.   What I am doing is just avoiding them; maybe I’ll change my mind if they advertise the perfect job.

Part two of my article for Leverage Points Blog was published today.   You can check it out here: Part 2 relationships.  I gotten a few comments back from the first article, always love to hear from people to understand if I'm on the right track or off in a ditch somewhere.

Over the last few days there has been a slight pang that has been brewing in the back on my mind.  It has taken a while to isolate it and then to figure out what it is.  It feels like the beginning of a scream, before it ever happens, but this is way before that.  It has an edge of panic to it.  As I have been trying to grasp at what this was,  my attention kept going back to the day number.   This is the 27th day since receiving the notice. Sunday will be the 30th.  Half my time is near being used up.  This is the growing worry that my time is quickly falling inside the hour glass and there is no way I can stop it.

I haven’t felt this often, but the feeling seems to be growing both in frequency and strength.  It is way back my mind, maybe a couple feet behind the edge of my skull, like a dim light in a tunnel, heading towards me.  It comes with questions of doubt and worry.  I feel the ticking of the days and a sense my forward progress is slowing; that my 22 year commitment to Boeing is slipping away.

When I relax and breathe, get exercise, and focus on the next step, this feeling disappears.

Tomorrow: Find a job to apply for.

 inSite Group                                53
Jobs applied for:                           19
Rejections:                                    7
Job Posting withdrawn:                   1
Interviews:                                     1

I haven’t found in internal jobs to apply for this week—have decided to look at first line management jobs as possibilities to apply for.   Also, I have come to the realization that the 9 of the 10 jobs that I haven’t heard from I won’t hear from.  These are Boeing jobs, the application period has closed, and I imagine that the 5 or 6 people have been called.    My resume, meanwhile,  is the in the half inch of remaining resumes that are held just in case all 6 of the picked candidates get hit by a freak twisters as they walk into the building for their interviews, not too likely.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

26 – Warn Notice – Luck of the Irish

Nothing bad happened, just more of the same. 

Still trying to understand the searching process—one search I did ended up with 122 screens of information.  Found several that were interesting, but none panned out in the end.   I spent a way too much time entering my resume into AT&T, Amazon and Monster—not sure if it is in right in any of them. 

Each place is different about what they want and how to input it, and so far none of them are easy or straight forward.  Unfortunately, there is no way around these; if you want to apply you have to use their system.  So far, I have learned that these are all bad and the requirement to have a text copy of your resume is hard and fast.

Slow going today.

Corn Beef and cabbage tonight.  It was great.

Tomorrow: Search again, check back with the places I entered resume at today.
 inSite Group                                52
Jobs applied for:                           19
Rejections:                                    6
Job Posting withdrawn:                   1
Interviews:                                     1 

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Day 25 – Warn Notice – resume frustration again

The is “resume” as in [ri zoom] or start again and “resume” as in [re sa may] the thing that I have been developing.  This time the frustration comes from trying to enter this into the job boards of the various companies.  I opened an account on Simply Hired today which threw me onto another site to enter resume called Taleo Talent Exchange.  The program at Taleo is just whacked.  It took many tries to of importing my resume and starting the cleanup process before I had even the slightest idea what was going on.  After a while I got the hang of it, and learned to ignore some of the wilder behavior of the program and the finished product looked pretty good.  This is supposed to make it so that companies can come and look for you and if you find a company that uses Taleo then applying is a breeze.  I think it is obvious, that no one that works for Taleo had to use their program to enter their resume.  Later I found that Startbucks Career Center uses Taleo for its jobs listing.

Still looking for the search criterion brings up only the jobs I am interested in.  This is just going to take some time.  I have saved couple searches in Simply Hired, one to view Gates Foundation jobs and one that uses a basket of search words and then looks for job in the area that have been posted in the last 24 hours.  When I ran this search I had 98 hits; out of this I found about 10 jobs that I was interested in reading the descriptions; and one that I applied for.  The target is to get the 98 down to about 30 interesting job titles.  When I returned to Simply Hired to get the URL it told me 42,000 new job had been registered since my last visit a few hours ago--I only need one.

Didn’t find any jobs to apply for inside Boeing today though I did applied for the first outside job.  An interested one appeared at Virginia Mason.  For a long time we have received our medical insurance through VM, and I have admired the progress at Lean that they have made in the last few years.   One doctor I see, we end up talking Lean for about 20 minutes with every visit.   At the VM job site, I had to input my resume one more time.  I also had to write my first cover letter.  I am blessed to have my wife to help edit my writing.

I published a national level article on the Leverage Point Blog today: Systems thinker deals with a layoff part I.  I wrote the article this weekend which turned out a bit long, so we decided to break it into two articles.  Part one talks about how the warn notice process beginning aligns to the grieving process.  Part two discusses relationships and networking; this will be published Thursday.  Both parts look at the layoff through the perspective of Systems Thinking, which Pegasus Communications is a noted leader in this area; I’m thrilled that Pegasus Communications is giving me this opportunity.

Tomorrow: Continue learning about search and hopefully apply for two jobs.


 inSite Group                                52
Jobs applied for:                           19
Rejections:                                    6
Job Posting withdrawn:                   1
Interviews:                                     1

Monday, March 15, 2010

Day 24 - Warn Notice – Searching

Today was focused on internet job searching.  There are many ways to find jobs out there.   I am  assuming that the ultimate technique will involve having a list of companies, job aggregator sites, and major job sites that I run through each day to find matches. 

From these matches I would need to possibly send a cover letter and resume, or depending on where the job is listed just apply electronically. 

According to one book 53% of internet jobs are found through directly linking to a company’s job site.  And there are thousands of these in the Seattle area.   Compiling a list of companies in the area, I will start with my most hopeful companies and figure out how much time I have to search and apply.

I’m also compiling a list of search terms to find the right terms that bring up the jobs that I’m interested in while minimizing the number of entries that I have to wade through.  This is going to take some learning on my part and is bound to be complicated by the use of different word in different companies for the type of job.  I figure after seeing a few thousand job postings, a feel for what ones apply to me should become apparent.

Tomorrow: Continue to build my search criteria and hopefully apply for jobs.

 inSite Group                                51
Jobs applied for:                           18
Rejections:                                    6
Job Posting withdrawn:                   1
Interviews:                                     1
No new internal jobs to apply for.

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Day 23 – Warn Notice – Family Day

Another day of rest, mostly, last night I started to search for jobs on LinkedIn, Craig’s list and the Gate’s foundation.  Started created links that I could put in my bookmarks so I could  return to them quickly.  I’m imagining that I will get to the point where every morning I am running through a list of sites looking for job hits.
 
When I asked for recommendations on LinkedIn, I received back an offer to write an article.  Thinking this would take a long time to complete, I started this late last night and ended upgetting so excited to see what I would write that I stayed up way late finishing it.  This morning I went back and did final edits.  We will see if they still want to publish it after they have a chance to read it.

Lifted weights at the Y today, attended an indoor soccer game of my daughter’s, talked to my son at college who we never hear from, and had a nice time watching the movie with my wife—it was family day.  We watched the Time Traveler’s Wife, which was a better movie than I was expecting.

I also have started a new book this weekend called The Big Leap: Conquer your hidden fear and take life to the next level.  It is about how our own limiting beliefs hold us back from what we are capable of.  This seems like the perfect time for this book to arrive in my life.  It is by Gay Hendricks, I’m less than a quarter of the way through and really excited to complete it.

Tomorrow:  Putting structure to my job search.

No changes in the numbers today.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Day 22 – warn Notice – whoa, put the brakes on

No literally, put the brakes on.  I didn’t do very much related to searching for a job today.  I put new rear brake pads on my Honda.  Otherwise, I have been taking a bit of a respite from job hunting today.  Just a little job search reading and little blogging, but this will be short.

This break is needed.  I have worked continuously since a couple days after getting the warn notice.   Starting early, ending late at night, these long days are burning me out, so today is a day of resting.  I also have been so focused on my resume and the interview this last week that I haven’t been exercising.  I just need to make myself exercise on a regular basis because I have so much more energy, achieve more, and feel so much better when I do.

While job searching is on the front burner activity, I have also been thinking about any additional medical or dental needs that I should be getting done before lay off.  One I’m considering is the purchase of a new CPAP machine; these are expensive and right now we are covered by the FSA – Flexible Spending Account.  FSA is the medical account that we sign up for in November.  We have to estimate our cost for the year and then send in receipts.  We then get reimbursed with our own pretax dollars which we pay a set amount in each paycheck.  This is the account that if you have any money left over in the account at the end of the year you lose that money.  You lose it even if you are doing a new account the very next year. 

Our account will be automatically closed when I am laid off.  If we have money left after lay off and no corresponding expenses, then we lose the money.  Only pre-layoff expenses  are subject to reimbursement even of there is money left in the account.  There also appears to be a possible benefit, if we exceed the amount paid in, but are under the amount of our estimated expenses, we don’t have to pay the extra as long as the expense are incurred before the layoff date. 

Down fall is that if we get a job at Boeing right before the layoff then the extra expenses would have to figure into our yearly total.  We are still trying to understand how best to approach this.  Some other ideas are to get a lot of disposal contacts and getting glasses (I went to the eye doctor this week).  I’m also trying to think of any other medical and dental needs that should be completed in case we lose insurance.  I just had a full physical so that is up to date. 

No changes in the numbers today except one more of the jobs that I applied for marked me as no longer under consideration.

Friday, March 12, 2010

Day 21 – Warn Notice – 3 weeks gone

The last three days I was 80% focused on preparing for the interview.  So today I needed to catch up on things that I had let slide, like I hadn’t looked at the Boeing Jobs program for the last three days.  I updated my resume online, so any new Boeing application will use the updated one.  I had a coaching session today, from a person that was trying to sell me on moving forward with her coaching. I think she has a lot to offer, but I’m not sure that this is what I need to do at this time.  And then to complete the interviewing process I sent out an email thank you and then followed up with a hand written thank you notes to each of the interviewing team members.

The day was mostly gone when I started looking for jobs outside of Boeing.  I have a lot of learning to do to understand what need to do here.  Craig’s list seems to be the local answer.  Several companies have jobs boards that you have to go to.  I have also been told that I need to get on with one or two of the headhunter groups.

It has been a long week and I’m feeling a bit stressed and tired right now.  The interview went ok, but I may not hear back for 3 weeks.  At that point 2/3 of the warn notice time  will be gone. 

My first foray into the job market outside of Boeing was a bit overwhelming.  Where do I want to work?  What companies are hiring in this down economy and feel safe enough that I would want to work for them.  What parts of much knowledge are transferable outside of IT?  Or do I want to try and stay in IT?  I’m thinking that I need a break and some rest. 

Last night while I was writing the blog entry, I deciding what tonight’s entry would be about—being 1/3 of the way through the warn notice period.  1/3 of my time is gone before my layoff date.  This concept has been weighing me down all day today--incubating in the back of my mind.  It doesn’t seem like I have gotten much done to this point.  Sometime it feels like I'm slogging through deep snow.  I have some job requisitions in at Boeing, but what else have I accomplished?  

In the 21 days I have:
1.    Recovered mostly emotionally—I doubt this process will ever void of heightened emotions.
2.    Started and maintained daily Other Dribblings blog
3.    Contacted family and friends making them aware of my situation
4.    Attended workshop about Layoff benefits
5.    Attended workshop about resume and interviewing in the 21st century
6.    Attended workshop about TAA
7.    Rebuilt my resume
8.    Started the Boeing internal job search
9.    Create the “IT People with Warn Notices” networking group inside of Boeing
10.    Reached out to my network outside of Boeing making them aware of my situation
11.    Networked with my OSR buddies in the Appreciative Inquiry.
12.    Updated LinkedIn information
13.    Requested and received recommendations on LinkedIn
14.    Prepared for my first interview
15.    Built the beginnings of a work portfolio
16.    Experienced my first Interview (my third interview in 22 years at Boeing)
17.    Wrote and sent thank you notes.
18.    Started looking outside of Boeing for a job.

During this time I have been putting in long hours and so far it has been seven days a week with a little play and exercise mixed in.  Also, household duties that have to get done.

Some of the things that I am doing are foundational and won’t need to be repeated (for example  the interview preparation and the Resume preparation won’t have to be repeated.)  This should make the next two thirds of the warn time flow better.  When I look at my list, I worry about how far I will be at the 60 day point.

Tomorrow: Learn about job searches and search for job outside Boeing.


 inSite Group                                50
Jobs applied for:                           18
Rejections:                                    5
Job Posting withdrawn:                   1
Interviews:                                     1

No changes in the numbers today.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Day 20 - Warn Notice – Cleared for Take Off

When I was in grade school we had to line up and get shots at school.   You got to see other students get their shot.  Some were OK, for some a tear or two appeared but they toughed it out, and for some the pain was unbearable and they fell to pieces.   No wait this isn’t the right story.

I dread being the center of attention; weird because a large portion of my job is facilitating groups of people.  You know, being that person in front of the room.  This is different, because then I’m in some sort of control of the energy in the room and I can move it around as needed.  Not often is that energy really at me (the deep me, the one below the façade.)  It has only been in the last few years, in order to affect deep change in an organization, have I understood I have to also experience the change personally.   I can’t just be the facilitator telling other how to change; I also have to model the change we are looking for.  No wait that isn’t quite the right story either.

There is a fear, a fear that I will come up lacking.  That somehow that part of me that feels somehow not up to the task will be exposed.  Or that the embarrassment in the moment will be too hard to bear.  Or worse that I might succeed beyond my wildest dreams. Not quite right either.

The first structured interview that I went through at Boeing, for a management job, I was being interviewed by a panel of co-workers from my group, friends of mine.  Somewhere out of left field my unconscious served up the answers to the questions been asked.  They were terrible.  After the interview I was left with the dread of wondering “Where did those answers come from?”  I bombed the interview.  Later, I understood that this was a very important turning point in my life.  This started me on a deep journey of self discovery that after 10+ years is nowhere near ending.

All these stories are true, and I felt each one over the last few days as I prepared for the interview today.  I wanted to make sure that I did everything I could in order to be ready.  And I came close.  I wanted to make sure that my mind was a good spot and that I was relaxed, so I meditated for 45 minutes before the interview, this was helpful. 

Nervous but controlled, I took my time before answering and thought about what I was going to say.  My subconscious served up the right story, at the right time and I was able to trust and run with it, even when it served up stories that weren’t part of the preparation.

Walking away without knowing how I compared to the other interviewees and feeling I had done a good job of showing the panel my skills and how my skills could be used in this new position, I felt good overall.  There is some “could haves” and “should haves”, but that is part of being human.  I celebrated by going to McDonald's and getting a Mocha Latte.  Now it may be up to three weeks before I hear the result.   

It didn’t hurt as much as I thought it would.  Much of dread was unhelpful, but I was able to transform some into preparation.  The best preparation was in dissecting the job requisition to understand what they were looking for, asking myself “What experience did I have?” for each area they were looking, and then rehearsing the answers as best I could.

Great news on the resume front, I got my resume back from the resume seminar leader:

Wow! You got it! A+.  A couple of things please — drop all of the gingerbread please meaning no underscores, no bolding no font changes or 27 level font, only left margin adjusted please, no indenting or bullets; please eliminate all the graphics to make look pretty - I simply want business professional; maybe a little less language with positions in the past as it should be less and less as you go past the present position.

Very very nice and much hard work.  

Cleared for takeoff—I’m ready to expand my search outside of Boeing.  I will make a different copy of the resume without the “gingerbread”.  This is important because all of the major companies use automated resume searching to find matches.  The type of work that I do is generally going to be consulting to a large company or being an internal consultant in a larger company.  So the resume I will use most will be this non-“gingerbread” one.   I understand this, and still needed to see a beautiful resume, one that is balanced, artistically thought out and pleasing to the eye.

Tomorrow: an hour of coaching has been given to me by a person that I met on LinkedIn and who offered to help.  Focusing outside the company, in the Seattle area will begin tomorrow. 

 inSite Group                                50
Jobs applied for:                           18
Rejections:                                    5
Job Posting withdrawn:                   1
Interviews:                                     1

I have received many emails from this blog, and I appreciate everyone I have received.  I won’t share those here in any way that would expose someone, and I would like to encourage people to leave comments here on the blog.  This way others can benefit from your wisdom, and not just me. 

Part of the problem is the stigma attached to receiving a warn notice.  Too often this means we have to endure the pain alone.  Our coworkers often don’t know what to say, so they don’t say anything for fear of hurting someone more and we end up feeling more isolated.  My hope is that we can network together and help each other.  It would be great if we can find positions in Boeing, but if not, I would like to have a network of people that I can stay in touch with and leverage off of each other’s wisdom and findings as we navigate this transition.

The sooner we can overcome the stigma, the better off we will be.  We will be able to look realistically at our situations, learn from it them and be able to move on better experiences.  

Okay, I off my soap box for the day.  But at least you know where I’m heading.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Day 19 – Warn Notice – Looking Good

More studying today, I focused on the general preparation.  Looked at a couple books and looked at some of the types of questions to expect in an interview.  Boeing’s process is highly standardized and there is quite a bit of information.  The Career Transition Services website details the process and suggests the process for preparation that should be followed.  I reviewed all of this and I think I’m in pretty good shape though I also feel test anxiety.

I also attended a webinar today by the Vice President of the organization that I’m interviewing with.  This was important, in big projects like these the support of the top management is important; this has gone a long way to ease some questions in the back of mind.

Then tonight I went out and bought some new trousers and a shirt.   Silly in a way, but I didn’t want to go interview thinking I hadn’t done everything possible.  I know that my clothing isn’t the crucial factor, the answers I give and the match between my skills and the job requirements are much more important.   And I didn’t want it to be a negative, something that distracted from my answers and the match up.

Tonight we are watching the movie “Up In The Air”.  George Clooney is a hatchet man, who is hired to come in a tell people they are laid off.   The scenes of the firings, while really a side note of the story line,  caught my attention and pulled me in, reigniting some of the emotions from before, nothing major just twinges.   Not a movie I would recommend.

Tomorrow: Some interview prep, meet with a friend for lunch, and then the interview.

 inSite Group                                50
Jobs applied for:                           18
Rejections:                                    4
Job Posting withdrawn:                   1
Interviews:                                     1

Day 18 – Warn Notice - Cramming for the test

Interview is Thursday.  Web crawling all that I could about the organization and matching my examples to the job requisition took up my day.  This was tedious but necessary work. 

In Boeing, job requisitions are all written in a standard manner so as not to discriminate or create an atmosphere of favoritism.  They each have a description, skills area and other or special requirements.  I began the process of matching examples from my work history to the skills area; creating  a table with the skills area down one side and columns across the top for the STAR entries.  STAR stands for Situation, Target, Action, and Result this provides the skeleton of the story.  I found this to be difficult work.  The stories didn’t just pop out, I had to spend time thinking about which stories would apply and which one or two would apply the best.

Going at it every day, all day since receiving the warn notice is bound to take a toll on the body and the nerves.  I have been so focused on my resume and now this upcoming interview that I have been neglecting to exercise.  This is a mistake and I can feel it taking its toll.  After four days without much exercise, last night I had a tennis lesson.  It felt so good to get some exercise, and to get the blood flowing.

Side note...  The Guillotine was a great success.  Well the guillotine with what most have been a superb exposé of French capital punishment receive 195 out of 200 points.  And as a plus, I now have a place to act out my aggression--a voodoo ginger bread--Mr Bill kind of thing. 


Another side note, I want to thank everyone that is reading this blog and sending email.  Your comments and words of encouragement mean the world to me.   

Due to the late tennis lesson, I am writing this in the morning instead of at the end of the day.  Today, I will be focusing on the interview preparation and going out to get some new slacks and a shirt.

A friend of mine who was laid off last April sent me his numbers as a comparison to mine.  It is sobering to think that these could be a reflection of my own down the line.  The good news is that he started a new job teaching at a college this week.

inSite Group                                49
Jobs applied for:                          17       236
Rejections:                                    4         34
Job Posting withdrawn:                   1           1
Interviews:                                     1          3

In Boeing, a definite response occurs in the job database when a job is closed or I am not considered for a job.  From my friend’s numbers, I can see this that this will become more of a black hole of no response.  Also, interviews are rare; I can see the importance of spending the time preparing for this interview.

Monday, March 08, 2010

Day 17 Warn Notice – Too Old…

Spent the most of the morning trying to connect to the Boeing network—due to a failed software upgrade connecting in from the outside is not going so well right now.  Had to drive in and get my email from inside.   This turned out for the best.  I heard one of the jobs I applied for wants to interview me. This is the job I feel is of most interest, I am most qualified for, and which will stretch me the most (can you tell  I would be pretty happy with this job.) 

This has caused a gear change.  Before it felt like I was chugging comfortable up a fairly regular incline; I was getting my resume finalized and checking job statuses, and applying, basically  following a plan that I conceived mostly on the way home from my warn notice meeting. 

Now there is a fly in the ointment.  The terrain has turned quickly steep and I have two days to prepare myself for an interview.  There several things that I need to get done.  First, I need to learn as much as a can about the organization that I will be interviewing with.  Fortunately, I have friends in the organization and have been in touch with them over the last several months, so I have some idea of what they are up to.  Secondly, I need to dissect the job req and try to understand what they will possibly looking for in the interview.  Third, For each thing I think they might be looking for I need to think of an answer, creating a table of sorts using the SARs method (Situation, Action, Result).  Those actions are mostly mechanical, time consuming but mechanical.  

The final item is a bit harder.  I have had two interviews in the last 22 years at Boeing.  The first one I really blew.  The second one I was so scare I would blow it that I probably affected my results, though I did ok.  This final item is how do I work through the emotional stress of interviewing before Thursday?  Maybe it won’t be bad, because of the preparation that I am planning on doing.

Even if I don’t get the job, I’m seeing this as excellent way to start my search.  The two biggest items of the search are to get the resume in shape in order to get the interview and then to ace the interview.  If you do well in the interview and don’t get the job, then it wasn’t meant to be.   This will allow me to learn the interviewing process, baptism by fire of sorts.   I’m excited about this.

Saturday, I sent a note to my contacts on LinkedIn asking for recommendations if I have left a positive impression in our interactions together.  I have spent another good portion of today trying to answer all of the replies.  It has been fantastic.  Many people have stepped up to sending something in.  Some that I really haven’t worked with too much answered with encouragement, which was just as important to me.  It has been tremendous.  And the exercise of thanking everyone, in a heartfelt way just amplified the feeling.

In the afternoon, I attended a TAA briefing put on by worksource (Washington unemployment guess this is not PC anymore.)  This took about 1 ½ hours.  It was just two other Boeing people attending besides myself.  The presentation didn’t provide much more information than the slides we got at the layoff briefing, but a little.  The two most important things I learned was: first, that the education benefit is a lifetime benefit.  Meaning that if I get laid off and elect to just look for a job, I should still sign up for the training benefit.  This has to take place in the first 90 days of a claim.   If I decide after the 90 days that I want to use the training benefit then it will be available.  If I didn’t sign up for it, it will not be available.  Also, if I signed up, again without using it and successfully find a job, if I ever get laid off again, the training benefit will be available.  This is amazes me.  I think everyone from Boeing needs to seriously consider getting signed up for this.  The cobra payment is enough to make it worth it.  The second thing I learned is that they will pay for a coaching certificate, if you can make the case for it.  I have coached for a long time in Boeing, but I don’t have a certificate and would like to get one.

Too Old…   At the end of the TAA briefing, we all started talking.  One gentleman expressed that he was worried that he was too old.  This is a feeling that strikes home in myself and in many of the people I have talked to.  And then he said I’m 43.   “Forty-three what are you worried about”, I thought.  This started me thinking about how this age thing is all about our own mental models.  We create this model that we are old and then find tons of the supporting evidence to support it.  I have been doing since I turn thirty.  Now at fifty I have this nearly perfected—I can prove to myself old in a matter of nanoseconds.

Then I thought about a friend that went through the masters program with me.  She was 72 when we started the program.  This year I think she turns 81.  And she just got a Woman of the Year award.  She would just laugh at me if I tried to tell her I was feeling old.

I’m too old…to get stuck in that trap.  I have never felt more intellectually capable to effect real positive change in people’s lives.  And now I don’t make the mistakes that I did when I didn’t know any better.   And even better, my ego doesn’t come in and blind side when I’m not paying attention (well at least not as much and without as severe of consequences.)  I am much better at knowing what is important and needs to be focused on and what is immaterial and should be let go.

I think this is also the case for most of the people that are in this predicament.  It is just so hard when your confidence has been shaken deeply and you are faced with a dark unknown. 

Tomorrow: Interview preparation

inSite Group:                            46 members
Jobs applied for:                      17
Rejections:                               3
Job Posting withdrawn:              1
Interviews:                                1

I might have one more rejection, when I looked I didn’t focus on it too much.

Sunday, March 07, 2010

Day 16 – Warn Notice – And Heads will Roll

Spent most of the day putting the final touches on my resume—this is not the kind of thing that I like to do.  Not being a editor, the hours of meticulous review tires me out and frustrates me.  After a while, I can’t even see the words on the page because of the thoughts in my mind of what I think is written overpowers the actual text.  I sent it off to have it reviewed by a outsider, to get a completely independent view.   It is much better than what I started with and I’m excited that it will get even better.  And I’m worried about the time it is taking to complete this task.

Heads will roll, at least the heads of ginger bread men.  My daughter is studying the French revolution and we worked together on building a guillotine.  A little one, about two feet tall designed to decapitate even the most harden criminal ginger bread men. 

It was great to have some time to think of something different than job hunting.  The chance to work with my daughter, now in high school, is a rare and treasured event.

Tomorrow: Answer all the email from my LinkedIn Favor request.  TAA Briefing in Renton.

Been having computing problems today so I haven’t been able to log into the Boeing net to check on the numbers, I would assume they are the same as yesterday.
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Day 15 – Warn Notice – Progress

Woke up early and started working on my Resume rewrite; I was primed and ready after the day of gather information and researching careers Friday. 

Leaving the resume workshop on Wednesday, I had an uneasy feeling about the combination format that Charles Collins was recommending.  I started in doing just exactly what he said and by late morning I had a pretty good draft.  This new format is exciting, because it does a great job of accenting the skills and accomplishments that I want without boring the reader.  There is more work needed, which I plan on completing tomorrow morning.  My creativity and concentration is highest in the morning, so I like to reserve this time for work like resume preparation. 

I also sent out a request for recommendations on LinkedIn to all my connections.  Several people responded within a few moments.  Some that I don’t know all the well responded; I added them to my network so that I could get to know them, and now I'm all the more intrigued about someone so willing to help.  A dear friend,  from my masters program, supplied an excellent response within just a few hours.  Others have offered help and coaching.  Once again, my chalice of gratefulness runs over.  The saying “Ask and you shall receive” is very true for me tonight.

Also, I’m noticing that many of the people that respond the fastest are people that have been through this before.  Then have been here and must remember how good it feels when others reach out.  This is a lesson that I am learning in Spades.

Attended the movie Avatar in 3D as a deserved night out.  The movie was OK, but loved the 3D and animation effects, I have to say no on best picture.

Tomorrow: Continue on the resume track

inSite Group:                            45 members
Jobs applied for:                      17
Rejections:                               2
Job Posting withdrawn:              1

Friday, March 05, 2010

Day 14 - Warn Notice - Taking Responsibility

In yesterday’s post, I wrote “There are threads in my life that I see coming together over a period of several years that have lead to where I am now”, I think this statement worked on me over night.  I awoke at 5 in the morning, a bit earlier than normal and thinking about how my actions and performance over the last year have contributed to the place that I am in now.  Not in a way that was blaming or creating a spirit of guilt, more in a way of stepping up and taking responsibility.   Not for everything, but for a large balance.  I could also see various pathways that I could have taken that would have left me in a better position now.  I laid in bed for about an hour thinking about this, I enjoyed the time. 

And there was a realization that I have done the best I could do in the situation.  This realization was somehow liberating.  A cathartic experience, releasing some guilt that I hadn’t known was present—guilt that had been masked over by blaming others, the process, the situation, or the outcome.  Not that I have fully lost all of that blaming, but this was somehow able to go underneath it to surface my own guilty feelings. 

This liberation was needed in order to focus on rebuilding my resume today; I was needing to honestly connect with my strengths and weaknesses in order to do this.  Progress has been slow, but I think I have a good inventory of materials in support of this activity.  I took a battery of test and exercises to build material from which to pull ideas.

The book “What color is your parachute 2010?” was most help with an accompanying www.jobhuntersbible.com website.   This site links to other sites for free tests.  One by the Department of Labor that had some great job category and skill requirements information on it.  And one for an executive headhunter called Stewart, Cooper and Coon that had two tests:  Motivated Skills Test (ranking of what you liked to do) and the Careers Value test.  Due to my break of day thinking, I feel that by mental state was well suited to testing today.

Two friends called with concrete ideas for jobs.  Both with the name of a person that is looking for someone to hire—someone wanting to see my resume.  I can’t tell you how appreciative I am to my friends, who are picking up the phone and calling me with ideas, offers of help, or an invitation for coffee and talk.  All of these are important to me.  All of these bring deep feelings of gratitude.

I also heard of an acquaintance that is going to the doctor now with what may be a very serious, later stage cancer.   In addition to feeling sorrow and grief for this person and the family, I am also feel gratitude again.  We have our health, I have my family, and we are better off than many in the world today.  We may be having a more difficult time than we had last month, but we are in great shape compared to many. 

This is all combining to keep my heart open.  And hopeful that I may be able to provide some help to others that are in my same boat. Or better said, that we can provide help to each other, because it is very much a two way street.

Tomorrow: Continue on the resume track

inSite Group:                            45 members
Jobs applied for:                      17
Rejections:                               2
Job Posting withdrawn:              1

Only 5 new jobs posted inside Boeing, none of interest to me.

Thursday, March 04, 2010

Day 13 60-Day warn notice – discomfort and the consolation prize

The day started out good.  I had completed my walk and was feeling centered when I met a co-worker for coffee and conversation.  It was a great, Thank You.  We talked for about an hour, traded stories and suggestions. Walked away feeling great.
 
Headed home and emailed an executive that has also received a warn notice.  This is someone that I have known most of my Boeing career.  In addition to passing on the networking possibility of the inSite group and sending the link to this blog for her use, if helpful; I also extended the offer of personal help and to stay connected.  There is an additional veil of secrecy when you are an executive in this situation, it is unfortunate and can get covered in official fabrications.
 
Next, drove into the office for my first staff meeting since the notice.  It was edgy, I’m not sure if I was the only one feeling it.  But I felt kind of “not at home” or out of place—never felt that at Boeing before.  Not sure if I should speak up or be a wall flower.  And the talk about the business was so uninteresting—this may be from being so centered on my own personal future.   I did add a couple things to the conversation and it was nice to be with everyone.  Even though it felt somewhat uncomfortable staying connected is important and I plan on continuing to attend these weekly meetings.

Then had my first meeting with my manager since the speaker phone warn notice meeting.  It was hard, and emotional.  Consolation prize: I did get a raise and it was the shortest Performance Management define session that I have ever had. This is where we set our goals for the year, mine are pretty easy this year.  Sometimes when I have gotten a raise we would go out to dinner to celebrate.  We didn’t tonight.

The emotions, which I thought I had pretty under control, came back up to the surface through these last two meetings.  But now I feel much better.  In the weeks to come, I’m sure there will be other wallowing in this pond.

One of the dichotomies that I have been working with is one between following my passion which leads to the job of dreams and the more pragmatic “Just get the job”.  The pragmatic wants to send out 1500 resumes addressed to dear sir stating “please check out my resume and get back to me”.  The idea behind this is the same as the Nigerian Prince who just needs some honest soul to cash his check, which he will gladly pay 10% back on as a reward.  Send out a million and somebody will answer.  I wonder what the percentage of people answering the Nigerian Prince are hiring managers.
 
The pragmatic side also wants to get applications out there and to keep moving forward—this is goodness.

The passion side knows that constructing the right resume will lead to the type of jobs that I am truly qualified for and in which I can pass the interview because my passion for the work will come through.  The passion side believes that taking the time is an investment that will cut down the overall search time.

The more pragmatically driven I am, then the more I feel anxious, fearful, worried, and behind.  The more I am moved from my passions then the calmer, happier, clear headed and blessed I feel.  The pragmatic side appeared after the initial shock worn down; the passion side has been growing as my calm has been returning.

Several people would like to pursue legal action against Boeing in an age discrimination action.  At times I have felt this also, but I see this as a personal trap.  I see it as part of the pragmatic side, wouldn’t an easy way to get through this be by having someone pay me a lot of money.  It’s a trap because it takes time away from what needs to get done.  It releases me from having to think about how I got in this place and for taking responsibility for where I am right now. 

It also presupposes that I have been wronged into the position I find myself in now.  An alternative view, a more spiritual and passionate view, is the universe has conspired to give me just what I need right now in my life.  By pursuing the pragmatic side too heavily, I can easily cut off the whole passion/spiritual side.

There are threads in my life that I see coming together over a period of several years that have lead to where I am now.  And the more I can get my ego out of the way, stay centered, and allow things to happen with an open heart the better off I believe I will be.  And this all starts with a bit of Faith.

I don’t want to destroy the pragmatic side because it helps drive results, but I think it needs to be in servitude to following my heart’s passions.  I just hope this will keep the bills paid.

Tomorrow: Changing resume to a combination style.

inSite Group:                            44 members
Jobs applied for:                      17
Rejections:                                 2
Job Posting withdrawn:            1

Lost a person from inSite group, I hope that means they found a job.