Resumes, Cover Letters, References, Oh My!

Can you guess what I've been up to lately? Huh? Huh? Well, I can tell you that writing cover letters is not just for fun, but it seems as if looking for and applying for jobs has become something of a hobby, a necessary hobby. I remember this feeling well, as I was doing the same thing last summer after quitting my job with the Illinois Symphony Orchestra. At that point, looking for and applying for jobs, including the fun of writing cover letters and asking people for references, became a full time job unto itself. Too bad I couldn't get paid for this job, considering I was a rather good "employee," always on time, a diligent worker, etc. So, officially I was unemployed, but let me tell you something, looking for a job, really looking, and applying, is not easy, it is NOT not working; it is a full time, frustrating and difficult job, and working for myself, well, I was a hard person to work for, a perfectionist who expected perfection from myself. This was not easy, and though I brought it on myself, it was yet another necessary evil.

Well, the hard work I put in last summer paid off when I got a job as Education Assistant with The Phoenix Symphony. Yes, Phoenix, as in Arizona. Yes, 1600 miles from where I am from, from my family, my friends, my comfort zone. I went. I got excited, I got scared, I got nervous, I got, well, I got my butt in gear in and headed to someplace new. After awhile I realized that Phoenix was not the city for me, not where I belonged, so I headed back to Illinois, to my hometown of Springfield, back to my family, my friends, and yes, good ole' Abe Lincoln. I have come full circle and am once again sitting in Springfield, looking for employment. Unfortunately for me, this time, the job market leaves something to be desired. With the economy the way it is, the way it has been, jobs are not easy to come by. People are getting laid off left and right and those with jobs are holding onto them for dear life, no matter what, because frankly, employment of any kind beats unemployment, or as I call it self-employment. No, I am not talking about being self-employed as in owning your own business, working from home, et cetera; I am referring to the job of job hunting. Yes, I am functioning as our primitive ancestors did, hunting and gathering. I hunt for job openings, I gather information, and when I am lucky, something comes along that is really worth applying for.

I have been lucky, I guess, to find a few great positions to apply for lately. I was beginning to get frustrated with myself and was on the verge of giving myself a very poor performance review, stating lack of progress and a bad attitude as problems to be worked on. Again, I know I am my own toughest critic, but it disheartening to look through the classifieds, in the paper and online, and see A - a lack of jobs all together, and B - the jobs that there are seem to be in every conceivable field but the ones I am qualified to work in. Sheesh, I mean can't a gal catch a break? Well, finally, it happened. I was lucky enough to find some great positions with a lot of wonderful potential to apply for. I hunted, successfully! Score one for me! I gathered information, successfully! Score two for me! I wrote those cover letters, pain as they may have been, successfully! Score three for me! I contacted people about references, successfully! Score four for me! I had one interview today and one tomorrow! Score five for me! Could it be I am on a roll? I know these seem like baby steps to many people, especially those of you who are gainfully employed, but let me tell you, I am finding great joy in the little things lately, the things that perhaps I once would have seen as so small, not worth keeping track of, recognizing at all.

So, am I ready to "let myself go" and become employed by someone else? Hell yes! I am beyond ready! I am done being "self-employed" by my definition of the term. As sick as I am of applications, resumes, cover letters, references, pretty much anything and everything related to the job search and application process, I am glad I have the opportunity to apply for jobs, that I have found some that seem like they might be great fits for me, providing new challenges and opportunities to serve people in the community in different ways. I am keeping my fingers crossed that soon I will be employed by someone other that myself, well and my family... they keep me pretty busy with dishes, laundry, et cetera, too. Cinderella meets CEO, somewhere in the middle you will find me, a bit of what I have been and a bit of what I hope to become.