My New Resolve, thanks to Tim McGraw

Who knew that being unemployed was a full-time job...
...if you want to get back to work, that is!

I'm fortunate enough to work with an excellent career counseling service, and they keep me hopping with counselor calls, teleconferences, homework and the like. I have really only applied for one job since 1991, so my resume sure needed work to be brought up to 2012 standards.  ...and my Cover Letter was pretty basic - wow - lots to learn.

While this 'job search' thing is occupying a lot of my day, I have resolved to use this down time a bit more productively.

There a handful of things that I have wanted to do for a long-time, but this thing called a j-o-b always got in the way. So I've added some things to my day:

• Pick up my guitar again - I was never great, but maybe with a little extra time on my hands...
• My wife has been bugging me about a few fix-it projects that were never completed,
• My one great regret in school is that I never learned to read sheet music,
• Walk Molly - the Wonder Dog more often - we could both use it,
• I've always envied the professional athletes who got paid and all they had to do each day was 'train'.  I'm actually signed-up for the upcoming Detroit Marathon... and right now I'm still getting paid by my former employers, so I guess I'm sort-of there after all,
• Did I mention that I should maybe pay closer attention to the lyrics of Tim McGraw's song, :Live Like You Were Dying".  Be the kind of man I know I can be.

That's a lot to get done in one day.  I'd better get moving!

Don't Promise Me A Rose Garden

Great Lynn Anderson song - classic Country.

It's instantly what I thought of when yet another professional business leader failed to follow up on the simplest of courtesies: the follow-up.

As one of the newest members of "the unemployed", I am trying diligently to get back into the working world... and am now experiencing the "no shows".  The individuals who say, "I'll e-mail you Monday so we can set up a time to..."you guessed it!  No e-mail call or any kind of follow up.

Tonight a friend told me that it's a 'management ploy' to see if I really want the gig. Not if they can't even type an e-mail.

Many thanks to the employers who actually do acknowledge resumes, e-mails, calls, appointments etc - even if the answer was "no" or "sorry we've filled that vacancy".

I'm even okay with the ball back in MY court, as in: "why don't you follow-up with me next Monday?"  I never miss an appointment...

...but Don't Promise Me A Rose Garden.  I may not like those flowers anyway.