I’m telling you – that flu knocked it OUT of me! The fever broke a week ago but I am still tired. However, I can’t stay down any longer. I’m back on the job boards and tinkering with my resume this morning. I can always take a nap this afternoon right?
Still waiting to hear next steps from my interview last week. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. I hate to think I’m being ghosted! Especially when it’s a role that I feel was made for me. But hope is still alive….
I’m playing with ChatGPT on the job search now – I’m vaguely frightened by how good it is at suggesting edits to my resume and places to look for job listings. Have any of you used AI for your job search? Let me know in the comments!
So I appear to have received a new version of the software that runs my blog this week – JOY! I wonder what kind of fun upgrades they’ve hidden for me to find? I am an oddball in that I actually like new versions of software most of the time.
I also have a MacOS update waiting for me. The last one took forever to go through so I’m getting this published before I start running it. I don’t think it’s a big deal though since it just says bug fixes and security updates.
I’m hoping the WordPress update lets me publish links without using the full web address so it’s friendlier for you to see what a link might be. I’ll admit it – I’m lazy with my links because WordPress doesn’t have a feature like Microsoft Word that lets you edit how the link will appear. I could paste links into Word, fix them and then copy/paste them over to WordPress but I’m lazy! LOL!
I always laugh at how much of a techie I’ve become. I actually like figuring out software and making it sing. I’m also not above Googling how to make software features work – which has made me incredibly popular with coworkers at times. Because I will figure it out!
I’m also one of those people who keeps up with software updates – are you? Let me know in the comments!
I’m going to say it – I wish I had gotten the flu shot last fall. I didn’t and now I’m sorry. But hey, at least I’m on the mend!
I think my interview went pretty well yesterday. I’m supposed to hear about next steps by the end of the week. Please keep your fingers crossed for me? It’s the kind of role where I believe I would be able to make a difference for that company – and it’s work that would make me happy.
But getting back to our Wellness topic, let’s talk about fever since the flu gave me a high one for 3 days. Most of us have had a fever at one time or another given that it’s one of the ways a body reacts to infection. For the most part, you take a couple Tylenol or Advil and that will take care of it. But as an adult when you have a fever that gets above 103, doctors recommend you don’t go it alone. Especially if you have additional symptoms like a severe headache, vomiting, rash, chest pain or altered behavior.
Here are some resources to check with regarding fevers:
I missed posting yesterday because I have the flu. But at least it isn’t Covid? I know because I tested. So there’s that. I also have an interview today so I’m pulling it together!
So forgive me that this is short but I have homework to do – before every interview I have a checklist of things to make sure I have at hand (the resume/cover letter I submitted, the job description, questions I have about the role, etc) AND I also like to make sure I check the LinkedIn profile of the person I’m interviewing with. You never know who you might have in common that will lead to a more natural conversation!
Short and sweet today – I don’t have time to dig for a video because I’m helping a friend move to her new house. This is what happens when you’re on corporate hiatus! Happy Weekend!
I have an interview next week! I’m trying not to get ahead of myself but naturally my mind has raced ahead to what the first day at a new job might be like.
My last first day was in September 2018 and it was not what I had expected. The culture at Walgreens at that time was that when you introduced yourself to anyone, you told them how long you had been with the company. And my team was all very proud of how long they had been with the company. It was a little bit intimidating because I was the first person to come from outside Walgreens in a long time and to be honest, they were not as welcoming as they could have been. There were also a couple of people who weren’t selected to be promoted into my role so I get why they were less than thrilled to meet me.
However, I’m always in it for the long run. It might have been a slow start but about a year later, my team was MY team. I’m a firm believer in getting the lay of the land and figuring out how people/processes/systems work before I make any pronouncements about making changes. That way, when I initiate a change I know where the pitfalls might be and I don’t make changes that just can’t work because of systems or process constraints.
I think you need to know why things are the way they are before you try to change them. I also think this is something that too many managers don’t do. Managers, Directors, VPs, CEOs – too many times they make pronouncements about change and they don’t take the time to understand how things got to where they are. I understand business urgency – but if you don’t know how things really work, how do you really know how to change them for the better? This is my BIGGEST business pet peeve. What’s yours? Tell me in the comments!
I went to dinner with an old friend last night and she made a point about asking me how I was doing mentally through the job hunt. And I have to say, I think I’m doing surprisingly well. I’ve been referring to my mental health since I restarted this blog to help capture everything around my job search. I won’t lie – during my last job search, I didn’t do as well.
But I’ve approached everything differently this time. It’s helpful that my personal life isn’t as stressful as it was last time. And oddly, I think a silver lining of Covid is that I’m so used to being at home alone with my computer, that this job search is really just a shift in what I’m doing and on what computer. I mean seriously – one of my biggest challenges to date has been to get used to using my Macbook again rather than my old Walgreens PC!
This time, I haven’t been shy about reaching out to old friends. Last time, I was really embarrassed about being laid off and I shouldn’t have been! This time I have no shame about it. What has happened at Walgreens was nothing I could control so I am having no problem saying I was impacted in a mass layoff. That doesn’t seem like a huge shift but for me, it has been. My friends have been nothing but supportive too. So while I’d like to be working, I’m also loving having the time to meet up with people I haven’t seen in years.
The other thing I’m doing differently this time is being much more balanced in my job search/life activities. Last time, I sat at the computer for HOURS AND HOURS at a time scrolling job boards and making myself crazy second guessing what I wanted to do next. This time, I’ve narrowed down the types of roles I want to look at. I’m being thoughtful about what industries I’d like to work in and I’m alternating looking at job boards with taking training that will either sharpen existing skills – or is just about something I’m interested in. I took a seminar on AI last week that was fascinating! (I’ll be following up on that one – I’m having too much fun playing with ChatGPT now!)
And I’m scheduling time for me. I take walks. I’m doing some long delayed projects around the house. I’m crocheting like crazy and even selling some of my work. I’m planning some travel. I’m perfecting my recipe for Oatmeal Raisin cookies. So the balance between the stress of looking for a new job and spending time doing things that make me happy is really keeping things in perspective. Am I thrilled to be unemployed? Certainly not – but I’m keeping the mood swings the job search can cause to a minimum and that feels like a victory.
To-do Tuesday and I have a lot of to-dos today! Which makes me happy! Take it from me – there’s nothing worse than only having scrolling job boards as the priority for the day. I’ve been doing some on-line training series to fill time and sharpen up my skills, but I LOVE having a real to-do list for the day today.
It’s a networking day – for brunch, I’m meeting an old friend who is also on a job search. And for dinner, I’m meeting an old friend who is now a CMO so both ends of the job spectrum? It will be good for me mentally to see both of them and I’m really looking forward to seeing both of them.
In between, I have some sanding to do on the wall prep I did yesterday for painting, a trip to the grocery and a couple of other errands planned. So it will be a full day, I’ll be out of the house and the sun is shining. It’s a GOOD DAY!!!!!
For all the Presidents from George to Joe, I hope you’re having a Happy Holiday Monday! I’m catching up on a little paperwork and then in time-honored 3-day holiday tradition, I’m going to be doing a project from my home DIY list. Today? Paint prep!
I had my living room painted last spring and I’ve been procrastinating at finishing up. The painter did most of the room – it has a 15 foot vaulted ceiling so you know I’m not tall enough to manage that! But I wanted to do the painting around the hall closet and stairway – and between work, travel, the weather and not being able to pick the exact shade of yellow I wanted, it’s been put off way too long. Today that comes to an end.
Learn Or Do 