Take control of my career

I have the offer letter. I haven’t signed the acceptance yet, but I will. I feel relieved but not excited. This is the only INTERVIEW I’ve gotten in 9 weeks of (part time) job hunting and with the rate that engineers are loosing jobs around here the competition for those few jobs harder to get.

I asked for a 2 week delay so I can take care of some personal things (and go on a trip) before getting back to the daily grind. I’m disappointed that I’m taking a job that feels like the grind.

I was offered a job today.

And rather than jumping for joy I just said that I need to think about it. This is really probably a good opportunity. But I can’t help but notice that in these past four weeks the prospect of going to work each day is getting less and less attractive. And I’d been really looking forward to going down to part time next month.

I have to make a decision soon.

I was offered an extension to my contract for this temp job, but not offered a real job. I asked if I could make the extension for part time. This will give me an option to spend at least 2 days a week doing volunteer work, working on my house and looking for other career opportunities! I just have to learn to live on a little less money.

Work at least 40 hours at temp jobTalk to manager at temp job about moving to part time
Get a book about being self employed
Apply for that one job
Make new cards
Write a cover letter for V
Meet with U to discuss independent contracting
Work on new goal of immersing myself in energy issues.
Play around with Autocad

Put in at least 35 hours at temp job.
Write cover letter and apply at V.
Apply for at least one other job.
Call that recruiter back.
Download Autocad as soon as my new computer arrives
Set up information interview with U.
Find an event to go to.

On Friday the manager at the job I’m contracting with told me he’s very impressed with my work and asked if I’d like him to push for permission to hire me on permanently. I was caught off guard and said something like “yeah, sure”. But no! I’m not ready to say that I want to work there. I”m really not sure about this place at all. They’ve only given me their backlog of busy work to do, so I really have no idea what it would be like to work there and do real work. And seriously what could he possibly be impress with my work about? I’m not doing anything remotely challenging. Its not impressive! Also, I just don’t like the vibe in the office. No one ever talks to each other and the manager gives me the creeps.

I have to go in tomorrow and somehow tell him that I’d like to wait until I have some more varied experience to decide if I want him to try to hire me. And in the mean time I need to get more active about looking elsewhere.

Put in at least 8 hours a day at temp job.
Go to Green drinks and network
Go to Young Professionals and network
Make some job hunting business cards They’re awesome!
Download Autocad’s free trial and at least get a start at learning it
Find at least one other networking event to sign up for and/or attend
Keep up email conversations with a few peopleSend Thank You notes to a few people at former job
Apply for at least one job
Write a cover letter suitable for V.

Sign up with LLH
Apply for at least 3 jobs
Make sure my network at current job knows how to get in touch with me after this weekBe proactive trying to get into the a course at the CC So I just dropped the course instead. I found out there is a free trial of AutoCad that I can download and teach myself well enough to say I know it.
Leave my current job on a good note! Many people told me my goodbye email was inspiring!

Get my resume up on 2 industry-specific job boards.Create a second profile on Monster for my engineering-specific search.Finish my 3 incomplete applicationsStart up meaningful conversations with the two contacts my friend gave me.Sign up with LHH done a week late
Read info for temp job.Make list of companies I’m waiting to apply with until after temp job is started. Done a week late
Check craigslist daily.

I reserved a meeting room twice a week over lunch time for all of us who were notified of lay offs to get together and peer-review eachother’s resumes and cover letters.

I’m not about to play victim with this one. I’m insisting that I get all the help I can from this company and in return I’m helping my friends as well. I am the sort who gets a lot out of reading and critiquing someone else’s documents. Its a chance to try out other formats and see how people who do similar work describe thier rolls.