The thrill and pain of the hunt

To everyone that knows me it should come as no surprise that I am hunting for a new job. It's not that I am in any way upset or dissatisfied with my job, it is simply that there is nowhere left for me to go in my job.

So far I have taken the more or less traditional path to seeking a job, look at the want ads (well on the internet anyway) talk to recruiters, talk to friends. I have been actively looking now for seven months and I may have to look for another seven.

I am currently at the point in my job search where I actually look forward to the denial emails as at least I can see that someone is looking at what I am sending. There is nothing more depressing about the job hunt process than that horrid silence that is the result of sending your application out only to find... silence. I assure you that it is not golden, it is instead a corrosive agent wearing down the armor of the prospective job seeker. Employers, I implore you, even the meanest, lowliest prospective hire deserves at least a short statement saying "sorry, you are not what we are looking for".

All the job sites that I have subscribed to all say the same things, "stay focused", " don't get discouraged", "your job is just around the corner", etc. etc. ad nauseum. They are right of course, but it is difficult at times to maintain a positive attitude when you can't even get a "you don't fit our current needs" reply.

Now, so far I haven't made it through the first hoop (HR looking at the resumes). Part of the problem is that I am looking for a job that is actually 2 to 5 levels above the one I am currently holding. Some people may think that I am trying to reach beyond my ability and why not look for the next job upstream from where I am at. Two main reasons, I have other skills from my first career and secondly, I now have the parchment to back up my experience.

So, I have the experience both technical and leadership, I have the educational background, and what I feel is a very nice resume. Why then am I having such trouble finding that great job? Well, let's look at the reality and see if there aren't some reasons why I might be having trouble with this:

1. The economy is not doing so well, this is obvious to anyone looking at the job market, especially those who are hunting upper level jobs.

2. I don't have a large social network. This is probably the biggest problem for people who stay in a job for a long period (15 years with the current company and 12 with the one before). We just don't get a chance to go to the places where we can network. This is exacerbated by the fact that I am located in a rural area (closest larger city 90 miles).

3. For larger companies I am largely unproven for the positions that they offer meaning that I, being a member of a small department (currently seven of us covering four US locations) I don't get an opportunity to lead groups as we just don't have the manpower.

4. I lack certain outside certifications such as Sarbannes-Oxley and ITIL or PMP. This is more again an issue of not needing them as I work for a privately held company there is no need for Sarbannes-Oxley, ITIL would be nice as would PMP but the company sees no need for the expense to gain a certificate that to them is unnecessary.

5. Finally, Regardless of what position I am seeking I am going to have to relocate this adds another burden on a potential employer who likely can find what and who they need closer to their location.

Ok, I have given several reasons why it would be difficult for a person in my situation to find that holy grail job that we are all looking for. However, I know that if I am patient and if I keep applying for jobs I will eventually find what I am looking for. I just have to keep reminding myself that my job is out there and I will only miss out if I give up.

Brian