Eggs and Baskets

Submitted by wendii on Wed, 02/17/2010 - 14:18.
in

I've been reading the Wall Street Journal's blog 'Laid off and Looking' for a different perspective on the job hunt. Most of the posters are middle to senior managers and have a relatively positive outlook, even though their job search tends to last over six months.

A recent post describes a manager who was called on his first day of unemployment by a recruitment agency. He goes through a month-long interview process, but in this time, he did not do anything about his job search, apart from pursue this one opportunity. He did not get offered the position and has to begin again once this becomes clear.

The old adage about not having all your eggs in one basket applies to job search as well as many other aspects of our careers. Many times, I have seen candidates very excited about each opportunity put in front of them, to the exclusion of all other activity. Rarely, does this end well. Instead, follow another old adage and have many irons in your fire.

http://blogs.wsj.com/laidoff/2010/02/12/getting-rejected-after-the-final...

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denisagiles's picture
Submitted by denisagiles on Thu, 02/18/2010 - 05:32.

Learned that lesson

Another great post Wendii,

I've been on the job hunt for over 7 months now. I currently have 15 active applications out there (I only keep them active up to 1 month from closing date). I have had more than 1 interview for different companies in 1 week. The pace has kept me going and focused. It really keeps the pace of having a job while looking for one when doing multiple submissions and interviews.

Best of luck to those looking.

 

elismori's picture
Submitted by elismori on Thu, 02/18/2010 - 17:13.

Student

Interesting Wenddi,

I'm still student, and i had to make a choice some month ago: should I become a specialist, or should I become a "generalist".  My answer was: I should get a job who give me lot of skills, but which let me being a specialist. I hope I made a good choice. Loi Scellier

 

wendii's picture
Submitted by wendii on Wed, 03/17/2010 - 15:36.

Thank you for your contributions!

Denis, I have a saying: "you can't get a job you don't apply for". Whilst there is a point at which you're applying for roles which aren't relevant, more is better in general. I've been reading everyday about companies hiring or planning to hire, I hope you find something soon.

Elismori, sounds like a good choice to me. Good luck!

Wendii