Remember him? He was a king in Greek mythology who was
forced to roll a large rock up a steep hill.
Just before Sisyphus reached the top, the big bolder would roll back
down the hill from its own weight, and thus poor Sisyphus would begin his task
all over again. He spent eternity performing a useless task.
That’s kind of how I feel.
Take this morning for example.
Last week I see a job for a Marketing
Director at a major cable network and apply. Never mind that I used to be a Senior
VP. I know the recruiter, though we last
spoke in 2002. I’ve always liked Beverly;
still do. We schedule a phone meeting
for this morning. After speaking awhile,
she concludes, “You’re too senior. They
won’t hire you.” I explain why I would
be willing to take a job at a lower level than my qualifications would
suggest. And I know, as I am making my
case, that I wouldn’t hire me either. As
Beverly candidly says, “The Marketing VP wants someone she can just tell
what to do. You’re not that person. You’ve done her job; she wouldn’t want you.” I know she’s right. Then we get to talking and we both agree that
there’s a hole in my experience: I
have never developed a social media campaign. So really, even at the lower level, I’m no
longer qualified. Beverly is really
trying. But in the end she says, “I know
a lot of people in your shoes. I’m sorry
I can’t be of more help.”
Next, a good friend writes
to Kim, someone she knows who is well connected in media and search. Kim, too, wants to help but is not sure
how. She asks me to look at a few
specific companies and get back to her with my thoughts. I will, but I’m not optimistic.
I am sitting on an email I
drafted to someone I know well who owns a company. It is dated January 10. It is a heartfelt letter asking for
help. Specifically, I propose a
six-month part-time contract and give examples of things I could do to help
with this person’s business. I am afraid
of rejection so I don’t send it. At some point I might, but I'm not ready yet.
I spend about a half hour on
the Saks site contemplating whether or not to apply for a Director of Strategy
position. I decide my lack of retail
experience is a major hindrance and don’t apply.
I am reading a lovely little
book called Where’d You Go, Bernadette. The main character has a virtual assistant in
India. I think, gee, I’d be great at
being a virtual assistant. I am
exceptionally well-organized, responsible, and a great researcher for anyone
looking for anything. I go online and
find Fancy Hands, and they are looking for people. I decide to apply but first need to run to
the bank to get a replacement debit card. I come home twenty minutes later and find this newly posted cutesy message on their web site:
Assistants at Fancy
Hands: We're often looking for great people to
join Fancy Hands as assistants. We usually hire in waves to ensure that we
always have enough assistants to complete our customers' requests. Looks like right now isn't one of those times. Please check
back soon, so we can get Fancy together.
Guess I shouldn’t have gone
to the bank.
There are several virtual assistant web sites - I don't anything specific about any of them, but it seemed an intriguing concept to me.
ReplyDeleteodesk.com
elance.com
Thanks; I will definitely check them out.
DeleteAim high. You have so much to contribute.
ReplyDelete:-)
I see you're on LinkedIn. Good first step. There ways to improve your profile so that you draw more viewers. The LinkedIn site has many suggestions. There are strategies for job searching that you probably haven't thought of. Make use of it--
ReplyDelete