Some years ago, maybe 4-5 years ago, I tried to get a second job here locally. I wanted one that would 1) get me out of the house and around people a bit and 2) expand my horizons outside of my bubble of computer work. My dream goal at the time was to work in the garden center at Home Depot.
I even got an interview…and then crickets! Never heard a word back, despite following up with voicemails several times. You know what’s crazy is that I used to work for a company that provided merchandisers for Home Depot, I designed software to help them do their jobs better, I learned all about their plan-o-grams for resets, and so much more.
Then more recently, I have applied for 1/2 dozen full time jobs with them…and hear nothing.
Now the point of this post is not to bash Home Depot. I would love to work for them. (One of the twins worked for them for a couple of years and it was an amazing experience for him, as I told him it would be.)
But the reality is the job hunt is not what it used to be.
I think companies post jobs just to post them. You never hear anything back from applications. And even reaching out personally to contacts/recruiters, etc. it’s just silence. I begin to wonder if these jobs are real. Seriously, seen and applied for the same job 1/2 dozen times.
And if you are lucky enough to get an interview…well, then you get ghosted. I do not understand this. At all.
I got desperate enough this weekend and wrote a “less professional” plea on LinkedIn, it went like this:
“I need a job. I want a job. And I’m very good at the variety of things that I do.
But for the past year, it’s been crickets on the job search. Literal silence.
And I do not understand it…
Before you say it’s because I’m a mom. My kids are all grown. I’m an empty nester. I can pour into a role and a team like never before. Where is my new team?
Before you say it’s because of my age, I am relatively young still. The reason my kids are all grown is because I got them old. Thank you foster care system for giving me the large family I dreamed of. Where’s my new role?
I am an excellent #2! Seriously, if you have a vision, a project, a goal. I can make it happen. I can build the team, create the plan, create a marketing strategy, build the tech stack, and drive results.
I love to be in the weeds. Technology is my love language. And people enjoy working with and for me.
If you or someone you know is looking for a driven, passionate operations or project manager, I would love to chat!
And if you are a dreamer and need a strategic consult, I am your girl! I love helping people make their dreams come true!
Let’s talk! And please share this post. I am ready for what’s next!
Signed, Hope
(And yes, I know this isn’t a professional headshot. But frankly, doing the same old is not garnering any attention so it’s time to mix it up.)”
I see people posting desperately, trying to save their house, out of work for XXX months. It’s crazy.
And what’s worse is that thusfar, not a single real job possibility. Lots of people shared my post (most also looking for work,) lots of “let’s talk” and international people wanting me to sell their services. But where are the people hiring? Why the silence?
I paid ALOT of money when I lost my dream job last summer to get my resume professionally reviewed and redone. And have not gotten a single hit on that particular resume.
I am grateful for my part time job, but it does not pay my bills. I am looking for another local part time job. But what I need is a professional, full time job. I have nothing but time and passion to put to use…this is so frustrating. The silver lining is that I only have me to support now. But man…this should be my time to shine. Anyone want to help me be great!
I just got back from a week in Texas. And before you jump down my throat about the cost, my dad financed the trip in its entirety, including my attendance at my 30th high school reunion.
Addie ready to leave for our 10 day, 2,300 mile road trip to Texas
It was a much needed experience. The high school reunion was healing in so many ways. Visiting my family and seeing my son getting settled were stress relieving. And, finally, the time in my head and connecting with old people gave me lots of new perspectives.
Ready for my high school reunion
I think the highlight of trip for me was some advice from a friend I hadn’t seen or heard from in 25 years. It was something like this…
“Hope, as long as I’ve known you, you’ve been running from something or to something. You see something you want and you go get it, you see a person in need and you go take care of them, and you ran as fast and as far as you could from the trauma of your youth. Maybe it’s time to sit still and see what comes knocking on your door.”
As I was driving home this past weekend, I realized that after this coming week, for the first time maybe ever, I have no plans. No trips, no big goals, no plans, no purpose…just a straight road with an unknown future. It is very scary.
Getting to see my mom again is always worth the trip back to Texas
Even when I was married, I was always looking for an escape. With the kids, I was always looking for the next adventure. And for the past year, since heartbreak and the break in my confidence…I have been searching and seeking for what’s next. All the running, all the planning, all the expense that comes with that, is heavy.
So maybe it is time for me to sit still. And to see what comes knocking on my door.
And today as I write this after my first day back at work. I am finding peace in the idea of sitting still and waiting.
Side notes
For those new here, my mom was put on hospice a year ago and I was encouraged to get there quickly to say good bye. Getting to see her alive a year later is not something I take for granted. This visit I got to give my siblings/dad a break from 24 hour care-taking, give my mom a haircut, and say good bye again.
If you are an introvert like me, it takes ALOT to convince yourself to go to something like a high school reunion, especially when it starts at a bar and you can’t hear to begin with. This is your sign to go. Just go.
High school was TERRIBLE for me. It was so bad that I spent a month in a mental hospital after a suicide attempt my freshmen year, and then almost dropped out my senior year. This reunion and reconnecting from people from my past helped heal some trauma that I didn’t recognize I had been carrying around for 30 years.
