Day 38 - THE SUPPORT GROUP

I can't believe it has been 38 days... ahhh.. but so it is, still having learning lessons and carrying on. It is just weird...

MY INTERVIEW
I am happy to say I was not asked "Tell me about yourself?" I was ready though .. I practiced and practiced. I was determined not to fling my arms around and go into a biography on myself. It was a pleasant interview with a great job content so I am excited that there may be something tangible there. However, the route to the interview did take me down the famous 8 mile (home of Eminem- and his movie). What an ugly part of town. I passed by burnt out businesses, strip clubs, cash checking places and stopped at every red light. It became comical that as soon as one light turned green the other perfectly timed turned red. I can see a postal situation during rush hour with that programming of lights. I will need to consider a new route if I get the job.

THE JOB SUPPORT GROUP
In my commitment to fully use my outplacement services, I joined a job support group. It meets every Wednesday and is facilitated by an outplacement specialist. I thought what the heck, it is not like I have anything better going on. So I attended my first meeting with 4 other men. I thought we were all starting at the same time but I quickly realized that all these folks have been meeting for several months and I was the new kid of the block.

It was like an AA meeting (not that I have been to one - but have seen it on TV - disclaimer). The first person named Brock kicked off and introduced himself with his position statement and how long he has been out of work. He said he was an audit and tax specialist laid off from Delphi. He had been out of work since October. He then began to get us up to speed on how his job search was going. Now this is a weekly thing so I figured he would recap the highlights of the week. Instead he told us EVERYTHING for 30 minutes. He was very sweet and funny but I sensed I could figure out what his issue was that he was not landing a job. He also told a story how he met someone for a top secret position. The meeting was at the hotel and this person could not tell him the specifics of the position or any other detail. The interviewer said that the position could last as short as 6 months to 7 years. He then asked Brock what his plans were for the next 3-5 years. Brock replied working for your doing undefined work. It was funny...

The second guy - let's call him Jim because honestly I don't remember was laid off after 31 years with this company. He began explaining his job about cultivating media. I had no idea what he was talking about since the only media I knew was print or web. He was a micro biologist so I asked. He actually cultivates bacteria. Hell I do that on a daily basis in the kitchen, bathroom, door knob etc... I felt bad for him because I felt like he was never going to find another job. He talked this lingo that was not understandable to the common person. Poor guy - I provided some feedback to his outplacement specialist as this guy was doomed without some immediate intervention.

The other folks were nice and talked about their job search too. It was fine and sad. I walked away thinking I can't end up like these people. I have to land a role and land it quick. I committed to sticking with the group as they were excited to get fresh blood on the team. I sensed they were sick of one another.

REALIZATION
You can prepare for interviews, get everything rehearsed and organized but in the end of the day, a job offer comes with chemistry. I felt I did not have to prove myself today because I was a known entity with some of the team. Realization 2 just like milk, unemployed workers have a shelf life. Stay out too long - you start sitting in addiction support groups looking forward to new members. PEACE OUT