05 January 2011

A hiatus from my hiatus

Here I am on winter break from school. Additionally, I'm marking the 14th month of unemployment with not a little bit of dismay. My most recent job market defeat had me placed as 1 of 2 candidates in a second round interview for a job that on the surface appeared ideal. The other guy had way better hair and a winter tan that I just couldn't compete with. Not to mention teeth that could be used to bring airliners with disabled instruments safely to earth at Heathrow in a fog. At night.

It didn't help that I was inordinately nervous and my voice cracked a couple of times. During the ordeal, I was distantly aware that I had broken out into a sweat. Not the runny kind you get after jogging up and down the attic stairs for an hour and a half, but the thin coating that makes your face all shiny. It's the interrogation sweats.

The problem here is that the longer I'm out of work, the worse the interviews go. I used to be a great interviewee, confident, cool, collected; but now each consecutive interview gets worse and worse. The one before this I actually talked THEM out of hiring ME. I'm fairly certain that the next time I get a call for an interview, I'll show up in cargo shorts and a Pac-Man t-shirt and fart explosively the entire time. I'll probably get hired, too.

It seems to me that it's a numbers game right now. I know that I've been hired on first impression alone in the past. Recently, I suspect that I've been passed over for better resumes, regardless of the impression that I've made. I have little experience in my chosen field, I am currently completing a 2-year degree, and I have two entry-level certifications, which are my only tangible accomplishments. It would probably be a challenge for me to get a job at Best Buy.

In all likelihood, there will inevitably be someone more qualified (or handsomer) than me for any given position I apply for. But, as my 5-year-old will tell you, 'In God I will put my trust, I will not be afraid.' I've got lots of great ideas for all kinds of things. For instance, the Amazing Exploding Alarm Clock Puzzle Game. I continue to limp along with writing, but I'm so easily demotivated by setbacks. Like a balloon in the National Museum of Pins.

What I need is to find a niche as an idea consultant. Someone has a problem or a need or a story, and they need strategy or a bunch of crazy ideas in order to finish it. I get the details, and I'm a one man brainstorm. I furnish a catalog of possibilities, and they pay me. I could be a Think Tank of One.

Incidentally, I checked on Monster, and I am uniquely positioned for this future growth opportunity.

No comments:

Post a Comment