Day 49

I now have FOUR followers...I feel like a rock star! Now I am under pressure to keep it interesting and informative.

Eleven days into the search...time has flown...I must be having fun! I have submitted my resume for job #3. Two of the three jobs have been through connections and one of the two is not posted. I am hopeful that one of them pans out.

I continue to preach the importance of reaching out. Now that we are more than a week into the search, those people that I informed that I am out of work, I am now circling back again to remind them of my plight. I intend to make some cards up with my name, number, links and email so people can get in touch with me.

I am really thankful for the outreach of complete strangers wanting to assist. I called the Media/Communications Director from a company hoping to be able to work on their social networking sites. She said they weren't looking to hire someone to do that at this time; however, because of her position, she meets with a lot of people and suggested that I forward her my resume with contact information - that was very nice. I will contact her weekly, just to let her know I am still looking until I find another job. I also got a request for my resume from our sales rep at the subscription procurement company. She also talks to a lot of people and might run into something for which I might be suited.

It is a small world...the more people you know, the smaller it is. Did I mention that I now have FOUR followers!! Keep reaching out, keep networking. Go to church, AA meetings, organization functions...wherever you feel comfortable talking to people. If you are like me, that is everywhere. Although, I went to the grocery store today and didn't talk to anyone. No one looked like they wanted to talk...that's OK, I will talk to my neighbors again and let them know.

I am hoping every one's job search (for those that are searching) is on track and you are networking. Some of us NEED a job immediately, no matter how meager the wages. My suggestion is to contact some temp agencies specializing in your trade. I spoke to a gentleman from Aerotek (a technical placement agency for the AEC industry) and he was supposed to send me an email to send out to the company regarding getting in touch with him. They may be coming into the office next week, or so he said.

Some networking tips include going to a meeting. If you belong to an organization that you are not really involved in, go to a meeting and meet one new person. Tell them about your plight and exchange information. Networking is not beneficial unless you exchange information. Organizations might include - going to church, attending an HOA meeting, getting back to the gym, industry associations, etc. I think the Homebuilders Association holds monthly morning mixers for those who are out of work. It's is a forum to exchange ideas and network. The article was in the Business Journal about 3 weeks ago.

If you don't belong to any type of organization, there are a few free ones you can join - USGBC is free and there are a lot of industry professionals who are also members. If any of my followers know any other free organizations, feel free to comment. Keep your chin up and keep looking. Good luck.