Job hunting blues

OK it's been 6 months of unemployment. In that time I've sent hundreds of resumes, have had only a few interviews and have blown through most of my savings.

One of the interviews I had was with a provincial government agency that is looking for trainers. I actually had 2 interviews with them. The first was with the HR manager and it seemed that he really liked me, we connected and as result I was advanced onto the second round. I was also told that they were only seeing two individuals and that I was one of the 2.

However, the hiring manager and I did not connect and so I did not get the job. I assumed it had gone to the the other person they were seeing.

A week or so after I received the results, saying thanks but no thanks, I heard from a head hunter about this great job. We talked and discovered it was the same job with that same government agency. I declined to pursue it with him, since I'd already been rejected.

That all was in late February or Early March. It's now June. I've had no less then six head hunters call (2 from the same firm) about my ability to meet the challenges of this job. I'm more then qualified. The second last headhunter tells me they deal with this particular agency regularly and that they are a pain in the ass. To quote him: "They go out of their way to find reasons to reject candidates."

That isn't what is causing my blues, well not that alone though it is part of it. I cannot seem to see what I'm doing wrong or if I'm doing anything wrong. The positions I've been applying for are well within my abilities, the people I've spoken with have all told me my resume is impressive, my qualifications solid, I'm great in interviews and always get good feedback but still nothing. I do realize the economy is in the shits and that the job market is flooded and so employers can pick and choose but still... it boggles the mind.

Last week, a friend of friend told me about a job her friend was hiring for. I have the experience, I have the ability and the desire. She asked for my resume to pass on to her friend. Great I sent it.

He reads it at her place (he happened to be there when I sent it) and tells her he's very impressed and that my resume is solid. Definitely wants to see me. Subsequently, he emails me to ask if I'm available for a phone interview with HR. I answer that I'm available at his convenience. He emails me right back to ask if I could come in on Friday for a in person interview and that HR will contact me about the phone interview, I tell him definitely I'm available. Then silence. Nada, the week goes by. I email to ask about HR no word from them. I get a phone interview invitation from another firm, scheduled for Friday, I email the first guy to say I can still meet Friday but I've booked another appointment, just so he can work his schedule around that. Nada.

Friday comes, I phone him in person - but only get voicemail. I leave him a message asking for either a contact in HR or to hear from him, I'm still interested and would like to meet with him to discuss the role.

Not a peep. So strange, he just dried up or lost interest or who knows. The friend of a friend that put us in contact is puzzled and pissed at him, she says she is going to find out what happened. I thanked her but said that she'd done her part the rest is between him and I. Still if she wants to find out what the hell happened, I'd be thankful.

So this week dons and I'm feeling blue and it just hit me all at once and on Tuesday I really began to feel depressed. I met our real estate agent on Monday to discuss selling the condo.
My phone is completely silent. The job boards are drying up, getting nowhere with cold calls, emails and resume submissions go unanswered. It all just gets to you after a while.

Then just when I'm down, I'm blue and feeling defeated I get a call. The second phone interview, the one from last Friday, well they liked me. As a follow up I had submitted a few questions to them via email. They called to answer my questions and invited me to an in person meet.

Now I don't have anything yet but an appointment but I suddenly felt the weight of the world lifted off my shoulders. Somebody liked me. Somebody took the time to speak to me. It was exactly what I needed at that moment. The SU says I'm acting like I've got the job already and warns me not to get too excited. And while it is a good job and I would be a good fit for it, I'm not excited in that I think I'm a shoe in or anything. I realize I'll have to fight for this job, give killer interviews and do very well on the skills testing they are giving me and then kick ass in a sample training session. So it's a long haul and I could drop the ball at any of those blocks.

No, what I'm excited about is that I know that there is hope, it's not hopeless. My submissions are being seen and reviewed. I'm not just sending endless emails, faxes and letters out into the empty ether but that they are going to people and some of those people will like me enough to speak to me. And that's all I can ask, beyond that it's up to me to win the role. Whatever role that may end up being.

So, I've been blue, I'm down but I'm not out and I'll comeback stronger and meaner and fitter ready to fight for my life and the life that I want.