I’m preparing to begin a new job on Monday, and am filled with the excitement and anxiety that accompanies it! It took me about five weeks to find a job during this lay off, as opposed to nine weeks last summer, so I’m feeling pretty good. Thank you for asking. 
The job market in Portland is extremely competitive because there are so many of you talented training and deveopment professionals out there, looking for your next adventure. The interview processes seem to get increasingly longer, and yet I am okay with that as it shows that employers are carefully considering their needs and taking time to ensure they choose someone who will be a good fit and not just a warm body.
Personally I find panel interviews to be a challenge. I like to connect individually with the interviewer and that is a bit tough when you have five of them lined up around a conference room table, taking turns asking their questions and sometimes engaging in an exchange of opinions about the organization’s culture. However, I do appreciate the opportunity to meet some of the customers (usually department managers) that I would be supporting in that position and I realize the importance of having them involved in the process.
As I consider the tools I used during my job search this time, you are looking at one of the best. This web portal gave me a place to have potential employers learn a bit about me, gain some insight into my thinking and communication skills by reading my blog, and see samples of my work through my online portfolio. And they could do all this at any time they liked! I have found this to be extremely powerful, and would suggest it to any job seeker.
Another invaluable tool, you can guess, is networking. I belong to the local chapter of ASTD, a professional organization for training and development, and I took advantage of the numerous meetings scheduled to network and learn. At the Transitions special interest group (SIG) meeting, which is targeted specifically at job seekers, I learned some great tips on sharpening up my resume. At the eLearning SIG meeting, I heard from other professionals on how they use technology in learning. And both of these events took only an investment of my time.
I also invested a bit of time and money and worked with a career coach for a few weeks. Through my work with him I was able to clarify what I want in my next job and, perhaps more importantly, what I don’t want. I developed my “Unique Value Proposition,” which is like that ‘elevator speech’ we are told to have ready in case someone asks us, while riding up one floor in an elevator, what we do. I also developed brief stories to illustrate my experiences for various competencies on which I want to focus.
The key to keeping my sanity during this layoff was productivity - I engaged in all of these activities that kept me busy and working toward my goal. If you’re a fellow job seeker and have some ideas to share, please leave a comment below - I’d appreciate hearing what has worked for you!
