Category Archives: random

dating, random, Unemployed Misadventures

Don’t Put Your Eggs in 1 Basket.

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Welcome to another chapter in my “job hunting is just like dating” series. As desperate as you may be in a job hunt (read: trying to navigate how to live in Los Angeles  as a single person on unemployment payments), it is important to apply to as many relevant and interesting jobs as possible — just like you should optimize your dating profile to consider prospects you would otherwise consider to be “outside your bubble.”

You may have a dream job or dream man in mind when you put a search inquiry into Indeed.com or Match.com, but the truth is — you need to play the odds in both your dating and career lives. Expand your pool to parameters you haven’t considered before. Perhaps now is the time to think about making a East Coast move or actually accepting a date in the Valley.

Just because your best friend has recommended you for your dream role or set you up with Prince Charming doesn’t mean you should rely on that dream job or man to be your only option. Keep an open mind and apply to multiple roles and go on several dates with new guys. The minute you stop focusing on that perfect job or guy, you’ll find even more options open to you.

Hence, don’t put all your eggs in one basket. I’m a big fan in juggling a manageable load – men and jobs alike.

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The Rebound.

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Just like rebounding from a bad relationship, you need to rebound from a job loss by going on a new interview and getting your first look as to what’s out there. A few weeks ago, I had my first phone interview post-layoff and just like you don’t know how to act on a first date after years in a relationship, I pretty much committed every faux pas on that phone interview.

I got emotional when the recruiter asked why I was no longer at my previous employer. I drew blanks to questions I should have known the answer to. Basically, it was a disaster.

But you know what – I felt so much better afterwards. It’s like ripping off the band-aid of an old wound. Every phone and in-person interview since has gone substantially better.

So, just like re-joining the dating world, I am taking the first steps into the terrible wonderful world of job hunting.

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Thai “I’m Never Leaving” Land.

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Thailand was in a nutshell, breathtaking. Did you know that one of the greatest feelings in the world is knowing that you don’t have to return to a work inbox of 1,000+ emails? Now, figuring out how you’re going to pay for said Thailand trip on unemployment is a whole other issue…but it was worth every cent.

To sum it up in a few short details:

  • I crashed an ATV, was told I was a liability and I could no longer drive, so I had to ride on the back of a boy’s ATV for the tour gripping him. I don’t think he minded.
  • There were lady boys.
  • We rode elephants. Elephants poop a lot.
  • Beaches. So many beaches.
  • 5:00 is Happy Hour in every pool bar in Thailand.
  • I have developed an affinity for seasickness in my older years.
  • Bangkok gets a bad rep. It’s a cool place with too much traffic (much like Los Angeles).
  • I dived off a dock into the South China Sea. That’s rad.

All I have to say is: when are we going back?!

KohPhiPhi

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Breaking Up is Hard To Do.

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It is astounding how much losing your job is like ending a relationship. On the day it happens, you saw it coming but yet you didn’t see it coming at the same time.

Then you have to deal with the aftermath. The employer/boyfriend has to return your personal items. You find yourself Googling your past employer/boyfriend daily and realize you need to immediately unfollow the employer/boyfriend on Twitter, Facebook, Google alerts, LinkedIn, etc…But as one clever girlfriend noted, “Instead of getting a STD from a bad boyfriend, you got a kickass severance package.” Wouldn’t it be nice if every relationship came with a severance? That you got what was ultimately owed to you? I suppose that’s what a divorce is after all.

You go through the 5 stages of grief, otherwise known as the The Kübler-Ross Model (fun fact: I was a psychology major).

  1. Denial.
  2. Anger.
  3. Bargaining.
  4. Depression.
  5. Acceptance.

I’d like to add my own 6th stage. You know you’re fully healed when you hit stage 6: Boredom. Which is where I currently am.