And On It Goes.

A recruiter I know from a networking list called me today out of the blue. We had been corresponding via the TENG list, and I had asked her to critique my new functional resume. She sent it back with a few helpful suggestions, but today she really wanted to ask me a few questions about my career coach - what we talk about, is it helping me, and how much she charges. It seems that this recruiter also is interested in perhaps doing some career coaching, as she is constantly being asked to help people with their resumes and such also.

So I asked the folks on the TENG list for their opinion on functional resumes, if they used them, and if they would send me examples. A couple of people were nice enough to send them, and another woman wrote to me to chat about her background, job search and opinion of resumes.

Digressing for a moment: The TENG list is a large group; I don't know how large, but a lot of professional, and shall I say, influential people belong to it. There are recruiters and HR people, entrepreneurs and senior executives, and they are usually happy to weigh in with their opinions of say the 1-page resume vs. the 2-page resume, and they are always posting articles with names like "100 things to never do during an interview", and "top tricks of the professional resume writers!". and links to job search or career oriented web sites.

The problem with all of this is that one can (and does!) spend all day at the computer just reading the emails, articles and links that are zipping through cyberspace.

So after speaking to J, the recruiter, about my coach, we talked about the job search in general, my issues, her issues, and then she basically just said this: "in this environment, there are no jobs!!!". She basically was saying, if you need money, take anything you can. This is no time to be looking for the "right fit", or a fun job, or something that you will actually enjoy. God Forbid you should try to change careers right now. Just take anything that pays, no matter how miserable you might be.

I'm sorry, but I've already been miserable in jobs, I know that feeling all too well. The jobs usually start out fine, but I head into miserable territory later. Life is short, and I'm getting old. I cannot take another job and "be miserable". That is SO last year.