Layoff

Wow, the job search has changed. In the past, I usually had a 1:6 interview ratio. For every six applications I completed, I had one interview. I understand the landscape has changed a little? /s My graphic resume opened many doors, but I can’t use this format today. Instead, everything has to be one column, and fairly boring, to better comply with the needs of ATS systems. In the past I had one brief paragraph per job. Today I need 10+ bullet points per job, and it seems I need measurable metrics at every stage. That’s the hardest part for me. I can tell people why my projects were innovative or important, but I don’t always have hard numbers to explain if a project was a success. I have questions about the whole ATS thing; questions I need to research once I feel I’m past the post-layoff Endless Revisions Cycle. For example, if I used Captivate in all my jobs, and I mention Captivate as part of all my jobs, does ATS see that as greater proficiency if I mentioned it once? If so, how many mentions make a person expert level? So may questions, so many tasks, and only so much severance. I’m a little stressed. Guess I need to stop writing and return to revisions.

Last Monday morning I was struggling with my PC, trying in vain to get it to boot, when my co-worker C jumped on the SMS chat that a few of us in my department participate in. She said she had been laid off. My heart sunk into the ground. C, who everyone loves, had been with The Company for almost 20 years. If she wasn’t safe . . . So I reached out to my Director, and informed him of the PC issues as a just-in-case. He responded immediately, and in moments I was in a phone call with HR, getting the dreaded news. My first layoff at age 55. I’ve had all the feelings, and I don’t want to dwell on them here. Instead, these posts will focus on how I’m managing this problem. How the job hunt is going, what hunt-related activities I’m engaged with, and how this opportunity will change my life for the better. This will help me stay accountable, and hopefully positive. (Make a note: This might be a good answer to one of those standard, dreaded interview questions.) Soon I’ll write about the changes I’ve made to my resume, and later in the week maybe the changes to my portfolio.