The job search has been eye opening. I went into it with unrealistic expectations, and was very surprised by what I found, in terms of both salary and availability. I sent out far more resumes than I can count, and was repeatedly turned down from jobs that I knew I could do well. I’m not sure why in the face of everything I had heard and seen in recent years I expected anything else, but I did. While working with the Census, I remember one of the higher-ups mentioning in a meeting the high amount of highly skilled people who were filling those positions, he said, “For example, there are three PhD’s in this room.” So while I could do those jobs well, it’s very likely someone else could do them better.
The other thing that surprised me was the dismissiveness of many companies. I guess when you’re receiving hundreds of resumes for every position, you can’t really go on anything other than a first impression. And I guess my first impression wasn’t the right one. I used a resume that had without fail guaranteed me call-backs only six months ago, and never heard back about the majority of positions I applied for. I even made a new, bulleted resume that cut out all of the fun fluff (whole sentences) that had made up my first resume. It didn’t portray a version of me that I liked, but I was trying my hardest to sell out and failing, so I really had to go all in.
And of all the jobs I could have gotten, I got one that I actually have experience doing. And I had sent them the good resume, which meant that they actually liked me, a strong indication that it would be a good fit. So I’m now employed by Connecticut BioFuels, where I am tasked with going to restaurants, and convincing them to sell their waste oil to my biodiesel-producing employers. It pays well, gives me a good deal of independence, and I don’t feel like I’ve sold my soul. I can’t wait.