The Big Job Hunt

Well, it’s time to get serious about the job hunt. I have been out looking for a new job for about 2 months now - but I haven't been really serious about it. Nothing like getting your ass fired to provide real motivation.

I also need to file for my unemployment benefits. Might as well get paid to do nothing. Fortunately I can do this on-line, and don't have to drag my ass down to some depressing government office.

Resume writing has always been a challenge. I’ve got about 10 years of experience. I have 3 patents on semiconductor design. I have 6 published papers in peer reviewed conferences and technical journals. Bachelor's of Science in Electrical Engineering, Masters in Computer Science. So there's a lot to go on there.

I called a friend who is a head hunter (head huntress??) and arranged for a meeting tomorrow. She says that there are quite a few positions that she could get me interviews for. In a panic I started calling all the working folks I know, to see if there are any available jobs. I must have e-mailed out 40 resumes, posted on monster.com, and surfed the web for any thing that looked like a job opening.

Deep down, I feel like I should be taking a vacation – I could really use an extended vacation, but panic at the prospect of prolonged poverty has me hyper-actively hunting. I toy with the idea of going to work for the summer at California’s Great America – I could put it on my resume as research in queuing theory. I really should do this. It'd be fun, and I'd probably meet a lot of girls. But my insecurities won’t let me.

I called Lynn. She said that it was a somber and quiet day in the group. She wore black. She does seem a bit more distant since the hitting incident. I wish she would let me in a bit more. She is out looking for a new job as well.

There is an opening at one of our (well, now her) company’s suppliers. They are a mid-sized company in Campbell. She is on pretty good terms with a guy named Tim there. She gave me his number and I set up an interview for Wednesday. She's interviewing for the same job on Thursday. One of us should be a shoe in for the job. Either way, it looks like Tim should be able to cash in on a referral bonus (if they're offering one).