Renewed Optimism

I know it has been a while since I blogged about me and my feelings but what better time. Earlier this week, I was passed over for a more-seasoned professional. I honestly thought this position was the right fit for me. It was a small apparel company looking to grow fairly quickly in the next year or so. I was excited to bring my ambition, passion for marketing and plain-old, roll up my sleeves and work, mentality. Obviously, it was not meant to be. While disappointed, I had no other option but to respect their choice and move forward.

This took longer than expected. I was in a rut for a couple of days, unsure about my future and what direction is what about to take. I took a couple personal days to reflect my experience job searching and how I wanted to progress on. It was during these couple of days that I realized how lucky I am. Sure, it would be very nice to be working - but I have the support of my family and friends and know that everything will be ok. I say I am lucky because there are millions who have lost their jobs and have others depending on their salary to get by. I am also lucky because of the support I have receievd from classmates and coworkers from the past. Just last night I got this message:

"We are dumb if we can't find a spot for you. Good luck man. I'll keep my fingers crossed."

This was from a coworker who I spent a summer with but have maintained a relationship with and am lucky for it.

I am confident that the right opportunity is right around the corner. Because of this, as well as my friends, family, colleagues and classmates, I am back to being who I am...an optimistic man.

"We're just not that into you"

After being dragged by my girlfriend to He’s Just Not That Into You…ok, I wasn’t dragged. After watching the sneak preview on HBO last night, I admit I wanted to see this movie. I had high expectations that it could be a relationship cult classic. While I was way off base – overall, it was a good, entertaining move – I couldn’t help but observe the similarities that relationships have with the experience of searching for a job.

[By the way, if the movie was written in a more objective view; from both the man and woman’s perspective, it could have reached that cult status…but that is up for debate]

If you haven’t seen the movie and want to be entertained, I certainly recommend it. Here is a short example of how relationships share similarities with searching for a job.

Let's first focus on Gigi Haim. She is the main character who often misinterprets the signs that men give her about their level of actual interest in her. She comes across as desperate, always holding out hope that a guy likes and wants to be with her. She even misses some obvious clues that well, "he is just not into you." I compare this to when a candidate that has interviewed for a job and doesn’t receive an offer continues to badger the company about why he/she is right for the position. Thinking about it, I may have been guilty of doing this once or twice. In the past though, I was successful in getting an interview because of my persistence so maybe I feel that it is acceptable with every company. Obviously that is not the case and it is important to understand that all companies are different and may react poorly toward a nagging candidate. It’s about finding that medium where you don’t come across as obnoxious but you also don't become forgotten.

I am interested to hear your take. Are relationships similar to searching for a job?