To Be or Not To Be.....

Well, today I made the “big” decision. It’s coming up next week on six months that I’ve been “retired”. Six long, boring, generally unproductive months that took me through the end of Autumn, the Christmas Holidays, Winter, the end of Football season (through a miracle or two, the Eagles kept it going longer than most people, including myself, expected), early Spring, the Easter Holidays, and now the start of Baseball season. I guess I could add in the Basketball and Hockey seasons, but most people in this area don’t get too excited anymore about Basketball and Hockey, even though both the Sixers and the Flyers each made a brief playoff run.

During that time, I catapulted hundreds and hundreds of resumes and cover letters into cyber-space, made dozens of phone calls, renewed old contacts and made some new ones, and, had one interview. Santa Clause, it seemed, made a bigger blip on the radar screens flying across space than did my resumes. Or, to quote from, and agree with, a letter from a former colleague (also unemployed) which was recently published in Fortune magazine: “There have been more sightings of Bigfoot, than reports of a successful job search”.

Not to sound too dejected. It wasn’t all bad. I knew with the economy as it was / is, it was going to take time to find a job. I did have some fun and good quality time, which I most probably wouldn’t have otherwise had, with family and friends during the Holidays. I was also able to greatly help out with a serious family illness. And, I was finally able to satisfy a life long dream of sorts to do some “broadcasting” by volunteering to record books for the Blind. My voice may not have been heard round the world, but I was sitting in a professional recording booth, speaking and recording. That experience, and some of the really interesting people I met doing it, helped keep me a little sane. Of course, too, there is this blog, which I started, and which, probably like my resumes and cover letters, isn’t making a big impact, but I’m enjoying writing it.

So, getting back to my “big” decision. As I wrote in an earlier post, I was seriously thinking about dusting off and re-activating my Real Estate licenses. I had studied and gotten them about 6 years ago when I was initially thinking of a career change, and while I didn’t do much with them then, always kept them active just in case for the future. Well, I finally decided, the future is now!

Over the past 2 weeks I interviewed with several Brokers to get a feel for the business, their offices, my potential with them, and the type of training and assistance that they would provide to help get me started and hopefully productive. Since Real Estate Brokers have very little real outlay for their agents other than desk space and some business cards, they were all very receptive to talk to me and even “hire” me. Afterall, if I sell a property they get half of the commission, and if I don’t, they’re not paying me a salary, so all they have lost is part of a desk and some business cards.

Today, I made the decision, and picked a Broker, Weichert Realty in Yardley, about 7 minutes from my house. I liked the office and the personality of the manager, and from what we talked about and from my research of the company, which has a presence in 42 states, they can provide me with the tools, support and leads to help me be a success, or at least sell some houses.

It was a big decision. I’m both excited and scared. I’m excited because it is potentially a big new career. I’m scared because it is potentially a big new career and I had tried it briefly before and wasn’t real successful. But, I realized, that while the weather is getting nicer and both my bike and golf clubs are cleaned and ready to go, I couldn’t keep sitting around beating the bushes and cyber-space for jobs that didn’t seem to be there right now. This will at least get me out there “working” with a real potential at a career and at making some money, and even expanding my network.

To the Beach.....

One of the nice things about not working is that on a nice day like today you can easily take off and go to the beach (or golf course) without feeling guilty, having to ask anybody or having to reschedule anything. Of course, I guess technically, if you are not working, then there is nothing to take off from, unless it is from not working, which would then mean you are going to work. So in reality, you are not taking off from not working, but rather, relocating where you are not working from. So, instead of not working from home, you are not working from the beach or the golf course.

Anyway, it’s a beautiful day, so enjoy it and remember to put on plenty of suntan lotion so you don’t get sunburned. Also, if you are married, be sure to be back home and busy in your home office before your wife / husband gets home from work, because they would probably not understand the whole idea of you taking a day off from not working to go to the beach / golf course to not work. They probably expect you to be home not working and looking for work.

Want to Buy a House.....

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about Real Estate and new Cherry Dr. Pepper. Really, I love that stuff. I can’t get enough. It’s awesome!

Now, if you haven’t seen it or tried it, you might ask, “What’s new about it? Isn’t that what Dr. Pepper is, cherry?” No! Regular Dr. Pepper is Cherry Cola. Cherry Dr. Pepper is CHERRY. Not too sweet. Not too tart. Not too artificial. Delicious!!

Anyway, I digress from my main point which is really Real Estate. I have been thinking a lot about it lately, too. It’s been almost 6 months that I’ve been “retired”, and while it’s been fun doing all of the networking, and volunteer work, and launching hundreds and hundreds of cover letters and resumes into cyber-space, fixing up my basement a little, and hanging around surfing the web, all that hasn’t seemed to have gotten me anywhere. At least if I had been drinking the Cherry Dr. Pepper all that time I would have had some cavities to show for it!

About 6 years ago I decided to get my Real Estate license. Actually, because of where I live, I studied and got two, one for Pennsylvania and one for New Jersey, and I worked in a Real Estate office for about 6 months. I never sold anything. I never listed anything. I did see a lot of houses and talk to a lot of people. It was interesting and fun, but in the end, it wasn’t bringing in any money, so when I had a chance, I decided to go back to my real job. Not that Real Estate isn’t a real job, it is, and it is a hard job, especially getting started and getting that first sale or listing, and you don’t get paid until you finalize that sale.

Well, I’m kind of back in a similar situation now, and I’m thinking maybe it is time to try a different tactic and follow a new course. I’ve always paid my fees and taken the required continuing education courses to keep my licenses active, thinking someday when I’m “retired”, I might want to go back into it.

True, the Real Estate market isn’t necessarily red hot right now. The latest reports released today in fact show that sales of both new and existing homes are down again. But, there seems to be some hope and some movement in the lower end market for first time buyers, especially with the $8,000 stimulus package and super low mortgage rates, if of course you can get a mortgage. Also, hanging around in a Real Estate office might seem to give me more of a chance to get lucky and make some money than continuing to hang around my basement “office”, if things continue as they have. I could additionally continue to look for other work at the same time.

So, the other day I visited a few Real Estate offices to scope things out, see what the market potential is, see what some of the offices were like, and see if anyone would be interested in having me join their staff. I have more appointments next week, but the initial reception and impressions were positive. The two Office Managers / Brokers who I spoke with both said that there was potential, that if I was really interested they would work with me and provide the tools and training to get me going (I guess not too many people are lining up to sell Real Estate these days), and eventually, all those homes with For Sale signs will sell, one way or one price or another.

Some interesting options to think about, at least. I do need to do something soon, though. My wife will be retiring in June, and if I’m still home, I think she will kill me. I just thought that I would put that in writing in advance, in case a body is found!

"O" is for.....

Well, it’s not for Orgasm! Sorry about that, but I just spent 20 minutes on the phone with a recruiter, who seemed to barely speak English, trying to convince him that while, sure I was OVERQUALIFIED for the temporary consulting job that he had called me about, I was very, very interested in it, I wouldn’t be bored, I could certainly add value to the company and the position, and well, hey, some job and some salary for some time is better than no job and no salary for some time.

I don’t think he believed me for some reason. His final words were, “I know that I can find you something much better and much better suited to your level and your qualifications”. I certainly hope so, but I’m not holding my breath right now, because I’ve heard it all before.

This, coincidently, brings me to more advice on the issue of over qualification which addresses just this issue and which I just happened to read in the Washington Post. The advice didn’t work for me, but, hey, who knows, it might work for somebody else.

-- Simplify your résumé. If you have an advanced degree such as a master's, don't list it on your résumé. If asked, don't lie, but you want to at least get an interview and a chance to explain why you are willing to take a job for which you may be overqualified.

-- Beat the manager to the punch. In your cover letter, or if you're fortunate to get an interview either face-to-face or on the telephone, acknowledge that you may appear overqualified for the job. But stress that you are willing to work hard and at a lower position. And you need to be convincing. This means you have to mean what you say.

-- Address the pay issue. You don't want to talk money too soon, but be upfront that you are willing to work for less -- probably much less than your previous job. Again, be authentic. Without sounding desperate -- even if you are -- explain that given the economy, you have realistic salary expectations.

-- This recession has been a humbling experience for highly experienced professionals. So my last tip is: Watch your attitude when job-hunting.

Hiring managers are flooded with applications, and they don't have time for someone who might look down on the position they are trying to fill. Think of it from that person's perspective. It costs money to fill and then refill a position. You might say you are willing to work for anything, but they can tell if you're just buying time until you can get a better job.

Good Luck!!

Soccer-it To Me.....

In the all no-work and no-play department, the New York Times is reporting that a new kind of soccer league has been formed in Hoboken, New Jersey. It’s called a “Recession Soccer” league, and it is made up of the newly unemployed and underemployed.

The league was the idea of Ian Sacs, a laid-off transportation engineer. He was laid-off in October, and quickly realized that he was not the only one out of work, and started to think of ways for people to connect, get exercise and do a little networking. After all, you can’t spend all of your time looking at those job sites and sending out resumes!

Weather permitting, the league meets mid-day on Friday at the Frank Sinatra Park on the Hoboken waterfront. There is a wide mix of people and former occupations, and everybody has their own stories to tell of how they got there (unemployed) and how they are coping with their new economic situation.

Who would have thought that playing soccer could be called networking. I wonder if I could convince my wife that hanging out at the track and the neighborhood pub is legitimate and essential networking?

SCORE!!

More Fun Than TV.....

In the latest from the who would have thought that the recession would have affected this department, Planned Parenthood in Southern California is reporting that requests for vasectomies were up 30 percent in the first quarter for its clinics in San Diego and Riverside Counties. Similar increases in the procedure, or requests for the procedure, were also reported in places like Seattle and New York City.

Possible explanations for the increases include:
• Unemployed men often qualify for free vasectomies under FamilyPACT, a California family planning program for low-income households.
• With the uncertain economy and job situation, many men are anxious about the expense of an additional child.
• Some men are afraid of losing their job and want to get their vasectomy done before they lose their health insurance
• Some men come in because they are out of work and have more time on their hands to take care of medical issues.

Personally, I think that there is just not a lot of good TV anymore, and you are hanging around the house with all that free time on your hands, with nothing else to do, so……

Welcome to the Club.....

Well, it’s official. Membership in the most unwanted club has increased by at least 663,000. That club, is of course, the club of the Unemployed. Current membership now exceeds 13.5 million, which is a lot more than any clubhouse, hall or stadium can hold, so there hasn’t been an official club meeting yet. We do, however, meet regularly online and through our various networking groups.

Actually, there are considerably more than 13.5 million people out of work, because that number does not include those who are only working part time, since that is the only job that they could find, and those who have been out of work for so long that they have given up on finding a job and have stopped looking. So, right now, there are over 13.5 million people actively looking for jobs. No wonder competition is so tough and those job fairs are so crowded!

The good news, though, is, if you have some extra money to go with that extra free time now, the cost of travel has come down. Never one to miss an opportunity, the Travel industry has realized that many of the people who were previously too busy working to take a vacation are now on a type of long-term vacation. So they are offering hot deals on airline tickets and all kinds of hotel and resort packages for us folks who no longer have to worry about hurrying back so we don’t miss that important Monday morning Staff Meeting! Gee, maybe we should have missed a few of those meetings and taken some paid vacations when we had the chance. Would it have really made a difference now?

Seriously, though, check out some of the deals on any of your favorite travel web sites. Some resorts are offering 2 for 1 bookings and extended stay packages, and airfares are $100 or more less than early in the year.

Have a nice vacation!

Well, Maybe, But.....

The online job site, The Ladders, recently published some advice on how to handle the sticky situation where you have too much experience or are just plain over qualified for the position for which you are being interviewed, and which you probably desperately want and need. The slightly flawed scenario and advice that they present is:

"My current position as Regional Sales Manager requires me to cover fourteen states and the job had grown into fifteen nights of travel per month. This has become an increasingly difficult sacrifice for my family. I have decided to seek a major accounts rep position that allows me to focus on my strengths -- selling, sustaining top-notch client relationships, and up-selling -- but also allows me to go home most evenings. This is not an option at my current job. It requires a lot of out-of-town travel to do the job, which I am no longer willing to do. I believe my extensive marketing and sales skills would greatly benefit your organization in a positive way. I see this as a win/win situation for both of us."

I say that this is slightly flawed because, while this may be a perfectly logical way to address the issue when you are working, if, like many of us, you are not working, your problem is not that you are away from home too much on business, it is that you never leave the house because you have no business to go to!

My suggestion, without appearing too desperate or begging, is to use their line, “I believe my extensive marketing and sales skills would greatly benefit your organization in a positive way.” And then maybe beg a little!

The Perfect Gift.....

We’ve probably all heard, and maybe at one time even asked, the question: What do you get the person who has everything?

Truly, the Queen of England would, I think, qualify as a “person who has everything”, or at least a person who could have anything she wanted. So I guess it is hard to find a gift, even a token, ceremonial gift to give her. She certainly doesn’t need any plates or medals and she has a few whole palaces full of paintings and art work. But, I was a little surprised at President Obama’s gift today to the Queen of an ipod. I would have thought, maybe, one of those Franklin Mint coins with his picture on it and the official numbered certificate would have been nice, or how about a Yankee Candle, I'm sure those old castles that the Queen lives in can be pretty musty smelling.

I know that the President is supposed to be a hip technologist with his Blackberry and his own ipod. But, if the Queen doesn’t already have an ipod, and if she wanted one, I’m sure she would have one, what would she do with one? I somehow can’t picture her walking the dogs around the palace grounds with her ipod on her belt, or sitting in the royal chambers listening to the ipod in it’s docking station (I wonder if the President also gave her a docking station?). Or, driving around in one of her Rolls’ with the ipod plugged into the radio. Of course, with Wall Street and Detroit in the dumps, the ipod is perhaps the ultimate example these days of American engineering and ingenuity, so on those grounds I guess it might be the perfect American ceremonial gift.

The Queen, now on the other hand, did, I think, give the President the perfect gift, a framed, signed picture of herself and Prince Philip. I don’t know how it was signed or if there was any little inscription like, Keep up the good work, or, Good luck with your Final 4, but most likely the President doesn’t have one of those pictures yet.

Attention relatives and friends, since I’m not working and I have a neat digital camera and photo printer, you are all getting pictures of me for birthdays, Christmas and other special occasions. If the Queen of England can do it and not be considered cheap or worse, why not me!