All tagged Career Planning
Professionally, I’ve felt the sting of rejection more times than I can count. Anybody who has applied for more than two jobs online knows how disheartening the auto-reply ‘thanks, but no thanks’ email can be, especially when it comes moments after submitting. Even worse, speaking with a recruiter who says they’ll be in touch to schedule an interview and then they disappear off the face of the earth is confusing and disappointing.
I couldn’t have imagined when Harry pulled that box out of the closet just how deep I would go with this. As my mind got lost in the world of that tractor, I was able to sort through the anxieties, let them go and formulate ways to get back on track. I completely forgot the value in not thinking about my problems in order to solve my problems.
I logged into LinkedIn this morning to check my messages and the top of my newsfeed was a former co-worker who had just updated her title to VP of Global Talent. I’m embarrassed to admit, my initial response was not positive—it was more of a punch in the gut.
When I was a kid, I loved the Fisher-Price Little People. I had the farm, house, Sesame Street, A-Frame and house boat, just to name a few. All of these sets were inherited from my brother, Jeremy, and were well-worn with more than a few missing parts.
So what’s my beef with SHRM19 and other HR conventions? Well, I’ll tell you. The ideas and concepts discussed there are the only things to happen in Vegas that actually stay in Vegas.
Being a GenXer, I’m a part of the first generation who had mothers working outside the home. As a young girl, it was drilled into me from teachers and the every cheesy sitcom I watched that I could be whatever I wanted to be.
Over the last 10 years, I’ve morphed into Mollie Bentley, Recruiter. While I worked hard to be taken seriously in the world of HR (hence the SPHR certification and incessant networking), I eventually pigeonholed myself.
In November, I made a career move. After being approached by a headhunter for what seemed like a great opportunity, I left a stable job with a stable company in a recession-resistant industry. I knew there was a risk, but the siren’s song of the opportunity to recruit on a national level and a fancy title was enough to persuade me to take the risk.
Without really trying, I grew a career out of a job that I fell into haphazardly. I find people engaging, so it’s not like I've hated my work, but once you start down a path, it’s difficult to change course. Actually, it’s impossible to change without a strong desire or plan to try something different.
