Holiday Motivation

We, I think have now reached the point of motivational struggling. What I mean by that is...what's next? It's been 10 weeks now and I have yet to truly find what I'm looking for (no U2 joke intended).

Yes, I am working, but it's part time and not exactly something that I want to do the rest of my life. I want to get back into the Video business, somehow, someway. I don't know how exactly to do it where I am now and I think that is the frustrating part.

((Me in the Video business/Circa 2004))

I guess the blessing in all of this is that there are some jobs out there, they may not be what you like or want, but there are jobs. I still sat here in front of the slowly disintegrating desktop computer looking at the usual sites, trying to see if there is something out there for me. Right now, there isn't.

What is it that you can do to stay motivated or fired up about trying to find something during the holidays? How do you continually plug away knowing that there isn't much out there and what you are looking for may be the proverbial "Needle in the Haystack"? It's a good question, a legitimate one, one that I really don't know if I have an answer to.

Sometime this afternoon, I will try and get in touch with the folks over at the ABC station here in Cincinnati. I had an interview with them about a week ago for a part-time producer job. I felt after talking to them that they would let me know one way or the other whether or not I got the gig, but I haven't heard anything from them...yet. It may be that last week was a short week with Thanksgiving, I don't know, but I guess I need to find out.

In the meantime, I still have the nice folks at the Panera Bread. I've worked there a little over a week now and it actually isn't so bad. People that come in there seem to be pretty pleasant overall and it's a good work environment with nice people. It's just difficult to think that I am doing that now. It really hit me this past weekend watching the Georgia/Georgia Tech Football game. Exactly one year previous to Saturday, I was there, on the field, working that game and it's very strange to think about where I am now. Granted, I like the city that we moved to. The people are nice and it is a "Much" slower pace than Atlanta which isn't so bad either.

So here we sit. Really, I would like to come up with something exciting, invigorating or motivating to make me and anyone else who stumbles across this energized in their job search, but I can't. All I can really say is be aware that this is going to happen. Be aware that you need to be aware of it. Keep plugging away and keep looking, the job or opportunity that you want "IS" out there. It may not be right in front of you, but it is there, you just have to keep searching...if you do that you eventually will get what you want.

In the meantime, enjoy the trailer for a Holiday Classic: National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation...we love the You Tube:

What to be Thankful for...

Sometimes things and life just kind of come full circle. This year, Thanksgiving is kind of like it was back in the day. Back when I was in my 20's. Back when I couldn't make it home to my family for the holiday, more often than not because I was having to work.

The good part is that Michelle and I are going to have a wonderful Turkey dinner and are eagerly awaiting for the snow or at least snow flurries that are predicted for tonight. Really, there is nothing more that I could ask for; spending the day with Michelle in our house with our dinner, I will always and forever be thankful for that.

We started the weekend last night by going to see one of our favorite sports; Hockey. We went to the "US Bank Arena" and watched the ECHL's Cincinnati Cyclones play the Kalamazoo Wings and we had a blast. We also discovered the joy of $1 Pabst Blue Ribbon Beers too.

Now, as for things to be thankful for besides family...there are lots of things. Be thankful for opportunity. Opportunity is something that is always there, whether you realize it or not. And most importantly; Opportunity is something that is up to you. It is what you make of it. Never forget that.

Be thankful for people. Not just the people that you know. Be thankful for people that you can meet. You will never totally be successful unless you meet people. You will "ALWAYS" be successful if you meet people and treat them right. Treat them the way that you would want them to treat you. If you do that, you will always have success, you will always be loved and you will always be able to do the things that you want to.

Be thankful for the Internet. Yeah, you heard me. Be thankful that the "Ultimate" searching resource is out there. It's available to you, whenever you have access. You can learn about every and anything that you ever possibly could imagine. No, it's not perfect, but if you utilize it the right way in your job search, it most definitely can be your friend.

Be thankful for the Holiday's. You don't always get the opportunity to have the days off, but if you do, make the most of them. Do some things you've always wanted to. Take the time to appreciate everything that you have. It's not every day that you get to slow down, take stock and think about what you have. Be thankful for it. Appreciate it for what it is and remember what it took for you to get there. Most important of all...be thankful that whatever your situation you always will have the opportunity to make it better.

HAVE A HAPPY TURKEY!!!! YOUR TURKEY SACRIFICED A LOT FOR YOU THIS YEAR!!!

Enjoy the WKRP Turkey Drop Episode...You must watch this...You know you can: Thanks to HULU.COM for this:

Things You Never Thought You Would Do

Today was the 1st time that I set foot in a restaurant as an employee since 1986. Yes, I'm the old dude working at the Panera Bread in Hyde Park (for those who don't live here...neighborhood in Cincinnati). Quite honestly, it's something I honest to goodness never thought that I'd have to do. Technically, I guess I don't, but I did need to do something to get me out of the 8 hour marathon Internet Job Searches and get some positive cash flow coming in.

I've been out of work for well over 2 months now. Despite some of my friends thinking that "He's retired", no, I haven't, I'm just having a very hard time finding work in my chosen profession. It's not to say that I won't or I won't stop looking, but I had to do something.

One of the biggest challenges that I've faced is aside from shooting, editing and producing video's is that there aren't a ton of other things that I am qualified for. Yes, it's been an issue. Along with the "Why would you want to work here?" question. I did have a job offered to me in October. Doing Customer Service on the phone; no...the more I thought about it, that wasn't going to work.

So, the question is why a restaurant? Well, how many of you worked in one when you were growing up? Yeah, that is what I thought. It's something that I can do. Probably the most appealing part of it for now is the flexibility and openness from the folks at Panera Bread. They are willing to be flexible with my scheduling if I can find freelance work or follow through with the classes that I want to take.

The other reason: Cash Flow. Obviously, since I wasn't employed, I wasn't bringing home any money. As much as Michelle loves me and she makes a good living; I had to do something if I wanted some warmer clothes here in Cincinnati. Plus, since my expenses are pretty low right now, I can pay off credit cards and start saving for the equipment that I want to buy. Am I making a fortune? No. Am I making more than I've been spending? Yes...or at least I will be.

My point today is this. Sometimes you might have to suck it up a little and do something you didn't think that you would have to. With a little time and research, you may find something fun or something that will pass the time. Either way a little something, sometimes...can go a very long way.

To stay with the Theme of the Day, enjoy some Bread...with David Gates and the Guitar Man. Thanks You Tube:

Nothing Left to Lose

Every once and awhile you get an opportunity to do things that would be great to do but you don't necessarily "Have" to do.

Really I should qualify this. I had a job interview today (Hooray!). It was in my field of work, in this case it was for a part-time fill in News Producer job. Those who know me or my background know that I have worked in News for a long time, but I've never really produced a Newscast. I've done plenty of Sports shows. I did a 30-minute live Sunday night Sports show for 2 years in Atlanta and for a couple of years back in the day when I worked in Jacksonville too. I also helped create and produced a College Football Post-game show while in Atlanta. So I have produced a lot of Live TV, just not news.

This also was my 1st "Formal" Job Interview since I've been in Cincinnati. It went very well. Maybe it was just that I had made up my mind that I had "Nothing to Lose", I don't know. But, we had a very nice conversation and I spent about an hour at the TV Station. Maybe it will payoff and I'll get the gig...maybe I won't...but quite honestly, I'm not really worried about it; should something else come up there. They will call me. I'm very sure of it.

What I've discovered here and with some other opportunities that I've had over the past several years is actually pretty simple. Just be yourself. Really, it works. Don't try to be something that you aren't. Like anything else, it comes across if you are faking it. Or if you are "Laying it on too thick". Really, it does.

Am I saying don't "Do your homework on the company?". No. Am I saying don't be robotic and give pre-programmed answers...HELL YES. Just have a conversation, try to be relaxed and smile...a lot. Be curious. Ask a lot of questions. Look like you are interested in what the person you are talking to has to say. Most important of all...listen to what they say.

Yes, it's true that for every conversation, you will get the "What are your strengths and weaknesses"...blah...blah...blah. Use some of things that you've already discussed. Be ready to talk about your greatness, but be humble.

I'm about to repeat myself here as I finish, but it's the most important thing I could ever...EVER stress to anyone who is about to have a job interview. BE YOURSELF. BE CHARMING, BE HAPPY and most importantly HAVE FUN!

Yes, we're going with the obvious here: Everybody have fun tonight...Everybody Wang Chung tonight...Wang Chung Live somewhere in Japan: Thanks You Tube

Slow Ride

I really don't know who it was that said that "Some days are better than others", maybe nobody did or maybe I'm reading too much into it. Either way, today is one of those days.

Right now, I am where I've been for the better part of the past 2 months; in the house, on the laptop, searching the vastness of the Internets for potential work opportunities. It's interesting though; I have one opportunity now, though it's part time...low wage work in a restaurant, but it's paying work and will get me out of the house and away from this routine. I have another potential opportunity, a job that I will be interviewing for on Friday. It's part-time as well, but between the two, I will be paid enough and working enough that I can change my approach.

Today, however is a "Slow" day. I'm doing the same thing...but Michelle is home after having a procedure done at the hospital and resting and I need to be here to take care of her. It still leaves me with part of the day to do what I've been doing. And I...to an extent have done it though I don't quite feel the same sense of urgency at the moment. Is that wrong? Should I be doing more? Should I be more aggressive? I don't really know.

Supposedly the Job Search is a marathon not a sprint and I guess in a way that is true. But remember a while back I mentioned "Having a Plan". Right now, part-time work fits my "Plan" very well. Will one of the jobs lead to Full-time work? Possibly, but that isn't a priority. For me...in MY situation; I needed to find work to get some money coming in. I needed to find some work to allow me to buy some things that I want to achieve my "Master Plan". If I am able to get out there a bit with these jobs however, I potentially open up even more potential paths for me to travel down. When it all gets boiled down; isn't that really what it's all about?

It's not "Slow Ride" but enjoy a little "Slow Hand"...Eric Clapton and a live version of one of the Greatest Rock and Roll songs of all time (it's a bit long): Thanks You Tube

Networking

Over the past couple of months, I've figured out what I guess most people who have had to look for work in the past couple of years already knew. The key to getting a decent job in theses times is Networking. Basically, as I think I mentioned in a previous blog; it's knowing someone...or knowing someone who knows someone or knowing someone who knows someone who knows someone in order to get into the job that you want.

Networking groups. That's probably the biggest thing that I've learned; there are networking groups out there, groups that meet and share information and talk about people, jobs and places in relation to work. You'd probably be surprised that up until my arrival in Cincinnati, I never thought about or even knew that such things existed, I never had a need for something like that.

A couple of blog entries earlier I spoke about Google. If you are in a position where you want to find a Job Networking group, use it. Do a Google search for groups in your area. Chances are, you'll find one.

Me, I was lucky. When my wife was transferred up here to Cincinnati, her company had a deal with a company to help adjust to and learn a new company. When they heard my situation, they came up with a couple of people for me to contact. I did that and they were kind enough to give me some other people to contact as well as some groups in the area.

The primary group that I joined is the Job Search Focus Group. It's a group of about 200 or so folks who maintain a database, list and connect people with others looking for work. They have meetings every Monday and usually bring in a speaker to talk about something job search related. It's, at least for me, been an eye opening experience.

To sum this up and not ramble on forever, my point is this. There is a really good chance that you are going to struggle finding a job unless you know someone in the company or business that you are looking at working for. You may find a job posting online, but if you do, you run the risk of it being already filled or being frozen or being advertised with no intention of filling. Plus, if you've seen it then so have thousands of others have too. I'm finding out that the best positions, the positions that you want to find are usually ones that aren't posted anywhere publicly. And if they are, you need to be able to get moved to the top of the pile.

On that note, enjoy Network...the Movie that is and the famous Howard Beale rant....Thanks You Tube:

Big Bucks, No Whammy's....

I really don't understand the whole cosmic Karma thing and I'm not really sure that I want to. I do believe that eventually if you do good things and do the right things that you will get rewarded for it. I always have and I always will.

I bring this up for a reason. The last 12 hours, not counting the 7 or so that I slept, have been amongst the strangest that I've ever had. And I say strange in a totally good way. The tough part of it is that I'm not sure I should write about it because I'm genuinely afraid that I am going to jinx myself.

((Photo: Me and Sports Anchor Mark Harmon at Braves Spring Training in 2005))

For lack of a better way to say this, I went from having no "Real" opportunities to having now 3 of them since about 4pm yesterday afternoon. One, I was expecting...the other 2, not so much.

The first one, I wrote about yesterday. I took a bit of humble pie and went to the Panera Bread store down the street and got a job. Ironically, that lead to my 3rd potential opportunity, which I'll get to in a minute.

The second, I mentioned as a breaking news story in yesterday afternoon's blog. I have an interview on Friday at the local ABC station for a part-time job, which isn't a bad thing for me because it would allow me to do some of the things that I want to.

The third came up this morning. It's kind of long and strange story and might potentially give me an opportunity to do something totally different but potentially a whole lot of fun. I'm not going to mention it in detail just yet, because it may not happen...but it came about from somebody who I had met who was at the Panera Bread when I was there interviewing...for whatever reason I didn't see him, but he saw me and remembered. He thought of an opportunity someone had mentioned to him and he thought that I would be perfect for...so they are passing on my information and trying to arrange a meeting.

I've really learned a lot over the past month or so about Networking and how important it is, but I never expected that it would play out like that. I have every intention of doing a story on it, but I just haven't gotten to it yet. That might be what I need to do this afternoon.

I'm sorry that I'm being a bit vague about all of this right now, I don't know that I am nervous about it...yet; but I do seriously think that I would be putting the whammy on myself if I go into too much detail right now.

If it all plays out, I promise I will write about it, because this could potentially be a textbook Networking moment and hopefully someone will read it and be inspired to do the same thing.

On that note, enjoy this mornings clip from the early 80's game show Press Your Luck...where the "Whammy" was the true star: Courtesy The You Tube

Taking one for the Team

Brace yourselves, this may be a long, rambling, stream of consciousness story this afternoon. I feel the need at this point to talk about what; at least to me is the most important part of the job searching journey...having a master plan...and modifying or adjusting it as you go

Believe it or not, I figured out my plan fairly quickly. I had a pretty good idea of what I want and wanted to do, I'm still trying even now to figure out how to put it into action. For instance, I've mentioned before I want to stay in the video or video production field. I do, it's what I do well, I love being able to tell stories...not just writing them, but showing them. I'm good at it. I am very accomplished at it. I love doing it. Honestly, I wasn't sure when I left my last job if I wanted to stay in it, but a lot of thought and looking back at things told me that it was the place I worked that brought me down, not what I did.

((Photo: Me and the West Virginia Mountaineer Mascot at the 2005 Sugar Bowl...yeah...he didn't get out much))

My plan is simple. I want to have my own production company. I want to not only utilize the skills I've learned over the past 22 years as a Videographer/Editor and Producer, I want to expand them. I want to take courses in Web Design and graphic design. I want to be able to do everything.

Sacrifice...

Sometimes you have to take one for the team. Really, you do. I did something today that I never thought I would have to do. I went to a Panera Bread store near the house and took a job with them. That's right, 23 years after the last time I worked in a restaurant, I took a job working in a restaurant.

Why do that you ask? Several reasons: (1) Basically Michelle told me this weekend "Find something to do, even if it's part time, just get out of the house". (2) In order to get some new clothes and start purchasing equipment, I need to start bringing in my own money. We make enough for us to get by, but we have to be much more careful right now without me bringing anything in. Hopefully that will change. (3) The General Manager at Panera Bread couldn't have been nicer and more accommodating. He told me that I can "Work as much or as little as I wanted to" and that he understood that I was in transition. He said "If you find what you are looking for, all I ask is for some notice before you leave". Honestly, I told him that would be the least that I could do.

Is it scary to go back and work like that? Sure, but to get what I want, I'm going to have to make some sacrifices and you know what. I'm OK with that.

**BREAKING NEWS UPDATE***- As I was writing this, I received a call from the Assistant News Director at WCPO-TV the ABC station here. He would like me to come in on Friday to meet with him and his News Director. Maybe it's true that once the gate is open, everything comes at once.

Finish the Drill....

Mark Richt, one of my favorite people uses this line with his Georgia Bulldogs all of the time. "Finish the Drill". You have to finish what you start...or why start it? It's the same thing with your plan. You have to have one in order to succeed. Not just in life, but for your job search and anything else that you do. You may have to take a step or two back in order to make your plan work...but if you do...so what...do it! Keep your eye on the prize because in the end you'll be amazed at how happy you are and how proud you will be if you accomplish it.

((I apologize for the gigantic font. Blogspot is being a pain in the ass and won't let me re-adjust it to the size it should be))

Enjoy the A-Team because "I love it when a plan comes together". Thanks You Tube:

Decisions, Decisions...Oh What to do?

Well, it's Monday and we are back to it. This time there may be some decision making involved, not necessarily what I want, but it may just be what I have to do.

Over the weekend, despite saying not to, I spent some time looking for work, any work. Part of that was just for something to do, part of it was because Michelle really wants me to find something to do that will get me out of the house. I understand that point and don't disagree with it. The tough part is that it is going to make me make a decision about several things.

One is work. I went to a couple of "National" store sites over the weekend and applied for a couple of jobs. Panera Bread was one of them, I submitted the application and did there ungodly long, complicated questionnaire and within the hour I got not 1 but 2 calls from different stores. I'm not sure how I feel about this, though it is better than some options that I've contemplated over the past couple of weeks. The goal, for now I guess will be to try and get a part time Cashier job or something of that sort to keep me busy, but not tied up.

The other option and one I'm even more mixed on is this: Michelle is a fairly big to do at Macys here in Cincinnati. They had a job...I think it is "Benefits analyst" or something like that. It's full-time. I applied for it and she can probably twist some arms to make that happen. I'm just a little torn about that. I'm a little reluctant to commit to that if I can land something closer to what I do. The concern is that if I take on something full-time like that it will limit my options trying to find something that I really want to do.

Really, I want to get back into my business or at least the part of it that will allow me to not work for a TV Station. I'm not going to say that I wouldn't take a TV job right now, because I would. That may be happening soon as well. I on a whim, found a job listing at the ABC station here in Cicni for a Part-Time/Fill-in Producer and I sent a resume' to there corporate website. 4 hours later I got a call from the Assistant News Director. He's interested, but has some other folks who are interested too. We talked for about 30 minutes or so and he said that if this doesn't work out, he'll keep my info if something else pops up...which is good and why I'm hesitant to commit to anything too serious.

The other opportunities for me are these: I've gotten on 3 Live Production Crew lists, good because that would be Video work, bad because I'm at the bottom of a long list...when there is work in the area. I've also made contact with a few people at 4 Production companies here in town. Good....it's what I want to do. Bad....I'm not qualified to do some of the "High End" stuff...yet... and I'm at the bottom of their call lists too.

So, to make a long story less long, I'm going to have a decision to make today...I think. More than likely I will do the Part-time thing at Panera if I can, because it will leave me the option to take Freelance Video work and to take the classes that I want to take after the 1st of the year. But the classwork is a blog for another day.

Enjoy the laugh of the day...an end reel from the TV Show Laugh In: Thanks You Tube

Working for the Weekend

This is just going to be a quick post. Today's thought of the day; "If it's the weekend, treat it like a weekend".

This is true but...I'll say this. I am doing a quick peek at some of my regular job sites as I sit in front of the TV waiting for College Gameday to start. No, I'm not going to spend most of my day looking for work, but I just spent the last 45 minutes doing it. That will be about the extent of it on a Saturday.

Saturday's are college football days...at least in November, for me. So with that being said, Michelle and I have some errands to run and then it is time for some football. Hope your team wins. Mine's not doing so well this year (Georgia Southern) and may be looking for a new coach next year. But there are plenty of others to watch.

Have a great weekend.

Enjoy some weekend Cheese from those 80's Legends....Loverboy/Thanks You Tube:

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Google is your friend (Not in a Facebook Kind of Way)

It's true. Google may be the answer...or at least the provider of all the answers that you will ever need. Amazing as it is...and quite honestly for those who are hip and up and technology, you already know this...you can find out just about anything you want by doing a Google search.

I had used the search engine on occasion, mostly for stuff relating to Onlinesportsguys.com, but that was only the tip of the iceberg. Really, if you know the right combinations of keywords, it's amazing what is out there.

Most of my searching...at least the job search related ones have been using derivatives of keywords that would work for my profession. For example: Video Photographer or Video Editor. You can be even more specific: Television Video Photographer or Final Cut Pro Video Editor...be specific if you can because adding one word will make a huge difference as to what will come up in your search.

The other thing that I've learned is this; while your search will call up umpteen million hits, you probably don't need to go past the first 5 pages or so. After that, the links become pretty repetitive and often times are older and out of date.

This search method works in other places as well. One of the cool things that you can do on Indeed.com is type in Keywords like you do in Google. In fact it will list jobs only rather than some of the excess crap that Google spits back

So far, I've found some useful stuff on these searches. I've found a couple of production companies that keep a crew database for available freelance help and I'm now on their lists. I've also found some local production houses who may or may not be looking for help, but they at least have an e-mail and my resume'. Yeah, they could delete them...or they may not act on them...but they are there.

I've also had a bit of luck with one of the local TV Stations. I went to there website and found a job listing for a Fill-in Producer, something I have some experience at...at least in doing Sports shows. I applied at their corporate site and got a call 4 hours later from the Assistant News Director who saw my resume' and wanted to talk. 20 minutes later he said "I just wanted to talk to you and see where you were at" "If this position doesn't work out, I'll probably have some others, with your resume' it looks like you can do a lot". Maybe that will work out and maybe it won't, but...it keeps me hungry and interested because I got feedback and probably the biggest thing I've learned with this job search is this: "Any response is a good response, it keeps you going and motivated to do more". It also validates that the search does work, if not this time...eventually.

If you are interested, here is a brief tutorial that I found on the You Tube:


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A Day in the Life

I read somewhere on the Internet that when you are searching for a job that you should try to keep a regular, daily routine. Believe me when I say this, it's true...oh it's true. The story said that you should get up when you would normally get up for work, go through a morning shift, take a break for lunch and go through an afternoon shift too. The reason being that since you are home and around the house, you'll end up getting distracted (particularly if you have ADD like me) and not do what you need to. Trust me...DO THIS!

My day isn't very complicated, but it has been pretty much standard with a few exceptions on a given day. I get up in the morning when my wife Michelle leaves for work, feed the dog and have a little breakfast to wake up. She leaves at 7, so by the time I do my wake up routine and prepare for my day it's usually 8am. At 8, I head upstairs to the desktop computer and do the daily check. E-mail, News and Sports sites followed by the inevitable job sites. Which job sites do you use Phil? Well, I'm glad you asked.

The main sites (biggies) are Indeed.com and Careerbuilder.com. I don't like Monster.com as much, the database is difficult to read and navigate. All of these sites use a web spider to grab jobs from pretty much every job site and company out there. Plus you can tailor your searches to the area you are in or the specialty you are looking for, that helps.

(Warning about Career Builder: The downside with them is twofold. One, you are subjected to a non-stop barrage of ads for trade and online schools. You can move past them but you have to tell the site to do it. The other is a bit more concerning. If you post your resume' on it, anyone...and I mean anyone can read it. You will get a few generic e-mails from companies looking for anyone. Stay away from them. Also, I got a call a few weeks ago from an "Alleged" recruiter. Turns out it was a scam company that used the "Recruiting" pitch to try and get at my 401K and other finances.)

There are some other resources out there, I use several that pertain more towards my chosen fields. And yes, some are helpful, some aren't.

By the time I get through this, it's usually later in the morning and the Daisy Dog is bothering me for her morning snack and chance to go outside. It's nice to have a faithful dog who sits in the office with you all morning while you play on the computer...really it kind of is.

I don't generally apply to much in the morning. The morning for me at least, is research time. If I find some jobs I like, I e-mail them to myself and do some research on the companies. I've learned now, that with an online search, you should always either check the company website or at least do a Google search on them just to see what they are about. You also should check the company site if you can to see if the "Job" actually exists. A lot times, the search engines get things after the fact and the job is already filled. Most companies don't pull those ads when that happens.

The other thing to be aware of. Nowdays, a lot of companies post jobs they have no intention of filling or they are filled before they are posted. Really, there isn't much you can do about this, just be aware of it.

The midday is lunch time and also time to change the approach. For me, I'll go downstairs and fire up the antique laptop and fix lunch while it is loading. After I eat, most days I will look through what I found in the morning and start applying for jobs. I will also check out some other sites and update the earlier searches too.

By the time this is done it's 5 or 6pm and Michelle is home. The day is done and most days I actually get some stuff accomplished. It's not the greatest routine in the world, but I stick to it. There might be a break time where I'll do some laundry or rake the leaves or go for a run, but that is pretty much my day. The only other things on my schedule right now are the Job Search Focus Group Meetings on Monday and a Marketing, PR/Communications Group that meets once a month on Tuesdays.

Dull, yeah. But it's a routine. You have to stay disciplined and commit to it. Really, you do. If you don't you risk becoming bored and accepting your situation. You can't do that. It's not a whole lot of fun being unemployed and jobs are hard to find right now. It's tough for me because my chosen field has been hurt more than others. Next post, I'll talk about 2 other subjects, Networking and being "Overqualified".

Enjoy the Beatles singing our title song:

Learning How to Job Search

Imagine being my age: 44 and having to learn how to do something that you've never seriously had to do in an era where the way that you go about doing it changes pretty much daily. That's what I'm dealing with right now.

No, really, if any of you are former TV people, you know that you didn't have to do a "Traditional" or "Normal" job search. TV Jobs...at least up until recently weren't that hard to find...or get. If you knew of a market you wanted to work in you either made contact with someone there or you probably already knew someone there; when you heard they had a job opening, you sent a tape...if it was a good tape, you'd probably get the job.

I've had 6 of them in TV. Jobs that is. Each time, I didn't have to work very hard to get them. Probably the longest was when I was looking to leave Jacksonville, Florida in late 1994. It took a few tapes and about 2 months. But after starting in November, I got a call the 1st week in January from someone who wanted to hire me because he liked my videotape.

I'm finding out now, after moving to a town where I basically don't know anyone, that for most other jobs and even now TV, it doesn't work like that anymore. It's all about networking. Meeting people and meeting people who know people. And then meeting people who know people who know people.

The 1st lesson that I've learned: Join a Networking Group. I got lucky. When my wife Michelle got her transfer here to Cincinnati, they assigned a local company or "Concierge" service to help with the transition. One of the people in the company took an interest in my plight (Moving here without a job) and got me introduced to a couple of people...who introduced me to a couple of people and so on and so forth.

I joined 2 Groups after meeting with these people and though I haven't found a job yet, I now know where to look and who to get in touch with. (more on that in another posting)

Enjoy Dr. Fever:

Nice to Meet Me

Hey everyone. If you are reading this first post, then I am guessing you probably know me already. But if you don't, I guess a bit of an introduction should be in order here or at least an explanation of what I'm writing about.

If you want details, read the profile...also on this page. But here is basically my situation...and reason for doing this. Right now, for the first time since roughly 1983, I am unemployed. I am looking for work, but really, I'm looking hard for a job...for the 1st time. Since 1988, I've worked in Television. TV Station News Departments to be specific. I've had some TV Jobs, I worked at 6 stations since I started. So yeah, I've been around the block I guess.

Really, this is an outlet for me to describe my adventures as I try to find work. I've actually not been working since...uh....September 8th, my last day at WGCL-TV in Atlanta, Georgia. I just recently thought this might be a good way to log what I am doing to try and find a new job. In fact. I will post another story about what I've done to this point in case someone stumbles upon this and what I've done can help them.

No, I don't just sit around and do nothing all day. I post stories for another blog site that I do with some friends. http://onlinesportsguys.com. I work around the house and well, yeah, mostly I spend my time on the computer looking for jobs.

And for more random thoughts on life, I leave you with some quotes from one of my favorite movies...watch and see: Thanks You Tube