Day 17.5: Volunteer celebrations and more thoughts on the job hunt

I attended the MIMA volunteer appreciation event on August 23. Great night for a get together here at the start of our State Fair in Minnesota.

Unfortunately, only a handful of our volunteers attended. The rest missed out, though since the rooftop on the Baker building was amazing.

The street noise and hustle of our Minneapolis downtown was hushed in the serene enclave of tall buildings and warm breezes.

We enjoyed each other’s company.

I connected with some of our newer board members and volunteers as well as those of us who had seen at least one turn around the sun together. It is amazing to think that I’ve been with the organization since October 2016. I feel like I have grown, my portfolio certainly and I have had the opportunity to be mentored by some serious force in the industry.

Now for that to translate to paid work and a growing list of professional accomplishments.

No doubt it is has been a tough road. I talked to my long-time volunteer Jeremy – who was already working for MIMA when I joined, about how I was surprised that after I finished with TR, I ended up unemployed for so long. All these interviews and not even a bite.

Nothing to feel sorry for I guess, plenty of people have said they’ve been out of work for long periods of time before. Or that it can be tough to get that first big break in the industry.

Nevertheless, I have seen enough posts on social to know that our HR systems and hiring paths are not exactly working at their finest all the time. It is frustrating to both those looking to fill a position and those job seeking.

In some ways, I feel like this summer has been one of learning, growth and development. Still, making a living and having a career would be great also. As would being able to sustain oneself. I have watched over the years, friends go through difficult times, lean ones even. And bounce back at some stage with a new job, more money and travel (often with the job). I keep this in mind as I keep going.

Resourcefulness is key. I also rely on others a lot – for everything from help moving, to places to stay to free meals. I hope to pay it forward someday down the road.

Going back to the system – the job postings that aren’t real postings, the department heads who are unclear what they really want and use the hiring process to figure it out, recruiters who don’t actually want to work with you for the long haul, just make quotas and ignore calls, the networking contacts who try to be supportive but have no idea how to help (or what you do), the strange interview processes…

Ok the list could go on for days. No point in filling my blog with “the list” – does anyone do the hiring process in a good way that would be beneficial, conscious and helpful to all? I’m wondering if there is a book topic that could come from this exploration?

What are some or all the reasons that hiring has gone from mostly personal to a faceless or even demoralizing journey? And if taxi cabs and bicycles can be disrupted, is there a way to do it with HR too?

I guess we’ll just leave those questions “out there” and see where that line of thought takes me. For now, I’ll head back to the job boards and use my Friday to find some new interviews for that great job!

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