Hire Me

I find myself in the unique position of job hunting and not having to hide it*.  I haven’t been in this situation in the last three years, so what shall I do?

Blog about it, of course! 

What do you want out of a new job?

I’m glad you asked!

There are two things I want to do at this point in my career: solve problems, and work for an awesome company**.  (Let’s assume “make good money” is understood.)  If I can do both of those things, I’ll be extremely happy.  I suspect it will take some thorough searching to find the fabled Awesome Company That Needs Me, so I’m looking at both contract positions (by definition, they have problems to solve) as well as full time.

Pro tip: Once you’re midlevel or above, regardless of your IT speciality, have an idea of what you really want out of a position. It’s usually not enough to say “tons of money” and be done with it. A truly crap job (for example), with boring work, won’t pay enough to make up for the discontent. 

How will you go about job hunting?

First, I’ll blog about it. (Check!)  I rely heavily on my people on the Internet – you, dear reader, are part of my cherished Hivemind – for information on other things, so why not about job opportunities?

Next, I’ll follow my own advice.  More study (I never actually stop), more practice, interview readiness, and all that jazz**.

And of course I’ll start keeping eyes out for good opportunities, via email, forums, job sites, recruiters, and the like.

Pro tip: Pay attention to the job hunting process. Think about it, get someone qualified to review your resume, prepare yourself technically, prepare for interviews, keep track of recruiters and applications.

Tell me again why you’re blogging about this?

Listen…job hunting tends to be a furtive, secretive process. We don’t talk about it much lest our current employer get wind of it, and lest we appear disloyal or fickle. But there’s a LOT of value in sharing the process with one another and comparing notes.

Pro tip: Only, of course, if the position you’re leaving doesn’t mind.  (Thanks for being cool, soon-to-be-ex company! It’s been a good run!)

Happy days,
Jen McCown
http://www.MidnightDBA.com/Jen

* I’ve said before that jobs are like relationships, as in going-steady or been-married type relationships. This job that’s coming to an end is the rare amicable split: “You know, I’ve been thinking, and we’re really not right for each other.” “I agree.  I’ll start moving my stuff out. No hard feelings?” “Nope, and you can keep the BSG season 2 DVDs.” *hug*

** Yes, I have certainly considered going the solo consultant route. I hear it’s very rewarding. But with a family, limited tolerance for travel, and a number of important side projects, I’ve ruled it out for now.

*** We talk extensively about “all that jazz” in several recorded sessions, the webshow, and most notably in the DBA Roadmap – 5+ hours of career advice for $99!  Visit the site for a free sample track.  (Yes, I worked a self-serving commercial into my self-serving blog post. It’s called “value adding”.)

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