The last couple of days in London, it's seemed like it has barely got light -- the rain has been torrential, and almost constant. We can't complain too much though -- it's a subtle reminder of how bad things are in other parts of the world, like Africa and Asia -- Pakistan in particular.
The cloud and the rain is also a useful metaphor for how I've felt this week, and increasingly over the last couple of weeks. I've been saying it almost from the day I started in this job, but I really have to get out of here -- it has been particularly painful this week. Naturally, there's been no more talk of the marketing position I was offered a few weeks back -- so there's no way of knowing if or when that will happen, or if it will even be a job worth taking. Right now I am just feeling stranded in a job I hate, with no way of knowing what to do to get out or to change it.
So, innernetz, I am asking for your help. I am sincerely hoping there are more people reading this than I think, otherwise it's to an audience of one. If you're pushed for time, just scroll down to the parts in bold for the action items -- then come back for the rest later. You know you'll want to.
I was struck yesterday by something someone said on Twitter. Inspired Entrepreneur Nick Williams had a short, simple message that said "Your creative and spiritual gifts are a perfect match for someone else’s needs and wants". While I have some doubts about any "spiritual" gifts I have to offer (due to my skepticism about the existence of any kind of "spirit"), I do truly believe that my creative gifts -- my skills -- would be a perfect match for someone. I'm a talented guy. I write well, I'm creative and imaginative, I am easy to get along with and undemanding. I am also very passionate when something engages my interest.
And this is why I need your help, Innernetz. Being good just isn't good enough today, especially not when there are far more people than there are jobs. Ultimately, I want to come to the point where I can turn my unique ideas into something that will earn me a living -- but before I can get to that point, I need to keep working -- and I need to be working in a job that I don't feel is crushing me.
Traditional job hunting is getting me nowhere. Applying for jobs advertised on the internet places me as one among hundreds of applicants, and I am lucky to get so much as a polite refusal. Recruitment consultants are unwilling to return my phone calls. One trusted recruiter, whom I have dealt with over several years, describes my experience to date as "choppy" -- which she feels combines with a lack of recent experience in a creative or media role to give me this current situation: languishing in sales.
We need to a different approach, and something needs to change. We've heard about the guy who is advertising a promise of 10% of his first month's wages to someone who can get him a job. We've heard of people walking the streets with a sandwich board requesting a job. I even heard of one guy, who after being rejected from the same PR agency several times, resorted to erecting a billboard on their front lawn. It had a childhood picture of himself, and the caption "When I grow up, I want to work for...". Funny how I can't remember the agency's name any more.
I need a unique angle to demonstrate the skills I have that make me such an amazing employee. The second prong of the attack is that I also need anyone who reads this to drop me a line with a suggestion of someone I can contract -- a friend, an ex-employer, even a current employer -- who would be able to help me with this job hunt.
I am reading a lot of career change/life coach information at the moment -- including John Williams' "Screw Work, Let's Play", Marianne Cantwell's "Free Range Humans", and Mark McGuinness' "Lateral Action". The trouble is -- and maybe it's the job (what Mr McGuinness calls "the sensible job that pays the bills but corrodes your soul") -- but I come home every night feeling frustrated, resentful and depressed. This doesn't fill me with energy and optimism for striking out on my own, if I even knew what I wanted to do or how I could do it.
To recap -- what do I need? Firstly and obviously, the main thing is I need a new job. In the absolute short term, I need a job where I can be useful and creative and use my talents. It doesn't have to be what I am going to do with the rest of my life, but I can't get anywhere when I feel the way I currently do each day.
Secondly, I need your thoughts and your ideas and your help on what I can do to. Traditional job hunting methods are dead -- I need something that's going to set me apart.
Thirdly, and this can tie in with the second, I need referrals and contacts. People who will listen to what you say when you tell mention my name.
For the rest of it, I'm on my own. It's going to be up to me to figure out how to eventually turn "work" into "play", to break free of my rusty cage, and to strike out on my own. But before I can do any of that, someone get me out of this sales role.
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