It took me about two months of intensive searching to obtain this position.
And by intensive, I mean that the process consumed virtually all of my energy
and attention that wasn’t required by my existing job.  Your mileage may vary.

That said, here’s my stream-of-lack-of-consciousness approach to job hunting.

1a)  Looking for a new job is a full-time endeavor.  But keep your existing job,
because being employed allows you to negotiate from a position of (relative /
perceived) strength.

1b)  I suspect that having a ‘professional’ personalized email & website
with one’s CV helps to convey a professional persona.
trixie414@gmail.com is probably not what one wants.
Reputable hosting is a mere $3-6/month as of this writing.

2) Create one Comprehensive CV — for your own reference,
and perhaps for ‘headhunters’, if you go that route

3)  Tweak that CV for each job application, as required.

Conventional Wisdom dictates one to two pages, but I’ve used
as many as 4 pages with success.  Depends on your age, experience,
and how much (and what) you want to convey.  Write for your
audience, and weed out material that’s extraneous to the position
for which you’re applying.  Typically, less is more.

4)  Provide a terse but persuasive (and grammatically impeccable)
cover letter that outlines how your experience qualifies you
for the position (with one to two specific highlights/examples),
and states why you want to work for <ABC Co>.

Brevity and being on-point are key.  (Just ask Shakespeare.)

If an online application doesn’t allow you to post a separate cover letter,
preface your resume with the cover letter, and upload the combination
Cover Letter/CV.

5) My favorite job search sites of choice, in order of preference:

indeed.com, linkup.com, monster.com

indeed has a very useful salary range filter.  No point in applying to positions
that pay less than what you’re willing to accept.

linkup doesn’t provide the salary filter, but does have a good industry filter.

And Monster, while much ‘busier’ than it used to be, has solid opportunities
and good articles.

6)  Careful, selective networking, both in person and online –
I found LinkedIn.com to be rather useful.

7a)  CV posted ‘anonymously’ on Monster — the only job board I trust
that allows me to comfortably post my availability anonymously,
and doesn’t inundate me with sales-job-related spam.  (The anonymous
posting is how I obtained my prior position in 2005 (it lasted 6 years).)

7b) AVOID posting on CareerBuilder, jobFox & ivyExec. (After doing so,
I was inundated with job spam (sales positions unrelated to my expertise and
solicitations for purported ‘resume review’ & other ‘value added’ services).)

7c) Shun any outfit that requires you, as a job seeker, to pay for ‘access to’ jobs,
or purported ‘help in finding’ jobs.  Period.  I’d like to think that there’s a special
place in hell reserved for folks who engage in such a practice.

That said, I *do* think that there’s potential value in one or two interview
practice/evaluation sessions with/by a skilled, qualified and experienced
HR (or former HR) professional.  Years ago, I participated in such a session,
and gained both valuable insight about my interviewing mannerisms/style
and useful pointers that helped me to improve my cover letter & CV.

8 ) Timeliness — if you’re going after an advertised position, you want to submit
your CV no later than the evening of the day that the position goes public –
otherwise, it’s buried.

I obtained the interview for my most recent position via a headhunter.  I believe
that my CV got to the hiring manager before (or the same day that) the position
was posted externally by my new employer.

The Conventional Wisdom is that one does not obtain a job by replying to a job posting.
That may be so, but by following the practices outlined above, I’ve successfully defied
conventional wisdom more than once in my career.

[Conventional Wisdom is an oxymoron, anyway ... . ]

Played. Put the guitar away.

Went to the bar to get my next beer. Bartender says “It’s on me — I liked your set.”

Gotta love it.

If that’s not way cool, then I don’t know what is.

Some photos (taken with a Pentax K200D and either their 18-55 II or 55-300 lenses) can be found here.

Enjoy!

Recently, I’ve had something of a metallurgical awakening. It started with razor blades. Picked up some Feather-brand dual-edged blades a while back. Darned if those aren’t head-and-shoulders sharper than anything else I’ve ever put in my razor (tho’ when it comes to scraping your face, disarmingly sharp is not necessarily a good thing.)

Jump-cut to the kitchen. I’m cutting a scallion, eyes burning, and wondering if Japanese steel would be any better. So I pick up a relatively inexpensive Global knife. Back to the kitchen. And now I’m cutting scallions without tears.

And Global is not even considered one of the better Japanese makers. And having since acquired a Santuko from a smaller Japanese maker, I have to concur.

So — if you like to cook, use your knives daily and have never tried Japanese steel, you’ll do yourself a favour by checking them out.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the DE razor (a.k.a. ‘safety razor’), check out www.badgerandblade.com (B&B). A wonderful site for those who are tired of paying through the nose for refill blade cartridges and want to return to a simpler era.

The potential simplicity and cost-effectiveness is a joy. For very little money, one can get a used razor and shaving mug (at B&B or eBay), a shaving brush and a puck of soap (e.g. Williams, Col. Conk), and you’re good to go. Good blades can be purchased for under 20 cents each. And there’s a nice feeling that comes from shaving the way that my grandfathers (and their fathers) did.

The danger to which many (most?) seem to fall prey is that there are an insane number of additional items which one will almost certainly want to acquire. Scented soaps. Pre- & post-shave lotions/balms. Aftershaves & colognes. Not to mention the razors & brushes themselves.

But I will say that my face is smoother now, I look forward to the daily ritual, and my better half likes the way I smell. And that’s well worth the price of admission.

Old without money.  Not a desire.  Or a description.

Rather, a literary reference to the line fromTennessee Williams’ play, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.  I believe that Elizabeth Taylor had the line in the movie.