It's been awhile but going forward I'm ramping things up

It's been awhile since I posted here. So long in fact that the last time I posted something here my wife was still pregnant with our first child.

Amazing how much has changed since then. You really learn what is important and what isn't once you have a child and become a parent.

For me professionally it is just something that is going to motivate and drive me even more to do whatever it takes to get to the position I want to be in that is sustainable and will give me much fulfillment and satisfaction.

So going forward this will not be as much on the what to do amidst a layoff, although I will on occasion post things here and there, but more so this is about surviving and striving in life, taking whatever is handed to you and making something out of it.

As the saying goes, when handed lemons make lemonade....well I hope everyone is thirsty!

Interesting site to check out

Kind of a combination of everything to look at when laid off....

http://mashable.com/2009/02/19/laid-off-sites/

Made the dreaded first payment yesterday

Thank god for the federal subsidy. If there is yet another reason to ramp up my job search even more than it already is, this is it.

On a personal note, my wife is considered full term as of tomorrow. We are both hoping that she goes the full 3 weeks however.

Trying to stay positive the fact that on Tuesday it will be almost 2 months. But if there is one thing I have finally come to grips with, it is the fact that eventually I will not only find what it is I want to do, but more importantly find the company with the right people to do it with and for the right kinds of customers to do it for.

It's been awhile, but it's good due to being busy

The last couple weeks have been pretty busy between career fairs, networking talks and job interviews.

Right now as it stands I have a solid 2-3 job opportunities available in which I have interviewed for. One job I have a 3rd interview upcoming, another job I interviewed with on Tuesday and they want me to come back next week for a 2nd, and the third job I just interviewed with.

Today was an off day of sorts which allowed me to catch up with others. I am actually in the midst of aiding a Venture Capitalist on doing some Marketing Research as it relates to Social Media as it relates to one particular field in how it can be used and benefited.

Another career fair next week this time for prospective MBA's as well as a couple lunch interviews with Bentley contacts within organizations I am looking to get into.

Doing what I can in stride to survive. I just hope I don't crash and burn in the end.

Brian

Finally a snowstorm that hits on target.

1 month in the books

I can't believe 1 month has passed since being let go. So much has changed, but at the same time I haven't seen much activity in terms of response to what I have looked at.

I think what's bothering me most about this is the fact that that things that I especially enjoyed doing when I was employed such as working out has fallen by the way side during this. This is the absolute worst time for me to do this and at the same time this is the best time for me to take advantage to optimize my workouts. On a normal workweek I was working out 4-5 times a week. Since I was laid off, I have only been to the gym 5 times total. I need to stop this and I need to stop it now.

It also seems like to me that on days that I do work out that a job opportunity develops and presents itself. I have to go along with the mindset that "by working out things will start working out."

But speaking from experience, getting out of that mindset and into that rountine is the hardest thing to do. I know I can do it, but I'm having a hard time actually breaking out and going back to it.

Right or Right Now

So my interview for a banking consultant position went extremely well. The position looks intriquing, the length of the contract being roughly 3 years is stable, and what could come out of is appealing.

However herein lays the question. Is this the right job or given my circumstances the right now job?

This is a position that I am qualified for, would probably pay me at least the same as I was making before and would offer training and development and a career progression plan for long term success.

Problem is, given my feeling of working in the industry, do I want more of the same thing or something different.

There are pro's as I mentioned to taking this position with the company should it be offered to me in that it would definitely enable me to provide for my family and especially allow Kerry to take 12 weeks off for maternity leave. But my issue is do I want to lead by example for my son and wait for the right opportunity and find something that I would be excited to do, or more or less be the responsible husband and father and take this to support my family?

In any event, I have to go with the feeling that nothing is definite. But situations like this are the only viable ones that I am seeing thus far and I may need to bite the bullet at least in the interim given what's going on.

2 weeks Today

Can't believe it's been 2 weeks since this happened. Still in a little bit of shock. Despite all that I am still chugging along, setting up meetings and looking at opportunities. Still amazed at the support I've gotten from friends and former colleagues. Thank you all.

As for today, I am taking Kerry to the doctor for her 31 week visit and then heading to one of my former employers branches to close out my accounts there. I guess this will really mean the end of my relationship with that organization. Kind of dreading it yet looking forward to it at the same time.

Keeping my spirits up for now. Thanks to anyone who is listening.

Brian

Very interesting approach to job hunting

Courtesy of the Job Search Guide from BusinessWorkforce.com

* Identify Your Ideal Career
Understand yourself and what motivates you to identify your ideal career. Completing a career assessment is just one of the many ways to get started on the right career path.
* Develop a Powerful Resume
Learn how to develop a powerful resume that effectively markets your skills and accomplishments and demonstrates value to potential employers. You won’t be overlooked any longer!
* Effectively Market Yourself to Employers
Know the importance of creating a self-marketing plan to help you determine appropriate companies; identify your unique attributes and ways to most effectively deliver your value. Get insight on unique ways to distribute your resume and market yourself to give you a competitive advantage over other candidates.
* Master the Art of the Interview
Your resume lands you an interview, but your interview gets you the job. Perfect your interview skills and know the importance of dressing professionally to make a positive impression on potential employers.
* Manage Your Online Reputation
Build and maintain a professional image both online and offline to be sure that you are representing yourself well to potential employers. You will also learn how you can easily identify and remove unwanted or incorrect information online.
* Become a Master Negotiator
Know your worth and cultivate your negotiation skills to get the salary that you want and deserve without sounding nervous or desperate. The power is in your hands.
* Avoid Being A Typical Job Seeker
Get creative in your job search by looking to non-traditional job search methods to get noticed. Consider online career portfolios, video resumes and background checks, to name a few.
* Stay Educated and Stay Ahead
A successful career is built on hard work, knowledge, skills and results. Improve your marketability and job security by staying educated. You can take advantage of the many programs that campus and online schools have to offer.

My Plan and Purpose

For every day of the work week, it is my plan and purpose to either have an interview for a job or a networking meeting for a prospective job or to set up future interviews and meeting for later dates.

Cannot seem to sleep

Is that a normal thing that one who gets laid off goes through the first couple weeks outside of work?

2nd week coming up

So Tuesday will be 2 weeks since being laid off. What I have planned in store for this week.

Monday
-MLK Day. Kerry working
-File unemployment claim
Tuesday
-Kerry is off
-Doctor's appt for Kerry's 31 week visit.
-Going to close out accounts at former employer
Wednesday
-Kerry works a double
-Interview for bank consulting position in downtown Boston
-Networking lunch with VC Bentley Alum
-Patch up wall in baby's room and start priming.
Thursday
-Analytics Optimization Webinar
-Pending call with prospective employer for contract consulting position
Friday
-Networking breakfast with marketing professional
-Personal errands involving delivering a oriental rug and window AC unit to various people in the Somerville area.

First post

Well here is the first post of my blog. I've heard of others doing this personally and I've seen stories of other people doing the same thing.

As the blog details, this is about me recently being laid off from my previous position on January 5, 2010, 2 years and 2 months to the date of my starting there. As saddened as I was to hear the news, I had a feeling that this was a blessing in disguise and I needed a change.

However the timing of it couldn't have been worse as my wife and I are expecting the birth of our first child in March. I don't know if it had to do with my years of experience of watching other people go through this or just from my management training in grad school, but I really took it well and was a professional and a class act in my departure. As well as I took it however, having to tell my wife about afterwards was not so easy, and was probably the hardest thing I'd ever thought I would have to do.

But I strived and moved on. Even though I was surprised that this happened, I had a feeling months prior that this could indeed happen. So I saved up some money, and kept my professional network updated. I did last month finish up my MBA and the timing of me utilizing this experience and degree came at a great time.

So far in the close to 2 weeks that this has happened, I have made huge strides meeting with multiple people and lining up meeting for a future time.

I hope anyone that reads this post and any future posts that the key to surviving a layoff is to stay positive and make sure you planned and prepared in advance.

If you stay positive and carry on, you eventually will get to a better place.

I will keep everyone posted in the coming weeks as to my progress. If all goes well, I will have something better lined up by the time my son is born, and in the future this will be an afterthought and something he will never have to remember.

To the first of many (but hopefully not that many) posts!

Brian Gaspar