Prospects

It's job hunting season where I work. Now that the layoffs are past and the company has started rehiring again it seems like everyone is job hunting. In fact, it's almost like a game of musical chairs... (or is it more like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic? Ha. It's hard to tell sometimes.)

It's hard here because not only is the hiring process "as slow as molasses in January" as one of my friends put it, but now that it's all limited to internal hires, it seems like everyone is competing with their friends for the same handful of positions.

One good thing about working in such a tight-knit community is that everyone knows the dirt about everyone elses' office. That's also the bad thing! There are a fair number of positions that seem interesting on paper/good to an outsider... but we know better! We know that particular supervisor is terrible... or that that particular office is being consolidated and so who knows who is going to be made redundant... or that that office is horribly disorganized... or that that office refuses to get rid of the dead weight and keeps on a receptionist that makes everyone's life hell.

Therefore, not only is there a small pool of positions to choose from, but the pool of positions that are in offices where people aren't certifiably crazy is even smaller. Picture a kiddie wading pool.

Amongst friends we try to feel each other out... Oh- Were you interested in that? If so, I wont apply... Oh, are you looking to leave? Does that mean your position will be open? What's it like to work there?... do you know so-and-so? Why is that person leaving?

My job is actually going a bit better these days. However, the fall is quickly approaching and I know that it will soon mean that my peaceful weekends will be at an end. There are aspects to my job that I enjoy but being asked to work 90% of the weekends between September and June is just hell-- and inhumane-- (well, at least it is at the piddly salary I'm making.) So, right now I'm keeping my eyes open for something that will let me have some semblance of a personal life.

I'm also keeping my fingers crossed for 2 friends who have yet to hear back about positions they were supposed to hear back about last week. I hope we all make it out of all this reorganization with our sanity intact and better, more fulfilling jobs on the horizon.