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I've actually been on my hunt this time for 5 months - the first 2 or so, I took some much needed down-time to rest and visit family and friends, and then study for and pass the PMP Certification exam. So for about 2.5 I've been really searching.

I've had some good success at finding jobs I'm interested in on the job boards, LinkedIn, and at company web sites that I know I am interested in. I've enjoyed reading "Guerrilla Marketing for job Hunters" by Jay Conrad Levinson and David E Perry - I've also hooked up with David E Perry's group on LinkedIn - as well as a few other job search forums for particular roles I'm interested in.

The search and "selling" process takes longer now than ever - it can take a month to hear back from some companies and even for consulting - I see companies wanting 2 and 3 rounds. People are shopping - they want a good price but not willing to give up real talent.

I believe the modern search process is quite complicated by: multiple job boards, include job search engines that duplicate your own efforts. It used to be companies hired an HR person to manage the search process - and now the HR department has scaled down - outsourcing much of their efforts (yes, to India and other countries) - and it seems mid to large organizations allow as many as 20 3rd party vendors to offer resume's in a tiered order - much like any other distribution process. You may be contacted by an "agency" of some sort and they may tell you that you are working with a tier 1 vendor of The Very Big Corporation - but that may not be true.

After I've landed an interview - I have a hard time finding out: 1) am I still being considered? 2) if not, what about my skills or talents did they find missing, 3) if I'm still being considered - when will they be making a decision. I've even been clear in an interview "is there anything about my skills or experience that you are not sure of? and where are you in your process - when will I hear about your decision?".

As the applicant - I feel very swept under the rug which means I have to work harder at being clear and moving on with my next steps to find the company who does see the value in me.

Today's Rule: DO NOT take rejection as a "no" - take it as "not this time" and move on. Don't waste another moment on something that doesn't give you new information about yourself or how to be more successful next time. Life is a journey, not a destination.

peace be with you