1. If you want to work from a library, don't go to one that makes you pay for parking. I was thinking that the main library of the city would be the best. The problem is that you have to pay for parking. The other problem is that, a lot of moms with little children decide to "educate" their kids by bringing them to library. So, it is costly and it is noisy by kids crying. Rather, I found this amazing new library that was just renovated last year. It is located close to the lake and right beside a small park by the river. The inside is really modern with orange and white chairs. The parking is free for 3 hours (fine, I have to take a break after 3 hours anyway) and there are not many moms that come here with children. The ladies that work here do not care to keep the voice low, but at least is not a crying noise that they make. Love to sit by the window walls, lots of light, look at the park and river outside and type away emails to companies and recruiters!
2. Lots of recruiters meet people on coffee shops now.Weird! On my first day out of work, I thought I would take my laptop, go to a Starbucks, have a coffee and a job search. It was hard to find a place to sit because 30 other people had the same idea as me. I couldn't stop overhearing a recruiter and another guy sitting at the table beside me. The guy was applying for a construction engineering position and the recruiter seemed like a very mature engineer. I mostly met my recruiters on their offices but I met one at a coffee shop. I know why. She didn't have an office yet, just started her business. One day, I was in the same situation at a Second cup, where I could hear the 2 recruiters drilling down a candidate with questions. Some where regarding profession some where more into hunting for more people from his company that would be interested to move on to other jobs. I was testing myself on shameless skills. At this point, shame is the worst thing I should have, when searching for job. So when I noticed their meeting was done and they were leaving, I pushed the courage side of myself to jump from the couch I was sitting and asked one of the recruiters to give me his business card. He felt flattered and handed me his last card. Probably thinking I would call him right away. I didn't , because I didn't like him and I thought he might think I was attracted to him (NOT!). But it was a good test to myself.
3. There are some slow days. When I haven't scheduled any meeting with recruiters or companies. There is nothing to follow up, except apply on some positions posted on popular websites. And after all the new openings are checked, some applications are done, nobody has written or called back, AND it is lunch time, feels like another day is wasted. So what to do? Well, first go have lunch. It is good to keep feeding your body with nutritious food or you might get sick (and sick is the last thing you want to be when hunting for job). So go and get something you like, not greasy to put you to sleep, not too much sugar to mess up your energy and not in a smelly-dirty place where you do not like to stay longer than 5 minutes. When this is done and still no new emails or phone calls, it is time to go back to school. Yup, self-school. There is a lot of things to read out there that will help professionally. If there is an objective like a certificate or an exam to take, then that should be the push, the energy you need to make it happen. So use all your afternoon on reading, digging more on that test and maybe book a date for it so the resistance to justify your lazy ass will be futile. I am still working on this on practice, although I am totally in agreement with the theory.
4. Disconnect from email for 2-3 hours. The opportunity will not go away, if it is looking for you, will call your cell phone! Darn the technology sometimes. The books I have to read for the exam I want to take, are digital, which means I read them on my lap-top. This gives me the chance to keep my email window open and every once in a while to look if there is a new email. Guess what, I am not really reading the books, because of the distraction! Close that darn email for a bit and read-really read for 2-3 hours.
5. Libraries are educational places for mentally or physically challenged people (I think I am politically correct putting it like this!). You would think that these people would need more medical or physical attention and activities, but I see them all the time here at the library. Some of them remind me Rain Man (Dustin Hoffman) but some seem to come here just to look outside the window. Usually they are accompanied by someone in full capability of operating around them and with normal people. The problem with that is that sometimes they engage in discussions that are lame and annoying for me that want to focus on reading something (and understanding what I am reading). Then, there are some normal looking people that can't read in their heads. Nope! They have to read loud enough to create an annoying-constant-low-white noise that feels like a fridge buzzing (Karma Police - arrest this men/ he speaks in math/ he buzzes like a fridge.... Love this song!)
6. Horoscopes. Zodiak or Chinese. They become part of your daily job search routine. Just like you go everyday to the job engines and look for new positions, you also go and read your horoscope on a couple of websites. And then you find that all this is happening because Mars was in retrograde. Remember back in November when things started going wrong 360 degrees around me? That's when Mars apparently went in retrograde and finally now is turning on me and I am supposed to expect some good changes. Darn that Mars retrograde!! But on the same page, Pluto is going on retrograde now for me so it is not all easy-peasy yet. With the new moon things might look brighter ..... and this is how you might waste 1 hour from your day, just trying to find who to blame up there. Who is that darn planet that turned the back on me and is making my life lately so miserable and everything I do so hard and complicated. Maybe it feels good after all to know that was all because of Mars and nothing I did wrong.
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