Last year we had our floors replaced… it was definitely time to get rid of our abused floors and get something that should last a while longer.
During the process, we had to move the kitchen island to we could put the new floor underneath. I had a friend come do that. When it was time to put it back I wired the electrical boxes back together. I like doing electrical work (more than plumbing) and have done various electrical projects before.
But something weird happened. Something I didn’t think was possible.
Let’s say the electricity comes from through a wire in the floor (0), to the first box (1), and then to the second box (2).
So, from 0 –> 1 –> 2
0 worked fine.
2 worked fine.
1 didn’t work.
I thought if I made a mistake in 1, then 2 wouldn’t work, since it is “downstream.”
Stay with me… I’m almost to the easy part.
So, as is my tradition, I thought about it for a few months. And when I was sick and tired of not having this outlet work, I decided to get my handy screw driver and see what the problem was. I was thinking one of the wires came loose when I screwed the whole thing back together…
Guess what? I had put the ground wire in the wrong place. Typically there are three wires: white, black, green (which is the ground).
For some reason I put the ground in the wrong place.
Without the ground in the right place, the outlet didn’t work.
If I was a real electrician I could tell you why 2 worked, but 1 didn’t work.
That’s a lot like your job search, isn’t it?
Are you grounded?
I don’t know what that means to you — I guess you could be emotionally grounded, mentally grounded, physically grounded, socially grounded…
You could have grounded (or, principled) job search strategies.
My point is, if you aren’t grounded, no matter how many times you go the network meetings or whatever else you are doing, it could all be for nothing.
Please, sit down with people to figure out if you are grounded. Start with yourself – have a really honest conversation with yourself. It could go something like this:
You: Self, are you grounded? Seriously, you know what it means, so be honest!
You: No, I’m not grounded.
You: Okay, good. You recognize and admit it. What do we need to do to get grounded?
You (being really honest): “Well, I really need to …….”
See how easy that was?
I went for months and months without my outlet grounded. I wonder if you are going for months and months without being grounded, and not understanding why things aren’t working right?
Grounded? Definition of terms. Rooted, firm foundation, committed, full circuit? sensible and down-to-earth; having one’s feet on the ground from Dictionary.com.
Am I being sensible in my search? I have the CPA but my resume says payroll. Adapting the experience to the needs of the applied for positions, my results have been positiviely limited, negatively unlimited. From no response to a one-hour turn-around reject email. I try to focus on the positive, one or two interviews, ” Thank you for taking the time, to come in, to be candid with you we have a 5 yr veteran of the work applying for, so why dont you apply for his job? ” Enough sour grapes, if it is to be it is up to me. Thank you for listening, form letter?
John, thanks for the comment. I hear and feel your pain. I was there. I have a few questions, and I’m making some grand assumptions based on your comment:
– How are you meeting people/prospects? Is it mostly through applying online? I am guessing you are going to some local unemployment meetings, but are you networking with, or getting informational interviews with, people in a hiring position (or companies you are interested in)?
– If it is to be, it’s up to you, what does that mean to you? Temporary consulting gigs? Starting your own business?
– are you attending industry/profession networking meetings, and if so, are you leaving with new contacts, or refreshed contacts that you have substantial follow-up with later?
– How are your friends/family helping in your job search? I found many don’t know how, and at the root of my question is this: have you helped them help you, with the right language, with ideas on who to talk to, what to talk about, etc.?
Just some starter questions. I’m not a coach, but this is where I would start if you were my client.