Is Everyone on Vacation?? No One is Interviewing!

When I decided not to renew my consulting contract, my plan was to pick up a new contract in September. Last year, I had a contract within one week of submitting my resume, and my staffing company assured me that I would have no problem getting a new assignment in the fall.

So I submitted my resume for about 12 jobs, and nothing. No one is interviewing! It is so frustrating! Did the entire metropolitan area go on vacation for the entire month of August?

After a couple of weeks of no responses, I started to think that maybe it was me, despite assurances from several sources that I was very marketable. Then I had a conversation with my best friend and another colleague, both of whom were laid off from their jobs in June. Their experience is the same - no one is around to review, let alone respond to resumes. My husband isn't worried - as a senior manager, he told me that the summer is pretty much dead for interviewing, and he is confident that I will pick up something in the next few weeks.

I probably wouldn't care either, if it weren't for the childcare issue. With 2 school aged children, lining up before and after school care that coordinates with bus schedules isn't easy. I thought I was ahead of the game by making sure everything was in place by the beginning of the summer for the start of school. Now I'm in the childcare catch 22 - if I pull them out now, I risk losing their slots, so I am now paying for childcare that I really don't need on the hopes that I will have an assignment within the next few weeks. Nothing like writing a huge childcare check when I know I could be putting the money towards something else!

So this week, I will be checking my email and voicemail, putting in my resume and trying not to worry so much.

Check back with me in a week ....