Still in Limbo Land

No, I haven’t fallen off the edge of the planet since the end of the A to Z Challenge.  I just decided to take a few days off from blogging to catch up on other things, which turned into a month.

On the job front, I’m sorry to report that things are much the same.  These include a couple of phone interviews, a number of calls from recruiters, an upcoming interview for a position I have mixed feelings about, but no job to report.   It’s still maddening to think that at the drop of a hat, I could be scrambling to reorganize all of our summer activities during a mad search for childcare, or I could still be looking for work in September.

Another challenging aspect about this phase of my job search is that I feel like I’ve tapped out many of my obvious networking opportunities.  Some people have been extremely helpful, but I don’t feel like I can keep asking them for assistance, especially if I can’t be helpful to them in any way.

Companies can be very cautious about hiring, and some seem to really drag the process out.  I got a random call a couple of weeks ago regarding a position I’d given up on long ago, asking if I was still available, and assuring me that they were still planning to fill the position and would be reconsidering candidates within a few weeks after a reorganization.  I have no idea how many candidates they are trying to string along, but I’m not particularly hopeful that they will actually fill this position, or that this would be a good place to work long-term if I am the candidate they end up choosing.

On the brighter side, I am volunteering part-time for two organizations where there’s a chance that my work could morph into a paid position, at least part-time, and I’m developing some new marketable skills.

I even had to get out the dyes again this week, to fill a large order for the small custom apparel business I used to run on the side.  I have people ask me to make them things from time to time, but have been telling them that I’m no longer in business, as it’s not worth the effort to make one or two items.  I enjoyed my venture but it was really more of a hobby that paid for itself rather than a major income producer.  Still, it was nice to make a bit of money while using up existing inventory.   It also reminded me that people (even total strangers) will actually pay money for something I have made.   This is an affirmation that I CAN be creative, even if it is not the main source of my income.  (Thank you for the thoughts, fellow bloggers Rebecca and Steven – I may even take the video challenge myself!)