A Job Hunting Story

When Juana got laid off from her job, she felt apprehensive. She knew that she would need all the support and tools at hand to help her find a new job. Since she knew from experience that she got scared when job hunting, she made a plan to talk with her husband, Martin, every night about what she had done on the search that day. His cheerfulness encouraged her. Sometimes, though, Juana still worried. "Why is this taking so long? Maybe I'm not doing enough!"

Martin knew better. He reminded Juana of how hard she worked. "Just be patient," he advised. His reassurance lifted her spirits and helped Juana stop blaming herself. Sure enough, a few weeks later she found a job that suited her.

Juana had known from the start that she wanted to work near her home. That was the most important consideration for her. Instead of just looking at newspaper ads, she visited the businesses near her home. She didn't see many help wanted signs in windows but she wrote down the names of the companies she thought she might like.

Once home, she contacted the businesses one by one. Eventually she found an opening that wasn't advertised. She sent a résumé and cover letter and was invited to interview.

In the past, Juana had found interviews difficult because she was shy and needed time to think before she responded to questions. Some interviewers mistook her slowness for lack of interest. After talking with her friend Jen about

this problem, Juana decided to try a career portfolio.

It worked. Juana found she could show pieces of her work while taking her time to think through her responses. The interviewer was too busy looking to notice the speed of her answers. The career portfolio helped Juana feel more confident and comfortable with the interviewing process.

Eventually, the manager called and left a message offering Juana the job and a wage that was $2 / hour less than she wanted. She knew she had to convince her soon-to-be-boss that she was worth more to him.

She called him immediately, thanked him for the offer and asked to meet with him again. Then she practiced her "pitch" so that she wouldn't feel shy or nervous. During the meeting, she emphasized that she wanted to work with him and the company. She also stressed how her experience and abilities would provide more value than he was offering to pay for her services.

She got most of what she wanted: She increased her pay by $1 / hour and was able to start on the insurance plan immediately instead of waiting the usual thirty days. Most importantly, she negotiated flexible work hours so that she could pick up her kids after school.

Juana found that she actually enjoyed her job hunting and looked forward to next time — ALMOST!