Job search or just give up...advice?

[malkin]

1. I have a trip planned for April.
2. I think I need to find different employment.

What do you think?
Mass resume sending now? or wait until after my trip?

Is wanting 2 weeks off after 6 months a deal breaker for a new hire?
Should I just go for it now and see what happens?

Management at my current job has proposed holding regular meetings to resolve problems (4 years in the making, mainly caused by poor management).

Should I give management a chance to clean up this mess?
How long?

When I started working at this agency 8 years ago, it was the best job I could ever imagine. Absolutely perfect for me.

I'm over 50; ageism is rampant. I'm just about convinced that I'm ready for 'the scrap heap.'

[tctrek]

I found my current job at 53. It was scary looking for work at that age. If I was where you are now, I think I would try to work it out with my current company -- unless there's some danger that you are going to lose your job to downsizing. After 8 years, seems to me waiting another year to see if they are going to change up the management might be worthwhile, plus they shouldn't mind your vacation in April!

[shootingstar]

Doesn't hurt to send out a few resumes now before the trip, malkin. Timing can be important. Then after trip, go more intensively on job search. By the way, you earned that vacation. Remember that.

Yes, ageism is more rampant than we realize.

At a job interview, one of the interviewers (out of 3) gathered in meeting room, blamed the near-retiring boomers for resisting change (in this case it's just not information systems, but also workplace culture and changes in work processes).

Meanwhile I sat there..just thinking: Wait until your time comes, dude.

I don't hide my cycling associated work/activities. It's not given high priority in my resume but it's tucked in at the end. I think it worked in my favour in the way how people viewed me (meaning: remaining physically active. Not sick-looking, frail nor therefore prone to absenteeism.) I have some published articles on the open Internet anyways.

There is also for myself a problem of stereotyping perception by some folks in the big world since I am a librarian. So I have to find ways to switch up that stereotype and turn it on its head.

[redrhodie]

Start looking now. I read how unhappy you are in the other thread. You can't stay in that situation for 6 more months, without trying something to change it. You'll be miserable. If management gets its act together soon, you can always stay. But you won't know if something better is out there unless you look.

I would deal with the vacation dilemma later. It may end not up being an issue. Worrying about it is a waste of energy at this point.

[emily_in_nc]

I don't know what you do, but I think there's a good chance if you told your new prospective employer up front about the planned vacation, that they would approve it. But I could be wrong; it just depends on the employer.

The "decision" may be out of your hands anyway. In this economy, I have several talented friends who have been searching diligently for a job for months, some up to a year, with no success. Depends on your field, of course. But it may take several months to find a new position, and then that vacation may be much closer to your start date than it would be if you were to find a new position right away. If your field has high demand and you think you have a realistic chance of finding a new position before Christmas, than I'd say, go for it. If not, I'd probably hang in and wait.

Good luck whatever you do!

[badger]

I read recently to never mention anything about salary expectation or planned trip that's coming up during an interview. If you were a toss-up between another candidate, your upcoming time off could be the deciding factor against you.

If you actually do snag an interview, don't mention you have a vacation coming up, just go like you normally would. When you're actually hired, THEN do something about the vacation.

Personally, I think I would just tough it out until the vacation and not come back or look for another job after it. But I'm Miss Cautious...

[Crankin]

Go ahead and apply for the job! Do not mention the vacation until after you have secured a new position; I can't tell you how common this is. Several friends of mine had big trips planned for times within a couple of months after starting a new job. They told their new employers after the offer was accepted and they all went on their trips, some though, without pay, which was fine.
Yes, there is ageism, but it depends what field you are in. I will be looking for a job in May, when I graduate, at age 57, but thankfully, age is seen as a plus in counseling and quite a few people in my new field make me look like a techno-expert, which is a laugh.
If there are jobs in your field, go for it. My son , who is 28, just started a new job at the end of August. He had been looking for a year. He had a job, but he knew it was time to change. He went on several interviews, did some volunteer writing that enhanced his resume, and networked like crazy. He got his job from someone who contacted him on Linked In. It was definitely worth the time and effort. Keep positive. There *are* jobs out there... the people I know who graduated in my program last spring all found jobs.

[Trek420]

Mass resume sending now? or wait until after my trip?

I've learned not to mass send resumes. Each one has to be lovingly individually hand crafted like the tiny literary gem it is :p :rolleyes:

There's no harm sending a resume or two or 2,000. Just don't leave them on the office fax machine. ;) And be prepared to explain why you're leaving a current job (in other words don't diss your current employer. HR people talk and go on the same club rides).

A sad fact especially with so many great hard working folks out of a job now through no fault of their own is that hiring decision-makers want people who are employed. Some ads even say right up front that's a requirement.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/08/employers-continue-to-dis_n_756136.html

The best time to look for a new job is while you still have a job. So look now, and enjoy your vacation.

[malkin]

Thanks everyone.
You are really the best.

There's a job in Las Vegas that I'm working up my resume for. Brewer thought moving to Vegas would be grand, so I'll give that one a shot.

I'm rehearsing my official reasons for leaving...mental health agency isn't really a good fit for speech-language pathologist, because of medicaid billing conflict between mental health and medical services. Anyone local will also know that the management of the umbrella organization is in a bit of a tizzy regarding a large chunk of county funding, so my reasons for leaving can all sound completely legitimate.

[shootingstar]

A sad fact especially with so many great hard working folks out of a job now through no fault of their own is that hiring decision-makers want people who are employed. Some ads even say right up front that's a requirement.

Terrible, if that's sometimes the semi-conscious thinking of hiring folks to prefer currently employed folks.

All more the reason, to pick up an additional new skill while job-hunting, etc.

[NbyNW]

I'm also not convinced as to the effectiveness of a mass resume mailing, especially if you have built up some specialized skills and experiences. You want to target potential places where you might LIKE to work, especially in light of the reasons given for wanting to move on.

Informational interviews might be really helpful to you in these early stages, they help grow your network and they are good practice for when you are interviewing for an actual opening.

[KnottedYet]

I'm rehearsing my official reasons for leaving...mental health agency isn't really a good fit for speech-language pathologist, because of medicaid billing conflict between mental health and medical services. Anyone local will also know that the management of the umbrella organization is in a bit of a tizzy regarding a large chunk of county funding, so my reasons for leaving can all sound completely legitimate.

Oh, man, anyone you'd want to work for would COMPLETELY understand that one!

I've had several patients in a bind over the medicaid and medicare billing stuff. An SLP at a mental health agency is a clear case of mis-placement. Go for it, you will find something quickly with your skills.