Thinking Outside the Box in the Job Hunt

I haven't been able to write in this blog as often as I anticipated because I've been busy networking, attending a trade show with one of my social media clients, going to job interviews, taking on a new client, and meeting with recruiters. So when you think about it, it's actually a good thing you aren't hearing more from me. Per a request, this blog post will be about my efforts to find a job in this big, but industrial-based city that is Houston and how Dustin and I are adjusting to life here.


Not all cities are created equal. Part of me feels very frustrated that I can't find a job here because everywhere I turn I hear people saying things like: "The rest of the U.S. may be in a recession, but Texas isn't." and "Houston is gaining more jobs than anywhere else in the country." But what they don't understand is that Houston primarily has a certain kind of job. Jobs based around the oil and gas industry and other very large industrial companies. These companies, while big enough to have a dedicated social media professional like me on their staff, aren't forward thinking enough to know they need one yet. Many companies are headquartered right in my backyard, but these aren't the Taco Bells, Red Bulls, Skittles, and Old Spices who are big believers in social media for business. Which is where my dilemma for finding a job comes into play.

 So because I refuse to settle for some quasi-ponzi scheme "marketing" position or a time filler job like a secretary, I've had to redirect my efforts in finding a job.

• First out of the box technique: looking for virtual jobs. I'm no stranger to making my own job out of taking on several small clients. This is what I did in Alabama, but it was harder to do that here without the connections I had in my hometown. I found out that the sole purpose of several websites (eLance, Guru, Freelancer) was to match qualified professions with businesses in need of a service. Also, traditional job sites (I prefer Indeed and LinkedIn Jobs) list virtual jobs that can be done from home. One company reached out to me and asked me to send them a proposal for a job. While they are very frustrating to work with because they know literally nothing about Facebook, I don't have the luxury about being picky on which clients I take on yet. Seriously, yesterday these people forwarded a message Facebook sent them to their personal account informing them of an event invitation and they asked what they should do about it.
• Exploiting contacts in the area. Granted, mine were very limited, but I knew that my social media client had a marketing firm in Houston and that she would be visiting soon and I could tag along to her marketing events. When I found out that my next week would consist of a meeting with a recruiter, followed by a trade show whirlwind, and meeting the marketing firm's owner I rushed some snazzy new business cards to get here in time. I made it my goal to get rid of as many cards that week as possible, just to get my name out there to people. That week, I managed to get rid of about 20 (so that's 20 chances for someone or someone they know to contact me for work) and feel good about getting some work from the owner of the marketing firm.
• Lowering my expectations. I first thought it would be so easy to get a job in a big city that I could do it as soon as I set my mind up to do it, but after realizing the spectrum of jobs available here I had to realize "making it" wouldn't come overnight. I am now looking for any job in the broad realm of marketing, or even one as a secretary that would perform some social media tasks. Now I don't want to settle for just any job (and you shouldn't either), but anything that can further my experience in marketing/advertising/social media/PR is good in my book.

So how are these efforts going? The owner of the marketing firm assured me she should have some social media work for me to do for a few new industrial clients in a few weeks, I'm doing a few hours a week for the client I found online, I have met with two recruiters who are looking for positions for me- one who specializes in digital talent for big industrial companies, one that finds traditional secretary/accounting jobs, and I had a very promising phone interview about a part-time marketing internship with a trendy nail salon. But the problem with getting leads is that it leads me to get my hopes up. And after being disappointed again and again I've learned to expect less and less of even the most promising leads. 

And how do we like it here? After living in Tuscaloosa basically my whole life, I was ready to get out. And I asked Dustin to find a way for us to move somewhere (anywhere) else as long as it was in the south, bigger than Tuscaloosa, and in driving distance from home. His wonderful job offer led us back to where he grew up: Houston. But I thought this desire to start over somewhere new and having the love of my life along with me on the journey would be enough to overcome the homesickness I knew I would experience. Spoiler alert: it's not. I find myself missing even the small things like driving along familiar roads, Summer Snow, and having memories in places. But I especially miss the big things like my family, friends, and animals. I worry that my friends will forget about me in time and their assurances that they will visit me will all be in vain. For someone who had always been so independent, it's very hard for Dustin to be my everything. Since I don't have a full-time job here, no family, no friends, or even any hobbies outside of him, I have to rely on him for everything and that has been hard on both of us. 

And don't get my wrong, I really like  Houston. I love being able to go to any restaurant or store in the U.S. all within 30 minutes of me. I love living downtown and having the luxury of walking to bars. I love the fresh change, but the transition is harder than I anticipated. Also, I have come to terms with the fact that I will never love Houston the way I love Tuscaloosa or New York City. It's a little too industrial and spread out for my taste so we don't anticipate living here forever, but it is a good place for us for now.

Even though it's very hard, I try to stay positive and find things to look forward to like visits home, moving into our own apartment, and little things like my weekly yoga class. But even these positives come with a double-edged sword. If I put all my hope into upcoming events and they don't happen, I'm crushed all over again. Well, if you've made it to my blog you've done a little part in making my time here easier. I love seeing my views to my blog grow with every post and I look forward to the day I can make money off this little blog by putting ads on it. But if you want to do a little extra in cheering me up: take a minute to let me know that while I might have moved away, you still consider me a friend. I don't want anyone to feel sorry for me and that's why I haven't talked about being unhappy here, but it would be nice to know I have friends waiting for a visit from me.