Charlie Rose's Brain

Last night I watched the beginning program in a series on Charlie Rose on the brain. It was fascinating. A round table discussion of microbiologists, physiobiologists and, of course, Charlie, discussing the most cutting edge challenges of why we think how we think, what happens when we get a disease, how we process learning, information, emotion...it was so interesting and intelligent. I recommend it if you can catch it.

Ok, ok. I know there's at least one person out there who is saying, " What the ---- does this have to do with Mary finding work???

Well, first of all, I now get to stay up as late as I want, so a program that starts at 11pm on my local PBS station is now doable. But what really struck me is that the average age of the scientists....leaders in the field...around this discussion table was probably 70. Which suggests that experience, at least in the study of the brain, counts.

Dear readers, I have spent the last week dealing with the fact that I am TOO experienced...and dare I say it...too old...for all of the available jobs in all the industries for which I qualify to work.

When did it become a bad thing to be experienced? And how experienced is too experienced??

Maybe Charlie knows.

"Close To Home"

Last night, my local PBS station featured a Frontline segment on the unemployed in the NY area called "Close to Home." It is a very well-done show on an excellent program and I encourage you to watch it.

But what it pointed out was that older workers (i.e., those of us over 40) comprise the bulk of the unemployed in the NYC area. What's worse, companies are not re-hiring our age group.

What ever happened to "40 is the new 30" syndrome??? Could it be the the Gen-Xers are finally getting to push out the Baby Boomers? Possibly.

But I worry about a business world where youth and aggressiveness trumps experience.

You've gotta have a buddy

My friend Anne is currently experiencing her own challenges in the world of work. She's had quite a crazy time of it and is again in job-hunting mode. I know she gets frustrated and angry with the situation, but she is very resourceful and motivated, and she never seems to give up.

I have a tendency to wallow in "martyr mode" from time to time so it's important to touch base with Anne periodically because just talking to her about our situations gives me energy and brings me back to the reality of my situation.

When I was in First Grade, we had "Walking Buddies" to get us the two blocks to and from the main school building to the adjuct class building (Ok, it was actually the convent for the Sisters and two classrooms had been tacked onto the side. Those of you who have gone to catholic school will understand.)

My walking buddy was Terry Reagan. I still remember the comfort -- and embarrassment -- of holding someone else's hand (yep, a boy....what were the nuns thinking???) I knew I could not possibly tumble off the sidewalk into the street when I was holding Terry's hand. Admittedly, about 2 cars drove by each minute at 20 miles per hour with plenty of time to observe and swerve to miss a tumbling First Grader but I was five-what did I know??

Anyway, to get back to my rambling point, when you are walking into unknown territory, it is important to hold hands with a buddy. Every jobsite and outplacement firm will tell you it is important to network and keep in touch with people, call all your old contacts. And that's all good advice.

But at the end of the day of looking for work, it's also nice to know you have a buddy who can commiserate, celebrate your moves forward, and occasionally talk you off the ledge.

When the Doldrums Hit

The Dow is up above 10,000. Bankers are set to earn record compensations this year. Anyone who is looking for work should be encouraged, right?

Ok, so why does it get harder and harder to send out my resume and make phone calls to network? I guess it's only natural to hit the doldrums mid-search and start to feel sorry for oneself.

When you first lose your job, everyone is there to support you and give you advice and referrals of other people to call. But after 3 months, and no news, it gets harder and harder to find something new to do, another layer of people to network with.

Yep, that's where I am this week.

Rejection---it's a Good Thing

I have to admit it...I'm a closet Martha Stewart fan. Not that I would EVER want to make my own Pomegranate seed Christmas balls from my own garden harvest....even if I did have the multi-million dollar garden, attached to the multi-million dollar house and, of course, the gardeners, assistants and toadies that make it possible for me to find the time to make these ornaments.

That said, "It's a good thing" remains one of my favorite expressions.

So, what does this have to do with job rejections and a blog about finding work (other than a momentary brain fever about knitting my way to fame and fortune)? Well, a lot, actually.

I got two rejections this week for two different positions. I was very overqualified for one and geographically undesirable for the other, so no surprise really. Yet, the part of me that insists that I can squeeze my square peg of qualifications into any reasonably round hole of a position, no matter what the drawbacks or challenges, was shocked and dismayed that anyone would not want to hire me. In other words, I have no filtering system for jobs that are right for me. Therefore, it's "a good thing" that employers sometimes do know best.

When the dust settles, I will chalk this up to another lesson learned.

Thanks, Martha.