by Carol Fishman Cohen
In this market, the mantra for relaunchers (people returning to work after a career break) and the newly unemployed must be “there are jobs out there – I just have to find them.” Even more important, you may find matches for your skill set or your work schedule preference in the most unlikely places.
I was searching around for jobs in the Southern California area
for some research I’m doing and came across the following:
"Qualifications: MFA (Masters of Fine Arts) in Design / Theatre Technology or equivalent experience. Two (2) years of experience as a technical director in university or professional theatre or equivalent combination of education and experience."
Who would ever think an HMO would have an opening for a theater
manager?
Another one: I mentioned in a previous post that the Claremont Colleges were looking for a campus rabbi. Again, not necessarily a rabbi’s first stop when looking for work. Also, this position has an “unlikely” schedule. It is a full time position, but for TEN months – i.e. you get the summers off. The same link also features two part time campus security officer positions (with benefits).
And for a lucky at home parent with a PhD in Physics seeking the perfect part-time opportunity, look at this open req in Raytheon’s Pasadena operation:Physics Engineer (Space-Based Infrared Astronomy) Search for Job ID: IIS113519
"The Raytheon team has supported the Spitzer Science Center for over 10 years. We have an immediate, part-time opening for a Physics Engineer/Scientist to work with InfraRed Array Camera (IRAC) Instrument Support Team (IST). The IRAC IST is responsible for the health and safety, calibration and pipeline processing for/of the IRAC (short wavelength cameras) aboard Spitzer. There is a possibility that this position may become full time at the start of the Spitzer Warm Mission (expected to begin in mid-April)."
Looking in other regions, here are some additional “unlikelies”:
Raytheon also has part-time positions for air traffic control instructors available nationwide. See Job ID: TSC112660.
Dunkin’ Donuts Canton , MA headquarters is looking for a person with a B.S. in Accounting, and 2-4 years experience to join their finance team as a Financial Analyst (see it at this link: http://tinyurl.com/7t2hnq). What is unlikely about this position is that it is full time, but interestingly, it comes up when you cross search for “work at home: possible”. There is no mention about working from home in the job description itself, but the position does come up when you cross search for the work at home metric.
Not to get overly focused on campus rabbis, but this one as head of the Hillel in Broward/Palm Beach, Florida , serving a number of colleges, is part time.
And HMO Harvard Vanguard is looking for part time audiologist in its Boston office. Here's the link: http://sh.webhire.com/servlet/av/jd?ai=655&ji=2258620&sn=I
The point here is a) companies are still hiring, and b) you can find the most unlikely job opportunities in the most unlikely places. So extend your job search to include the most unlikely employers in order to find that perfect match with your interests and skills. Then aggressively pursue it, recognizing that a personal contact is always your best bet for getting in the door.
Remember that relaunchers are rarely successful simply submitting resumes on line. In Back on the Career Track we look at networking in terms of contact pools: People from Your Past, People from Your Present and People from Your Future. See this blog post for our ideas on networking.
Carol Fishman Cohen Vivian Steir Rabin
Carol Fishman Cohen and Vivian Steir Rabin are the co-founders of iRelaunch, a company providing career reentry programming, events, and information to employers, universities, organizations and to mid-career professionals in all stages of career break, and the co-authors of the acclaimed career reentry strategy book Back on the Career Track: A Guide for Stay-at-Home Moms Who Want to Return to Work. Their signature product is the Career Relaunch Forum, a one day return to work conference offered around the country.
Returning to work in the Washington, D.C. area? Jump start the process with Relaunch Circles, a new product by iRelaunch that's one part learning, one part coaching, one part networking and one part support. A series of four Relaunch Circle sessions are led by a certified coach using a curriculum based on Back on the Career Track. See iRelaunch for details - click on the Relaunch Circles logo!
Carol and Vivian can be reached at info@iRelaunch.com.
Photo credit:www.livingproofnutrition.com
