Job Search And Life Plans After 6 Months of Travel

Return To “Normal Life”

From June through November of this year, I spent 6 months traveling the world from Australia, through Southeast Asia and across Europe before returning back to my hometown of Chicago. I did all of this on a strict budget of $15,000, of which I only spent about $13,000 over the course of those 6 months.

Now, I’m back to what many people would call “normal life”. Living back with my parents in Chicago, spending time with friends and family, appreciating the festive atmosphere of the holiday season, and of course starting to look for a job…

It’s definitely been a bit of a tough transition. Going from a life where our home changed every few days and even going to the grocery store came with the challenges of trying to communicate in a different language and finding my way around an unfamiliar city. Then transitioning to a life where everything is familiar and most days consist of the same few activities.

The lack of new and exciting stimulation everyday has definitely taken a toll on my mind and body. I sometimes feel restless, bored, but I always just remind myself that I’ve got plenty of time to do more new and exciting things, and that I should just appreciate the time to just slow down and enjoy being home.

The most pressing piece of stress on my life is the need for a job. Though I have adequate savings to keep me afloat for the time being, I still need to go back to work for the sake of making money but also for having some sort of meaningful work to put forth my energy every day.

Looking for a job after taking 6 months off from work probably seems like a daunting task for many people, however, I’ve had a lot of experience with searching for a new job and the hard work it can require. Given the financial nature of this blog, I’ll jump right into this aspect of my life at the moment because it’s something that most people can relate to.

The job search sucks, but how can we go about it in a productive and successful way.

The Job Search

I’ve talked before on this blog about how to figure out what to do with your life, and it’s definitely the first step in the job search. Try not to just take a job because someone offered to you, but make sure that it matches not only your interests but also your likes and dislikes, as well as your strengths and weaknesses.

Based on this assessment of myself, I know what I want, so I focused my job search on looking for a technical sales job in Southern California. I know that I enjoy technical-focused work, along with getting outside and interacting with people on a daily basis.

Then SoCal has the beach lifestyle that I’ve become accustomed to, and regardless of it’s perceived high cost of living, I’m confident it’s the right place for me. I’m willing to sacrifice a large living space to live in the area I desire.

When jumping into the job search, we have to set ourselves up with the right expectations. Regardless of how skilled or hardworking we are, finding a new job can be a long and tedious process. In the end, it’s all about how many nets we cast out which determines our success. Applying to more jobs online, working with more recruiters and making as many phone calls for help as possible will increase our chances of finding a job that is the best fit for us.

Here are all of the things I did within the first week of starting my job search:

• Activated LinkedIn premium and switched on my profile for “searching” so that recruiters would contact me
• Emailed three recruiters that I knew of whom worked in the technical sales and construction industries
• Consistently applied to at least 5 jobs each day
• Messaged 3 people from my network who worked in Southern California about whether they knew of any people looking for technical sales reps

I cast out a variety of different nets and was not afraid of asking people for help. Most people out there would be happy to help you look for a job, and personal referrals are by far the best way to get your foot in the door.

After about a week of searching I already had interviews with 3 companies for technical sales roles in California. This is definitely a bit of luck and happened quicker than I thought, but it goes to show that if we cast out the nets and the fish will start biting.

And Here’s the Surprise

It turns out my consistent work paid off (and also the luck of working in a very niche industry), and within three weeks of being home I landed a job as a technical sales rep in Southern California for a waterproofing manufacturer.

What led me to this opportunity was messaging someone on LinkedIn that I met about 5 years ago at a trade show who works in the Los Angeles area, but I hadn’t really spoken to him since that meeting. I simply asked him if he knew of anyone looking for sales reps. He was happy to help and within a week I had a job offer.

My biggest lesson here was not to be afraid to ask for help, and also always to hold my reputation at the most greatest importance.

Do great work and be nice to everyone. People always remember this.

So I’ll be loading up the car and making the drive out to California on January 2nd in order to get there in time to start work on January 7th. It all happened much more quickly than I anticipated, but I’m excited to for the new opportunity to work with a small but quickly growing company.

Question: Have you struggled with a life transition such as losing a job or finding a new job? Leave a comment or send me an email!

NYPFGuy