Bill Masek landed a long term contract role at Fidelity. Read what he's learned!

Landing: Bill is Contracting

Posted by: "Bill Masek"
billmasek@comcast.net
 

billmasek

Thu Aug 13, 2009 5:15 pm (PDT)

Hi,



I have accepted a long term (9-12 month) contracting position at

Fidelity starting August 17th. I will be building Eclipse RCP packages

for the Lotus Expediter platform.



I thank all of you. I received tremendous support from everyone in my

search. Thank you for reviewing my resume, forwarding leads, connecting

me to your contacts, submitting my resume and being positive, even when

I was frustrated in the search.



*How did it happen*



Last March I posted my resume on Monster (with my cell phone number) and

on a walk I got a cold call from a recruiter for a contracting

position. At the time I did not want a contracting position, so I said

no, but I stayed in contact with that recruiter because while I

disagreed at the time he made sense. When I got another chance in July

I decided contracting would be a good idea and I got the position.

Note: Posting on Monster also generated contacts from people who had

obviously never read or understood my resume. Monster is a mixed bag.



*What I learned*



This was the first time I looked for a job while unemployed. Here are

some of the lessons I learned.



1. *Let everyone know you are looking for a job.* You never know

where the lead will come from. I got a good lead from someone in

the Bedford Council on Aging.

2. *Get help from others.* Melissa (www.coreallies.com

<http://www.coreallies.com>) got me started on how to write a

resume. Right Management (the outplacement agency) helped on my

resume and gave me help interviewing. It was also a good place to

meet with other job seekers. Acton Networkers and WIND helped me

refine my pitch and provided long term support.

3. *Join a networking group.* It is hard to underestimate the value

of a positive, supportive environment when you are dealing with

constant rejection. I joined Acton Networkers

(http://www.actonnetworkers.com) and WIND

(http://www.windnetworking.net). There are other good groups.

4. *Network on the internet.* Get on LinkedIn

(http://www.linkedin.com). Use it to get contacts inside

companies. Build your network while you are employed. You can

also use facebook and tweeter to search for jobs.

5. *Stay positive*. Remember you only need 1 job.

6. *Take breaks while you are looking.* This is a time of high

stress. Relax.

7. *Google yourself.* In early July I learned I earned a patent.

This immediately went onto my resume and I was getting more

activity in late July.

8. *Be nice.* Thank people who help you. Offer help to others.

Stay on top of opportunities, but do not badger the HR people

doing their job.



*The Market*



I think the market is getting better. I think I had more phone screens

and interviews in the last 2 weeks of July than I had in the previous 5

months.



Keep learning and stay on the leading edge of technology. While I did

land a job doing Eclipse RCP programming it was always a struggle

finding openings in that technology.



Thanks,

Bill Masek

781-572-8697

billmasek@comcast.net