Chapter 49
On a Thursday afternoon I got the call to go upstairs. I could stay in my job with major concessions or choose to explore “new opportunities.”
The reality was, I was being replaced by someone half my age and a third of my salary just three months shy of my fiftieth birthday.
For 527 days I looked for a job
I was advised to bury my 28-year career on the last page of my resume. I learned to download my online application that included pages of generic questions and a pass code so a faceless talent acquisition specialist could pick mine out from the hundreds submitted.
Calling on the phone seemed as outdated as my job searching skills.
I did not fare well during corporate communication interviews.
“If you’re on TV at night, what do you do the rest of the day?”
“You’ll be bored.”
“I’m afraid you don’t have any crisis communications experience.”
I’m a reporter, we create the crisis!
The rejection was exhausting.
My only relief was carting my daughter to and from fourth grade.
I used to loath school functions because all I saw were “moms” who prioritized carpools and crafts, and fundraisers.
I wrote checks. I did not bake, volunteer, or care how it all got done. I was always late, tired, and preoccupied.
I was a working mother!
For the first time, I was in their world.
These ride-sharing organizers who make the field trips fun, and always have healthy snacks packed were suddenly in my phone contacts.
Career success matters but so does being present.
My epiphany came while I was blowing up balloons for a school project.
I needed balance. I realized my identity was not tied to who I was on television, but what I wanted for my life going forward.
I got off “Indeed” and stopped chasing jobs I was never going to get or really want.
My attitude shifted from unemployed to entrepreneur.
RDW Media Group reminds me every day that in business, knocking on doors does matter, relationships count and being tenacious pays off.
While I was looking for a new position, my next career found me. I was eventually able to say out loud that I was in business for myself. “Seeking new opportunities” was finally the truth.
If no one was going to give me a job I was going to create my own.
Never let rejection determine your worth, let it motive you.