D.C. Wrap Up

Well, I'm home now. The rest of my week in D.C. flew.

On Wednesday and Thursday I continued to send out resumes and cover letters. Oh joy. By week's end I was applying for all kinds of jobs- government, admin., customer service, bank positions, etc. I told myself I wouldn't do that.

I love the city. There is so much to do there and the flurry of young professionals is constant. They don't call it a "Walking City" for nothing. There's energy abounding and it's quite common to see people walking (and running) all the time. I can attest to the walking, since Mon. and Tues. it was all I did.

Wednesday and Thursday I stayed inside and spent the days emailing my info. around. I'm a bit discouraged because every job I have previously obtained I had an "In" person. Someone was in the company and talks me up... one thing leads to another and I'm filling out an application after I said yes to the job. Why after? The application is a minor procedure requirement.

With that said, it's tough to do cold calls. Especially when there is so much competition. Most places, where I submited my application, request that no phone calls are placed regarding the job. How am I supposed to stand out from anyone else if I can't follow it with a confident call?
As you can guess, I've heard nothing back regarding applications that I placed. I'm a bit discouraged and slightly uncomfortable with the idea of moving without a job in place.

And that sentence leads to...

Mal and I got approved for the four bedroom apartment that we want. It's right on Capitol Hill. A 10-15 minute walk to the D.C. Metro and Mal's office. Not shabby. The rent cost isn't too bad either. The bedrooms are all upstairs (along with the two baths). Downstairs is a kitchen and living/ dining area. All wooden floors. No central A/C, but there are window units and ceiling fans. Pretty nice apartment if you ask me. :)

The idea is for us to move in and get two roommates (that's in the works too). More will follow on the roommate situation as word is received.

Thursday night we tried to leave the city. There was a super bad accident on I-95 that caused all lanes to be blocked. Mal and I waited in traffic for 3.5 hours and then I made the decision to not proceed further that night (it was approaching 11). We grabbed McD's and headed back to D.C. What took us 3.5 hours going down to NC, took us 17 minutes to return. Yeah. It was real bad.

We started again Friday morning and succeeded although traffic was still congested. At least we moved (be it super slowly at times). I spent Friday with my Grandparents and other close family as we celebrated Easter. Spent the night and drove back to Winston today.

The plan is to turn a notice in on Monday. Two weeks, baby.

I'm nervous about it and a bit unsettled. Am wondering if it's really what I should be doing. A part of me feels like there's something(s) still to do here before I venture out of state. Some I can put my finger on, however, I feel there are some waiting to be discovered. Do I risk not discovering them now? Does D.C. offer more to discover than is here? I just want to be in His will. With that comes peace, right? Where's my peace??

12:07 AM - 5 Comments - 2 Kudos -

kimmie
hi! i am in a very similar situation... turning in my two week notice april 26 and moving back to nc, and probably wont have a job until after i move, so it is scary. but that is what i did when i moved here... send your resume to recruiters! that is how i got my job here in miami... and that is what i am doing now for nc, sending emails with my resume attached to people recruiting for financial services/accounting/jobs like that. do a search for d.c. area recruiters and headhunters and employment agencies... when they receive your resume, they will call you and start looking to place you with their clients. if you search careerbuilder/monster.com, most of those jobs are posted by recruiters/headhunters, so visit the website of the company posting a lot of the jobs in the industry you are looking for. and search the d.c. area craigslist in the jobs section, a lot of really good jobs are posted there...this is how i keep my sanity knowing that i cant actually go to nc (until i move may 15) to look for jobs, while being very stressed about being unemployed... sending your info to recruiters is a way to keep proactive so you dont feel as stressed and discouraged while you cant actually be in the city you are moving to. http://www.demand-inc.com/jobseeker.htmlthat is the company that placed me with my job in miami, they are nationwide.also since you have experience working in banking tryhttp://www.demand-inc.com/jobseeker.htmlthey recruit for finance/accounting and also have offices all over the nation...and there are a lot more If they receive a copy of your resume and find that you are qualified for the type of job placements they are recruiting for (i learned this friday, as this is my situation), they have you come in for interview, fill out paperwork, maybe for some tests... obviously i cant just ditch the job i have here and drive the 900 miles to nc to do this, so i am going in to one of the miami offices. once i do that, they can give the go-ahead to the raleigh office to start trying to place me somewhere.ah okay well this is way longer than any blog comment should ever be. since this is the SECOND time in a year that i have been in a very similar situation, as you can see i had much to say on the subject good luck! i am excited for you
Posted by kimmie on Sunday, April 16, 2006 at 9:20 AM
kimmie
p.s. that second link was redundant. what i meant to say was:www.roberthalf.comokay i promise i am done rambling on about your blog now. really i am
Posted by kimmie on Sunday, April 16, 2006 at 9:22 AM

Meredith
Wow, thanks, Kimmie, for all the info. I will definitely check out the sites. I think a headhunter is a good idea. One that I had thought about, but hearing it again and getting a lead is very helpful! Thanks, and kep me posted on your move back to NC.
Posted by Meredith on Sunday, April 16, 2006 at 9:44 PM

kristina marino
get out of clemmons!!! yay meredith!!! thanks kimmie for the websites.. i will show vinnie too. good luck to both of you!
Posted by kristina marino on Sunday, April 16, 2006 at 7:08 PM

McKenzie
Do it! I moved from Rockingham to Raleigh only knowing 1 person much like you and I have never regreted it! I have wonderful friends found a wonderful job! Do it, you won't regret it! Life is too short to play "what if"..
Posted by McKenzie on Tuesday, April 18, 2006 at 10:40 AM