Breaking News: Local Tech Storyteller Unexpectedly Promoted to “Professional Job Hunter” by Broadcom!
After 19 years of marriage to VMware, we’ve decided to consciously uncouple. Translation: I got laid off, and now I’m back on the job market—a landscape so different from 1992 that my resume might as well be written in hieroglyphics.
And as a result of that, I realized that I haven’t had to cold look for work since 1992 (!!). Most of the roles I got were through friends/internships and those often led to bigger and better things, the culmination was my near-lifelong vocation of being an expert technical storyteller. I think my post on LinkedIn highlighted the impact (or, at least my perceived impact) on the world I taught. Anyways, so now I have to start looking for a new role because, well, adulting.
Job Hunting: 2024 Edition
Remember when job hunting meant printing resumes and walking uphill both ways? I mean the last time I did this, the internet was all text and only accessible from a BBS over a noisy modem; newspapers with classified ads were common place; and you printed out a stack of resumes to hand out to friends and family.
Now it’s all AI, algorithms, and avoiding LinkedIn recruiters who think “DevOps” is a type of energy drink. My game plan:
- Transform into a Social Media Ninja (Warning: Zero actual ninja skills guaranteed)
- Apply to jobs with the same enthusiasm my dogs apply to chasing deer (we have few squirrels out here but lots of deer and rabbits)
- Get certifications that sound impressive at parties
- Perfect my “hire me, I’m not desperate” smile (currently looks more like a nervous twitch).
Emotional Baggage Check
Surprisingly, I’m not stress-eating or panic applying. Pro tip: When you’ve survived tech layoffs, domestic tragedy, and dial-up internet, job hunting feels like a mild inconvenience.
But I do have concerns. Like how do I condense 25+ years of experience into a page or two!? I admittedly used AI (and I think I’ll write about this in the future) to help clean up my resume a bit (mostly around tenses as I tend to mix both current and past tenses) but it is a more challenging process to find jobs today.
My Superpower? I’m an Expert Storyteller
VMware didn’t create my identity – it was my storytelling playground. Now, the world is my stage, and every job application is just another chapter.
Spoiler Alert: this isn’t a setback. It’s a plot twist.
Who’s ready for the next adventure?
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