Today is Sunday. It is 6:49am and I am gathering the last of my things and putting them into my truck so that I can get on the road. Actually...strike that...I am taking 10 minutes away from
doing that to type this. Then, I am going to finishing gathering what needs to
be gathered, make a cup of coffee, load my daughter in her car seat and hit the
road. See, I am about to make an 18 hour drive to New Jersey for a few days.
Why on earth would I make that drive, just to spend a couple of days? Well,
there is a perfectly good explanation. I have a job interview. Why would I
travel 18 hours for a job interview? Well...why not?

I have been out of work for over two months. I was laid off from my position as
an HR Manager back at the end of October. When I lost that position, I
immediately started looking for a new position. While I love living in sunny
Florida and love everything that Tampa has to offer, I also know that without a
job, there is little that I can truly enjoy. So, with that in mind, I started
putting out feelers. Of course, I am looking where I live but I also know that
opportunities do not abound here in Florida. Not that they abound anywhere, for
that matter, but I do know that there are more opportunities elsewhere than
there are here. With unemployment at 11% in Florida and at over 12% in the
Tampa Bay area alone, I had to expand my horizons. What better place to expand
to than the place where I was born and raised - New Jersey?

So, with the quickness and the fierceness of a squirrel collecting nuts for
winter, I started scouring various job boards...you're typical ones that Monster and CareerBuilder,
as well as some not so typical ones like Indeed
and JobFox. I sent my resume out to a number
of organizations seeking anything from a Recruiter to a Generalist to a HR
Manager (hey...this girl cannot afford to be choosey) for here and afar. With
no surprise, but with some scarcity, I started getting hits on my resume. Where
were all of these calls and emails coming from? Recruiters and companies in New
Jersey and New York. Over the last two and a half months, I have traveled back
and forth to New Jersey five times for interviews. I have yet to secure a
position, so here I am again. On my way to New Jersey for yet again ANOTHER
interview! But...I don't mind. Interviewing means that I actually have a shot
at a job. I have more possibility than not having an interview.

Which brings me back to the point of this post; I am ready and raring to
go...ready to move back to the chill and ice and chaos of the northeast. Ready
to rejoin the rat race of the big city. I am ready to relocate!! All I need is
the job and I am there. I have decided to make sacrifices…some of them
hard…others, not so much. I’ve considered taking a lesser paying job, a lower
caliber position, an opportunity in another industry, and the proverbial Mt.
Everest of them all…relocating over 1100 miles away. I’ve considered all of
these things in order to secure a job, but more importantly, to secure my
quality of life, the safety and security of my family, and to ensure that my
career doesn’t go stale.

These are all of the things that I have done to secure my next position. My question, though, is to all of you job seekers out there…What are you willing to do in order to secure your next
position? Think on that...