In the past 5 years, I submitted dozens and dozens of resumes in an attempt to return to the legal world as a legal assistant.  My motivation was money.  In the three months before I left Ohio, that number increased.  Out of all the applications and resumes, only one call came.  It was a call, not a job offer.


It took me a month or so to settle down emotionally to even begin looking for work after I arrived on the west coast.  The prime motivator was fear.  In a flurry of activity, I spent hours scouring he job sites for the Seattle area, looking for work in an office environment.  I didn't want to return to the legal world, so I applied for any place that was looking for an administrative assistant.  Each ad I answered contained words like - self starter, fast paced, career, motivated, multi-tasking, team player . . . all the lingo associated with finding just the right employee for the position. 

I received some very nice thank you for submitting your application emails but no job offers; not even an invitation to interview.  My anxiety mounted.

And then I stopped.


The truth was that I didn't want to return to an office environment, sitting at a desk all day.  I didn't want a career in an energy corporation; all I wanted was a part-time job to cover my expenses while I was waiting for my Washington state massage therapy license.  I was willing to wait tables, sell coffee, be a cashier, whatever it took on a temporary basis and I  wanted to work with products or services that I loved.  The companies that I loved that would offer part-time jobs was a short list:

• Starbucks
• Whole Foods
• Panera Bread
• White House|Black Market

I immediately applied to those places on-line.  A few days later (at the advice of my son), I printed out some resumes with the intention of showing up in person and introducing myself.   Little did I know how difficult that would be.


If you're job hunting, I invite you to search for your truth about that process by asking yourself a few questions:

• Am I applying for jobs that I want?
• Is my career really what I want to do?
• Is fear my motivating factor?
• Do I believe that jobs are scarce?