The last time I wrote, I was in the middle of a job search. I had just gotten notice the day before that my contract with the government was being cut. Not one to sit on my laurels, I went out and attached the job search.
Through promotion of myself on social media channels, getting in touch with multiple different staffing agencies, reviewing different job bank sites and setting up RSS feeds, as well as pure Google searches, the fruits of my labour paid off. Within a week and a half, I ended up with three different companies interviewing me, an interview via a staffing agency, and a position won based on my CV alone. I also got another call for another interview after I had accepted a position, but I declined that interview.
It also goes to show timing is everything. I was all set to begin my temporary contract with the governmental department that had called me up on a Friday. The day before, I had my second interview with a company (along with a small technical test). After the interview, I went for my optometrist appointment, for my three year laser eye surgery follow-up (to which I’m happy to report my vision remains at 20/20. Not bad for someone who had a prescription of -9.50 in the left eye and -8.50 in the right eye beforehand). In a good mood based on that alone, I came home, and started to get my gear together for karate class – I was leaving early to hang out with a friend who needed a study break.
I then got the callback. A letter of offer had been emailed to me. In shock, I said I needed to think overnight. However, it took all of ten minutes, and walking out the door, to realize that I needed to take this opportunity. When I arrived at my destination, with my friend’s complete understanding, I sent off a few emails – one telling the staffing agency I was not reporting the next day, the other accepting the letter of offer, and stating I would get it to them that night, or on the weekend.
Since I signed the offer, and have been set up officially in payroll, I can definitely announce that I will begin work with Ascentum in a software developer position this upcoming Monday. I am excited beyond belief. Prime location, and based on the letter of offer, tasks that will interest me more than pure WCAG 2.0 compliance testing/coding.
Did I write this to purely state my good luck? Partially. I also want to stress to any job seekers who might land upon my blog that with perseverance and the right attitude, you’ll find that perfect job. I’ll leave you with some of my personal tips:
- Keep your CV up to date. If you have a smartphone, keep a copy saved on the SD card of your phone. If you are out and need to email from your phone, you’ll save yourself a LOT of trouble.
- If you use social media on a regular basis, don’t be afraid to promote yourself via the available channels. You might be surprised with the results.
- Don’t discount any avenues. If you think there might be a job lead, pursue it, no matter how weird it might seem at first.
- Lastly, stay optimistic. A good attitude towards your job searching will translate into confidence in interviews – and confidence can potentially lead to job offers.
And that’s it. My personal guide to job searching. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have errands to run before meeting my friends for pho tonight. The rain hasn’t started, and I intend to take advantage of that.



