Lee J. Freedman :: Marcom Professional and Casual Observer

Jun 14

Days Five through Seven: I’m “Free”

I don’t know if I should count Saturdays and Sundays in my unemployment day count. But I used to do work on those days, so I’ll include them, just for kicks.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday were good days. I picked up my business cards from AlphaGraphics on Tyvola Road and was given them for free. Thanks to Clem Huffman and the team at AlphaGraphics for always doing great work, coming through on tough deadlines and, of course, the unofficial “sponsorship” of my job search. I really appreciate it!

Friends Steph and Zach Pavol came into town on Friday night en route to Hilton Head. It was great to see and have them here for a day or so. I’m looking forward to this weekend when they return on their way back to Ohio.

Saturday was the first time I was actually “bored.” After the Pavols left, I sat down on the couch and just had nothing to do. I completed all my weekend tasks during the week, like cleaning, laundry, etc., and was left bored. Luckily, Colleen Brannan came through with tickets to see The Fray on Saturday night and it was tons of fun.

Sunday was productive. Went to Target and the grocery to get food, then heard about free haircuts for the unemployed at a salon in Myers Park / Eastover. I went, waited and got a haircut! Thanks to the team at Secrets Salon for giving the time and enthusiasm to hundreds of unemployed workers.

Monday’s To-Do List
Update ChadKnaus.com
Apply for jobs
Drop by my former employer for a brief handoff
Head to the Post Office for postage
Search for new job opportunities
Create a mix CD

Jun 11

Day Four: Getting Down to Business

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As I’ve said numerous times this week, my situation is not ideal. But, I’m very excited for the next challenges in my life. I decided to get “serious” today and began making strides toward securing a new opportunity.

I opened up my résumé for the first time in ages. What a daunting task. Summarize three year’s worth of responsibilities in bullet points. I decided to work off book for a bit. I sat outside with a pad of paper and recorded everything I could remember doing in my previous position. The list was long and detailed. I then sat down at my computer, typed in all the tasks as bullet points and began consolidating and purging. I think my résumé is strong, though I need to sleep on it and revisit the document in the morning.

I ate lunch with one of my favorite people today: Mallory Benz. We had scheduled this lunch weeks ago and it was great to catch up with her at Wolfman Pizza.

I returned from lunch, watered my garden, worked on my résumé a bit more and designed a temporary business card to use in this interim period. I’m excited to pick up the actual cards tomorrow and begin handing them out!

Friday’s To-Do List:
Pick up my business cards
Finalize my résumé
Post my résumé to this site (I know, I know. I said I would do this today…)
Return my Blackberry to my former employer
Water my garden
Clean my house (I have guests coming tomorrow night!!!)
Send out some e-mails
(Maybe) Search for some employment opportunities
Make this “real” by posting the news on Facebook and Twitter

Jun 10

Day Three: Getting Back in the Swing (and Public)

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I slept decently well last night. Woke up and made coffee for the second day in a row (new record!) sent out some e-mails and spoke with my parents and grandmother (Blossom, a.k.a. Namie).

I also went Uptown and had lunch with Peter Gilchrist at my favorite Uptown lunch destination: Fujiyama.

After lunch I attended a PRSA Charlotte-sponsored teleconference. It was my first time around other public relations practitioners since becoming a free agent and I think I did pretty well, though I need to break a habit. When talking about my former employer, I used “we” and “us” way too much. I tried to correct myself when I could, but guess it will correct itself in time.

The teleconference was good. I later met a friend for drinks, which was great. Perhaps the highlight of my day was a card I received from my friend Kathy Onisick. The card was very kind on its own, but Kathy, being the amazing person she is, included a few lottery tickets. I haven’t done any of the scratch offs yet, but am looking forward to seeing if I win!

To-do list for tomorrow:

Get some temporary business cards made
Update my resume
Post my updated resume to this site
Have lunch with Mallory Benz at Wolfman Pizza
Send out some more “I lost my job” e-mails to family, friends and peers
Water my garden (pictures will come soon)

Jun 09

Day Two: Facing Reality

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I woke up this morning missing two things I’ve grown accustomed to in my life: a job and a cell phone. Luckily one of these is easily replaceable.

Sleep did not come easy last night. I was physically and emotionally drained, but my body did not want to accept sleep as a remedy. I tossed and turned, and I finally awoke at 4:30 a.m. My body wanted to begin my new adventure – my mind wanted to book a vacation.

I washed, dried and folded clothes. I sent a handful of e-mails. I completed a high-level search for potential job matches. I made coffee, ate two bananas and dealt with a uniquely-upset stomach. I did what I could to make the time pass by until I could reconnect with society at 9 a.m. – the time the Cricket Communications store opened.

My Blackberry service was discontinued with my employment. I have no home phone, so I had to borrow friends’ phones to share my news with my loved ones last night. I chose to go with Cricket Communications for a few reasons:

Cricket used to be a client of mine at my first job out of college. I enjoyed working on the account and always believed in the company’s business model.
I don’t know what the future holds, so going with Cricket’s no-contract service seemed logical.
Cricket offers unlimited minutes and text messages for the same price as other carriers. I figure I’ll be using the phone a lot in the days and weeks (hopefully not months) ahead, and I don’t want to be confined by a set amount of minutes or worry about overage costs – I am on a limited budget these days.
Getting a Cricket phone and service was a breeze. I arrived just as the store opened. The Cricket staff member was extremely helpful in picking the right phone and plan for my needs. I left the store with a working phone no more than 20 minutes later. Best of all, the Cricket service quality is great! Much better than Verizon, which didn’t even work in my house! Oh, and a free phone and first month of service isn’t all that bad either…

One of the downsides of getting a new cell phone is the transferring of numbers from the old device to the new one. Luckily, my former employer allowed me to hold on to my (service-less) Blackberry so I could transfer my address book. Not an easy task at all. With some Google searches, I finally figured out how to transfer my contacts to an Excel document. Don’t know if I’ll actually plug them all into my new phone, but at least I have them on file.

Tuesday wasn’t all that bad. I did think back to something my mother said a while back. She publically stated that my pregnancy was the most convenient of her three. This is due to her third trimester taking place during the summer. I remember her saying how nice it was just to just put on a dress, rather than bundle up for the cold. I guess being jobless in the summer is better than being jobless in the winter. I, perceivably, could go to the pool or the golf course for a nice little break. The pool sounds like a better (and less expensive) option.

Jun 08

Day One: Leaving Work, Never to Return

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My life changed today. As of approximately 5:02 p.m., I am no longer employed. Details cannot be disclosed, but know that I am crushed.

Never had I thought I would hold a job that I loved. For three years I devoted countless hours, sleepless nights and hair (yes, I’ve lost a lot of hair) to my position. But I’m confident I will survive, I will find a position I will love and be passionate about. I thank my former employer for the opportunity to grow and prosper as a person and as a professional. Although I’m upset, I understand this to be a business decision and not a personal one.

I have a challenge in front of me. My goal is to find a job that challenges me on a daily basis and provides me the opportunity to grow as a professional. I strive to work for an organization that supports me both professionally and personally. I know I’m up for this challenge. I know I will come out ahead and emerge a stronger person.

I invite you to join me on this journey. Your support and guidance will only help. Please visit regularly to see my progress, identify with my obstacles and, hopefully, celebrate my success.