"Struggling Optimist" Finally Lands Job

Oct. 1, 2010 - PRLog -- For the past 11 months, William Henry Nurmi II has been authoring a a weekly blog on his job search and what it's been like to be unemployed. The diary was entitled "The Adventures of a Struggling Optimist," and Bill kept us up to date on his employment struggles and how it was affecting his optimism, and vice versa. We're happy (for Bill!) to report that today marks the last entry in this series, as he has found a job!

Here is what Bill has to say about the road well traveled and the new road ahead.

The End, and new beginning, of the road

Well, well, well, here we are at the end of the road for the job search and thus, the job search blog.  No, I didn’t decide to retire and move to the Mediterranean, if you were wondering that.  Maybe next year.  The good news though is that I have accepted a job.  I accepted the position I was interviewing for that I referred to last week.  I scored well on those assessments that I was complaining about the last time we met, and the meeting with the owner of the company was very good.  We spoke for nearly two hours, it was a great fit.

Deciding on whether to accept the offer has been a process that has taken 3 separate meetings and a few days of observing how the store is run.  I can say that after all that deliberation, I have taken the offer and this will effectively be the end of this blog, as well as the job search.  I am sad about not writing my column anymore, but I am glad that the reason is that I will be too busy at work to do so. I will, of course, have some growing pains along the way, as with any new job, and perhaps will share them as they come along. This is only the next chapter in my career moves throughout life; there will be another I am sure.  Who knows where and when...stay tuned.
The true power of networking

Because the job search is over for now does not mean that networking stops; this will also continue.  I have mentioned the power of networking time and time again in the past 50 weeks or so (yes I said 50, don’t go back and re-read)! The reference that I had used with this company was part of my network.  This individual called the HR team and they specifically looked for my resume and pulled it aside. This would NOT have happened had I not had this relationship.  So, there ya go, the proof is in the results. I won’t mention it again.

I feel mixed emotions at this point.  Some feelings are about the job and some about discontinuing my blog every week. I have been fortunate that I have been able to write on Dr. Russ’s blog; and have also been humbled that he has allowed me to do so. A big thanks is in order there.

Many questions still remain but the use of Optimistic Strengths will help resolve

On the job front: am I scared that I will not perform as well as I, or my boss, would like?  You bet I am.  Am I glad to NOT have to wait until the US Senate stops bickering, and vacationing, long enough to approve an extension of my paycheck?  You bet I am.  Am I excited to be entering into a new career field? You bet I am.  Am I feeling more positive about myself and has my self-esteem improved? You bet it has. Am I nervous I will be unhappy with the position or company and regret my decision to accept the offer?  YES! You get the picture here.

There are a million and one thoughts circling right now, and I am not sure how to handle it all.  I am making lists of pros and cons of the job and company and formulating plans of how I am going to address the cons.  I am talking with trusted friends to get advice as not to get too caught up in the emotion of it all.  I have been out of work for some time and do not want to make any hasty decisions out of emotion alone.  This would likely spell disaster.  I am trying my best to make sure all decisions at this point are made out of sound logic and based in fact.  I think they are.
Parting ways

So, I am at the jumping point: here I go off the edge into the next direction life takes me in.  For now, I will say so long, and I hope to report back how things are going in a few weeks, or months.

To read more about optimism click on: http://www.drrussbuss.com

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At Moment to Moment: Our mission is to teach "skilled optimism"- how let go of a negative in a moment; view life as one continuous learning curve with multiple "do-over" opportunities. Products include a daily blog, seminars, publications, speaking, radio show, & coaching.