Technical Difficulties Take Their Toll on My Job Search

To date, my job search has cost me at least $960 and untold hours in computer and other connectivity costs. Old-fashioned typewriter and paper would probably have been a lot less, I guess. So how did I rack up such expenses in 5 months of job hunting?

 

Well, electronic things like computers and cell phones are not exactly perfect -- neither are the humans who operate them! Early on in the job search, my children’s caregiver decided to hook up her new computer to the wireless router. She wanted to use her computer remotely during the kids’ naps. Unbeknownst to me, she spoke to my Internet provider in her native language and was instructed how to change all the security and router connectivity settings. So now I am lost in translation without wireless access in my own home. After hours attempting do-it-yourself, I hired a computer troubleshooting firm out of desperation. And that was just the beginning of my computer problems.

 

A few weeks later, my main laptop started to exhibit the blue screen of death phenomenon. I had minor heart palpitations. If I let the laptop sit unplugged for 36 hours, it seems to come back to life. Now that’s not really practical for a full-on job hunt! Also, the display’s flickering lines didn’t make me feel secure about my resume and tracking records of job applies that I stored on the hard drive. So I bought a mass storage device to download all the files. Then I decided I really need connectivity more frequently than every 36 hours, so I bought a netbook, which is half the price of a laptop. Now here’s a small silver lining: at least it is also very, very light, portable and does everything I need so far.

 

So I had a few weeks of peace in the electronic part of my life, until one chilly evening when I decided hot chocolate would be just the beverage to drink while viewing the latest job postings online. I got really excited about one posting and, in the process, managed to dump half my very large mug of hot cocoa all over my new netbook keyboard. OMG! Having mixed liquids with electronics in several other instances over the years (here’s where all that training as a chemist comes in handy), I immediately jumped into action. Besides, the hot chocolate was burning my skin. I tilted the laptop sideways to let the liquid drain off and ran to the bathroom with the blow-dryer. After a good long blast of hot air, I put the netbook under a lamp to sun itself for a whole day. Now every day I am reminded of my hot chocolate silliness (and that job posting, which ended up in the black hole response pile) since the keys make funny, little sticky clacking sounds every time I type. But at least my netbook investment is still working.

 

But that wasn’t all -- now the cell phone part of my technical difficulties. My cell phone was working perfectly well until a visit to the doctor’s office for the kiddies. While I was busy discussing Evan’s minor health issues with the physician, Owen decided to dig around in my purse and pulled out my cell. Not sure if he wanted to order pizza or call his grandmother, but the phone ended up smashed down on the floor. Yikes! Now the phone only works if you press really hard around the edges, so all the display contact points hit each other. It’s really awkward to make or receive calls from prospective employers and recruiters while gripping the phone with all 10 fingers. I look like I’m strangling my cell phone!

 

Of course, there are less costly electronic ways to work during the job search, but I’ll save those funny stories for another post. Have you found any novel solutions to make your own job search more cost effective and less electronics-laden?

 

Experiencing computer problems in your job search? Check out this article with tips for being your own IT help.

 

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