Being Mr. Mom and Mr. Perfect Hire: How to Juggle
Posted on | January 13, 2010 | 4 Comments
As the clock ticked past midnight into the first moments of 2010, I was awake with my wife, coaxing my 7 month old son back to sleep. He has bouts of bad dreams, we think, and that seemed to be what woke him up this time, once again. Since I’ve been seeking new, full-time employment, I’ve been Mr. Mom, and happy to do it because I may never get this chance again for such prolonged time with my son. The time rocking him to sleep at night has also afforded me the opportunity to ponder what it means to be a parent, an active networker while searching for my next career move all at the same time. Have you ever tried making phone calls, sending well-thought-out emails, and researching target companies while watching your baby or young child nearby? Isn’t it fun??
I find myself, most days while my wife is at work, praying for my son to go down for a nap, so I can invest 30-45 minutes of solid searching – networking – calling – emailing time without worry of interruption. Check that… he’s not an interruption, don’t get me wrong, but even as I write this post he’s napping in the next room and I feel like I’m “on the clock” to finish before he stirs. How does one effectively manage their job search while wanting nothing more than to be a good, attentive dad or mom?
I’ve tried asking our baby, “Can Daddy have 10 minutes to get this done?” His answer: “Baa Boo”. I took that as a “no.” I’ve even tried, desperately, to sing to him while I work so that he focuses on something other than Daddy staring at his computer. Sometimes that works… well… for a few minutes, then it’s back to needing Daddy (which I do love).
So, how to juggle? Well, you can’t ever make a plan to make X number of calls or send Y number of emails. You just can’t, and if you try, you’ll only be disappointed when you look back on your activity that day. But what you CAN do is be cognizant of every moment you CAN get away while your kids nap or play on their own, and USE YOUR TIME WISELY. If you make just ONE goal per day, and make that goal your highest priority (next to caring for your kids), you’ll feel more accomplished than if you stare at a long list of goals and feel defeated even before 8am. And, in my experience, if you can add to your daily goals a weekly goal of attending at least one networking event, conference, seminar, etc, that gets you out of the house and among people of like-interests who are looking for work, too, you will feel a lot better about your efforts on the whole.
Case in point: Today, I attended a special interest group hosted by the American Marketing Association. While I did not go there expecting more than one or two potential leads on job opportunities, because the main point of the meeting was to talk about interactive marketing, actually I came away with FIVE potential leads on permanent jobs and/or consulting jobs. My point here is to pick your activity wisely. If you feel confident that one or two particular activities will be useful to you, then attend those and only those. Don’t waste your time with the “iffy” events or activities.
I’ve rambled a bit, but I hope these tips are useful to others in my position as Mr. Mom and Mr. Perfect Hire. I love my dual role, but it’s not without its challenges. Just be strategic about how you use your time.
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4 Responses to “Being Mr. Mom and Mr. Perfect Hire: How to Juggle”
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January 13th, 2010 @ 1:54 PM
Great Blog post. I am going to bookmark and read more often. I love the Blog template
January 13th, 2010 @ 2:02 PM
Nice writing. You are on my RSS reader now so I can read more from you down the road.
Allen Taylor
January 13th, 2010 @ 2:56 PM
Nice post, Jason! I enjoyed reading and have added you on my RSS as well.
Brian
January 13th, 2010 @ 4:44 PM
Thanks for adding me to your RSS! My topics will vary, but I hope you continue to stay tuned.