Time for some truth. I believe that most nightmares are caused by events that occurred during our waking hours. Situations such as job loss and long term unemployment create mental wounds, and for many of us, those wounds are manifested in nightmares. Sometimes nightmares are a collage of unresolved items that happened during our waking hours. After I wrote Part 3 of Nightmare….Again, I thought about what event could have caused that type of nightmare.

I did not have to think very hard. In 2007, I went on a business trip to Minneapolis. At that time the company I was working for was in danger of losing a major account. The purpose of that trip was to prevent the loss of that account. Shortly before our visit, there was a major disaster in that city. The Interstate 35W Bridge had collapsed, resulting in several deaths. As fate would have it, the hotel we booked was about six blocks away from that bridge, and the room I occupied had a birds eye view of the damaged bridge. The trip ended up a disaster: we lost the account, and perhaps it planted the seeds that eventually caused the downsizing of the company and my subsequent unemployment. Continue reading for Part III…

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Writer’s Preface: For several months, I wanted to post a sequel to my nightmare pieces [Missed them? Read them here]. Many of my friends enjoyed it. I am glad to say that it took awhile but the nightmares that I had over the past few months are finally gone.

Actually I even had some nightmares into the first few weeks of my new position. My father had told me that he had similar issues when he was younger. Bottom line is that when you go through long term unemployment, it takes time for the scars to heal. Enjoy.

-Howard K. Young

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When I was in college, psychology was one of the required courses in my curriculum. My professor consistently reminded us that the line between sanity and insanity is a thin one. I have found that job loss, combined with many months of fruitless interviews can definitely test ones sanity. As far as I am concerned, I have had to dig deep into my long term memories and use them as a tool to help me keep my mental footing stable.

I am fortunate in that one of the talents I am blessed with is an excellent long term memory. I am not alone when it comes to this talent. I remember, many years ago, and interview with the late actor Lee Marvin. He told his interviewer that he remembered his birth! The interviewer had mentioned that people who have excellent long term memories may have poor short term memories.

Although my memory does not go back to my birth, there are many things that I remember from my infancy and my childhood. I will spare those detail for now, other than to say that, for some reason, dreams seem to stick in my memory. I remember most of the good dreams, as well as the bad ones I had during my childhood and adulthood. Many of those ideas became good source material for my writings in High School and College. A few months ago, I wrote a piece about the nightmares I had. Since that time, I have had several other dreams that were worth writing down…

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Whether we are employed or not there are some days that are good, and some days that are bad. This was not turning out to be one of my better days. My network was silent for the third day this week and I was just about to give up my search for the day when the phone rang. It was a headhunter, who had arranged an interview with a company that was very similar to the one I used to work for. I remember feeling very comfortable as several top managers each spent an hour discussing my credentials. Three weeks prior, I had completed my third interview with this company. After I completed the interview, my headhunter called me and congratulated me on a job well done. “You are the top candidate for this position,” she happily chimed. “I just got a call from Human Resources and they told me that it is most likely that you will get an offer next week!” One week turned into two, and I called my headhunter, asking why I had not received an offer. “Do not worry,” the headhunter seemed very self assured. “For all practical purposes, you can stop your job search. The only reason why you have not received an offer is because top management had a meeting with HR. Top management told the Human Resources manager that, due to the high unemployment rate, I expect your department to produce at least four candidates before we make a choice. We have only provided three candidates so far, and you are the top choice. We just have not found another person who can compete with your record.”

Experience has taught me to have a healthy skepticism about headhunters. In the past they have helped me find some great positions, however when the job market quiets down, they tend to disappear, and you end up feeling forgotten. As a result, I always make sure to call headhunters I work with at least once a week. However I have never had a headhunter tell me that I could end my search, unless they also had an offer. So when the phone rang, I was sure that an offer was forthcoming. “Howard, I am sorry to inform you that my client has decided to choose another candidate.”

The words stung in my mind. It was like someone had taken a dagger to my throat…

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Ed. Note: Click here for Part 1 of Howard K. Young’s “Nightmare.” Enjoy Part 2 of 2 below.

Writer’s Preface: Time to get nervous.  One of my network contacts told me that they went through three interviews with a prospective employer.  The company promised a response by the end of last week.  When my contact followed up to see if a decision had been reached, she was told that they have not made a decision yet.  She was further informed that the company will make their decision by the middle of this week.

I have had similar experiences with this job search, as well as with some of my previous searches.  I can understand not getting a response if there are several hundred applicants for a position.  It would be unrealistic to expect that a prospective employer would contact all applicants.  If however, you were called back for a second interview, and then another candidate was chosen, I think it is only fair that the company contact you, and let you know that the position was filled with another candidate.  It seems that there are too many instances where, after two or three interviews with a company, they do not answer your calls or e-mails when you ask them about the status of your application. Yes, being upset about not getting the job is to be expected, however, I would hope that the top candidates could get a response, so that there is some degree of closure regarding that position.

As promised, here is the second, and final installment of the piece that has the working title “Nightmare!”  Now, it is back to the job search grind.  I am hopeful that both my contact and I are successful this week…but a little luck wouldn’t hurt :)  Take care.
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Previously, I mentioned that job search was only just one issue that was making my life…interesting. My computer had crashed, and without it, I felt separated from the world. It was an arduous task, but I finally managed to bring my computer back to life, so I guess Windows 7 will have to wait. I was also concerned about my mother, who was gravely ill. All these issues combined to make up a night from hell…

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