My job hunt by the numbers

My long journey of looking for a new job has finally reached its end. Last week I was offered a full-time position, and today I accepted it. On Monday, June 1, I will start as the Communications Specialist for the Rural Community Assistance Partnership, Inc. The posting for the position describes the organization like this:

RCAP, Inc. is a federally-funded nonprofit nationwide network comprised of a national office and six regional partners that provide direct technical assistance, training, and financial assistance to water and wastewater systems in small rural communities, many of which are economically disadvantaged. Through its work, RCAP strives to improve environmental and community health; help rural communities comply with federal and state regulations and operate their infrastructure in a sustainable manner; and increase the capability of rural people to undertake other community development activities.

As someone who is a paid communications professional, one of my philosophies is that there is more than one way to tell a story. So, as an account of my job hunt, I will give you many numbers. You may draw your own conclusions from them, although certainly by my choice of numbers (and a few other facts) that I am including here, I am obviously trying to paint a picture.

• Months I was unemployed/underemployed until I received a job offer (from the time I quit my full-time job in Geneva): 28
• Months before I actually quit my job in Geneva that I had been applying for jobs: 26
• Weeks I had been in D.C. before receiving a job offer: 10 (to the day)
• Weeks I left Nairobi in advance of Sarah and Lexi in order to get a head start on finding a job: 9 1/2
• Nationwide unemployment rate: 8.5 percent (March, unadjusted)
• D.C. unemployment rate: 9.9 percent (April)
• Jobs I applied for since arriving in D.C.: 56
• Career fairs I attended: 1
• Networking events I attended: 1
• University programs that I considered before the job offer – to attend full-time in place of working: 3 (I still may enroll in one part-time now)
• Job boards/listing services I checked regularly for openings: 7
• Interviews I was granted for jobs I applied for strictly from D.C. before I received an offer: 1
• Job listing area I discovered late in the game and expected to be the least likely to contain good jobs: craigslist
• Place where I found the position listed that I got an offer for: craigslist
• Place where I found both of my/our temporary apartments in D.C.: craigslist
• Only classifieds known to have an alleged serial killer: craigslist
• University of the alleged craigslist killer: Boston University
• My alma mater: Boston University
• Applicants who saw the ad on craigslist for the job and sent in their resumes: 300
• Applicants who sent in their resumes who were granted interviews: 10
  
• Amount over the high end of my desired salary range that my new salary will be: $3,000 (with the possibility of getting $2,000 more after 6 months)
• Vacation days I will get: 15
• Standard vacation days Americans get when new to a job: 10
• Vacation days I got when employed in Switzerland: 24 (plus the week between Christmas and New Year’s off)
• Blocks from the White House of my new workplace: 2
  

I would give you the website of the organization I am going to be working for if you'd like to learn more about it, but really it's just a web page. This should tell you how much this organization needs a person like me. In addition to creating a whole new website for this organization, I'll be producing a bimonthly magazine and maybe later doing some media relations.

Thanks to all of you who offered your encouragement, support and prayers along the way. It has truly been a long, long process and one of the most difficult of my life – not only in the unknown of a job search, but in the very challenging and unpleasant environment where I worked in Geneva. Now I look forward to moving onward and upward with my career again!