The Intricacies of Job Searching

I have been on and off the job market for the last few years. I lined up employment a few months at a time, usually teaching. I was pretty much semester-by-semester for a while. Now I am back on the job market again, this time searching for a permanent position, or at least one longer than a year or two.

I check a variety of sites. Higheredjobs.com is one I like. I also check individual universities and colleges that don't always post to higheredjobs.com. And my professional organization. And specific companies and organizations. My town even has a site where you can search for nearby jobs.

I have a Google docs spreadsheet with a list of jobs I have applied for or plan to apply for, as well as application deadlines, required application materials, etc. There are a lot of details to keep track of. It is tiring and time-consuming.

Then I found a posting for a job I have already interviewed for (twice, I should add ... still waiting and holding out because it's a job I *really* want). It was listed as a recent posting. It is not a recent posting. The job has been advertised since August. I applied in September, heard nothing for a long time, and then got a call back in late January. I think the site where I saw the posting aggregates other job sites or listings. But why list a job as recent when it isn't recent? I know it's not a recent posting only because I have been watching this particular job for months. Or maybe it was listed as recent because it was recently added to site. No idea. See? Tiring and time-consuming.

I am prepared to be unemployed for a while. I have marketable skills in an area where there are more positions than qualified people to fill them. I am constantly finding positions to apply for. Still, unemployment isn't ideal. My stress levels would be more manageable, plus I'd be able to start committing to more races once I know what my time and commute constraints are. Maybe I should just run a lot of miles anyway. That wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing, and it would help with stress management.