5 Beyond Solid-Good Things Done this Week, Check! Art Stuff Too

#BoomerwithAttitude is still on tap, no great sympathy for those creating chaos with external meddling AND, even though nobody asked, willing to quantify what’s on my overall plate.

Getting in three full 10.5 mile rides on X-Charlotte Trail over 8 days is legitimate #1 on Count it! physicality. Haven’t done over thirty mile week in a year, stubby tires mountain bike is a challenge. Riding as reward factor for writing Monday ‘Resumes’ piece that included Gene Hackman and me, I’m positive about pursuing the right opportunity.

Getting a *great* haircut from Desirous was a clutch decision about feeling shaggy for an important presentation. No kidding, Looking Good and Old School tactics like ‘Being there’ are still difference makers.

Bike riding is my very quantifiable, long-term asset for physical confidence, and counting positives physically at sixty-eight is a legitimate good habit. Staying on fun and firmness brings lots of people out to share the well-maintained pavement with. Ride in 74 degrees and sunshiney NC afternoon, then Food and NCAA hoops watching was overall Saturday Reality. There’s plenty of tense going around, I’ll be for more tennis – not ignorance, choice.

Yes, I admit loving how the Canadians, calm and clear Trudeau, excellent hand-off of a small crisis to New Guy, still stuffing trump every shift (hockey term) of news cycle, making it clear its not about hating US, but Tariffs- Elbows up, damn straight! (AND PAY YOUR ELECTRIC BILL, EY! notice is coming from Ontario soon…)

Four more with Good Reasons, ey?

A physical release in optimal weather is a deserved time-out reward, so take credit for doing something necessary, important, or Special. Including ‘Me’ in the company of Hackman and NFL QBs in Monday morning LinkedIn article was being seriously happy about a ‘specific and terrific’ cover letter I’d sent about a challenging EA administrative role.

Adding in the killer haircut and not-worn-often-enough-lately charcoal suit and sweet, coral-colored with ducks tie, presenting myself at their local HQ with additional quality examples of my written communications expertise, was a solid, Old School doubling down Tuesday. Since the HR person is now a LinkedIn connection, I’ll point out that ‘Resume’ piece shortly. Call the total effort #2,3 on good things accomplished.

#4 Mint Museum, Wednesday for Freebie Night

I decided on visiting the Mint late last week, and arriving 6:20, strolled three floors and multiple galleries for 90 minutes. Perhaps not demonstrative proof of culture, but I defend those exceptional aspects like the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra (which played for Pavoratti), does four wonderful June concerts behind SouthPark Mall and Christmas events downtown; regular Broadway tours at The Blumenthal, and culture *does* includes TWO Mint Museums and a Bechtler.

I only gave away two CDTalententerprises cards, one to Brittny ‘without an A’, a favorite kind of memory hook clarifier, me being a two N Glenn. She said she was a newbie to Charlotte, we walked and talked, plenty of other participants to share opinions with too. I came back for her when I found something unique-r, and I’d be pleased if Brittny uses the good information that’s found on my good-looking card.

I have a tux & I know how to use it.

Clothes make The Man? If not now, When? Compared to mid-week usual, Styling a black felt hat that keeps getting noticed, Dad’s brownish-green hounds-tooth jacket, green shirt, antique-unique tie, tuxedo pants, I thought I might even drop in someplace afterwards. Wound up 100% satisfied as imagined with a self-guided event.

As I conveyed to an LI connection afterwards, networking has always been a strength, I have plenty of confidence in talking to others. Sports writing background and sales, Q&A has always been my standard, and after two full years WFH, I’ve missed that aspect. If not Great Expectations, engaging on Art is do-able.

I’ll get around to describing a microeconomic situation at Nordstrom’s in my ‘Don’t Give Up Your Day Job’ non-fiction book, but having a bit of artsy background, and being historically gregarious, Wednesday counted as a terrific reboot, new Social Goodness as an easy to achieve priority.

#5 – Opportunity to be of Service – Good Thought, it worked out

While I declined a nomination for Club Secretary in February, somebody else stepped forward during actual elections Friday for our community Mens Club meeting, so while I rethought taking the post (4x previous) because certain long-term organizational knowledge might be a clutch difference in success, guess we’ll see. More actual good PR for solid, long-time organization continues with Fridays annual Fish Fry. As a #BoomerwithAttitude, I’ll keep that communications/leadership club in my bag, use my five wood more in the Spring Captain’s Choice.

OKAY – Create a 700-900 word blog on a regular schedule – 1st of three on Monday, check on new habit, Week Two. Quantified, specific. Just me.

That’s What LinkedIn Should Be For

Getting a private, positive response yesterday as a direct result of an online discussion (Global Executive Assistants) validates what I’ve believed LinkedIn was supposed to be about. While there are still too many ‘PLEASE read my blog!’ type messages on writing sites I utilize, articulating my objections about what should-shouldn’t be included on CV-resumes got a specific unfairness off my chest as strongly as I wanted. Based on comments from others and that indicator of attention I needed, it hit a righteous chord.

Given that *everyone* says recruiters only give resumes a scant 6-8 seconds attention, and resumes aren’t supposed to go past 12-15 years at the max, my point was 6.5 years of retail work that paid bills-put food on the table-gas in the car-allowed for occasional road trip vacations during The Great Recession was apparently DQing me from consideration for executive assistant level positions handled prior to 2007. That contract work, which was my case from 1995-2000 after leaving regional sales rep positions, of less than six months shouldn’t be included– even if it involved learning a significant skill– was a deal-killer many applicants recognize. Most recruiters, and even a *computer generated notation* for one application I labored on, still pick at EVERY TIME GAP, making for a Catch-22 situation.

Having illuminated that frustrating situation won’t change 99% of recruiters methodology. When I first changed from being a ‘windshield warrior’ to getting results driving a desk in 1995, it was mandatory that you do alllll the paperwork with an agency (it still screws up applications to put ‘multiple agencies’ under Employer, because who remembers origin of each assignment ?) and test on software before anyone would talk to you. Now, even after going through online on-boarding process for a major temp-placement operation, the recruiter stonewalled an office visit 3x in one phone call because “there’s no sense WASTING your time or mine” to determine how jobs that barely made it– no description or dates, just the position– onto a page might make me a better candidate. *I* sure wouldn’t think its a waste, not when most EA ads involve ‘Exceptional verbal- written communications skills’ in the description, something barely scratched on Page 1 that is a HUGE strength of mine, much higher order than being current on learnable software.

I’m going with the positives though. I’ve followed that particular lady for a while, and now I’ve done something that attracted her personal interest; a guy whose house I’ve played several Hold ’em poker tournaments at is a recruiter and he’s also looking at my material. That recruiter who said “all we have” is a survey situation for a Republican project and a tele-marketing deal up-selling dating site users to full membership, wow, his whole office must be starving. Guess he should have some extra time to read deeper into resumes then, right?

Glenn S.