Interestingly, once I had taken my career coach’s advice and was putting more effort into my job applications, interview preparations and follow up, had rewritten my resume in a transferable skills format and had unified my social networking profiles and public communications, good things started to happen.
I felt better about myself—and the people with whom I communicated felt better about me. I was able to move forward and incubate two fantastic opportunities.
Suddenly, an executive recruiter was as excited as could be about getting me in front of a hiring manager and actually followed through. Richelle Konian, co-founder of Careers On The Move, had followed my story—saw my resume, blog and LinkedIn profile—and put my resume on top of the stack.
When she asked me if I was interested in a Senior Manager of Valuation and Corporate Finance position with a large accounting firm in midtown Manhattan, I was more than enthusiastic.
Nevertheless, I tried to prevent myself from getting my hopes up too high. I had suffered too many disappointments since becoming unemployed.
Rochelle was extremely encouraging from the beginning and seemed to have little doubt during the entire hiring process, including several rounds of interviews, that I would get the job.
Simultaneously, my communications with Dr. Okuno became more focused and his invitation to host me for a week in Yokohama materialized. I was extremely intrigued by Dr. Okuno’s research, the possibility of contributing to the fight against cancer and taking a trip to Yokohama—yet, I had many questions and practical considerations.
Was I really qualified to help Dr. Okuno publicize his endovascular therapy research and disseminate his tumor-destroying techniques internationally? Could I effectively help him build a new and larger clinic and research facility in Japan? Was it feasible to move to Yokohama with my wife and children? Could Dr. Okuno really make my efforts worth my while?
After much deliberation, even with all my questions and doubts, I decided to go for the journey. At worst, it would be a great adventure.
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