Recently, I had a life experience that added a new twist to one of my old metaphors. I've always looked at job hunting through the romantic framework. You see a company you think you might like (attraction) and go on a series of interviews (dating) and eventually decide to break up or get into a committed relationship. As a husband I have never cheated on my spouse and have difficulty relating to those who do, but as an employee seeking a new job I was able to gain insight into this relationship dynamic.
It was time for me to leave and I knew it, the honeymoon was definitely over and I was seeing repeating patterns and felt I was evolving in a direction that was incompatible with my current employer. So like many others in the same situation, I started sprucing up my resumé, building connections and accepting interviews. While my direct supervisors and colleagues suspected it, there was no formal or explicit announcement that I was seeking a new employer. I was cheating... and it felt good. It was refreshing to be focusing on my own needs instead of those of the company. There was a new motivation to improve in my field, competition that didn't exist within the stale corporate environment in which I had settled. There were so many possibilities. Of course, there was also rejection but it didn't have the same sting because I didn't need a new job, I still had the cozy safe relationship with my current company to shield me from desperation. The job I had wasn't fulfilling all my desires, but it was keeping me sheltered and fed. The pace of job hunting while working full time is hectic, juggling all the names and appointments and evaluating the possibilities is a lot of extra work, but at the same time it is exhilarating and energizing, almost addictive. I didn't realize that at the time, I was too busy to reflect on any of this.
