With nothing much to do to occupy my time, I take to pondering, setting my mind going hither and yon, thinking “what ifs” until a headache ensues.
“What if I were still in my teens, would I still want to work at the newspaper?”
“What if I hadn’t met Housemate and married him, would I still be a spinster (old maid) or would I have married someone else and be living in the bush with a large number of dogs and cats?”
“What if we hadn’t become involved with fairs and exhibitions, would we have missed meeting all those people who became our friends, or would we have connected with them in some other way?”
“What if I had been introduced to computers and the world wide web and Facebook at the beginning of my career instead of towards getting-older years, would I have mastered all the simple things that now I need a friend to lead me slowly through?”
And that “what if” leads me to the topic of LinkedIn, the on-line engine for recruiters and hiring managers looking for someone with my skills and abilities, and on the other hand, the engine with which I could apply for employment, if I were looking.
It is beyond my recollection of how I got signed up as a LinkedIn member but I’m on there for all the world to see, listing my skill sets and background — most of the information that would be put on an old-fashioned paper resume.
Occasionally I get notifications from the LinkedIn administrators that I should congratulate friends and acquaintances for their job anniversaries, promotions, change of positions, even retirements. Not surprising is the absence of information about firings or layoffs.
Sometimes I send along a message to the men and women with whom I have, or have had, a close working or volunteer arrangement. Most times I look but don’t touch the keyboard to give greetings. I especially don’t get involved in congratulating someone for his 10th year anniversary with a certain company when I know full well he no longer works there. LinkedIn doesn’t seem to maintain accurate records of those life-altering events.
The most recent notification coming into my in-box noted that six potential employers or others (call them snoops if you wish) had viewed my profile in the past week, the search keywords being “freelance writer.”
The searchers ranged from an underwriter, medical assistant, website manager, political staffer to a project manager. The companies included Yum! Brands Restaurant, Tru-Line Marketing and Advertising, Bureau Jeugdzorg Limburg and BPSW-Bervepsvereniging van Professionals in Sociaal (sic) Werk (sic).
Certainly the most interesting search was by a local construction company. Perhaps that accounted for the project manager notification. I was curious about this search, wondering how skills as a freelance writer would fit in with building and construction projects.
It was even more interesting because an individual at this company had previously offered some unpleasant comments about an opinion I expressed in one of my columns. In fact he vowed never to read anything of mine ever again. Of course I don’t know if he kept his promise or if he sneaks an occasional look when no one is watching.
None of those recent searches offered me jobs but I am still considering previous offers to be an administrative assistant, an occupational therapist, an internet analyst, digital communications officer or a data collection agent (working from home.)
And so I continue to ponder my LinkedIn connections, the opportunities that might have appealed to me 50 years ago and the question of why anyone from a construction company would be interested in my freelance writing skills.
I do have a sturdy hammer and a set of screw drivers. I should perhaps add that information to my profile. Maybe not.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
