Thats why you get to know people. Social Networking, not fucking facebook and shit… go out and do something with someone every chance you get. You are a solid dude, and very easy to get along with. The more people you rub the right way the odds increase that someone will say “Hey I work at so and so, and we are looking for something I think you might be interested in”.
Experience and knowledge is bullshit, it all boils down to the people on either side of the table. If the HR person is a chode and wants a cookie cutter 1.5year turn around employee or worse their company does thats what they will get. Hurting themselves and the person looking for work, especially if that person doesn’t want to be a short term employee. If the HR person is open to look past a resume and ask the right questions, test the person correctly how they see fit the quality of the employees are much higher from a REAL standpoint than some dick with a mile long resume and an poor attitude. For example, I got a promotion to another position in my org, and have ZERO experience on paper doing it… but I know the people looking to fill the position and they know I am very adaptable and can get the job done in the end. On the flip side I know of a place I interviewed at that sounded like a decent position and actually on paper was a little harder than I thought I could bite off. I went to the interview and the deeper it went i was thinking to myself, these guys are idiots, the work is what I am doing now and I am way over qualified to be doing it… it would be a step backwards for me skill set wise… but it was actually for MORE pay which was odd. I didnt get the job, and again since I knew someone inside I found out the idiot they hired over me didnt have a clue how to do anything he “pitched” to the interview people and was let go 4 weeks later. So FAIL on the HR peoples part, nothing I could have done.
Anyways Paul, get out of the rythem of life, how ever you can see fit. Keep the job you have now, thats the important thing. And take things YOU feel you need to change and strive to succeed at that one thing at a time.
Think about all the places you deliver to, next time you go there talk to one of the highest up people you can think of in the org, that knows you personally and likes you, even if they are the janitor and say what would it take to get a job here? Even if its nothing you want to do, or think you cant do it. Just go on the interview, with zero expectations (since you are already steady employed) and wing it for the experience. Towards the end be honest and say you know I might not be cut out for this, but I appreciate the time and from talking to you I can see you run a great business, one i would like to be apart of when a position that better suits me becomes available. BAM you have an in. Maybe that person will see the honestly in you and say “Actually my brother runs XXXXXX and is looking for someone like yourself”. See where I am going with this all?