The Mid-Level Director

For Beth Busch, working at a software company in sales and support was not her ideal career. And after a year, she’d had enough. Despite one of the most tumultuous economies in history, Busch quit her job last October and set off to find an occupation that made her feel like a better person. “The fact that I left my job during these tough times explains how bad the job really was,” Busch explains. “I had major ethical problems with the people I worked for. It spoke volumes that I’d rather be looking for work than staying there.” The local library helped Busch during this time in two main ways. When her computer or Internet went down at home, she would go to the library to continue job hunting using the free access to computers. “I also used it for soul searching,” Busch says. “It was a great resource to borrow the books and look through them. It was helpful to figure out what I wanted to do next. Even when I was traveling, I could find a local library.” After weeks of searching through Monster.com and Ladders.com, Busch came across an opening for the position of Regional Director of Development on Washington University’s Web site. She thought it would be a good fit and applied immediately, but was not asked to interview until March. Busch admits, “I think I ended up getting the interview because I networked heavily with people in St. Louis. Job prospects usually went further into the process if I used networking.” Busch’s biggest challenge during her job hunt? “Getting someone to recognize you or speak with you,” she says. “Everything is so impersonal now with the Internet, to actually speak with someone can be difficult.” Networking may have gotten her resume to the top of the pile, but Busch’s qualifications and passion ultimately won her the position. She started in early June and hasn’t regretted her decision to start a new path for a minute. For other mid-level people in the midst of a job search, Busch stresses the importance of “getting out from behind your computer to work it.” It’s also important to be selective, she says. Don’t stop looking for jobs that you will feel good about.