Time in the Twilight Zone

 “It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man’s fears, and the summit of his knowledge.  This is the dimension of imagination.  It is an area which we call, The Twilight Zone.” 

-       The Twilight Zone Intro

There is no doubt that time operates differently during a Job Transition period than more normal time periods in your life.  ‘The Twilight Zone’ is an old television series that was a big hit in its time.  The main character would change most episodes, but it was always someone experiencing a bizarre or surreal life experience.  This is how the ‘JT’ time can feel.  You have stepped into another dimension where things don’t operate like you are used to.  People will behave differently, time moves at a different pace, things that used to be ‘normal’ no longer feel the same.

Time will move much more slowly than you can imagine.  You might feel like you are on speed and be surprised about how slowly people and events around you move.  Or alternatively, you will think that the people you are trying to interact with in the job search are mired in quicksand or may have gotten lost on the way to work and haven’t been found for days or weeks. 

The challenge is with agenda.  Your agenda is rather singularly focused on getting yourself hired to do some work.  The people doing the hiring will have multiple items on their agenda and they will get pulled away from the hiring effort to keep the wheels turning with the work. 

You will find yourself completing your next step in the hiring process and then waiting for the next step.  And waiting.  And waiting.  You will need to master the art of patient persistence.  Stay connected with the key people, but not so much that you start to annoy them. 

I have been on both sides of this equation and understand the challenges from both perspectives.  As the hiring manager you are typically not hiring all the time, so the normal business climate can, and often will, consume all your time.  The next step in the hiring process will fall behind the day-to-day work.  There are some exceptions.  When you are the job candidate you are focused on the opportunity and anxious for some feedback.  You feel the clock ticking and a great void of timely follow-up.  This ends up creating the feeling that you, as the candidate, are in the twilight zone.

If a ‘headhunter’ is involved in the process, they can help to bridge the gap between these two perspectives.  The paid recruiter has their interests aligned with both parties…which is interesting and helpful.  They can help to fill in the communication gap, explain the delays, confirm that things are just moving more slowly, etc.

Awareness and patience of the situation is a key.  Don’t get too frustrated and don’t be too anxious.  Be patient, but persistent and find your way through the Twilight Zone.