Surf's Up!
As of March 1, 2020, I had no games on my phone. Nada. Zilch. Zero. I’ve never been a big phone-game player and really didn’t have the time for them. Then COVID-19 reared its ugly head, resulting in a menagerie of edicts requiring us to stay home, work at home, eat at home, binge watch TV at home, twiddle our thumbs at home, watch time stretch like taffy in the sun at home...
Which is why I downloaded two games. The first was Who Want to Be a Millionaire, a trivia game based on the popular 1999 TV show with Regis Philbin. It comes complete with the same tension-inducing music and the same ramp up of five or so questions anybody and their dog could answer (What do squirrels like to gather? A. Rocks, B. Nuts, C. Toilet Paper, D. Stocks and Bonds), followed by a half dozen that get ridiculously difficult (What geothermic Icelandic site has the same name as a 1980 movie? A. Xanadu, B. The Shining, C. The Blue Lagoon, D. Caddyshack).
I find this game highly frustrating and very annoying. Yet I continue to play it. I’ve gotten to $500,000 several times, only to be struck down by a question like: “What was Shakespeare’s mother’s name?” My answer to that one wasn’t among the choices: “Who gives a rip? What kind of question is that? I’ve been robbed again! This game is rigged!”
Thankfully, I have another game that helps me unwind. It’s called True Surf. This is, as the name implies, a surfing game which provides a great sense of satisfaction. Here’s why.
Besides being highly addictive, True Surf offers a surfer-wannabe (who clumsily caught a few waves way back when and loved it but now lives in Colorado and can’t seem to find a convenient location for this activity), an outlet for his lingering desire to hang ten. And it does so without requiring travel, without the possibility of drowning, and with absolutely no risk of being eaten by a shark. It’s the best!
Surfing is, in a word: terrifying! Thankfully, it can also be thrilling and fun.
If you’ve never been surfing, then it’s difficult to appreciate being out on the ocean - the big, dangerous, predator-infested ocean filled with waves that could, at any moment, drag you into the depths and never let you go - bobbing on a little board, the sun sizzle-frying your shoulders, waiting for the next set. It’s also difficult to describe the feeling when that set finally materializes, rising ominously on the horizon, and then rushes forward to fling you around like a flimsy piece of driftwood. It is, in a word: terrifying! Thankfully, it can be also be thrilling and fun.
Why am I talking about surfing? In addition to having the old urge resurrected by True Surf, playing the game has caused me to notice a few similarities between surfing and the job hunting/job interviewing process.
For the beginner, surfing can be broken down into four phases: 1. Waiting/Watching, 2. Spotting/Preparing, 3. Catching the Wave, 4. Crashing/Gurgling. (Wipeout!)
Phase 1: Waiting/Watching.
As you trot onto the beach with your board, wax it up, and then enter the water, your anticipation is off the charts. Will you catch the perfect wave today? Will you cut yourself on a reef and draw sharks from miles around (been there, done that)? Will you get swallowed by an obscenely thick wedge that makes you think you’re going to be having lunch with God (been there too)? With those and other exciting thoughts racing through your mind, you paddle out and watch for the next set.
After applying for jobs, the waiting period is like that. You’ve done what you can, you’re ready - you think - and now, you just need that email or phone call. Will it come today? Maybe. Until then, the ocean is flat - i.e. your inbox is empty. You keep your eyes on the horizon.
Phase 2. Spotting/Preparing.
Oh, boy! Here they come! Multiple lines of waves. It’s great and it’s scary and you have to figure out how to get into position. Are they going to break outside, inside, on your head...? And they just keep getting bigger. Holy moly!
In my case, the interview requests have truly come in sets - two, even three on the same day. The initial thrill is followed by the sudden certainty that you aren’t ready. You need to prepare. You need to rehearse. You need to research the organization (Who is this? Oh, they produce widgets for sanitation trucks.), pore over the job description (What was the position?? Widget Development Manager... Right.) and do everything you can to be in the right place to snag one of these jobs. But which one? They’re all coming at once!
Phase 3: Catching the Wave.
This requires perfect timing, adequate thrust, and then the appropriate balance to get up on your board and (ideally) stay up.
The interviews themselves are an adrenaline rush. I have participated in nine interviews during my six weeks of unemployment. Some of these have been follow-ups because, in case you didn’t know, one interview is NEVER enough. There are multiples with various team members and organizational officers. The questions, however, remain the same. Things like: What are your three greatest strengths? What are your three greatest skills? What makes you a good fit for this role?
An interesting twist in this torturous process is the teleconference. In this case, the person searching for work must don a suit and tie, sit in their spare bedroom in front of their computer, and pretend to be professional, calm, cool, and collected, as the dogs bark in the background and the neighbor mows his grass. The only upside is that you don’t have to wear pants.
This is EXACTLY like surfing. (Especially the no pants part.) You get up, there’s a rush of momentum and... you go down! Hard sometimes. Sometimes, you stay up, even manage a few cut backs and tricks - riding that wave with a little style.
Phase 4: Crashing/Gurgling (Wipeout!)
The ideal wave is the wave you move with, not against - allowing its power to carry you rather than crush you. When you’re done, you’re either on the beach, or heading back out, ready to catch another. It’s exhilarating! However, sometimes, you wipeout. You go under and stay under for a very long time... (blurp...!).
At this stage in my job surfing, I haven’t really crashed and gurgled. (Thank you, God!) There have been a few positions I interviewed for that I didn’t really want. But I survived the interrogation process without injury. And as of this writing, I’m in the advanced stages with a couple of organizations I’d really love to work with. Surf’s up!
So that’s where things stand. I’ve ridden several set in this season of joblessness and I’m sitting on my board now, waiting and watching for that perfect wave to roll in. I know it’s coming. And it’s gonna to be awesome, dude!
Cowabunga!