When weather interrupts your plans

If weather interrupts your plans, what do you do? Wisconsin like much of the country is in a deep freeze now. It is affecting everything from air flights to frozen pipes. My temps have been subzero off and on throughout December but when we reached the month of January, we plummeted so deeply that everything was starting to grind to a standstill.

We’re a hardy lot here in Wisconsin, especially for those of us like myself who have lived in Wisconsin most of our life. The furthest I wandered from Wausau was a semester at the UW – Madison, 13 months in upper Minnesota (Grand Rapids, MN) right after we were married. Another 9 months with an internal job transfer to Naperville, IL where we both lost our property management jobs and I came back to launch Design Resumes. All were in the Midwest but the coldest temps I have ever experienced have all been in Wausau.

Consequences of subzero temperatures

• Cars freeze up – keeps tow truck drivers busy but it is miserable to try to fix your car in the cold. News stories covered a woman who tried to warm her car by putting hot coals under it and set the car on fire. Desperation.
• Pipes freeze – many people had struggles with one or more pipes in their houses.
• Schools close – Schools throughout the state and the country closed Monday and Tuesday as temperatures here plummeted to -25F with real feel (wind chills) of -55+.

How weather interrupts

• Pets are at risk – the sheriff’s department brought in 9 dogs from one location who were left outside in the cold tethered without shelter.
• Airlines cancel flights – mechanical parts don’t function well in subzero temperatures. In one place, the de-icing products froze. Hard as it is to be a traveler whose flights are cancelled, better that than be in the air when an engine fails because the lubricants froze.
• Even my Internet slowed to a standstill and caused me to have to cancel appointments. By working with people throughout the nation, I didn’t think the cold would have an impact with my calls but the communications system I rely on daily isn’t built for subzero temperatures either.
• Winter sports cancel when it is this cold. Our Granite Peak Ski Hill had to cancel yesterday because of the cold. Today, I see the lights on all 71 slopes so I would guess that -1F with a real feel of -3f feels like a heat wave in comparison to the much colder temps of the last few days.

What can you do when the weather causes you issues?

Many people struggled with depression and anger as the temperatures cancelled plans and the gray and gloomy skies coupled with the extreme cold forced even more people inside. Cabin fever, frustration, and for job seekers, the inability to make progress on your job search all create anger and depression. But you need to develop coping mechanisms to deal with all the frustrations of job search.

• If you still have Internet access, this is the time to do more research. Check out Career Cloud, offering multiple options for the hidden job market and more. Social media and mobile technologies are changing the way we live…and find work. Job seekers and recruiters need tools to leverage this technology. CareerCloud was founded on this premise. This site is a platform that will tap into the social web and mobile technology for both job seekers and employers.
• Check out this link for Direct Employers, a member organization listing jobs at a bevy of employers throughout the country: http://www.directemployers.org/about/member-companies/.
• Or this one giving you clues on how to find hidden jobs. Hat tip to Dawn Bugni, Career Pro and friend who shared on Facebook.

If you don’t have the Internet, you can do some old-fashioned research and reading on best practices of your own field. Newspapers and magazines still exist. Staying warm with hot cocoa and a book is a nice way to endure cold spells.

Don’t put your job search in the deep freeze.

Make some contact calls to people who may also be stuck at home. Think of ways to plan for the warmer days. Schedule coffee or lunch for when the weather breaks.

Clean a closet. Surprising what old memories can be hidden in drawers or closets and you can at least be staying busy with the tasks you don’t have time for when it is warmer.

When the weather interrupts your plans, be creative and stay positive.

Image courtesy of Sebastien Wiertz