Hello there! We realize there’s been an extended period of
darkness here on the JobSyntax blog, and we wanted to update everyone
on the latest with us! Lately, we’ve found an FAQ to work the
best :) so here goes …
Where’s Zoe?
As many of you know, Zoe's little JobGuy, Liam, was born over 6 months ago now.
Mom, Dad, baby, and kitty cats are all doing extremely well.
After much thought and consideration, Zoe decided to continue being a
full-time Mom, at least until Liam’s first birthday. After that,
who knows what the future might bring. In the meantime, she’s
planning to focus 100% on her family and herself ... and just enjoy
life with her new little man!
Where’s Gretchen?
Since Zoe went out on leave,
Gretchen has been heads-down, focused on a few corporate clients and
working with lots of jobseekers. As of last week, Gretchen
re-joined the ranks of the Empire … er, we mean … Microsoft … as a
Marketing Manager with the Talent Acquisition & Engagement team
(her old stomping grounds!) She returned as the online content
manager for the external web presence and the PM for a program to get
employees more involved in attracting awesome talent to the
company. Online communications and employee involvement in the
recruiting cycle … two of her favorite topics!
Lots
of people have asked why Gretchen wanted to return to MS, and really,
it was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up … a chance to work with an
incredible team in producing big-time industry-leading employment
marketing initiatives … and specifically tackling some seriously cool
projects.
Was JobSyntax just sucking or what?
Good
question, and actually, no. JobSyntax lived a good life and
served its purpose valiantly. We started JS so we could 1) work
together, 2) gain valuable external experience, and 3) help the
underdog … career-minded software engineers and small,
resource-strapped employers. Some things we thought would be
difficult were easier than expected; some things we thought would be
easy were way more complex than we anticipated; and overall, we learned
~ a billion new things about ourselves – both professionally and
personally.
Zoe’s decision to focus on Liam and Gretchen’s decision to return to
Microsoft had absolutely nothing to do with the trajectory of the
company. When we started it, it was only a 2-3 year plan anyway,
and our journey led us to our “next steps” more quickly than we
expected.
What will happen to JobSyntax now?
To be honest,
you probably won’t hear much out of us. One thing we did learn
was that – at least for the next phase – we want to focus on our own
priorities and be spectators - not necessarily leaders or even
participants – in the larger recruit-o-sphere conversation. But
we’ll still be out there, listening, learning, and
critiquing. :) You know us!
But I’m a technical jobseeker and/or hiring manager, and I need help!
Our blog probably won’t have much activity from here on out (check out the archives!), but we’ll still hang around (and hope others will, too!) on our jobseeker and employer forum if you have burning issues. If you need more personalized help, give us a shout.
Depending on your situation, we may be able to help or find you someone
who can … but no promises. ;-) JobSyntax has now moved from an
official labor of love to unofficial shared passion.
Thanks to everyone for a great ride, and we’ll keep seeing (and reading) you around!
Zoe & Gretchen
Co-JobGals