u/acshaw80

Looking to buy my first 2 string kite. I have 2 single string prisms and I like the brand and would like to stick with them.

I was looking at the synapse 200 or a quantum 2. I like the portability and “pull” of the synapse. Ive also read the quantum 2 is great for beginners because crash recovery is easier and it may be a bit more nimble.

Anyone have a recommendation for a first time flier?

I’m US-based. My entire corporate strategy team, including my boss, was laid off about 3 months ago. I haven’t looked for a job in 7 years (pre-Covid) and not only is it a completely different market, but this is the first time I’ve looked for a director position before (was promoted into a director role at my last company).

I am mainly targeting roles in strategy and market intelligence where my experience is strongest. I could do FP&A or product management (which I had done early in my career), but my resume doesn’t read well for those roles any more.

Unfortunately, I’m in a situation where I cannot relocate and my local job market has almost no jobs in these areas right now.

Given this constraint, the majority of jobs I apply for (probably 80%) are for remote positions.

In the last 2 months, I’ve sent out about 150 applications with the majority of them being tailored to each role for ATS (I do revise sentences but also do keyword stuffing). When possible, I will also send a message to the hiring manager or recruiter on linkedin.

Of all of those applications, I’ve had 1 interview with a hiring manager, which I nailed, but then was ghosted. I’ve had about 4-5 with HR people, but the last 6 weeks everything seems to have dried up for me.

I’m trying to split my time between retained recruiter outreach, networking, and applying for jobs using various job boards like LinkedIn or hiring cafe.

Right now I’d say it’s been 70% job applications and 30% networking/recruiter outreach.

I’ve come to consider that I may need to flip the percentages on these activities and I’m spending too much time applying for jobs and not enough time networking.

So with all that context (thank you for reading if you made it the whole way through), I have 3 questions to the community:

Is shifting the percentages on my job hunting activities the right idea? 3-4% response rate seems dismal.

Is it even worthwhile applying to remote jobs or am I wasting my time?

Should I consider a step back to a senior manager role? I feel like the fact that I was already a director hurts my chances in applying for these roles.

Side note: if anyone has experience in corp. strategy and is willing to critique my resume I would be most appreciative.

Does anyone have experience flying with your guitar in a Fender Deluxe molded Strat TSA case as checked luggage? did your guitar make it through the trip ok?

I’ve read it’s important to detune the guitar and make sure the headstock is supported properly. Any other tips to consider?