You Keep me Hangin’ On

Contrary to what you might believe, when Kim Wilde wrote this song I am convinced she was talking about the job hunting process. She had to be because hanging on and waiting is the name of the game. You apply. You wait. You interview. You wait. You want an offer, you wait. In this economy, we are hanging on for dear life in hopes that a decent job offer and salary is coming our way. I wonder if employers realize how bad this constant waiting game is for applicants. Applying for a job can be time-consuming process. When conducting a focused and professional job search you become a little invested in every company that you apply to. By focused and professional, I mean not simply emailing your basic resume to every position that is posted within a 100-mile radius. I'm talking about actually reading the job descriptions, analyzing them in reference to your experience, and then preparing a tailored resume and cover letter to submit to that company. The process takes time, effort, and skill for which 90% of the time, you won't even be acknowledged.

If you are lucky enough to receive an interview, you should feel proud because you are doing better than a large portion of job applicants. However, that proud feeling is short-lived because that's when the waiting game truly begins. If you are interviewing well then you should be developing a rapport with every manager, director, or HR rep that you meet throughout the screening process. The interview should be an easy, two-sided conversation in which information is exchanged about you, as well as, the company and the job. Make no mistake, by rapport I do not mean over sharing, unprofessionalism, or saying too much. I am a strong advocate of only providing what is asked during the job search and in the workplace. To quote Jay-Z, "our time together is our time together and our time apart is our time apart." An interview is not the time to gush about your kids, family, husband, or whatever. No one in the professional world cares about your family, but I digress.

After speaking with these people for hours at a time, sometimes on multiple occasions, you expect a certain degree of loyalty and professional courtesy. What you don't expect, is to be kept hanging on with no response after the interview. In this case, no news is definitely not good news. I prefer to be informed even if I didn't get the job. That allows me to cross that position off my list and continue tracking my search efforts. What I don't want to do, is be left hanging on…and on….and on…in hopes of one day getting a response. I can handle no. No is not a bad word. There is nothing wrong with a simple, "Thank you for your interest but we have decided to pursue other candidates at this time." Good. At least you know…. And as they say on the BET public service announcements, knowing is beautiful right?

I don’t want it anymore

So the interview process continues… I know it's a blessing to get interviews and call backs in this recession but it is getting a bit taxing with all the traveling back and forth. Let's not forget that I'm a jet-setter that's afraid of flying and I've been having to fly back & forth almost every week. Weird right? I was called in to interview for a project consulting position with the CDC. The interview was less than ideal. On paper, the job sounded great. I aced my phone screen with the recruiter and based on the details that he provided, I decided that the job was worth the effort of me traveling back to Atlanta again to meet with the director in person. I'm not even gonna talk about the fact the my flight was delayed for 1 hour and 40 minutes or the fact that I had to wait in line at Hertz for 2 hours to get a rental, or the fact that I didn't arrive at my hotel until 2 a.m. the day of my interview… No, there will be another post for that so back to the issue at hand.

I arrived at the office which was less impressive than I expected… I told myself, no biggie. I won't be working at the office so it doesn't matter anyway. I proceeded to meet with the interviewer whose way too comfortable demeanor made me uncomfortable. He was practically reclined in his desk chair with his legs crossed and nearly propped up on the desk. He proceeds to tell me all of the ugly details about the job; All of the critical things which the recruiter should have mentioned, but conveniently left out. The pay was horrible and the work environment seemed like it would be extremely chaotic and stressful. I went through the motions anyway and I can tell that the interviewer was impressed however I knew that job would not be a long term fit for me. Even after knowing this, I still continued pursuing the job in my mind, despite the fact that I knew I wouldn't last six months at best. After reflecting over the job for the rest of my stay, I decided that I don't want it anymore. I was planning to email the recruiter on Monday to remove myself from the running since I was one of the top candidates however, imagine my surprise when I opened my email box and they told me that I was not selected and the project had been shelved due to funding issues. Oh really? Seriously?! For some reason, this really pissed me off. They had me come in for the position when they knew that funding and other issues were possibly not in place for me to take the job even if I wanted it. Unprofessional. As I sat in the airport waiting for my flight (after another delay) I began to ponder why do we get upset over the loss of things that we never really wanted in the first place? We've all been there. It can be a job, a house, a relationship…whatever. Maybe you felt drab & lackluster about the whole thing from the jump but when it ends we get mad. Shouldn't we be relieved since it was clearly not a fit for either party? Is it the loss of job/relationship that bothers us or is it really ego or hating to lose in general?

Personally, I can say that I have started to recognize the mediocrity in life and I am not afraid to say I don't want it anymore. I'm not setting myself up for failure by accepting less than what works for me whether it be a job, relationship, or anything else. So if that means I have to be single and jobless for a little while longer then so be it. When it happens, it will be worth it.

Planes, Trains & Automobiles

Over the weekend I made my first of many relocation prep trips to Atlanta to check things out. I was lucky enough to line up two interviews on the same day in hopes of minimizing my airfare costs. Unfortunately, because the interviews were scheduled for less than 10 days out I had to make some hard decisions about getting to Atlanta.

I couldn’t hop my normal Continental or Air Tran non-stop flight because the price was outrageous. I am a notorious budget traveler so paying $550 for a flight that normally costs $150 was definitely out of the question. After many hours of flight searches and research I found a flight on American Airlines from Austin to Birmingham for $232. I had a flight credit with American for $300 so that would work out perfectly…or would it?

I decided to drive from Houston to Austin, fly from Austin to Birmingham (with a layover in DFW) and then drive from Birmingham to Atlanta. I figured it would be “fun”… Life is all about the journey right? Let me tell you, plans made on paper do not always translate well in application. American Airlines was late and I didn’t arrive to my hotel until 2 a.m. the morning of my interview! Ironically, I love Atlanta so much that even after all the drama I was just happy to be there.

The interviews both went well but I am 100% more interested in one company than the other one. Some people questioned the logic of paying to fly to a company just for an interview but I have a sense about these things. From the moment I received the call, I knew the job was for me and I still feel that way. Even after being completely exhausted the entire trip, I can feel things lining up on my behalf. I found a place, met some potential friends and even found time to check out a local sushi bar. The job opportunity that I’m up for is amazing & I’m looking forward to doing it all again when I return for my 3rd and final interview in two weeks. Wish me luck!