Upon my return to the States in late November, I decided to go back to "the job" and held off on finding a "real job" as suggested by my old college advisor . He advised that I take the time to get readjusted back into American society, enjoy the holidays (since I arrived a few days before Thanksgiving), and then begin my job search in January. I decided to take his advice, but only to an extent. I did relax a bit at home but, I also worked tons at "the job" in order to make some money and bulk up my poor, battered bank account. I had a grand reunion/bday celebration in NYC where I was able to see my friends both new and old for some laughs, dancing, and good times. I held off on applying for jobs ( I did the Craigslist thing, only to end up with several scams); however, I applied for the Teaching in France Program last minute, getting the application in two days before the due date. By the time the end of January rolled around, I saw my alma matter was having a job fair and I decided I would drive on down and see what opportunities awaited me in a city I had not been to in over 3 years....
I made it to the "City of Champions" on a mild, winter's day in the middle of February. I came armed with a dozen resumes and a nicely chosen professional outfit. I visited several booths and made small talk with a few company representatives. But quite frankly, nothing appealed to me. I felt old (since I graduated from undergrad in '07 and there were many people who were not set to graduate until 2012 or 2013!), underqualified, and very out of place. I ended up only passing my resume off to about 7 companies and only 3 of them I found to be mildly interesting. I ended up chatting with a nice gentleman about a higher level management position with his company (which I will keep anonymous). The company can best be described as a large, multinational, discount consumer chain which prides itself on quality, non-trademarked consumer goods for an everyday low, low price. I was excited since the job would grant me management experience; a boost on my mediocre resume; various challenges; a very, very robust salary and best of all, the opportunity to work overseas for two years (so England here I come!). The gentleman did give me a stern warning that this job was not going to be for everyone. It would involve lots and lots of work; a strong commitment to do whatever would be necessary to succeed; and above all, being available at any hours at all hours of the day. I decided I did have the drive and commitment needed so I left my resume and walked away feeling quite confident that I could do this job...
A received an email a few weeks after my initial meeting inviting me to an orientation dinner and personal interview with the company. I once again made the trek to my ol' city and enjoyed a nice meal and presentation about the company. There were several representatives among the potential candidates. These people ranged from seasoned vets to less than one year rookies. A common theme that was repeated among them was:"think about what you're doing 'cause this job is not for everyone..." I knew I could do it and I went to bed that night dreaming about a new job. The next morning I arrived back on campus and had my interview with the gentleman I met at the job fair. The interview went really well and I left floating on air. A few weeks later I received a letter in the mail inviting me back for a third round of all day interviews at their division headquarters. I once again made the trek (by this time it was mid March), where I was interviewed by the Vice President and another board member. I kept my cool, since I know they wanted to see me sweat and I answered all the questions to the best of my abilities with minimal mistakes. We were treated to lunch at small, lovely restaurant and after another interview, I left with all smiles and true happiness about my performance . I was called the following week for a shadowing event just over the state border and by the end of that time I knew I had the job...thus I was jumping up and done and screaming when I got the letter in the mail informing me of certain things I needed to do to begin the "hiring procedures" for the company. The Jimmy Choo's I had always dreamed of; but alas, could not afford, would finally be within my reach:
In the midst of my screaming and dancing excitement my mother gave me a hard, stern look and asked me if "I really wanted this job?" "Of course!" I nearly screamed back and was mad she even asked me that. I went to bed that night feeling great, but there was a small nagging feeling I couldn't shake and over the next few days, that nagging feeling grew to a loud voice in my head. Suddenly, the doubts began creeping in...I wondered how was I going to move with barely any money and no place to stay in a completely different state? Was I ready to make a commitment to not just a job, but a very consuming career that required 70 hour work weeks and 16-18 hour work days? I guess the largest voice in my head was: "how are you going to get back to London?"Even though this job offered an overseas opportunity, I had to put in two good, solid years (even three) stateside despite the fact that 40% of the people hired would be gone within 6 months. Also there would be no chance to stay since I had to return after my two years abroad...
Maybe, just maybe the man upstairs heard all my worries and concerns because mid April (yes I devoted two months to these people), I received a strange call from the division headquarters. The VP's executive assistant called to inform me that apparently, the VP was still making his decisions about the position and I would receive a response by the end of the following week regarding an acceptance or rejection. I was completely stunned. After all, the letter had clearly stated: "hiring procedures." I brought this up to the executive assistant and she sputtered out a: "well... disregard that since you are technically still interviewing" response. Judging by the apologetic nature of her voice, I knew all too well that this did not sound good...at all. This past weekend (not 2 but 4 weeks later), my suspicions were confirmed when I received a letter from the VP which started with the trite "thank you ...blah,blah, blah" opening and the "even though you were a great candidate...unfortunately we can not extent you an offer of employment" second paragraph. I guess I was none too disappointed since I saw this coming. However, I was met with some other news which I will discuss in part 2 of this blog post...
Thanks for checking this out and too the next time!
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