Thursday, March 31, 2011

Job Interviews as Dating

I have taken a little break from our OBX gift vacation, which is so backwards, I don't even want to get into it. Anyway, I was called back for an interview tomorrow morning. This is a company I applied for back in January, but the person they hired didn't work out so they're moving on down the list. I'm not sure this position is for me, but I am interested to learn more.

I have related to some of my friends that moving into the interview stage in the job hunt is like dating someone. I have had a few interviews over the last couple of months. I have gone to one interview where shortly after I arrived, I knew I wanted nothing to do with the job. Of course, I was called back for a second interview. I decided to go just for the experience.

The polar opposite was an interview I had last week with a firm that I could see myself investing many years in. It just sounds like a fun job and the people there seem great. I really hope I get it.

The paranoia that goes with the waiting game can be applied to either the dating scenario or the job interview:

  1. How did it go? Oh we had a great time. Had a lot in common, really hit it off well.
  2. Did they like you? yeah, I think so, couldn't tell if they were just nice and polite or if there was genuine interest, but the conversation really flowed well.
  3. Did you like them? Oh yeah, I can definitely see myself with them.
  4. When will you hear if you got the job? I don't know. They said they would call "by the end of next week." Does that mean Thursday? Do I give up if I don't hear from them by Friday? What time on Friday is the point of no return before i have to wait until next week?
  5. Are they interviewing other candidates? Yeah, I think they are. but I really hope I get the rose.
  6. It's been a week since the interview, have you heard from them? No, not yet. Should I call? I don't want to seem too--um--desperate. But I want them to know that I'm interested, that can't hurt right?
  7. Did you call? Yeah, I hope I wasn't too talky. I hope they weren't annoyed by the interruption to their day. I hope I showed the right amount of interest without seeming annoying. I hope that was initiative they heard, not reaching out to grab something not there.
  8. What did they say? Oh, I'm still a candidate, they'll make a decision by tomorrow or "early next week."
  9. What are you doing? Waiting by the phone.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Things I have learned from being unemployed

On January 3rd of this year, I learned that my position, along with eight other full time Providence employees was to be eliminated. My responsibilities were over and I was free to go. Not the news I had either expected nor wanted to begin the new year.

My job search began the day I came home. I hadn't searched for a job since 1996. This was going to be a challenge. It has been a difficult time for our family and for me as I am forced to rethink my future and career and ministry choices. It has sometimes been a time of emotional deflation and at other times optimism to see what new things are next.

Here are a few things I have learned along the way:

  • I'm not the only person who has ever lost a job.
  • We are blessed with unbelievable friends who have done way more for us than they had to.
  • I will never forget even the littlest things that our friends have done for us.
  • I will forever relate differently to friends who go through this. I did not understand what a challenge this is when my friends went through this in the past.
  • Being let go from a church in the way we were means that you not only lose your job, you lose confidence in the leadership of your church, and therefore, you lose your church.
  • Losing your job from a church challenges your assumptions that you are supposed to continue in church music indefinitely.
  • It is a huge challenge to write a resume, when you haven't thought of one in nearly 15 years.
  • It's an even bigger challenge to write dozens of resumes, almost a new one everyday, focused in a million and one different directions.
  • Nobody is in the hurry to hire me that I am to start working.
  • Three months of severance may seem like plenty of time, but it goes by so fast.
  • Health insurance for the family is not inexpensive.
  • I'm used to working hard and seeing the results of my work. I have never worked harder than I have to find a job but I have nothing to show for it.
  • It's crazy to think about all the things I would be willing to do, even though I might not like most of them. Once I hear of one or two things that I REALLY want, though, I can't stop thinking about them.
  • From my experience, anybody who hires me will wondering what they ever did without me.
  • To quote a good friend: It is not up to me to provide for my family; it is ultimately the Lord's promise. I am straining to put my trust in him.