I GOT A JOB!!

I got a job offer!!! Yippeeeeeee! I so have been wanting to blog about the interviews I've been on (three total for this company), but felt I should stick with the self-imposed moratorium to avoid the chance of further mortification. I was told they would have a decision by today, so I carried my phone with me everywhere! Not just in my purse, but on my person, to make sure I wouldn't miss any calls. The wait was torture. The minutes ticked by soooo slowly!

I was very productive, though, trying to distract myself. I got up relatively early and took the car to get an oil change. While I was there I also got the radiator flushed, the tires rotated, and my inspection certificate (required within 10 days of registering your vehicle). I was very impressed with the guy who greeted me--he was a super friendly Southern gentleman--but the guy who checked me out (on the register, not like "How you doin'?"), who I think was the owner, was kind of brisk. I stopped off at H & R Block to get the low-down on my taxes, and they were very friendly as well, giving me enough free advice that I was able to go home and file them on my own, online. So I got that taken care of. Refunds are on their way--yay! I ate some lunch and then checked email. I got two more sign-ups for the postcard swap, which cheered me up. Then a little after three o'clock I settled in to watched Ellen from a couple days ago.

Just as she was showing a clip of Dennis Quaid in costume on a Mardi Gras float, the phone rang. I would give anything to have a photo of my face when it happened. They asked if I was still interested in the position (ha!) and when I said absolutely, they said they will be sending me an offer letter via email by the end of the day. Woo hoo! They said to look it over and email back my response on Monday. I'm to start Wednesday.

I cannot describe to you the weight that has been lifted off my shoulders. Yesterday was my six-month anniversary of being unemployed, and the self-doubt demons were running amok. Amok, I tell you. Every interview I had with this company went very, very well, and I really felt I had it in the bag, so to speak, but I was so afraid to get my hopes up just to have them dashed, especially since this time I felt really good about the fit. I feel very qualified for this job, but not overqualified. It's a small but growing company and I get the sense that I will be able to use a wide range of my skills in that type of environment. Plus, it's not a long commute (about 30 minutes), it offers benefits, and there's travel involved but not too much.

So what does this company do? They offer "rapid notification systems" for school districts. For instance, say there's a snowstorm and school is cancelled. Usually parents find out by watching the local news or listening to the radio. But this system can place up to 6000 phone calls per minute, and can also send notifications via email or text message. The system is not only good for emergencies, but also for routine reminders about upcoming parent conferences, Open House, etc., or even daily tasks such as reporting attendance to parents of absent children. The system is entirely web-based and that's where I come in. They need another trainer to teach customers (e.g., school administrators) how to use the system. Apparently their clients are scattered all over the country, from Oregon to Florida and everywhere in between.

I found this job on TriangleHelpWanted.com. I literally submitted my resume on a Monday night, got a call on Tuesday, had an interview on Friday, another on Tuesday, and then got an offer today. Whirlwind! When 3:00 had rolled around today and I still hadn't gotten the call, I tried to calm myself down by saying they're probably just really busy and haven't had time to make a decision yet. But part of me was bracing for an email that said, "We decided to offer the position to a different candidate." Like I said, ever since my first interview with this company, I've had a really good feeling about the job. But I've had experiences in life where I've been blindsided with failure (e.g., my first driving test) so I'm always more than a little insecure about things like this. But the call DID come, they DID offer me the job, and I WILL be employed as of March 8! In a job I feel good about! Imagine the most enormous sigh of relief, coupled with the most ebullient cheer you've ever heard, and that's how I'm feeling right now!

Just a quick update

Just a quick update on the past couple of days. The interview at Meas Inc in Durham went fine. The lady didn't ask many questions. She mostly spoke about her experience at the company (prompted by my question about the likelihood of transitioning to a different department). I had to provide a writing sample; the prompt said to write about a teacher who had influenced me. I chose Mr. Schock, my 11th grade American history teacher. I credited him with why I majored in history in college and then became a history teacher myself. But really, that was because I was too lazy to major in math. Anyhoo, I also had to point out grammar/spelling/mechanical errors in a sample student essay. Not correct them, mind you. Just point them out. All very easy stuff for me. I like writing. I like editing. But scoring essays....I'm having a hard time convincing myself to take the job. The next project (because this job is on a project-by-project basis) starts Monday and they said they would try to get back to me by today so I could start Monday. I'm not holding my breath.

The vet office also went well, but I have reservations about that too. [Hello. My name is Melissa and I am tirelessly, sickeningly, and hopelessly negative about everything.] I did not do much. Mostly listened and watched. The girls were nice enough, but I don't know if I can see myself working with them for 11 hours a day. I think the job would take me two weeks to master and then I would be bored out of my mind. And I would really hate it if I started to lose my passion for animals. I once said (scroll toward bottom) that I preferred to keep my hobbies as hobbies--maybe I should listen to myself.

I've decided I'm going to stop blogging about my job hunt, because making the struggle public raises my anxiety to irrational levels. Once I have procured employment, I will share, but meanwhile my fragile ego needs some shelter. So from now until then, other stuff.

I ate at Gypsy's Shiny Diner for breakfast this morning with Laura. Very cute place. Good omelet and homefried potatoes. We made plans to see this group in concert next week. I've never been to a live a cappella performance. But I love a cappella music in general (see: Brown Derbies) and African a cappella in particular (see: Lion King on Broadway--try track 4, Lioness Hunt).

Exciting!

So yesterday I called about a vet receptionist position I saw in the newspaper. The ad said "vet office experience preferred." Not "required," so I gave it a shot. They had me come in to fill out an application. I met with Mary, who talked to me briefly and then showed me around the facility. She said she would call me if they wanted me to go on to the next step, which would be coming in for a couple hours to try out the position. She said lots of people think it is fun to work in a vet office, but it's not for everybody, so they like to give it a dry run, so to speak. Well, she just called me and I'm going in on Thursday from 8-10! Yippee!

This would be an awesome job. It's right here in Cary, just a few miles away, and it's full time with benefits after 60 days. I would work four days a week, 7-6, and every other Saturday (only 9-12). The pay is "negotiable" so I'm not sure what it'll be exactly, but they said my ballpark of $10/hr is reasonable. Just going to the office yesterday to fill out the application tickled the animal lover in me. There were kittens and puppies and they were all so cute!


And as a receptionist, I don't have to give them shots or cut them open or anything like that, which is why decades ago I ruled out becoming a vet, and more recently decided against becoming a vet tech. I love working with animals but the sickness and injury I couldn't take.

That's why I thought petsitting would be such a good option. I really enjoyed the four or five months of it I experienced in L.A. I had planned on starting my own business out here, but I got spooked by the possibility of a snow or ice storm keeping me from my appointed rounds. Of course, no ice or snow yet. I might consider offering my services seasonally (spring/summer/fall) and working in a vet's office would make referrals easy!

Meanwhile I have an interview tomorrow in downtown Durham (my mom will raise an eyebrow at that location) for the reader/evaluator position at Measurement, Inc. The position isn't that great--it's just scoring student essays (I imagine it's like the ones for state competency exams). It's a temporary gig (could be long-term but they make no promises), the pay is so-so, but the big downer is there are no benefits. The benefits thing is important because if the job I get doesn't offer medical insurance I have to keep paying for Cobra and that would be a significant chunk of my monthly income. However, if I can use this position as a stepping stone into a better position with the company, a permanent one that pays well and offers benefits, that would be sweet. So I'll have to find out at the interview tomorrow if that is a possibility.

At least there is some activity on this front, finally!

Scarves and jobs

I finished my purple scarf last night. Not because I was particularly motivated to finish it; but rather, I was motivated to get it off my size 10.5 needles so I could use them to start a different scarf. One that will be a gift--my first that I will give to an adult, so it has to be good. No mistakes allowed! Or, more realistically, only a couple mistakes allowed! Can't say who it's for; it would ruin the surprise, even though this friend isn't a regular reader. So far it's looking good. I've only got a few inches, though. It's very thin yarn.

So back to the purple scarf. I'd been working on it for ages, and when I pulled it out last night I was delightfully surprised to see it only needed a few more inches! So I finished it, and wore it out to breakfast today. Of course, it was like 85 degrees, so I didn't need a scarf at all, but gosh darnit, I spent hours knitting the thing, so I'm gonna wear it! I kind of like how it turned out, with the makeshift pattern I came up with.


After much hemming and hawing, I've decided to apply for a job that qualifies as "settling." It's basically scoring student essays for a big testing company...I may be delusional, but I think I'm a shoo-in because the only requirement is that you have a bachelor's degree and can write a decent essay. So since I have that, PLUS I was a teacher and scored essays for five stinkin' years, if they don't hire me, I might as well go jump off the nearest bridge. The pay isn't great, it's only 35 hours a week, and there are no benefits, but hopefully it will get my foot in the door, so to speak...this would be a good company to work for in a permanent capacity. Assuming I get an interview, I'll have to find out if this can be used as a stepping stone job. If not, it's probably not worth it...I'd be working three weeks just to make rent, the fourth week would almost cover my Cobra premium, and then the rest of my expenses for the month (including all the gas for the commute to downtown Durham) would come out of savings. Gosh, I'm not making it out to be a very attractive opportunity. I don't know. We'll see what happens. I have applied for other jobs this week, better ones, but haven't gotten any calls.

I must take leave, now, and go enjoy this gorgeous weather. I'm thinking Umstead. You'll see photos, no doubt.

The interview: Eh.

I'm sure everyone is waiting with baited breath to hear how the interview went. Bottom line: I was relaxed and well-spoken, but I think I lack experience in the areas they are looking for. Whoever wrote the ad for Monster needs a reality check. It is very generic, when in fact the company is looking for someone with a background in sales or training others in sales. I have neither. Nor have I actually done any adult training. I taught junior highers and I designed training materials for adults. And I mentored a trainee at the insurance company. But really, no hands-on corporate training experience. Which you'd think they would know if they read my stinkin' resume. So much for the screening process. Of course, I know I would be awesome at it--showing people how to do things and helping them learn just come naturally to me and I derive great satisfaction from it. But the issue is getting someone to hire me based on my firm belief alone.

Well, my firm belief and my 15-minute demo presentation. After much hand-wringing I chose the topic of recycling. It's something I have enthusiasm for, and yet is not totally lame (such as coin collecting or digital cameras). I think it came off well. They appeared attentive and engaged at least. The length was fine, the pace was fine, the amount of information was fine (all of which were things I had to work on during rehearsals last night). Here are a couple screenshots of the slides:



I am very pleased with out they turned out. I created the template myself, from the speckled green background to the photo sidebars (which are all pictures I took). Maybe I should think about graphic design again. The time I spent messing with the template was very enjoyable. Or photography. Damn those look good.

So this morning, I awoke three minutes before my alarm clock went off, after a decent night's sleep (no anxiety-ridden tossing and turning as I would have expected). I had already picked out what to wear (and tried it on to make sure it looked okay), and had gotten everything ready to go: application filled out, handouts printed, presentation burned to CD, directions to the office Googled, lint roller set aside (to remove evidence of Comet from my black clothes). It took only 20 minutes to get there. Being right near the airport, the building is tucked behind a ton of hotels. Funny, since my last job was also adjacent to the airport near a plethora of lodgings. There was no place to park, so I had to hike a bit. Good to get the blood pumping.

In the end, I feel I did my best at the interview, and we'll just have to see what they decide. They said they'll have a decision in two weeks. They've intereviewed seven people so far. That's a lot of competition. One thing that caused me to wince a little: the job requires 60% travel. I would love to travel, but three out of every five days? Sheesh! Unless, of course, the travel occurs during business hours and I'm getting paid to read a book on a plane. There are worse ways to spend a workday.

Thank you to everyone for your very kind and generous support and encouragement. I appreciate it so very much and it helps to know so many people are rooting for me and have confidence in me even when I have doubts.

I got an interview!!

Woo hoo! When my cell phone rang at 9 am on the dot, I knew there was a 94% chance that it would be job-related, so I jumped out of bed (yeah, yeah, I was still sleeping) to answer it. Sure enough, it was one of the employers to which I had applied for a training position. She asked me a bunch of questions, the standard interview fare, which I guess has now become the standard pre-interview fare. Like, "What are your strengths?" (Attention to detail, time management, organization) "What are your weaknesses?" (Easily frustrated with incompetence--not with trainees, with them I'm extremely patient--and struggling with diplomacy) "Why did you leave your last job?" (The boss was an egomaniac) She asked if I had any questions, and I asked about their timeline for filling the position. She said they are working pretty quickly on this. In my head, I thought about how the job posting was dated 12/15 on Monster--either their definition of quickly differs from mine, or it's just NOW that they've decided to jump on the ball. I also asked where the job is located--it's in Morrisville, which is not a bad commute. She gave me her phone number and said I could call her to follow up if I hadn't heard anything in a week or so. Very considerate, since at most jobs you never know one way or the other.

Not 45 minutes later, the phone rang again--while I was writing the above paragraph! It was the same company calling back to set up an interview!!! I have to prepare a 15 minute training presentation on any topic, which is so exciting...that means I will get to show them what I'm made of, for real. I always felt like answering questions in an interview did not convey my true talents, so this is a great opportunity. They offered me two interview times: tomorrow at 3, or Friday at 10. Normally I would have taken tomorrow, but I took Friday just to have an extra day to prepare! After I got off the phone, I was jumping up and down with glee, the the point where I scared my cat!

I could not be more excited, or more relieved. I was beginning to wonder if I should just go back to school, or lower my standards and take a boring secretary job. I sure do hope this works out! Rest assured I will report all the details here. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

When it rains, it pours

I can go for days without anything of real interest going on, at least nothing interesting to blog about. And then I have a day where, like, 38 interesting things happen. Yesterday was one of those days!

Job Hunt
I had a "pre-interview" of sorts over lunch with someone at a giant techie corporation in RTP (Research Triangle Park, for those of you outside NC). I was quite nervous, because I am in no way qualified for an IT job. But apparently for this one you don't need a background in IT. They expect you to learn on the job. Apparently I made a decent impression, because the guy who met with me decided to pass on my resume to his boss. So hopefully that will lead to a real interview. I feel like I did after I quit teaching...I'm at the point where I'm willing to take any job that will pay the bills...not desperate enough to apply at McDonald's, but okay with putting the search for a dream job on hold because this is a great opportunity to beef up my resume in an entirely new field, and it pays well. Well enough that I might be able to get monthly massages! Woo hoo! Oh, and buy a house and save and all that responsible stuff.

(I think I'm on a massage kick lately because I am suffering from some serious tension in my shoulders. Another sign I'm spending way too much time on the computer.)

So it was my first trip into RTP, and it is very impressive. Big expanses of trees, with little clusters of buildings here and there. They all look rather new, and none of them are tall. It's the kind of business park where occupants call their offices "campuses." It definitely felt like college at lunch. We ate in the company cafe and it was like a new-fangled dining hall. Not the kind where the lady behind the vat of mystery casserole plops a giant helping onto your plate, but the kind where it looks more like a food court and all the options are genuinely tempting. I would love eating there everyday! The most college-y part was when you put your tray into the cleaning racks after you're finished. Definitely a flashback!

Field Trip
After the lunch meeting I went to see where my friend Arvind works. I felt like a kid on a school field trip. He does the closed-circuit TV broadcasts for the giant techie corporation. Yes, the corporation is giant enough to have several of its own TV stations! They have little talk shows where they discuss techie stuff. And I think they do quarterly meetings that way too. Anyway, the control room was overwhelming...so much equipment, so many buttons and little screens, and all of it just a comlpete mystery to me, and like a second home to Arvind.


And you thought YOUR cord management was challenging!


Amazing. It's basically a one-man shop, too--he does the lighting, the sound, the cameras, everything. Down to brushing the suede chairs before a show so that they look better. It's all in the details. There are people who notice that kind of thing, and I'm one of them. Here's me in the studio...


On my way out, I encountered some geese, which I'm told refuse to leave the campus because they are so well fed. I think they are cute, but they are also rather dirty. Giant birds=giant bird droppings. Enough said.


Bunco
As if that weren't adventure enough for our heroine, she had to rush off to Bunco night afterwards. It was our first meeting, and I didn't know what to expect. The lady who volunteered to organize it did not give us any indication of how prepared she was, but it turned out great because she had a delicious spread of munchies and had photocopied rules for everyone. It is not a hard game to learn...there is no skill involved...but it can get confusing when you don't know which table to move to, and what to do when there are "ghost" players. But we all managed to do fine. It helps when everyone is laid back about it, and just rolls with the punches. You forgot to ring the bell? Eh, who cares? We scheduled the next one for four weeks from now, and I'm already looking forward to it! Everyone there was positively delightful. I enjoyed meeting all the new faces.

News Flash: I'm French!
One incredible coincidence: when the hostess asked my last name, and I said it, one of the ladies there exclaimed, "Did you say 'Mertz'?! That was my maiden name!" I have never in my life met a Mertz I'm not related to! She was from St. Louis and said there are tons of Mertzes there. Her family got into researching their geneology, and traced the Mertz clan all the way back to the 1500's in the Alsace-Lorraine region of Europe. Now, is that part of Germany, the country I always assumed was my ancestral homeland? It sure sounds French. Hold on. Apparently it flip-flopped between German and French control, and is now vehemently bi-cultural. How cool to think that I've got French blood in me!

Movies
The other thing I wanted to write about is a couple movies I've seen. I saw Wedding Crashers the other day on DVD...I was very disappointed. It had done so well at the box office, and from the previews I'd imagined it having a lot of potential. But it was basically just crass and dumb. Granted, I did watch the unrated version, so maybe the theatrical version would not warrant "crass," but I bet it would still be "dumb." The other movie I saw was The Family Stone. It was very good. More of a drama than I'd expected, but that made it meaty, so to speak. The cast was amazing. I adore Sarah Jessica Parker, and Rachel McAdams is rising on my list. Of course Diane Keaton rules (Something's Gotta Give is in my top 10, if not my top 5). Stone is definitely one I want to watch again...I often like movies more the second time around. But Wedding Crashers? Nope, doesn't warrant a second viewing in my opinion.

Websites
You gotta check these out because they are fun and incredible, respectively. First, a time-wasting game (thanks, Arvind!): my high score is 318...anything over 250 is doing well though. And second, a fascinating concept site (thanks, Mom!): photos taken with an extremely high-resolution camera. The photos are gorgeous by themselves, but then when you see the cropping/zooming capabilities, it just wows you.

The job search continues

I applied for two positions today. While I still have high hopes for the Environmental Educator job with the county, I cannot put all my eggs in one basket so to speak. Now that the holidays are over, more employers will be hiring, so I jumped right into the job pool this morning to dive after a couple good finds. I'm still at the point where I feel comfortable being selective; I do not want to apply for anything and everything willy-nilly, because then I'll end up with some nondescript office job that is neither challenging nor rewarding, in either the financial sense or the karmic sense.

The first one I applied for was for an agency called Timely Text. They are seeking instructional designers and trainers. Of course, not knowing which company I would be placed with concerns me a little...I would prefer something mission-oriented rather than profit-oriented, but at some point beggars can't be choosers. At least this position would make use of my more unique skills and experience, unlike a boring clerical job that any kid could do straight out of high school.

The other job was with the NC Trial Lawyers Association, as their public education coordinator. This one intrigues me, because among the duties is organizing the annual mock trial competition for high schools. While I myself have never had an interest in becoming a lawyer, I respect any high school student who is dedicated enough to put in the hours necessary to be good at a mock trial competition. Teaching left me quite disillusioned with most students' sloth and ineptitude. Helping create an arena for top-notch students to demonstrate their intellectual prowess sounds like something I could really bite into. The other aspect of the job is public outreach and education, so there's that whole betterment-of-society angle, which is always a draw for me.

So let's keep our fingers crossed, shall we? And do a ceremonial job dance. And wish on a star, or a birthday candle, or a lucky penny. If you have a rabbit's foot, put it to good use, for pete's sake, and I'll pretend it doesn't bother me that you have severed animal limbs lying about.