A Tale of Two Jobs

Considering how quickly this whole job process has been moving, I have not been keeping you completely up to date.  I confess it’s because there are so many details that I just didn’t know how to condense everything.  Today, I’m going to sit down and try.

This is a tale of two jobs: Job 1 and Job 2 (It sounds kindof like a Dr. Suess book)

Job 1 – a great opportunity.  The interview process took over a month, so it was a little bit of a rollercoaster.  After a phone interview, an interview with the manager, an interview with the team, and a background/reference check, I  got offered the position on a Friday afternoon.

Job 2 – I began the interview process with Job 2 right around the time of the background/reference check at Job 1.  I REALLY liked Job 2.  A lot!  They had an interview process of three interviews and a background/reference check as well, so I knew the process would take some time.

During my second interview with Job 2, Job 1 called and left me a voicemail.  When I called them back, that was when they offered me the job.  It was Friday afternoon.  I asked them if I could have until Monday to think about it.

I called Job 2 back and told them that even though I would really like to work for them, I was just offered a job at a different company.  She told me they were interested in me as a candidate and she would see what she could do about speeding up the job interview process.

Both jobs were GREAT opportunities for me.  That Monday, there was so much going on, I don’t think I could re-tell it chronologically if I tried!  I was working through final details with Job 1 and setting up another interview with Job 2.  At that point, Job 1 still could have fallen through, so I continued making plans with Job 2.  In the end, we decided to go with Job 1.  Therefore, beginning August 1^st, I will be working with the National Marrow Donor Program as a Survey Research Assistant.  I am excited to work in a challenging job with a great company.  I did let Job 2 know I had accepted the offer from the other company, and they were very understanding.

After many ups and downs over the past four months, I can absolutely say thank you to readers, friends, and family.  I have enjoyed your thoughts, encouragement, and prayer through this process.  I hope it was informative for those who wanted to keep up with my personal job search and for those who may currently be going through the job hunting process themselves.  We are excited to see what this new job brings and pray that it will provide many opportunities to reflect who God is and how awesome He is!

How does one effectively wrap up a blog?

Peace out :-)

Sliver of Hope or Disappointment?

I have enjoyed this time away from work.  I have had the opportunity to spend more time with my husband, spend extra time in my garden, and get caught up on “back-burner” items.  I feel relaxed and rejuvenated.  As a Christ-follower, I value the time I’ve gotten to spend reading my Bible, praying, and reflecting.  I’m in awe looking over the past 3 ½ months and seeing the work being done to refine who I am.  God has been gently caring for us and reminding us how to find peace in his leadership in our lives.

My husband’s job situation this summer has evolved differently than we anticipated, so we are spending a lot of time together at home.  It has been awhile since the job search started, and originally, it was easy to enjoy all of the free time.  I have had the opportunity to catch up on life, so we are now entering a time where it is getting to be more challenging to be thankful for the free time.  My mind is being challenged less on a daily basis, so I don't feel like it's as sharp as it was.  We decided to give up TV because it is so easy to slip into a TV coma when you’ve got an abundance of time.  This has been helpful as it has made us look to books, hobbies, MN summer activities, and time with others. 

I feel excited about my potential job prospects.  Job #1 (from the previous post), I am at the background and reference check phase of the interview process.  Another job, I had a first interview on Friday.  Both of these prospects are GREAT options.  They have good benefits, reasonable pay, and great office environments (near as I can tell).  When I am feeling hopeful, two worries constantly creep into my mind:

1)      Maybe I won’t get an offer from either of these places and I’ll be back at square one.  That means more free time and more risk of slipping into laziness.

2)      What if I get offered both jobs and I have to figure out how to decide.  I won’t know which job is the right one.  What if timing doesn’t work out and I somehow don’t end up with a job from either because I won’t know how to figure out the timing of job offers and answers.

I have mentioned how determined I am to break the mold on worry, so these thoughts are naturally frustrating!

I have the hope of a job AND I have daily battles with worry and laziness.  Some days I feel down, other days I feel hopeful.  In the meantime, our reliance on God’s provision is strengthened daily for our spiritual and physical needs.  God never said it would be easy, He did say that we wouldn’t be alone.  I am thankful for God’s presence on the hopeful days and on the hard days.

The Waiting Game

Interview processes are a giant waiting game!! An update since my day of excitement:

Company #1: (The phone interview) In my opinion, the phone interview did not go well. I was discouraged! Things aren’t always what they seem; I received an e-mail a few days later asking me to come in for an interview. WOO HOO!! I’ve been especially nervous for interviews with this job because I really think I’d be great at it. I put extra pressure on myself because I want it so bad. I felt better after the in-person interview, so I went home and waited. Within the next couple of days, I received an e-mail asking if we could schedule a final interview with the whole team I’d be working with. I’ve never been interviewed by five people at once before, so it was a little intimidating. I was trying really hard to think of everything… “make eye contact with each person, remember the question, be honest, be friendly, set yourself apart from other potential candidates…” all while trying to intelligently answer their questions! They told me I should find out by Friday (today) if I will be offered the job or not.

Company #2: (The in-person interview) I felt this interview went well; however, there were a few things about the job that I wasn’t thrilled about. They called me back for a second interview with a few more people from the company. The second interview was confirmation that it wasn't the right job for me. After a discussion with my husband, we decided that if they called, I would turn them down (man, I hate doing that!!). The next day I received an e-mail saying they had chosen someone else for the position. It’s funny - even though I didn’t want job #2, there is something about not being offered the job that is kindof un-nerving. It’s a good reminder just because I want a job offer at job #1 doesn’t mean I’m going to get one.

In America, we have worry engrained into every area of our culture: worry about our kids, worry about our government, worry about the weather, worry about getting a job, worry about keeping a job in this economy….worry, worry, worry. During this job hunt season, I've been trying to buck this trend. When I worry, I’m telling God that I don’t trust Him. The fact of the matter is, I do trust God. He has provided for us in amazing and unconventional ways in the last three months and if I don’t get this job, I know that provision will continue.

So today, I wait.