jobless: part two (everybody wants some)

where did we last leave off on the job situation? oh, that's right - i was wallowing in self pity that nobody was hiring me or following through....that was about a month or so ago, i think....and luckily, there have been some positive developments on the job front since then.

a few days after i posted the blog about being jobless, i got a call to interview for a position i had applied for months ago (literally - i put in the application for that particular position in the last week of december), and went in to interview for it the following monday. i thought it went well, but of course, all the recent rejection had my confidence in the crapper, but i tried to stay positive. i was told that they would be contacting whoever they'd chosen for the position by "the end of the week," so when i didn't hear from them, i said to myself "well, here we go again" and started to mentally replay the entire interview in my head to see if i could find a common "this is where you keep fucking up" thread between my interviews - meanwhile the day after i interviewed for THAT position, i got a call from the very first place i'd interviewed after we moved here asking me if i'd like to come back for a second interview for a position that had just opened up.

i was glad that i hadn't had my phone with me when they called, because hearing it in a voicemail gave me a chance to absorb the shock, so to speak. don't get me wrong - this job is the job i want and HAVE wanted from day one, but after not being hired the first time i was interviewed, it felt bittersweet. the only thing i can compare it to is this:

my freshman year of college, there was a guy i kind of had a crush on who i shared quite a few mutual friends with. because of the situation with our friends, from time to time, we ended up in the same social circles, and he was always really friendly to me, but he was dating someone else, so i didn't really ever pursue him or anything, but really, i was just waiting for him to come to his senses during one of his girlfriend's "bitchy" moments, kick her to the curb, and ask me out. after all, from what i could tell, he and i had more in common than he did with her, and he always laughed at my jokes....but i digress....one week, he and his girlfriend were on the outs, and he needed a date for a semi formal that was coming up in a couple of weeks - because i was single, and because his friends and my friends were all friends/dating each other, at the suggestion of one of our mutual friends, he asked me to be his date. obviously, i was excited. i already had a dress that was perfect, and i was all set. a few nights before the semi formal, he calls to tell me that he and his girlfriend are back "on," and that he was really sorry, but he knew i probably wouldn't mind him taking her instead, since i was only really going as a "favor" to him. fast forward to the day of the semi formal (6 hours before, if my memory serves me correctly), to a panicked call for him telling me that his girlfriend dumped him again the night before, and asking if i was still free that night, and if so, would i consider being his date (again) to the semi formal. my pride, of course, told me to say no, but my brain reminded me that semi formal meant free dinner, free drinks, and a good time with my friends, so i agreed to go. let's not forget that a date with him is what i wanted in the first place, so while i got exactly what i wanted in the end, i spent the whole night feeling a little resentful about it. he was a great date - in fact, he was probably one of the best "dates" i've ever been on (at least top 5), and i had a wonderful time, but i just couldn't shake the "i was your second choice" feeling. i was the back up plan.

so when i heard the voicemail, my heart jumped the same way it did when that guy first asked me to the semi formal, but it was immediately followed with the thought of "wait. why do you want me NOW?" - i immediately thought "their first choice must have blown it," and then had a long conversation in my head about if i could handle going through the interview process again at the same place, run the risk of being rejected again, or being hired knowing that i was hired as a "second choice," - the thought also crossed my mind that if they DID hire me and i was, in fact, their second choice, i would just work twice as hard to show them how badly they fucked up by not hiring me in the first place....anyway, i decided that i was being an idiot, and called them back to set up a time for an interview. when i did, i was glad to hear that the position they wanted me to interview for was a different and better position that i'd originally interviewed for (basically, the first position i'd interviewed for would have put me at the bottom of the totem pole - i only wanted it because it meant getting my foot in the door and hopefully pretty quick advancement to the position i actually wanted - the second position they called about was the one i've wanted all along!). so i went to the interview, and it went incredibly well. it helped that they remembered me, and seemed happy to see me, and had nice things to say about me. i felt really confident, but tried not to get too excited. this interview, like the one the week before, was on a monday, and again i was told they would be contacting someone by "the end of the week," so i came home and the waiting began.

and i heard nothing.

a week and half of no calls, no emails, and me cursing myself and wallowing in self pity goes by, and still nothing.

then, all of a sudden i'm getting emails and phone calls from both places. one of them is obviously still interested and wants more references. the other (my first choice) calls and offers me the position i've wanted since i arrived here.

fast forward to yesterday morning, when a place i applied here in thetford calls me to see if i'm still interested in a position with them. this is the place that prompted the original "jobless" blog entry - when i sent them my CV (that's a resume for all you americans), someone from their office contacted me within 24 hours of receiving it. i talked to her on the phone twice over a two day period about my qualifications and experience, and she told me she would speak to one of her colleagues about setting up an in-person interview and call me back. she never did. i called her back after a few days of no word from her, left a message, and she never returned my call. (this came on the heels of multiple other job-related frustrations, and because it was all boiling over, i ended up writing the first blog about my issues finding a job.) yesterday morning, i got a message on my cell from her apologizing for not returning my call, and stating that she had misplaced my CV and just found it, and that the last time i called, the girl i left the message neglected to take my number down, but that if i was still interested in working for them, they were interested in talking to me about a position.

after i heard the message, i just sat there in disbelief. smug disbelief, but disbelief nonetheless. apparently, that "jobless" entry was my field of dreams. if you build it, they will come, and apparently if you write a bitchy, whiny blog about it, they will call/email/interview/hire. months and months of nobody wanting me, and all of a sudden, BAM. everybody wants some.

of course, i took the position i was formally offered without hesitation, and felt a huge weight lift off of my shoulders. it's such a relief to know that pretty soon, i'll be back to doing something i love, and i'll be able to feel like the fully functioning human being i once was again.

when do i actually start? probably not for a few weeks. because my employment is technically "federal" employment, there are all sorts of security checks and clearances they have to do before i can ever set my foot in the door officially. i'm excited though, and completely relieved. the countdown to the end of my time as a housewife starts NOW!