In Search Of Employment: Job Quest 2010

For those of you that know me, it should come as no surprise that I have been searching for a job since shortly before putting in my 3-weeks notice with my previous employer.  In regards to why I quit, I have my reasons and I prefer to keep most of those personal.  What I will say however is a rule that I believe everyone should follow to the best of their ability: do what makes you happy.  Easier said than done right?  I was in the fortunate position of not having a family to support.  No wife, no kids (unless you count the dog and rabbit), and no mortgage.  Rent to pay, yes...but I'm just trying to make a point here.  Most people can't just up and leave a company if they aren't happy with the situation on account of the previously mentioned reasons, perhaps even others.  Some may not be able to simply because they are barely making ends meet as it is.  Again, I was lucky enough to not be in this particular position.

The first several weeks of my job search, which took place before and during the 3-weeks notice, was largely uneventful as a result of having to juggle a full time job at the same time.  Fact is, simply searching for a new job can be a full time job in and of itself, leaving very little room for any personal time or relaxation.  Unless of course you don't mind a significant lack of sleep.

After my last day things changed quite a bit.  I was able to finally really focus on the job search, but I took the first week to focus more on things around the apartment, spending time with my fiancée (girlfriend at the time), and doing my best to relax.  Eventually I did continue my search, though for quite a while it seemed like a fruitless effort.  Many companies didn't even respond to my applications while others feigned interest only to later shoot me down or apparently forget about me altogether.

There was one company that seemed promising at the beginning.  They responded quickly to my application with a potential hire questionnaire, and even called once as a sort of informal phone interview.  However, when all was said and done they insisted that the position I applied for was entry-level (despite several years experience as a requirement), and would not increase the proposed base salary at all.  With a proposed salary far beneath my bare minimum, I declined and moved on to continue the search.

Well over a month has passed since my last day as a "working man".  46 days to be exact.  I've had some disappointing times during my search, though several opportunities did arise.  Some of these resulted in interviews that sadly did not go well enough to land myself the specific job.  Though one company did give me hope.  Despite not getting the position I was told that there were several very strong candidates for them to choose from, and I was one of their top choices.  Obviously a let down in the end, but it isn't often that a company will actually tell you of how highly you were regarded in an interview; and that helped make me feel more confident that a new job was within reach.

Of course where there is good, the bad will rear its ugly head.  Very recently, last Friday (May 7th) to be exact, I had an interview with a company that appeared to be a perfect match.  The recruiting coordinator appeared to be extremely excited about having me join the company, my initial phone interview went splendidly, and I completed their preliminary online knowledge test despite questions of certain programming languages I have never worked with.  The interview was supposed to be approximately 2 hours long, with four people in 30 minute interviews each.  After my interview with the first person, the second came in only to tell me that they did not find my technical knowledge to be satisfactory for the position they were looking to fill.  As a result, they decided to end the interview at that point and my 2 hour interview ended after only 40 minutes.

I know some people (perhaps many) in my position at that time would have lost their minds, and I did in a sense.  What they did to me was horribly insulting, and reflected badly upon my opinion of their overall work ethic.  It was a figurative punch to the face, though it might as well have been physical, because it hurt worse than I imagined.  I will not post their name here as I do not wish to slander the company as they were apparently worrying about their best interests, but that is no excuse for the shoddy treatment I received.  I will never even consider looking at this company again, nor will I recommend any friends or acquaintances to them.

As a result I began to question myself more than ever before:

"Have I made a mistake?"
"Should I have stayed with my old company?"
"Am I really not as intelligent as I thought?"
"Am I a failure?"

All these questions and more, combined with self-doubt and complete shock bounced around in my mind like a sealed tea kettle until I felt as if my head would explode.  But just as the bad tends to follow the good...the good also tends to follow the bad.

With the support of my fiancée, family, and friends I was able to pull myself out of the doldrums and look toward the future: two interviews coming up the very next week.  The first interview took place yesterday, May 10th, and it went amazingly.  Again I had four interviews, and they all really liked me from what I was told.  One of the interviews was even with the president of the company, which I found to be amazing since the heads of many companies wouldn't take the time to get to know their employees well, let alone the applicants.  As the end of the interview neared, I realized that I felt more confident about myself than in any previous interview!  A complete reversal of what I had felt only days before, when self-doubt barely began to describe how I felt.

Then much to my surprise, they actually made an offer before the interview was completely over.  I was astonished and overjoyed to say the least.  I did request a few days to think it over before I decided whether to accept the offer or not, but a few hours later I called them and put in my verbal acceptance.  Now all that stands between me and a job is whether my background check categorizes being a complete dork as a misdemeanor.

With my search finally drawing to a close, I am filled with relief and satisfaction.  I honestly do believe that the old adage, "If it is meant to be, it will be" is true, especially in reflecting upon my experience over these last 46 days.  We can force ourselves to do jobs that we are not comfortable with, but when the right job...the right "it"...comes along, good things will happen.

So to everyone out there looking for jobs, I wish you good luck and send my thoughts and prayers to you all. While it may sound cheesy, there is something out there for us all.  You just can't give up no matter how hard it may get.

Easier said than done, of course.