The Job Hunt

I have come to the conclusion that I'm not very patient. "You're just now finding that out, after 33 years on this planet?" Oh shut it.

Recently, almost on a whim, I applied for a position on the staff at my city's newspaper in their New Media department. When I say 'on a whim' I mean that before I saw the ad for the job, I hadn't even been thinking of leaving my current job. Then I emailed the hiring person and asked what the salary range for the position was. I figured that it wouldn't be worth anyone's time if it was the same-ish to what I make now. Unfortunately (for my current employer) the newspaper pays a goodly chunk more and as anyone who's trawled through my blog knows, Je suis poor. I would have been stupid not to at least try for the position.

But it wasn't without some soul-searching and advice-seeking that I made that decision. I love where I work and the people I work with. I have the best bosses I have ever had and my coworkers are fabulous. It would be really hard to leave here. I even spoke to my boss about all of this because I don't believe in blindsiding him with an abrupt departure. His exact words to me were 'You have to do what's best for you.' And he is right.

So I updated my CV and wrote a rocking cover letter, printed them on very nice paper and sent them off. A couple of days later I had an email asking me for a phone interview - the screening process. I made it through that after a bit of an agonizing wait that had me on pins and needles and then a proper interview was set up for the following Tuesday.

I prepared my ass off for that interview - something I'd never done before, but then again I haven't gone on very many formal interviews. Just a couple here at the hospital where I already knew everyone. So I poured through website after website and grilled myself on the tough interview questions: 'What are your strengths/weaknesses' (ugh!), 'Tell me about yourself', 'What's an obstacle youve had to overcome in your job', and worst of all, 'Why do you want to leave your current job?' The last one, for me was the most difficult to answer. I can't just come out and say 'Well, you're paying more moula.' hat's a big factor, but there are other reasons I think this would be a good move for me.

Anyway, I felt good going into the interview. I was nervous but not overly so. I spent an hour with the director of the department and she skipped the strength/weakness question than goodness. I could have answered it, but I just hate it anyway. But the interview, I think, went very well. I left her with my references, and she asked me all kinds of questions about when I could start, whether I'd be comfortable using a Mac, stuff like that. She kept speaking as if I had the job ("Your Mac is due to be replaced within the next year." "Your desk is in the corner." etc.) So I'm feeling like it's in the bag, and then she said, "Well I have a few more interviews today but I hope to have a decision made by the end of the day." Cue my brain to go into over-analyze mode.

Did I blow it somehow? I don't know. But it's only gotten worse because it's near the end of the day, Thursday, 2-ish days after the interview and I've not heard anything from her about it. Did someone come in after me who blew her mind? Did I answer the dreaded salary requirement position wrong? I know what you're thinking. "Geez it's only been two days, chill out!" and normally you would be right. I wouldn't be thinking about it much at all if she hadn't said 'I hope to have a decision by the end of the day' after my interview.  It's that one little sentence that has thrown me for a loop and made me freak out that I haven't heard from her yet. I would think if she's moving that fast on filling the position, if I was chosen, then surely I would have heard by now.

So I haven't gotten much sleep and I can't seem to stop worrying about it. I do not like this feeling of not knowing. And it's ironic because 2 weeks ago I never would have guessed I'd be in this situation at all. Oh and one of my key references is bloody away on vacation as well :( Argh.

An update: After I wrote the above stuff, I heard from another one of my references that they had just been called about it and that the call went very well. This reference didn't go into detail about it and I didn't ask, but this person knew how much I've been angsting about not hearing anything so gave me the heads up. So if she is checking my references right now, it at least means that someone else hasn't gotten the position (yet.) I hope.

My plan of action right now is to wait until tomorrow afternoon, no matter how much it is killing me, and then I will call her and enquire about the process and how it's all going in a very nonchalant, casual way.

*fingers and toes crossed*