Job Hunting Advice!
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I also hate lying about interviews but you have to. I’ve used the doctor’s appointment and repair guy excuses.
I wouldn’t mention the other personally, I have the same reservations about the company I work for closing in a few years. I’d go with the first one personally!
So things went well today, and maybe I’m jinxing myself asking this prematurely, but: What has ultimately led you guys to taking the jobs you’ve taken, and how do you know when an offer is for you?
Good question. You have to trust your gut! For me, it was a measurable step up from where I was, or in one case it was just a super cool company with a proprietary product that I was into, and growth potential. It always 100% felt right. Like, yes, exactly, this.
As far as knowing if an offer is for you… you have to know what you’re worth and make sure you get it. Glassdoor and salary.com are helpful, but asking around to people who would know, and floating numbers by them to see what they think, is better.
Yeah, I don’t even have an offer yet. Haha. Another candidate may be a better choice, but I do feel the entire interview/conversation was very positive. We had a bit of a difficult time with scheduling and they told me all initial interviews are only 45 minutes long — we went over the time, and only cut if off when I was asked if we were okay on time and I realized I needed to hustle back to work.
I’m more interested in the long-term potential of the job we were discussing. Turns out, one of their director-level employees left last fall, and a few months later he poached his direct report at his new job. SO, the organization created a new manager-level position that’s more than what the direct report did, less than what the director did. The hope, however, is to hire someone who can eventually fill the director’s shoes. Their priority when the new hire starts, however, isn’t super interesting to me. So it makes me wonder if it would be a good fit.
And then I remember all the bullshit with my boss from last fall and want out for just about anything that seems like it would be okay, even if it’s not something I love. But then there’s the fear that I’d be going from a bad situation to an even worse one.
Again, this is all super premature since I haven’t received an offer and may well never get one. But the interview was positive enough that I am genuinely thinking about whether it’d be the right fit should things move in that direction.
A lot about the new job sounds good, and I agree it sounds like you probably want to move on from your current situation. In one case when I moved jobs, it had just gotten too creepy and toxic at my current company, the owners made me cry, etc., and then a recruiter called me out of the blue…
But you do have to trust your gut, and if it’s whispering “watch out, girl, this may not be the right fit,” definitely listen. I know people who’ve been burned because they heard their gut but didn’t listen.
I have to say, with each move, even internal ones, it felt like something was *propelling* me, guiding me where I needed to be, and there was never any question it was the right thing. I actively keep my ears open for the Lord or whatever to tell me what to do, and that often comes via an opportunity, or a hot lead, or really solid info I get from someone, or a series of puzzle pieces that fall into place.
Also, if the subject matter or central product, or whatever you’re working on, is really cool and interesting and you believe in it, that can make up for a whole lot of other shit… that, and the caliber of your co-workers. I’d put up with a lot of bullshit for that. Whereas it would be tough to deal with trying to do *two peoples jobs* in an area in not interested in, even if the pay is good (done it, and it sucked).
The overall focus of the job is more along the lines of what I’ve been ultimately aiming for. I’ve been primarily targeting a specific type of job within law firms (basically strategic communications/business development), and this is still within the legal field, but it’s not a firm. I’ve so far gotten a couple interviews with very well-known firms, but no offers. I have a JD and all the transferable skills, and the interviews reassure me that there is and will be interest in my skill set, BUT I think it’s hard for me to compete with people who have past experience in that kind of job. (I found the woman who did get the job I interviewed for at a firm last November-ish — her most recent job was very similar to what I’m doing now, but she also had a couple years of doing exactly what she’s doing now at another firm.) I do think the job I interviewed for yesterday would better position me to make that transition down the road. The guy who left his director-level job last fall is apparently now working in what sounds like a really cool position at the supreme court, so of course I’m all “omg! that could be me one day if I get the job!” BUT, for the billionth time, I’m getting way, way, way ahead of myself. Haha.
SO, over the weekend I sent a thank you to the HR manager at the company that interviewed me. Just this morning, I got a delivery failure notification. (Not sure why since I responded to our chain of e-mails.) Is it worth re-sending a thank you almost a week after the interview with an explanation that I got a bounceback notice? Or do I drop it?
I would, yes.
Although if you replied to the chain and suddenly got a bounce back, maybe she’s been let go.
The notification send the connection timed out. I sent it from my personal laptop, which is on its last leg of life, so for all I know, I’m the problem. It wasn’t an undeliverable address or anything like that. Or maybe I’ve been blacklisted for some reason!? I don’t even know why the bounceback to so many days to be delivered to me. I’ll send it from work later in case my home connection is the problem.
