“I have one real suit.” That is how I started the post about the first interview.
My first interview was on a Monday morning. I got up early, got on the road for a 22 mile commute, and had a fun meeting with Rusty, the guy who would eventually hire me. He said he’d get back with me to come in for second interviews on Wednesday and have me come in and interview with the COO and CMO on Thursday… so I got to wait, and start wrapping up some loose ends (and finishing some JibberJobber projects). I wanted this job. It was made for me.
But I knew I couldn’t get too emotionally attached to this, like I did 12 years earlier. That didn’t end well.
The problem is, how do you move forward in a job search without getting emotionally attached? I think it’s impossible. You are making decisions that can have a dramatic impact on the rest of your life… how can you not get excited and nervous and anxious and _____ about that? How can you not think about what kind of work you are going to do, and who you are going to work with, and what this might become in a few years?
Impossible.
So I tried to keep myself busy. Figure out how and what to transition to Liz (who has done wonderful over the last 2+ months), and my go-to: continue the job search. This is my advice to people who are interviewing and have a chance: keep doing the job search. When you have more in your pipeline you can feel more in control, have more power, and feel like you “have the cookie.” That puts you in a much better place, emotionally and for negotiation, than if you don’t have other opportunities.
So I tried to do that. But I was so mentally and emotionally distracted that it was hard to concentrate.
Man, the job search is such an emotional journey!!
I didn’t hear from Rusty by Wednesday, and I thought I was supposed to interview that afternoon. Ugh… does this mean they like someone else? Someone better than me? I hated not knowing anything, but having to be cheerful and ready. Self-doubt is real, and it’s discouraging. That morning I sent a “hey, I have some ideas and questions, can we get on a call” email… and it went unanswered until about 4:45 that day. Rusty said their schedules are too tight, could I come in Monday? Sure, I said, of course. I’ll come in anytime.
Bright idea: why not get a new suit? I had already exhausted my other interview wardrobe (consisting of one suit)… so I went down to the local suit store and got a suit. It has been almost 15 years since I had a new suit, so maybe it was time? I didn’t have $300 bucks for a suit, but I did have $300 bucks to invest in a new job. And, now that the interview was moved to Monday, I had time to get the suit and have it altered.
A few hours later I walked out of the suit shop a few hundred dollars poorer, but excited to have some new threads.
I got home and opened my email… Rusty emailed and said hey, can you come in tomorrow?!
Uh… YES, of course! And I just had to laugh. My $300 suit would go unused for the interview because it wouldn’t be ready by tomorrow.
I go in and meet with the COO and then the CMO. We has super conversations, and I thought I did well. I followed up for a few minutes with Rusty, and before I knew it I was on the road, driving home.
To wait.
I love waiting.
Which is okay because I love waiting. Actually, no, I don’t love waiting. I am really bad at waiting. But, I need to get better. So I wait. And apply to a job or two, just to feel like I’m stacking my pipeline.
I hate waiting.