Back to That Job Thing

Posted by Chris Campbell at Wednesday, March 25, 2009

I've now surpassed five months without a job. On a personal and potentially professional front, I can say that I'm proud of what I've achieved during this downtime. Unlike many folks worldwide, I have been lucky to have planned for the possibility of this reality by saving a little bit. I can't say I have much, but I've been able to get by.

Now to the job search. Given that I have a bit of a temporary security blanket, and considering my growing interest in continuing to explore other areas as a possible "career", I have been pretty selective in my search, which, given this economy, hasn't led to much. There have been phone calls, some interviews, a bunch of subsequent interviews, no call-backs, repeated refreshes on the gmail, calls out of nowhere and so forth.

Tomorrow I go on a fourth interview for a job I've coveted for just shy of a year. I initially connected with these folks back in April of 08 (well before finding myself unemployed), and although there was an interview back then, given some internal shuffling, there wasn't a good fit at the time. But about three months ago a job opened up. And as far as I can tell, there was/is a lot of interest, which results in a lot of competition.

Four interviews (granted, not all have been face-to-face) certainly means that I've made it to a narrower bunch of applicants, but my guess is that I still sit among a number of highly qualified and bright folks. I would imagine that tomorrow is my final run-through and I expect to know my fate in the coming week or so. It's a job that I've wanted for a long time, and it's now somewhat within reach. But I've made a bit of an internal pact with myself. Given my evolving interest with respect to other areas, if this job doesn't come through, and there's obviously a good chance that it won't, I will commit myself completely to the other areas that I've been developing. I will take three months or so and lock down. See where it goes. Hopefully have a few things complete when that quarter-year is up. And if I do get the job, the year-long wait will have been worth it.

I must admit, I do kinda see it as a win-win (sweet lord, I hate that term). Well, aside from not having an income if the offer doesn't come, which I suppose helps pay the rent.

We'll see how it unfolds.