Facebook is a beautiful thing. It's helped me reconnect with people I haven't seen for years on a personal level, and opened up avenues for networking. One of those people I reconnected with, who I haven't really seen in the last 20 years, works for a local tech company...and they just happened to have an opening right up my alley. So I ask Deidre* if she's still working for Tech-y*, what can she tell me about the opening, etc. Interestingly enough, she started with the company many years ago in that very role, knows the person vacating it (in fact, trained them as her replacement after being promoted herself) and asked for my resume so she can hand deliver to the HR person in charge. The very next day, I get a call from HR lady who then did a phone screening and sets up an interview for the following day. Woo hoo!!
I arrive for the interview 15 minutes early, meet with HR lady and a potential co-worker. I always dread the part of any interview, because it is inevitable that the question comes up, of why did I leave the company. I have 25 pages of "don't you dare tell anyone what really went down or we'll sue the pants off of you, providing you still have any pants left", so imagine my uneasiness when it comes up. Throw in a healthy dose of anxiety and you've got potential disaster. I answer like I always do: I worked in a sales environment, the economy stinks, sales were down, they didn't need an extra warm body, etc. The "why did you leave" question is always followed by "so, what have you been doing?". Let me see...eating bon-bons? Check. Rolling around naked in my unemployment "earnings"? Check. Seriously, WHAT do you think I've been doing? Waiting for the next person in charge of hiring to not acknowledge my resume, or to actually acknowledge my resume and call me in for an interview only to never speak to me again. Ugh.
After meeting with HR lady and her drone, I get to meet with the person who is vacating the position (i.e. movinnnn' on uuuup!) and the department manager. This interview went well. I was able to keep my thoughts coherent and managed not to bad mouth the company or lose my train of thought. Victory!! Well, I'm still unemployed, so do please hold the champagne.
I'm told a decision will be made quickly, as they are looking to bring someone in prior to the first of the year (this was wayyyy back on 12/22) because of their bonus schedule. Awesome. I need to get out of my hole soon or I'll be breaking out the clippers like Britny Spears on a mental bender. And school vacation is in full swing...fabulous. A whole week devoted to "mom, he's doing
The very next day, I get a voicemail for HR lady. Her voice? Not comforting. HR lady tells me that they have decided to promote from within, a company policy. I admire that. I do, really I do. Call me selfish, but I would admire it more if I were working for Tech-y and saw it first hand. Sadly, I didn't get the job, but she said that they thoroughly enjoyed meeting me, and if anything should come up and I feel that I am qualified, to contact her directly. Slightly reassuring, yet still, not. It takes every.single.fiber of my being to interview, and the more times I do it, the more it takes out of me instead of building the confidence of having another interview experience under my belt of interviewing ineptness. Sadly, none of the other openings at Tech-y were suited to my experience and skills but I couldn't help but wonder....
....what about the position being left vacant by the promoted employee?
So, I sent HR lady an email, with that very question. No, not exactly like that, far more creative and word-y and special. I instantly got a reply (!!!) stating that she is not handling that particular vacancy, but HR lady #2 is and she is forwarding my information to her attention. Rock on!!
And you know what? I heard nothing. Just those damn crickets.
February rolls on by, and wouldn't you know it? Another position, right up my alley, opens up at Tech-y. I mean, they literally looked at my resume and said, "hey, let's craft a job that has ALL of this!!". Alright, not true, but man, it sure felt like it. I went to Tech-y's website, applied for the job and forwarded my resume and another signed copy of a background check authorization form (I keep everything) to HR lady. HR lady replies that yet again, HR lady #2 is handling this one (ugh), and HR lady is forwarding her my email. I thanked her six ways to Sunday and waited....and waited....and you guessed it....waited. Then, guess what??
Crickets.
No acknowledgement from HR lady #2, no more job posting, and honestly? No more hope of ever getting in at Tech-y. Ever. Seems that even in this day and age of networking, it still doesn't pay to know someone who knows someone, get the green light to contact directly, have boatloads of experience or the work ethic of a draft horse. Sure, this is just one experience, I have one other for another post that is simply mind-boggling to me (when it involves your own family and you still get screwed...I mean, really?!?!?).
No matter what the situation, you're still relying on the one person responsible for finding the "right fit" for that coveted opening to look at your resume (hopefully), see that you are unemployed and will most likley move on to the next resume. Does the person they hired have as much experience as me? Maybe, maybe not. Are they currently employed? Probably.
But that's a subject for a whole different post.
*I'm having far too much fun thinking up names...need.job.now.
