Interview update

So much for hitting it out of the park.

I got an email yesterday saying that the interviewer had been impressed with my skill set and my knowledge of relevant issues, but was unable to offer me a second interview.

I don't know what to make of that exactly, especially since I got a really good vibe from him on the phone and I felt the interview went well. I asked him if he could give me some feedback as to why I was not selected for the second round of the process, so that I could improve my interview skills for future job opportunities, but haven't heard back from him. I doubt I will.

It would be really helpful for me to know if there was something I did or didn't do that affected his decision, because what he did tell me makes me doubt my own judgment as to whether the interview went well, and it also makes me wonder if there was some personality facet that factored into his decision. Of course, it could just as easily mean that there were simply more qualified people than I and he had a limited number of second interview slots.

I realize I can quickly make myself nuts thinking like this, and I won't indulge in it indefinitely, but I can't help wondering. Since I'm left with a lack of pertinent information, I am trying to fill in the blanks. Nature (and I) abhor a vacuum.

I am of course disappointed, but surprisingly not devastated, perhaps because there's another job that interests me more that I will be applying for next week, perhaps because it hasn't fully hit me yet, or perhaps because I'm in total denial :-)

I have sometimes wished I were the kind of person who didn't get so heavily emotionally invested, so that negative outcomes don't hit me so hard. I suppose there are advantages to being able to compartmentalize and remain imperturable, but I am not that sort of person, never have been and never will be. I accept that. One of the great things about being in your forties is accepting who you are, warts and all. 

It was fun to fantasize about all the things I'd do with a salary, even things as mundane as getting our vacuum cleaner serviced. And I will do that someday, with some other salary from some other job. Still, as this was my first interview in nine months, it is certainly a blow.

Thanks for sending all your good thoughts my way. Keep 'em coming.

Post-phone interview

I know the rest of the planet is focused on the election, and I am too, but I also had my phone interview for the aforementioned non-profit (see previous post) this morning, and just wanted to let you all know...

IT WENT GREAT!

I think.

The interviewer was quite personable and warm and he responded by saying, "Great!" or "Good answer" to several of my responses. But I really hit it out of the park with this gem:

I asked the interviewer, "In your job as ________, what are your most pressing goals and needs for the next six months, and, if I were hired for this position, how could I best help you meet those goals?"

There was a bit of silence, and then he said, "Wow, that's a really good question."

SCORE!

Thanks for all those of you who responded to my cry for help. I'll find out by end of business Friday if they want to meet me in person.

Stay tuned...

I need help! In a good way!

After many months of no (good) job news to speak of, I found out today that I am one of eight people being interviewed for a job at a food-related non-profit. The first round of interviews will be on the phone, and that's where my request for help comes in.

I've only done one phone interview before and I totally bombed. I could use any advice or feedback those of you with interview experience can give me. If you've been on the hiring end of a phone interview, I'd particularly like to hear from you; what are you looking for? what makes a good impression? Whatever you can share is appreciated.

Thanks! Wish me luck.

Watch this space

What happened to August? Yesterday it was the beginning of the month, or so it seemed.

I've been busy with symphony work and jobhunting and networking, the usual stuff. Nothing new to report on that front, unfortunately. I've also been doing some thinking about food and when I get my thoughts sorted out I'll post them.

A kick in the stomach

Just heard about this on our public radio station:

Cascade Festival of Music goes under

Not only is this bad news for classical music fans in Oregon, and for the people of Bend in particular, but this is really bad news for me.

I am (was?) the program annotator for the Cascade Festival of Music, and I've been working on the notes for their festival, which was scheduled to take place the week before Labor Day. I have a Tuesday, July 1 deadline, and I've been hard at work over the past few weeks getting these notes done for them. Now I am out of a job, like all the administrative staff and the musicians, and I assume I won't be seeing any of the money they owe me, even though I have a contract with them.

I've been looking for a full time job for eleven months; in the interim I've been surviving (barely) on my freelance work. This news is a real blow. 

Feeling ill-used

I found out late last week that I didn't get the internship I'd applied for with what I thought was a really cool environmental organization I've been volunteering with since last September. That was disappointing enough, but the way I was treated during the decision process was really unprofessional, and I am feeling frankly ill-used at present. 

Last week I met with the person for whom I've been volunteering (I'll call her Michelle) to discuss my volunteer project.  During this meeting, which was NOT about the internship, Michelle made a point of telling me how much she liked my resume and the answers I'd sent in to three follow-up questions she'd sent out to the finalists.  She mentioned this several times throughout our meeting, which understandably gave me encouragement. She told me she'd be making her decision in a couple of days and that she'd call me to let me know.

It's not that I assumed because I was volunteering for this organization, and Michelle in particular, that I would automatically get the internship. I think my volunteering puts me in a good position, but nothing more than that. What bothers me is how she handled the process. Decision day came and went and no phone call. A few more days go by with no news, and I assumed this was bad for me, but she still hadn't told me anything. Finally I called Michelle and asked her to let me know her decision. She emailed back that the decision had been delayed and she'd call me as soon as she'd made it. Again, the promise to call.

Instead, I came home the next day to find a form email rejection in my inbox, sent from someone else in the organization who was handling the logistics of the application process but who doesn't know me (or, presumably, any of the other applicants). The email said the usual stuff about how there were many qualified candidates and they were sorry they couldn't hire me, but hoped I'd consider volunteering for the organization anyway.

This was the last straw. I've been working on a project for Michelle since September of 2007. I put in a lot of hours on it and Michelle seemed really pleased with the work I've done, and as thanks for all my hard work I get a form email. The very least Michelle could have done is send me an email personally, if she was too busy or too chicken to call me as she'd promised. 

Again, it's not the internship itself that's bothering me, although I am of course disappointed not to have gotten it, especially when I'd been led to believe I was the leading candidate, or one of them. What I resent is being treated like a number, like just another applicant, after all the hours I've put in doing research for this person. I deserved a phone call. In light of what's happened, I certainly don't plan to continue volunteering for Michelle or her organization. They don't deserve my efforts. I did complete my project, though, because I am a professional even if she is not, and because I like to finish what I start.

It's hard to keep a positive attitude about job hunting when I am doing everything conventional wisdom and my career counselor has advised me: I'm networking constantly, going to food-related events and meetings of organizations on sustainable food practices, volunteering with several organizations in order to meet the people who will be in a position to hire me when an opening comes along. Looking for a job, as every job seeker knows, is a full-time job in itself. I am putting so much energy into finding work, any work, even a two-month internship, and I don't seem to be getting anywhere. It's really discouraging. I'll get over it; it's not the end of the world, but this was the first opportunity I'd had to apply for something I had a real shot of getting, that I was really suited for. And to be so shabbily treated on top of that is adding insult to injury.

Job tease

Don't have time to go into detail here, but there's a possibility I might be able to get a really cool summer internship for a really cool local environmental org here. The internship is paid (not much, but something) but it's not full time, so I would still have time for my paid symphony and other contract work.

I'm afraid to jinx this, so nuf ced for now. Gotta customize my resume and write a kick-ass cover letter.

Please send any spare positive internship thoughts my way.

Honda Robot Conducts Detroit Symphony

I first heard about this after seeing videos posted on YouTube and thought it was an interesting gimmick. The real point of the evening was to honor cellist Yo-Yo Ma for his work as a music educator. I guess the Detroit Symphony figured, rightly, that even a world-renowned cellist, considered by most the finest living player of the instrument, wouldn't merit ink unless there was a robot sharing the bill. Need I say any more about why I'm no longer looking for full time work in music?

Not to take anything away from ASIMO; he's kinda cute in a Hello Kitty sort of way.

Honda Robot Conducts Detroit Symphony to warm response