What I've Been Doing: Part 2

I've been looking for a job! With success!

I know I've already shouted from the social media rooftops about it, but I figured I would delve into details for those who care about the ridiculousness of job searching or the anxiety of returning to the working world after this odd limbo stage. Because in all honesty, I didn't think I'd have a job by now. Well, a career job. I had every intention of applying to Jimmy John's for some part-time cashflow if I didn't have anything in the works. About my journey:

First of all, I acknowledge that I was incredibly lucky. This job appeared on one of the many job search apps I looked through every few days. I had no idea it existed, and I didn't know anyone who knew anyone who knew anything about the position. So, yeah, my new company went into this as blind as I did. And I had to knock out eight other candidates on the way. But, man, was it a long(ish) road to get there...

Prospect 1: Wild Wood Firm

This place was flooding Indeed.com and other search engines with positions for a public relations specialist -- entry level. That, of course, should have been the first red flag. But I was impressionable and eager to find employment, so I threw my resume out there before the move. I tried to use the information superhighway to learn more about the company, but the only sites I could find were a) employment ads and b) the company website. The firm's site was beautiful, but the information they gave was super vague. But I didn't care; there was a fancy boardroom and a lime green patio. What more could I want?

I got a call right before moving to set up a phone interview for my first full day in Little Rock, which was a Monday. My plan was to drive to St. Louis with Jason and Caroline that Saturday, then do the rest of the trip Sunday. Little did I know STL was going to get hit with a terrible, terrible blizzard Saturday night. Ugh. Snow. Am I right?

So we stuck around until Monday until after this interview. I thought it was going to be 15-20 minutes. It was less than 10. The woman told me I was one of 30 applicants, and she was going to select the top five. She'd call by 5 p.m. only if it was good news. So I drove for 6 hours, got a call, and happily set up an in-person interview.

That's where the trouble started. Jason decided to get a honker of a kidney stone, and instead of going to that interview, I stayed with him while he went into blasting surgery. I played phone tag with the nice woman to reschedule, which was fine. Jason got better, and I suited up for an interview. And then the interviewer guy calls to tell me THE DAY OF THE INTERVIEW that the location has changed. To a Sam's Club. In North Little Rock. Whhhaaatttt????

I was interviewed in a food court. People eating greasy hot dogs and munching on popcorn stared at my (awesome) dress clothes. The seat was dirty. The table was worse. I was given a walking tour of the Sam's where the interviewer told me I would be working sales for 9 months and my income would be based on a combination of "hourly work" and "commission." It was not PR. It was a lie.

They didn't call me back. Thank god, because there was no was I was going to sell heated foot massagers and overpriced facials. I kind of felt offended when I didn't hear back, mostly because I have issues with rejection and not being the perfect candidate for every job...but whatever. I didn't like the patio anyway.

Prospect 2: The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

The odds of another opening a month after Jason took a copy editing gig at the D-G were slim, but by some miracle, it happened. I was not mentally prepared to apply for this position, even though all of my journalism cheerleaders (you know who you are) told me I would be a perfect fit. I gave myself multiple migraines thinking about this job. I cried many, many times over this job. Why?

Because I didn't want to end up like last time.

Jason was my boss when we started dating, which I do not recommend to anyone who hasn't thought it through. I thought about it for months, and I'm still not sure I thought it through. Long story short, I became the black sheep, the office joke, and the subject of some rumors. Not to mention the glares. Or the snide comments. That is what you get yourself into when you date at work/date your superiors. It's not fun. I enjoyed the work I did and my off-site superiors, but I left that position solely because I never felt happy or comfortable at work and I didn't want to cause anymore trouble.

So anyway, I wasn't too keen on working with Jason again, even if we were just going to be coworkers on opposite ends of the table. Jason has a knack for climbing the Success Ladder, and I don't think this paper will be an exception. If I hypothetically got the job and he hypothetically got promoted in 3ish years, what would happen to me? Where would I go? I could move to the design desk, but let's be serious. That paper is dated looking and proud of it. What then? Do they just say "see ya'll" and send me packing? Will I have to work in the mailroom? Do they even have a mailroom? Welcome to my overactive imagination.

Although my gut was telling me not to, I interviewed at the D-G. Keep in mind that this is a multi-day affair. I remember three people out of the 20 I shook hands with, but that's not even the worst of it. Guys. The copy editing test. Holy crap. I believe the rule is you have to score higher than 80 percent on a 300 (or more?) point test. It was, like, six pages. And none of it was easy. I made flash cards to prep for the Arkansas/general knowledge portion. I took five spelling tests and 20 AP Style tests. Holy. Freaking. Crap. I never want to do that again.

Jason's work buddy (I could write an entire post about this bromance. Jason talks about this guy all the time. He even wants to read Catch 22 because the dude suggested it. Nevermind that I've suggested multiple books for him to read, being the English major that I am. Ugh) goaded him into "looking out the window for snow" aka "saying hello" while I was mid-test. Why? Why would you do that to me? I've already destroyed one eraser and I only have two pencils. What a butt.

After 6ish interviews, two tests (I don't even want to talk about the headline-writing one), one lunch-erview and a grand tour, I was offered a job. Meanwhile, I'm in the early stages of Prospect 3, and I have no clue what I want. I confided in my father (and Jason), and he (and Jason) told me that I shouldn't be angry crying over a job offer, and if I wasn't struggling with money to go ahead and put all my eggs in one basket. And that basket was...

Prospect 3: PatientPoint

I confused the phone screen guy with my recent move. I (honest to god) did a fade away in the middle of my interview with my to-be supervisor when she told me the dress code was casual. I cracked jokes about southern accents and Arkansas' "weather preparedness" in a room full of managers, and THEN I bantered with the VP of the editorial division about tree nuts. How did they NOT notice that I am a lunatic?

It's cool. I start Tuesday.