I’ve been somewhat actively looking for a better opportunity the last few weeks. The good news is the last few days have seen an increase in my marketability in the job market. I’ve purposely decided not to write about all this since I’m weirdly superstitious that by doing so I’ll somehow jinx my chances. But I do want to share some tidbits about my job searching. As a compromise, I’ll omit company names and exact details.
As of today, I have turned down 1 offer and am in the running for 3 others. I think my chances are fairly good with these 3, but since they are in the middle of their selection process, I guess I’ll have to wait and see.
Turning down the first job offer was a struggle – after all, the company was okay, the pay/benefits were slightly better than what I now get, and the daily commute would have been the same. Pros included working for a cause I believed in and having co-workers (and a boss) that seemed very easy to work with. Cons were that it was a project-based position (would be renewed mid-2007 if additional funding was available), which could affect my immigration status, and there was not much potential for professional growth (since it was a fairly small company).
The struggle came with thoughts like “what if I turned this job down and the other 3 companies I’m interviewing with don’t hire me?” and “what if this was actually the best job for me and I couldn’t see it since I was being too obtuse?” -- and many variations of such questions. But after much reflection, prayer, deliberation and consultation, I decided to pass on it and wait out the other three prospective positions.
The other 3 companies are all interesting in their own way and I’m not too partial to any particular one at this point. I guess it’s still very premature of me to assume which one I’ll be happier and more successful with – if I do indeed get selected by any of them. So at this point, I’m kinda waiting, hoping and playing it by ear.
I must admit though that I was very surprised that one of the three companies even called me back for a second interview, since during my first interview I got into an argument with the company president. In my defense, I did not know he was the president at that time. Well, come to think of it, maybe my knowing he was the president would not really have made a difference. I still would have let him know what I really thought. And actually, it wasn’t really an argument per say but rather more like a difference in opinion. Several opinions. Anyway after the interview (which ended very abruptly) I found out who he was, I figured I probably had a very slim to none chance of getting the job. So when I got the call to come in for a second interview, I was a bit floored, apparently my “argumentative” (albeit respectfully argumentative) nature didn’t totally eliminate me after all.
Anyway, my fingers remain crossed and I’ll keep my blog posted of any interesting developments.
1 comment:
Job Searching is a learning process. You get to find out the mission and vision of a company, what qualities of an employee they consider important and what they are willing to give in return for your services. But you also get to know something more about yourself: your strong as well as your weak points. You can actually improve yourself when you go job hunting. Enjoy it!
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