Looks like I’m flying out to beautiful SoCal on the 7th for an interview. I feel pretty good about this one. The ultimate super-awesome job in Texas implemented a hiring freeze due to the economy, so I’m still a little bummed about that. It is probably better off that I not take a position in a company that may react so quickly to economic news.
Oh well.
… is the first step to our Escape from New York future lives.
I love the post-apocalyptic, cyberpunk, futuristic, dystopian movies like Mad Max and Blade Runner. In these films, there is always some crisis that has happened in the past and characters are surviving by stealing gas from each other or whatnot. If this 2008 financial crisis ends up being Depression 2.0, then perhaps we should start growing mohawks and bolting spikes onto our motorcycles.
Too bad you can’t find feathered earrings anymore.
These posts are turniing out to be a lot about my hunting for jobs, interviews, and such, but really that’s all that’s going on right now for someone who is unemployed. I normally don’t keep a blog because I do talk to all my friends on a normal basis. This is just something to keep me motivated and get some thoughts out.
With that being said, I guess I did okay on my second interview. It appears they will bring me in for the third in a few weeks. This gives me time to prepare. I’m giving myself a project to work on so my coding skills don’t get rusty.
It’s been nearly two months since the layoff. I’ve managed to do well with my finances, and I haven’t had to dig into my savings yet. I attribute this to the wonderfulness and cheapness of PB&J sandwiches, learning how to cook, and potlucks with friends. Luckily, there isn’t much to do here, so I’m not wasting money on anything remotely FUN… (sigh).
Gas is getting worse, and I think I’m going to give our little public transportation system a tryout next week. Our public trans system consists of one or two trolleys that haul people around. It’s not anything special, and at $1.00 a ride, it might not be that much cheaper. If I’m going to the library, my CR-V may get me there for less than $1.00 in gas. Either way, I’m going to explore it and see if I can benefit from it.
I feel I did pretty well on the second interview. I had a difficult time hearing some of it due to it being over a speakerphone (not sure how many people were listening..), but overall my strategy was successful. The interview was more technical than the last, and I made sure to be honest about my capabilities and experience. At the end of the interview, the hiring manager stated there were other applicants to talk to, but I would definitely hear something back (good or bad).
I am definitely looking forward to a possible third interview. This position is perfect for me, and I like the location.
In a few hours, I’ll be interviewing for the Austin job again (Interview Two). I’m sure I’ll do fine, but it’s hard not to put a lot of pressure on myself. Yeah, there might be things I’m not going to know in the interview, but I thrive in situations where I’m tossed into the Maelstrom. I do know that this is a good opportunity, and lack of opportunity is what has always held me back here. This is a chance to do something really fun.
Had the awesome interview at 2pm today.. well more like 2:30. The interviewer had an issue with his calender app - and I got a little worried when it got to be that late. Oh well, we just brushed it off and stayed focused. The call went very well, and he said that I’d be a perfect fit for the job which sounded very positive.
I prepared well for the interview and if you’ve never seen my pre-phone interview rituals, you’d think I was insane. They’re mostly to calm my nerves but when the phone clicks on and we talk, I just flow. I had post-it notes everywhere to remind me to breathe and stay zen, but strangely I didn’t need them.
I’m very excited about this. I’m scheduled for another interview on Thursday at 10am.
It’s a perfect opportunity to do something organic in an unstructured environment with a company that is really making news. I think it is love.
I called my mom with the news and she just cried. My dad said on the phone not to screw it up (how supportive!). LOL.
My biggest obstacle (as always) is that I can’t show them the work I’ve done for the military on the .mil server. They do know that 50,000 people are using the training - training that if it wasn’t 100% accurate and on-time, people could really be affected. Mission critical.
I can do this. With this opportunity I can shine. For the first time in a long time, I’m just .. wow.
I have to get some sleep now.
Okay, I’ve got a confirmed phone-interview for unnamed awesome company in Austin. I’m just not going to blog about it because I’m afraid to jinx it. We’re on for Thursday at 2pm!
Today I received a email from a talent recruiter asking if I’d have time to speak with him about a Training Developer position I recently applied for. It’s with an awesome (!) company in the Austin area. I’m really excited about this and I hope it works out. I’m good at what I do, I have the experience, and my skills match the job description perfectly.
I’m going to rock this. It’s a perfect fit.
I also got word from a company in San Deigo. I have to set up an interview with them soon in addition to the first one, but I’m really hoping for the awesome Austin job.
I’ve been hitting the resume and job postings pretty heavily now. You don’t know how painful it is to have to create a user profile and go through a resume builder each time you want to apply at a site. It just gets old.
I’ve had a couple of good inquiries and I’m going to start interviewing for another position soon. We’ll see how it goes. At any rate, I’m having a lot of fun with this.
You wouldn’t believe how long it takes to claim unemployment weeks online. The server is crazy slow.
Still looking for work in Austin and San Diego. I’m getting alot of recruiters and DoD people wanting me to consider other areas of the country. Sigh.
Okay the job with the Navy was just as I expected. Not something I really wanted, but it was good interview practice anyway. The management there REALLY wanted me and proceded to discuss amongst themselves ways of convincing their superiors to bring me on faster. Hold on, guys, I didn’t say yes yet.
I put a couple more resumes in the Austin area out today, and one more in San Diego. There are a lot of training development and ISD jobs out there these days. I’m feeling really positive.