Lessons learned in interviewing in the big city

Alright, I've been falling behind in my blogging lately ... WAY TOO MUCH HOMEWORK!! Seriously, I feel like I spend all my time these days either reading, driving, or sitting in class (pretty much in that order from most time to least). I've also been looking for a job. In fact, I had an interview this morning. It was quite an experience.

I got up bright and early this morning and got all dressed up in my business best (yeah, that's pretty much khakis for me) and headed up to north Dallas. About fifteen minutes before the interview time, I pulled into the parking garage, got out, and headed toward a cluster of very official-looking buildings. I was a bit overwhelmed by the poshness of it all (excuse the Bitishism, but it really seems the only term that would work for this situation) and immediately felt out of place and under dressed. Luckily, I did remember at the last minute to change from my Old Navy flip flops into some of my nicer Indian sandals that I keep in my car (yes, I keep two pairs of my nice shoes in my car and wear my flip flops to drive and walk around in so that I can change shoes whenever I need to be all professional-looking ... or at least less slobbish).

As I exited the parking garage heading toward the office buildings, I passed a couple of women immaculately groomed and dressed in business suits. They gave me one of those 'are you lost or just stupid' looks. So that was a nice self-esteem booster before heading to my interview. It also made me aware that my hair had never completely dried after my shower this morning because I'm not patient enough to dry it all the way and the weather is so ridiculously wet that the hour + in the car didn't dry it either.

The building cluster was a corporate maze and it took me a little while to find the right building, the right door to that building, and make it up to the right floor. Luckily, I was still a good ten minutes early. I was invited to a seat beside the receptionist where I sat for the next 30 to 40 minutes waiting on the person conducting my interview to finish up with her meeting/whatever else important work she had going on. During this time, I got to know the receptionist pretty well and heard all about her brother in the hospital with lung-transplant complications and her daughter-in-law who was also in the hospital at the same time waiting to get her gallbladder taken out. I was very relieved, however, to notice that the atmosphere in the office was much more casual than that of others that I had passed on the way. Everyone in the office was in jeans (it was casual Friday, I was informed, where everyone gets to wear jeans and they make popcorn, some of which I was offered no less than five times by the receptionist who was so sorry that I had to wait so long).

Finally, my interviewer came out, introduced herself and ushered me back to her office. The interview lasted all of ten minutes. She told me a little bit about the company and the job and asked me all the stupid but mandatory interview questions (i.e. If we contacted your references, what would they say are your strongest and weakest qualities? To which I couldn't help but wonder, if you really want to know the answer to that question, why don't you ask THEM. But I kept that to myself and answered as best I could.) As far as interviews go, it wasn't bad. The job sounds interesting, but a lot of it would include calling supporters and asking for money, which would certainly stretch me a bit as a person. At the conclusion of the ten minutes, I was told that they had some others applicants that they were also considering for the position, but that they would be discussing their options soon and would give me a call Monday.

So that's the story on the job front. More waiting, but in the mean time, I've got another company I think I'm going to call and get information on.

I'm really eager to get a job  that will allow me to get an apartment in the Dallas area and not have to spend half of my life driving! It's been crazy the past two weeks especially. Seriously, there hasn't been one drive (neither to nor from Dallas) that I haven't gotten rained on at some point, and really, not just rained on ... poured on! In fact, I was very nearly late for class last night because it was raining most of the way and apparently Dallas drivers think that you must not drive over 45 mph in the rain. God did give me a great promise, however, that it will have to stop sometime. I don't know if you can tell in the picture, but there are actually two rainbows. It was pouring down rain on me and to my left, but to the right of me the sun was shining.

Praying for sunshine and an income!!