Big Change

It's been quite a while since I've written anything here, and that's mostly because I feel like I've not been doing too much. I've been tutoring, gaming, watching too much TV (new addiction to anime, but that may be another blog post), and seeing more of some of my friends. With not much new, I don't tend to post too often.

Now, however, as you probably know, a huge change has come!

Since March, I've been job searching seriously, extremely seriously in the last two months or so. I've sent out dozens of resumes online to office and academic positions. Squeaks helped me completely revamp my resume, which actually brought some response (most of which went the wrong phone number because I worked an unfortunate typo into my resume...). I was becoming a little concerned about my financial and employment situation and frustrated with the lack of progress in my job search. I had focused all of my work on tutoring since (as you may remember from previous posts) I've recently decided teaching, especially adjuncting, is not for me. While I enjoy tutoring and I am good at it, there are too few hours in it for me, which means I couldn't work only at tutoring for long. I wouldn't be able to pay the bills without another part-time job, and I'd rather not work two part-time jobs if I can help it.

About two weeks ago, I applied for a position described as editing and administrative work. As it turns out, the company I had applied to was not the employer but a recruitment company. They do the legwork in finding candidates for positions so employers don't have to work so hard to find the best candidates; this company does most of the hard work for them. I had not planned to work with any kind of employment agency, but this seemed like a solid opportunity, so I decided to go for it. My recruiter, Phil, offered advice for interviews and worked as the go-between for my potential employer. Throughout, he's been extremely helpful and taken quite a bit of weight off of my shoulders.

Last Tuesday, I had my first interview with someone from the employer. I thought it went extremely well, but then, I've recently discovered I'm pretty good at interviews and make a great first impression (who would have guessed?), but you never know what the interviewer is actually looking for. I heard from Phil that same afternoon that they wanted a second interview with me! This was new, as I had only had a few first interviews, much less any second interviews. So, last Friday, I had my "second" interview for the job, which was really two more first interviews; I talked to two different people: my potential supervisor/trainer and someone who I would be working pretty closely with on various projects. I thought both of those conversations went well, but, again, I never know how it'll all turn out. Late that afternoon, I heard from Phil, who said that they seemed to like me and they had asked about my availability and whether I'd have to give notice to anyone. I took this as a positive sign; why would they care if I had to give notice unless they were seriously considering hiring me? I spent the whole weekend assuming I had the job, knowing I wouldn't hear anything more specific until at least Monday, but then I tried to force myself to reality on Monday morning. After all, it's possible that they asked the same question of the others being considered for the job and just wanted to have all available information about each candidate before making a final decision. Then, I waited...

Finally, early Monday afternoon, Phil called. He had the job offer! I was relieved and excited that I had finally done it; it felt like this search took forever, but six months isn't really that long for a job search anymore. Phil also mentioned that I had been competing with four or five others for the job; I had thought it was only two--that higher number sure does add a confidence boost, as does the fact that Phil said I had blown them away in my interviews. Wonder of wonders!

So this position (as you may have noticed, I'm going out of my way to avoid mentioning either company by name, for a number of reasons), is part administrative and part editing. The company, as I understand it at the moment, is one that conducts analyses and surveys on the risk potential of various industrial processes and procedures, and offers recommendations for avoiding and limiting catastrophic events and industrial accidents. It involves the work of many engineers and various kinds of industry, so I will have quite a bit to learn. Eventually, my job will focus primarily on editing and proofreading the reports the engineers create at the conclusions of their site visits and analyses. I'll be learning many terms and concepts that are utterly foreign to me know. They're going to give me time to learn all of this, so, meanwhile, I'll be helping around the office with various tasks (filing, organizing, creating and preparing documents and information packets, etc.). I was looking for office work, but this had the bonus of using my knowledge of English and editing, as well as my experience tutoring in and helping with various subjects (including sciences and engineering). I don't think I could have found anything better at this point! I know it will be rough to start a career in a completely different field, but I'm excited at the necessity of learning and the continually evolving nature of the job. I haven't felt the need to learn for a while, and I'm looking forward to the (extreme) challenge this new job is going to bring me.

I'm relieved and happy about this opportunity and the fact that my job search is over! I had many people praying for me and sending positive vibes my way, and I'm extremely appreciative.