Oh really? I didn't get the job?

Here is the email I got Friday from Old Dominion University:

Dear Applicant:

Thank you for your interest in the Health Sciences Reference Librarian Position, #FA598A, with the 1LB10-Library Public Services Department, at Old Dominion University.

After reviewing your application, the hiring manager did not select you for an interview and the position has now been filled. We hope you will continue to seek employment opportunities with Old Dominion University.

Sincerely,
Department of Human Resources

Well, I don't remember when I applied for this job but I can guarantee it was sometime before April 2007 so it's been at least 15 months. So thanks so much for telling me I didn't get the position. I really thought I was still in the running.

Found a place to live!!

I went to Washington, DC, this past weekend to try to find a place to live (after being extremely stressed out about it all last week) and actually found a place. It's an apartment and I'll have a roommate but she seems pretty cool and I think we'll get along well. After living with my parents, I think any place where I get more independence will be fine. She is also currently moving from a one-bedroom into a two-bedroom so she has some adjustments to make too but it seems like there is enough room for me to bring most of my belongings (even those that do not fit in the bedroom) and all utilties are included, plus there is a washer & dryer on premises, a huge balcony with great views of the city and other extra-curriculars like a pool, tennis court and billiards room. Seriously, I want to learn how to play pool because I SUCK at it. All my friends literally laughed at me every time I tried to play the last two years. Another good thing is that the location is really close to where I lived when I was there two years ago so I know where everything is and like it. It's about a 20-minute drive to work, I'm told, even during rush hour. Since I don't have to take the freeway to get to work, I can't imagine traffic is too unbearably stop-and-go. AND, my new employer pays for parking so that makes driving that much nicer! In sum, it's a HUGE relief to have it taken care of...

I GOT A JOB!!

By the way, I FINALLY got a job. I can't believe it!! It's at a trade association in the Washington, DC, area so it's kind of exactly what I thought I wanted when I started job searching. Except it's a lot more responsibility than I thought I would get with my first librarian job. I even have to manage someone! It's also a lot less librarian duties and a lot more information management duties but I hope, since there is some ability to make the job what I want, that I can infuse more librarian into it with time. The salary rocks too. Now I just have to find a place to live. I start May 2nd.

Charlie, I'm coming to DC!! We'll be able to hang out!

Job news, chapter 193

I had a phone interview today with a database company in Durham, NC. I think it went pretty well. The woman was very nice and I felt we got along. Plus, all my coworkers have biographies online so I was able to read a little bit about them and also see their pictures and many of them seem like we could get along well... if you can tell that sort of thing from a 100-word bio.

I saw this post about "How to Ace a Phone Interview" yesterday and thought it might help me, but it didn't really. Most of the tips were things I already do (keep notes nearby) or had already ruled out (dressing up for the interview as if it was in-person). But what was mentioned pretty frequently and that I'd never heard or considered before was that one should stand up while doing the interview. I thought about it and again, decided no. If it was an in-person interview, you wouldn't stand. I must do okay on phone interviews as I would guess I've parlayed approximately 66% of them into in-person second interviews.

And, speaking of which, I have an in-person second interview at a New Jersey book vendor next Monday, 4/16. I was kind of gung ho on Boston or Washington DC for a long time but I'm starting to get kind of excited about the prospect of moving to New Jersey. Or Durham. Either place wouldn't be so bad. Durham has nicer weather, of course. And one of my best friends lives there. But New Jersey is less than an hour from New York City!

Changes in procedure

I have another written test scheduled as the first step of the interview process for my county library system here in Cleveland. In the past when I took the tests, there was one scheduled time where everyone had to show up... if you couldn't make it, oh well... and the testing took place at the system's Administration building. Now, this time, you can show up anytime over two days and you must go directly to the branch that is hiring. No appointment is needed and you simply go right to the reference desk to ask for the test and are then given an hour to take it. Although, now that I think about it, how strict are they going to be about that? It's not like the reference librarian has nothing better to do than to watch the clock on this test-taker. It's an interesting change. Obviously this allows for more people to show up as they can come at their convenience. On the down side, I will have no idea how many people I'll be competing against.

Interview disaster

I had a phone interview this morning and it was pretty much a disaster. I think it was a matter of two people just not "clicking" so there was probably nothing to be done differently but the more I think about it, the angrier I get. During our half hour conversation, she clicked over to another call or put me on hold to talk to someone in her office FOUR times. I was patient the first couple of times, but I was really kind of annoyed by the fourth time. Especially because at the end, although she told me that she was going to pass on my information to the next round of interviewers, she basically criticized me and said that I didn't really do a good job of answering her questions. Then she proceeded to tell me how to better answer the questions to the next round of interviewees, which I guess was supposed to be a public service, but which enfuriated me because the fact is that I did say EXACTLY what she told me to say.... she just clearly didn't hear it that way, probably because she was so busy putting me on hold in the midst of all my responses. She also said that she didn't see any motivation in my resume (huh?), since my background is quite varied. Apparently, you aren't allowed to switch careers in your lifetime? Nor are you allowed to have three completely unique library internships, like I did, because instead of teaching me a multitude of skills, it makes me look unfocused. I guess I do see that point of view, but what am I supposed to do about it now? Other people have said they like that I have a lot of different experiences so I guess you can't win all the time.

I'm not sure if I will indeed "move forward" for this position or truly if I even want to. We'll see. I have another phone interview tomorrow afternoon, though, for a cataloging position in New Jersey and at least that is with library personnel. I find the interviews with human resources people or recruiters who do not have a library background at all can be really frustrating.

Job news, chapter 84

The latest job news is that I had an interview in Washington, DC, at a trade association yesterday. It went okay, but, to tell you the truth, I'm not that hopeful about it. We'll see. I'm kind of mad that I drove all the way there and back, spent the money for a hotel and they couldn't even pay to validate my parking. Although they gave me a full description of the benefits that come with the job and they seem okay, you have to wonder about a place that can't even thank you for coming by validating your parking. But oh well.

And, I have two phone interviews scheduled for next week: with a research/consulting firm outside Boston on Monday morning and with a book vendor for a cataloging position in central New Jersey on Tuesday afternoon.

So, who knows?

Rejected yet again

So my dreams of moving to South Florida and becoming a newspaper librarian have been shattered by a rejection this morning. This one hits really, really hard because I really felt like I fit in there and was so excited about the prospect of doing that for a living. It truly was a dream job for me. But, of course, I heard the ole 'you have no experience' crap yet again. The woman, the library director, had the nerve to imply that it wasn't her decision and she didn't agree with it - and maybe she didn't - but then she could have fought for me a little harder. She is, after all, the library director. Also, she implied that she would love to be a reference for me, should I need one. Umm, what exactly is she going to say to another prospective employer? "Well, I thought she was great.... No, I didn't hire her.... Well, she didn't have any experience.... I'm sure she'd be perfect for your job... Well, right, I didn't think she would be good here... Well, no, I didn't want to give her a chance but that's no reason why you shouldn't...." It's seriously one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard.

I am so incredibly frustrated by the job search process, I can't even put it in to words. And I guess there is no reason to despair. I mean, I do have an interview on Weds. and some place else just called to set up a phone interview with me. But, I am just really sick to death of hearing that I have no experience. Umm, you saw my resume before you met with me in person. Plus, there is some training period for any new hire, regardless of the experience they have or not. And I would venture to guess that it could be a lot easier to train someone new who is sharp and intelligent than someone with so-called experience who is used to doing things their own way.

Bottom line, though, I suggest never reading anything from The Palm Beach Post ever again. If you did in the first place, that is.

Interview: Day Two

Day two was fine. I met with the newspaper's Newsroom Administrator, the Managing Editor and the Metro Editor. Even though my understanding is that none of these people have any say at all in me getting hired. I attended the daily morning story pitch meeting again. (Well, it's not exactly a pitch meeting but more like a 'this is what we are working on' meeting. But I suppose the Managing Editor could nix something?) I also went to lunch with one of my potential coworkers and it was nice. She had some interesting things to say about my potential boss, primarily how she is really kind of strict and critical and that this gal was convinced she was going to get fired in her first few months. I also met the part-time researcher, who was really nice. I liked her alot. I also sat shotgun on the reference desk for a good part of the day, which is kind of interesting in terms of seeing what kinds of questions come in but kind of frustrating in that it makes me want to work on them, instead of sitting there watching someone else work on them!!

And in other job news...

The interview I had about six weeks ago, where the guy said at the end that he had plenty of great candidates from the Washington, DC, area and didn't really need to be going outside the area to hire someone, has apparently changed his mind. He emailed me today and asked if I had been hired anywhere yet and if I was still interested in the position with him. I guess all those great DCites weren't so great after all. Very interesting, no? I barely even remember the interview with him or what the job entails. I also wonder what happened. Is it a totally crappy job that everyone else ended up turning down or did he hire someone, that person started and was a total failure and now he's going down his list of candidates to see if anyone is still available? Very curious, I am.

And I was just starting to get used to the idea that I might be moving to Florida...

Interview: Day One

I wasn't sure if my interview was going to be an all day thing or not, but it was. Actually, it was longer because I went out to dinner with my prospective boss and her husband. They are very generous! I am so exhausted by it all since I didn't sleep much again last night. By my count, I've had about 5 hours of sleep over the last two days. Tomorrow, I have to be back there at 9am again for another full day so I BETTER sleep tonight. I met everyone I would be working with, worked alongside a couple of them, took some tests, went to a couple editorial meetings and actually had to work on answering a reference question. Tomorrow I meet the paper's managing editor, among other things. Plus, more meetings and more facetime with my prospective library coworkers.

Still under consideration

I got an email from a place in Chicago that I had applied awhile ago (maybe December or January?) telling me that the job was reposted but that I was still under consideration and would not have to resubmit my resume. At first, I was thinking, "Umm, well, thanks, but if I don't have to do anything, why are you bothering to contact me?" But then I started to think that it was kind of nice of them to write. I mean, there have been times that I see a job reposted and I'm not sure if I should apply again... maybe they lost all the applications, maybe a new person is in charge of hiring and the candidate information wasn't passed on, or maybe they just weren't happy with any of the applicants and are hoping for a new batch of them. Whatever the reason, it's nice of her to update me!

Now, I'm not going to get into the reasons why I'm still in the running yet they feel the need to repost the ad and what that truly means for my chances...

Blah

I don't really have anything to say but I'm still writing anyway. I have spent most of the day doing homework. We had to participate in a Web teleconference for my one class. That was about two hours long. It was through this WebEx service, which is kind of cool. I'll have to keep it in mind should I ever have to organize a Web teleconference of my own. Before that started, I did homework. And I still have a ton of homework to do, both from last week and this coming week. Not to mention that I haven't even started to do anything for my second class. So I'm approximately eight weeks behind on that one. Yeah, don't want to think about it.

I also got a rejection today... from the law firm I interviewed with in DC a couple weeks ago. Great. And I thought it went well.

More bad news

Also today, I got a phone call from the place near DC that had a job fair a couple weeks ago. The woman called and asked me to come for an interview on Monday. I can't go on Monday! Of all the days on the calendar, the only day I could not do an interview is Monday. I already have another appointment Monday afternoon. Here in Cleveland, of course. So I asked her if we could do it another day and she said no.

I'm kind of annoyed by it all. When I went to the job fair, she specifically told me that they call people in for interviews and give them a lot of advance warning, like two weeks! When she told me, I thought, "Hmm, that's a lot of notice!" Also, I didn't believe her! So what happens? She calls Thursday afternoon and wants me to come in two days. You know, not counting the weekend. Besides the fact that I'm coming from out of town, isn't that a ridiculously little amount of notice? I've found that to be the case for a few jobs I've interviewed for... "You come the day we say or you don't come at all." I just don't understand that mindset. I guess they feel they have a plethora of good candidates and can afford to eliminate people who are so inflexible that they can't make it the one day set aside for them but in my mind, it doesn't exactly create good will. Do I want to work for an employer who is so rigid and inflexible that they can't even set aside TWO days to possibly interview you? Not especially.

To Florida for Spring Break

I've got an interview in Palm Beach, Florida, the week after next so I get to go to Florida in mid-March! I think it is actually during my spring break, although I'm sure I won't have time to hit the beach. Or to go to a spring training baseball game. I'll be there Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday morning. And, the best part, the company is paying for it all. I'm really psyched!

Out of Town the last few days

So in case anyone was wondering where I was for the last few days, I was out of town for job interviews! I went to Washington DC for an interview with a law firm and also to attend a job fair at a public library.

I think the interview at the law firm went pretty well and I really would like the job so it's kind of exciting. I think he liked me but well, for one thing, I'm trying to prevent getting too excited about anything job-related nowadays. And, also, you never know even if they like you, it doesn't mean they don't like someone else better. But it would be a great learning opportunity for a few years that could lead to me going elsewhere as a real skilled law librarian. It's an awesome location too, directly across the street from a Metro stop in downtown DC, in a beautiful, gorgeous office.

The job fair, however, was kind of a waste of my time. I knew that they were also accepting applications by mail and could have just called to have an application sent to me but I really felt showing up in person would be beneficial. However, they barely wanted to speak to me and seemed not impressed at all that I had traveled from Ohio to see them. But, who knows? Maybe it did help and I will get a call for an interview in a few weeks.

Job News Bonanza

THREE potential employers contacted me today so wow, what a good day! I have a phone interview on Monday morning with a newspaper library in South Florida. I'm really excited about that because a news library is probably my dream job. South Florida, not so much, but I can definitely think of a lot worse places to live! Then, someone from National Geographic contacted me about a job I applied for, an apparently way entry-level (therefore, I'm kind of overqualified for it and probably won't be happy with the salary) job, but we are going to talk about it more on Monday afternoon. And finally I heard from a law firm in the Washington DC area. They are interested but wanted to know if I'm actually in the DC area currently and if not, when am I planning to relocate? I emailed them back but never heard anything else. Hopefully that just means they left early on a Friday afternoon and not that they are no longer interested.

It wasn't all good news. I did get a rejection email too.

Interview recap

My two interviews today went okay but I really don't expect to get to the next round for either of them.

The insurance company guy was kind of a jerk, to be honest, and I felt like I had to constantly defend myself, even though there must have been something they liked about me or they wouldn't have called, right? I don't know. I do think I did okay, though. He said such things as "Librarians are kind of a dying breed, right?" and "Can't all that stuff just be automated?" and "I pretty much find everything I need from Google." Yet, they have this database that they use to evaluate risk and apparently they are in desperate need to have someone on staff who understands it and what kind of information can be retrieved from it and, most importantly, someone who can conduct proper searches for it. Yes, well, that person would be called a librarian!

The trade association guy (seriously, I think these were my first two male interviewers from all these interviews I've had) was okay and again, I think I did fairly well, but then at the end he said something like "Well, we got a lot of response from our ad and there are a number of people here in the Washington, DC, area so I'm not sure we need to be looking from outside the area." Umm, thanks. Obviously, the main question is, "Then why did you even bother calling me?"

Mystery job

And, speaking of jobs, I applied for this position today that was advertised on the Washington Post online job board. It's for a "Research Specialist" at a national trade association. The job description sounded good, like really what I want, but the odd thing is that there was no mention of the organization's name or the name of a contact person or even where it was located. There was simply a vague Gmail address as the place to apply and it said "Other VA" for the location. That could mean anything. I wasn't sure if I should apply for it - why all the secrecy? - but I did, so we'll see. I did a little investigation in the Encyclopedia of Associations and limited it to national organizations in Virginia with an economic focus (as it said in the ad) and came up with about ten possibilities. Assuming the info in the ad is accurate, any of these organizations that fit that description seem like they would be fine to work for. Still, it's odd.

Tomorrow: Two interviews

On Monday, I have two phone interviews scheduled, so that is kind of exciting. And nerve-wracking. One, which I mentioned the other day, is with an insurance company outside Boston. That's at 1pm. Then, at 3pm, I have an interview with, ironically, an insurance trade association outside Washington, DC. Two interviews on the same day, both involving the insurance industry!

It's been about a month or so since I've had an interview and I'm out of practice! I was trying to study somewhat today but I don't think I accomplished much so I'll have to try to get up early tomorrow to make sure I find time to do it then because I don't want to sound like an idiot, especially for the second one, which I'm more excited about because the job comes with a lot more duties that appeal to me. Wish me luck!