The ending of this story isn't as important as the journey to it. The path was not an easy one. It wasn't an entirely unfamiliar one either though. So before I draw this epic story to a close I will give you a post of perspective.
Last August I had an interview for a job with the Manitoba government. I was really excited about the opportunity. I was burning out at my job and wanted a change desperately. I was pleasantly surprised when I got to the interview to see someone in the room who had recently left Good-Wooden. I had forgotten completely where he had ended up. While we had never worked together on anything, I knew he thought good things of me. I felt certain this connection would be a huge asset for me.
The interview seemed to go fine. The former Good-Wooden manager along with the department manager took turns asking me questions. I felt I demonstrated my experience and knowledge well. The biggest challenge for me in interviews is remembering what I've done or explaining how I did it. When it was my turn to ask questions I asked the department manager what made me stand out for her as a good candidate.
"You can write, I mean, that is obvious, you are a talented writer," she said. At that point, I still found it surprising to hear this. I'd written a lot of cover letters and resumes that went unanswered and I always just assumed it was because I didn't do a good enough job of putting the right words together to sell me as a worthy candidate.
At the end of the interview I was given a take home assignment. It was challenging but I felt good about what I had come up with. I submitted the assignment and waited for "the call". It was supposed to come by the end of the week. When it didn't, I followed up.
"We are still deciding," the department manager told me.
I waited another week and placed another call. I had to leave a message on a Friday afternoon. The next day I was going with my parents on a week-long trip to Minneapolis. I took my phone with me and watched it every day for missed calls and new voicemails.
While away I got an email from Amara. She told me that she was soon announcing to the department that she was going to be having a baby. She had just told Michael that day and completely surprised him.
When I got back from my trip I finally got confirmation that I didn't get the job. I was incredibly disappointed. I was invited to come pick up my portfolio though and have a chat with the department manager. She gave me some advice and again said that I was a strong writer. She had scored me quite high on the assignment but it was the interview scores that brought me down. She said I seemed surprised by the questions.
It wasn't long after Amara's announcement that I was approached about taking on Amara's job while she was on mat leave. My boss at the time told me to take a day to think it over. I didn't need to think it over. I couldn't believe my dream was coming true. I had wanted to work on Amara and Michael's team for a long time. They just made it look like so much fun. They're both fun people and the work they did seemed so much more interesting than mine. A lot of the other teams in the department were adding new positions because they just couldn't keep up with the work. That didn't seem to be the case for Michael and Amara's team so my chances of being able to jump over to help fill a new role there didn't look good. I had never considered that something would open up because someone would leave. I could not have been happier that day when I accepted the offer to baby-sit Amara's job.
About a month later I got a call from the department manager with the government job. She had a new opening. They hadn't posted it yet to the public but she was giving me first crack at it. If I said yes she'd do a quick reference check and the job would be mine.
"Would you like to take a few minutes to think about it and then call me back?" she asked.
My parents were traveling in B.C. and Lisa was in Victoria doing her residency requirement for her masters program. All I had to help me make the decision was my gut instinct.
I was torn and yet I knew what I really wanted. The job being offered paid more and involved a lot more writing. It was only a one year-term but nobody ever really leaves a government job. They always find another place for you if you don't get extended.
I called the department manager back and declined her offer, explaining that I had just accepted a position in my department and I wanted to stay with it.
"They've offered you something more challenging? More of what you are looking for?" she asked.
"Yes," I said.
I hung up the phone and wondered if I had made the best decision. I never felt regret, but I thought about it a lot over the last 11 months, especially recently. What if I had said yes? At least then, Michael would've hired someone who might've stuck around for the full term instead of leaving him in a lurch eight months in.
You ever find yourself somewhere having a good time and then someone tells you it's time to go and you look at them and say "five more minutes. Just five more and then we can go home". That's what this was all starting to feel like. On that Monday morning as I got ready for the lunch it was beginning to feel around the four and a half minute mark. I knew my time at Good-Wooden Leg was almost up.
If you change your mind, I'm the first in line
Honey I'm still free
Take a chance on me
If you need me, let me know, gonna be around
--ABBA, Take a Chance on Me
Have I ever mentioned on here how much I hate ABBA?
Last August I had an interview for a job with the Manitoba government. I was really excited about the opportunity. I was burning out at my job and wanted a change desperately. I was pleasantly surprised when I got to the interview to see someone in the room who had recently left Good-Wooden. I had forgotten completely where he had ended up. While we had never worked together on anything, I knew he thought good things of me. I felt certain this connection would be a huge asset for me.
The interview seemed to go fine. The former Good-Wooden manager along with the department manager took turns asking me questions. I felt I demonstrated my experience and knowledge well. The biggest challenge for me in interviews is remembering what I've done or explaining how I did it. When it was my turn to ask questions I asked the department manager what made me stand out for her as a good candidate.
"You can write, I mean, that is obvious, you are a talented writer," she said. At that point, I still found it surprising to hear this. I'd written a lot of cover letters and resumes that went unanswered and I always just assumed it was because I didn't do a good enough job of putting the right words together to sell me as a worthy candidate.
At the end of the interview I was given a take home assignment. It was challenging but I felt good about what I had come up with. I submitted the assignment and waited for "the call". It was supposed to come by the end of the week. When it didn't, I followed up.
"We are still deciding," the department manager told me.
I waited another week and placed another call. I had to leave a message on a Friday afternoon. The next day I was going with my parents on a week-long trip to Minneapolis. I took my phone with me and watched it every day for missed calls and new voicemails.
While away I got an email from Amara. She told me that she was soon announcing to the department that she was going to be having a baby. She had just told Michael that day and completely surprised him.
When I got back from my trip I finally got confirmation that I didn't get the job. I was incredibly disappointed. I was invited to come pick up my portfolio though and have a chat with the department manager. She gave me some advice and again said that I was a strong writer. She had scored me quite high on the assignment but it was the interview scores that brought me down. She said I seemed surprised by the questions.
It wasn't long after Amara's announcement that I was approached about taking on Amara's job while she was on mat leave. My boss at the time told me to take a day to think it over. I didn't need to think it over. I couldn't believe my dream was coming true. I had wanted to work on Amara and Michael's team for a long time. They just made it look like so much fun. They're both fun people and the work they did seemed so much more interesting than mine. A lot of the other teams in the department were adding new positions because they just couldn't keep up with the work. That didn't seem to be the case for Michael and Amara's team so my chances of being able to jump over to help fill a new role there didn't look good. I had never considered that something would open up because someone would leave. I could not have been happier that day when I accepted the offer to baby-sit Amara's job.
About a month later I got a call from the department manager with the government job. She had a new opening. They hadn't posted it yet to the public but she was giving me first crack at it. If I said yes she'd do a quick reference check and the job would be mine.
"Would you like to take a few minutes to think about it and then call me back?" she asked.
My parents were traveling in B.C. and Lisa was in Victoria doing her residency requirement for her masters program. All I had to help me make the decision was my gut instinct.
I was torn and yet I knew what I really wanted. The job being offered paid more and involved a lot more writing. It was only a one year-term but nobody ever really leaves a government job. They always find another place for you if you don't get extended.
I called the department manager back and declined her offer, explaining that I had just accepted a position in my department and I wanted to stay with it.
"They've offered you something more challenging? More of what you are looking for?" she asked.
"Yes," I said.
I hung up the phone and wondered if I had made the best decision. I never felt regret, but I thought about it a lot over the last 11 months, especially recently. What if I had said yes? At least then, Michael would've hired someone who might've stuck around for the full term instead of leaving him in a lurch eight months in.
You ever find yourself somewhere having a good time and then someone tells you it's time to go and you look at them and say "five more minutes. Just five more and then we can go home". That's what this was all starting to feel like. On that Monday morning as I got ready for the lunch it was beginning to feel around the four and a half minute mark. I knew my time at Good-Wooden Leg was almost up.
If you change your mind, I'm the first in line
Honey I'm still free
Take a chance on me
If you need me, let me know, gonna be around
--ABBA, Take a Chance on Me
Have I ever mentioned on here how much I hate ABBA?
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