resume

As in I’m resuming my career story.

So I didn’t have money to buy any fancy dress suits and while I did what I could through goodwill and buffalo exchange and what not, I never did get a full suit. Some days I managed to go in with a simple black skirt and blouse and a blazer, but considering I only had one such outfit, I couldn’t wear that every single day. So most days it was slacks and a top, and maybe a blazer.

Mr. M continued to get annoyed with me. I was written up, sent to HR for formal documented insubordination talks, and basically made enemies of both the executives and HR. Fun position to be in. Not. HR works for the company; just a reminder in case you ever think HR is on your side. I work in HR now. I know.

At the same time as I kept wondering and asking if I was getting fired and being told no (probably because they knew they didn’t *really* have cause). With some trepidation, after seven years of working there, I put together a resume as best I could. I got references from Kieth at his new job and from L who ran the gift shop, and was earnestly job hunting.

I got a few interviews, very few, but most probably filed my degree-less job history in the circular bin.

It took some weeks. Unemployment was hovering around 8%, so it may have been more like many weeks. I had been getting desperate, applying just about anywhere for just about any job. I finally got another interview. It was a hole-in-the-wall place in a strange little building in an odd part of town.

I spoke with the office manager. I took a math test. It was the easiest math test ever, like nothing at all complicated. The talk with the office manager went okay but didn’t leave me feeling very hopeful.

And then I got a call from the system admin of this hole-in-the-wall place. He set up a second interview with himself and the vice president of the company. It was all very casual. They asked if I was still interested in working there (duh), they asked about my experience with Lotus and with macros (decent), they commented that I was the only one of their candidates who got a 100% of the math test (you have got to be kidding me), and then they hired me.

I went back to the hotel with a bounce in my step the next day and gave a week’s notice.

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