Lookin' Real Hard and I'm Tryin' to Find a Job But It Just Keeps Gettin' Harder Every Day

Well, faithful readers, it's time for an update on the job search. In the closing of my last post I mentioned that I had received a call from a reputable company local to Fort Collins regarding a good position that I was very interested in. After that initial phone interview, the human resources lady on the other end advised that if I hadn't heard from the hiring manager by the 14th to give her a call on the 15th to get a status update. Well, readers, I spent the time between that initial call and the 14th researching as much as I could on the company and the position so I could make sure that I was fully prepared for that second interview. On the 14th I sat here with my phone and packet of info ready just waiting for the call. Alas, the call was never to come. So, mid-morning on the following day I called the HR lady back to get the status check. She advised that since the hiring manager had been traveling internationally the previous week he was currently trying to catch up and was behind in the interviewing process. The position was indeed still open, however, she advised that there were several internal candidates also vying for the open spot. I was relieved to hear that the non-callback was not a snub, but I admit I was a bit disheartened by the news of the internal candidates. Although I feel I am a slam-dunk as far as their required qualifications go, an inside person always has an edge since they already know the inside workings of the company (not to mention the hiring manager personally, most likely). The HR lady said that she would probably know more by today and would give me a call to let me know, but here it is a little bit after noon and still no call. Lame. I really liked that job, too.

So, I was feeling a bit dejected because of the events detailed above and the day-to-day at my current place of employment wasn't making me feel any better. It has gone beyond the point of petty annoyance and frustration. We on the financial staff have been instructed to engage in a procedure that at the very best is extremely bad accounting and at the worst in violation of Sarbanes-Oxley. This information was passed on to me by one of my sales rep friends with a kind of "can you believe this?!" message attached and I immediately forwarded it onto the Big Boss Lady and the other financial members noting a handful of red flags and expressing my extreme reservations about following this procedure. The response back I received from the BBL basically said, "this is the new procedure and this is how we will be conducting it" along with some more instruction. Not a single one of my red flag examples were addressed. One of the other financial managers said that she completely agreed with me and that she would also express her dissent in writing as well and then print out a copy for when the federal investigators show up. Good advice...

So anyway, I was kinda bummed out on my drive home yesterday when my phone rang. I expected it to be the mrs., but instead it was for another job that I applied for. They wanted to know if I was available next week for an interview. Heck ya! I was totally back in my upswing. Funny thing is, though, that when I was applying for this job I thought there was no way that they would even bother considering me for it since I didn't really have the experience to back it up. But apparently I BS'd enough in my cover letter to convince them otherwise. Pretty groovy. Once again, though, competition will be very heavy for this position. Even more than the other position that I was called back on. So, I am now trying to do as much research as I can for this job to make up that experience deficit. Keep those fingers crossed...

And finally, this one is for Sassinak. I get sent the Merriam-Webster word of the day every morning and Sass for sure would grok why this is pretty darn cool:

The Word of the Day for February 16, 2007 is:

grok • \GROCK\ • verb: to understand profoundly and intuitively

Example Sentence:
No matter how many times I try to explain it, my grandmother just can't grok what a blog is and why anyone would want to read one.

Did you know?
"Grok" may be the only English word that derives from Martian. Yes, we do mean the language of the planet Mars. No, we're not getting spacey; we've just ventured into the realm of science fiction. "Grok" was introduced in Robert A. Heinlein's 1961 science fiction novel Stranger in a Strange Land. The book's main character, Valentine Michael Smith, is a Martian-raised human who comes to earth as an adult, bringing with him words from his native tongue and a unique perspective on the strange, strange ways of earthlings. "Grok" was quickly adopted by the youth culture of America and has since peppered the vernacular of those who grok it, from the hippies of the '60s to the computerniks of the '90s.