Almostgotit.com

I’ve just been “tagged” by Peggy at the Career Encouragement Blog

The rules of tagging:

1. Post these rules before you give your facts.
2. List 8 random facts about yourself.
3. At the end of your post, choose (tag) 8 people and list their names (linking to them)
4. Leave them a comment on their blog letting them know they’ve been tagged!

8 Random Facts About Me:

1. I have a double-jointed big toe.
2. I didn’t like olives or coffee until after I was in my 30’s, and now they are both my favorites.
3. I’ve written and produced three plays. Really, really obscure ones.
4. I was an English major and have read lots of great books, but I still love children’s literature most of all.
5. I’ve never had a full-time job, regular salary, and benefits all at the same time.
6. If I didn’t already eat meat, I wouldn’t be able to start now.
7. Today in particular, I’m thinking about contacting Peggy to learn more about the “accepted process of panhandling” This may be a skill I’ll need.
8. I’d never, ever tell my kids and their friends that I used to be able to burp the entire alphabet, too.

The eight bloggers I’m tagging are all (pick one: brilliant, funny, inspiring) people I’d love to know better: some I know already, others I’ve only corresponded with by email or via blog comments.

The Rocky Road of Love and other Great Recipes
The True Vyne
The Pink Slip
Wishy the Writer (’course, she’s taking a “blogging hiatus” at the moment. But read hers, anyway!)
Working Girl
Work Coach
Lauri Kendrick
The Change Agent

The world recordholder for number of extended-play rejections for jobs at The Institution Which Shall Not Be Named? That would be me.

“You’ve been to your interview, you’ve waited patiently, but you haven’t heard from the interviewer. You need to make the follow-up call.” – Carolyn Silvey, VP, Staffing Solutions

Careerbuilder.com suggests waiting a week to 10 days before following up, giving the company time to complete any other interviews and wrap up other business related to the hiring situation. If one hasn’t heard from the company after that, so the reasoning goes, it is time to make contact (by phone or email) to indicate one is still interested in the job and to determine if the position has already been filled. At the same time, one is also supposed not to be intrusive or annoying.

In my opinion? Any phone call initiated by a candidate at this point will probably be both intrusive and annoying.

Whether the company hasn’t been able, or hasn’t bothered to call a candidate after an extended period of time, (e.g., THREE WEEKS) it’s a good bet that either someone else got the job, or else something has gone wrong. And if the latter, it’s hard to imagine that it could be in the candidate’s best interest to inject herself or himself into the mix. If the problem is at the company’s end, for instance, it may be that

· Other overwhelming or urgent business, possibly unexpected, has forced the search committee to put this particular item of company business on a slower time table.

· If a company is heavily bureaucratic or politicized, or where finances are tight, the hiring process itself may have become enmired in complications and extensions. (Can you say “UNIVERSITY?”)

If, on the other hand, there is nothing wrong at the company’s end (other than appallingly bad manners!), and provided they haven’t already filled the position with someone else, the only logical possibility that remains is that they haven’t seen their ideal candidate yet. And if that is the case, either

· Everything (and everyone) has been put on hold while waiting to see if that Spectacular Someone (S.S.) will show up… and only if S.S. does not will one of the lesser candidates be called up out of the bullpen. -or-

· All candidates, whether they knew it or not, have been participating in a single-elimination contest with no decisive end in view, save that unknown future point when the S.S. shows up, a hire is finally made, and the search is officially declared “closed.”

In my own case — and you knew this was all about me, right? — I really can’t make heads or tails of it, and it’s officially been three weeks since my interview, with all offers and negotiating to have been done, hopefully, so that the job could begin by August 1.

If this were any other organization, I’d assume my chances at this point were nil. But this isn’t any other organization. This is The Institution Which Shall Not Be Named, which follows no rules I’ve ever heard about, ever, anywhere. And the August 1st date was presented to me as the most optimistic, and would have been so even had they offered the job to me on the spot three weeks ago. This being the T.I.T.S.N.B, after all.

However, another (though much less lucrative) job possibility has come up this week. Therefore, it would be nice to know where I stand this time ’round with T.I.T.S.N.B., and as they never have followed any of the standard business conventions, and likely never will, it looks like I’ll have to improvise a little.

We’ve come back from our vacation, and I’ve finished the latest Harry Potter book. (Mrs. Weasley ROCKS.) And I’ve also held, for the first time, an actual bound copy of my husband’s new book as well. It took him twelve long, hard years to write, and it’s beautiful.

But I haven’t been blogging. I’ve got writer’s block. I’ve got the photos, the notes, lots of ideas… but I’m sort of stuck.

So, you do what you can do. I’ve been catching up on several of my own favorite blogs. The Career Encourager has written some terrific posts lately, several of which have inspired me to write, well, more notes. She also posted a gracious link back to me last week — thanks, Peggy! And of course there’s Compensation Force, a terrific blog which on a personal level has been more helpful than I’ve been able to tell author Ann Bares… I’m just so impressed with the depth of her knowledge and her nuanced way of discussing compensation, salary scales, and how they really work — or ought to!

And then, there’s that “Brazen Careerist,” Ms. Penelope Trunk. (Have I used the word “brazen” yet?) Alas. Apparently she and her husband are now not speaking, and no she still hasn’t asked if he minds her blogging about their marriage, including her careful diagrams of his feelings and shortcomings, and yes she still “knows” he’s fine with it (though how she would know this when she’s determined not to ask him and he’s not speaking, I have no idea), and yes she’s also perfectly fine with being absolutely all out-there and public (she repeatedly assures us,) having apparently figured out how to live both sides of a relationship completely on her own, as in unilaterally, and moreover she loves all our comments, and so here I am giving her even more attention but no, I won’t include a link. Call it my one small feeble attempt at propriety, but you’ll just have to look THAT one up yourself. (Like, I’ve made it really hard!!!)

Penelope also suggests that we should all be blogging with our real names (she doesn’t. It’s complicated. But there, I’ve just given her a link after all) I agree with her reasoning on that one, and have always hoped to “come out” eventually myself. But maybe when I’m a little more “after the fact” and less in the thick of things.

All of which makes one more way to trick ones’ self, just a little, out of being stuck. So there.

We rode the train to Portland today. We had to go to some effort to get onto the train with the dining car, because while my children have been on many trains, they’ve never eaten in a dining car. It all worked out perfectly, except for the playing cards part.

Everyone knows that one of the best ways to pass the time on a train is to play cards. Another of the best things to do on a train is to walk from one end of the train to the other, finding the snack car along the way and buying something there. And what we wanted to buy was a pack of playing cards. We got on at the beginning of the Seattle-LA route, so everything should have been freshly stocked. Moreover, I was a perfect customer — on vacation, living large, and willing to spend almost anything for a little deck of cards with “Amtrak” written on them. And which, moreover, they had listed prominently for purchase on their snack car menu. We waited eagerly in line, being bumped by all the hotdogs and dorito bags going the other way.

But they were OUT. No cards. They’d not even bothered to stock them this morning, apparently.

Amtrak is a company in perpetual financial straits, and they really need my money. And I would very happily have obliged at their snack car, as I already had in their dining car. They also need to fill me with happy memories so I’ll come back as a repeat customer, and playing card games with my daughter in the lounge car would have gone a long, long way in that direction — for both of us!

On the other hand, later that afternoon, we stopped at Powell Books’ flagship store in Portland. What a great bookstore! And by coincidence, in a matter of hours, also one of many that would be unveiling HARRY POTTER #7. They had the costumes, the signs, the brilliant cross-promotions. There were “Harry Potter Updates” going out over the loudspeaker every few minutes. Outside, the line of excited H.P. fans was already wrapped around the block. Powells, however, was prepared already with tents, signs, and traffic cones. Two news vans were already comfortably parked on the busy street as well, and ready to jump on the unfolding story.

Which is why Amazon.com STILL hasn’t beat Powells books, even in this, their mutual home territory.

Good news for “older employees:” According to MSN, there’s hope after all!

Apparently, there’s a huge job shortage looming just ahead as baby-boomers approach retirement, meaning that several industries will be particularly short-handed when it comes to the more experienced employees that they most want and need. Among the most promising of those industries are health care, business-to-business services, education, and services for the elderly.

What makes these particular jobs attractive to the seasoned employee is that they tend to be both lucrative and flexible; moreover, they call upon one’s existing expertise and experience, requiring at most only a minimal investment in school or retraining.

The key? Being open-minded. Also, just a little thing — we may have to wait until 2014.

We have to leave town in less than 24 hours for our two-week vacation.  Much as I tried to get a jump on everything in advance (arranging a pet & garden sitter, buying all the tickets, renting the car, paying the bills…) things come crashing in, nonetheless.  My colleagues decide to move all our websites to a new server, TODAY.  All of the animals need new flea & heartworm stuff from the vet TODAY.  Both kids (BOTH!) have to go to the doctor TODAY.  One child has a friend who needs a ride from one end of town, the other child left her shorts at the other end of town, and both the friend and shorts are required here, in our house.  TODAY.   I’ve got several vitally-important things to get in the mail.  My new cell phone needs to be  set up.   My laptop keys are all sticking again, and this is the computer I have to take with me on the plane.

And.  Just now, a few minutes ago, I got a Phone Call.  From The Institution That Shall Not be Named.  From someone who did NOT hire me several months ago.  Turns out they have a new position, still have my resume on file, and want me to go for an interview.  TOMORROW MORNING.   I’ve long since stopped looking at their job listings.  Never again did I intend to go through the wringer with these folks.   But I’m going to do it, and I’m going to do it cold, because I don’t have any time to do it any other way.  Well, I might take a shower first… 

(and guys?  this is exactly one of those reasons to be gracious after being rejected for a job!!! )

Photo by by mrlerone (Creative Commons)

Okay, I’ve got one:

Recently, a large university hired several cannibals in an effort to increase its diversity.

“You are all part of our team now,” the Human Resources officer gushed during their orientation briefing. “You get full benefits, including a meal card, and you are welcome to go to any of the campus cafeterias for something to eat: but please don’t eat any employees.”

The cannibals solemnly promised they would not.

Four weeks later, the dean called all the cannibals into his office.

“You’re all working very hard and are doing a tremendous job. We have noticed a marked increase in the whole university’s performance. However, um… one of our secretaries has disappeared. Do any of you know what happened to her?” The cannibals all shook their heads, “No.”

After they left the dean’s office, the leader of the cannibals turned  to the others. “Okay — which one of you idiots ate the secretary?”

A hand rose, hesitantly.

“You fool!” the leader bellowed.  “For four weeks we’ve been eating administrators, even the odd faculty member or two, and no one noticed a damned thing.  Wasn’t that good enough for you?

But NOOOooo, you had to go and eat someone who actually does something around here!”

Continuing to fight little glitches with new blog and life in general.  Motherhood has pressed in a bit heavily of late as well, making it hard to get any work done.  I keep looking at my friends who don’t work outside the home, and I wonder why I can’t be happy being just like them.  Couldn’t I just steal myself up to be the best PTA mom ever?  We will never be rich anyway, and I certainly have spent enough years already living well below the poverty line with and without my husband (whom I CERTAINLY will not be dissecting on my blog) 

Creative Commons photo by wjklos

Many apologies for the delay in getting our RSS feed working correctly.  According to feedburner.com support staff, our feed is wonderful in every way, but it keeps timing out. It may be a problem with my new host.  Another one for my brilliant brother…

Would any of y’all be interested in a short tutorial post on how to subscribe to a blog’s “feed” and set up a little feedreader of your own? It’s a great way to keep track of/skim through a lot of blogs (or other news sites) in one place.  You can also subscribe to many blogs by email (including this one)