My nerves are shot to hell

"jminer" (jminer) 05/19/2020 at 15:00 • Filed to: None

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I started this post earlier today and it ended up being a long rambling story of my job hunt over the last year wh ich I figured no one likely wanted to read so here is a much shorter version of it !

So last November I interviewed at one of the major tech companies and it went well, but right before Christmas they informed me they selected another candidate but loved me and they were working on another position they wanted me in. This was good(ish) news to me so I trundled along at my current job and checked in about once a month with the recruiter to see if there was any movement.

In the meantime I did keep interviewing at other places being very selective about where I wanted to go as I do have a good job still, just bored with it. This lead to a couple offers, one which I declined back in January and another mid-March that the company rescinded as they paused hiring during the pandemic.

At the original company I’ve since been bounced around 3 recruiters with little or no information until late last week. The third recruiter reached out to pass me onto a 4th recruiter but mentioned specifically starting this process up again. I replied that I was still interested, but measured my excitement until today.

I now have a call with the department director tomorrow and the recruiter told me that it will not be required for me to go through the formal interview loop. This seems like very good news and I’m nearly unable to control myself, but I have to keep calm and clean my office for the video call tomorrow.

The job isn’t mine yet but man am I started to get excited ...

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > jminer 05/19/2020 at 15:11

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video call means pantsless right?

good luck :)

Future next gen S2000 owner > jminer 05/19/2020 at 15:12

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...... another mid-March that the company rescinded as they paused hiring during the pandemic.

Man, this. I had a solid lead on a job I was fairly well qualified for in a relatively niche field. Then the pandemic locked everything down and now the person I would report to is about to go onto maternity leave. I’ve been looking for a while. The job was damn near in the perfect spot and almost all of my skills were transferable.

Good luck!

ttyymmnn > jminer 05/19/2020 at 15:13

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Be sure to wear clean underwear.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > jminer 05/19/2020 at 15:16

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Dogs in my family seem to be able to “alert” on me whenever I am angry or depressed. They read my body language when I walk through the room. I do not always appreciate that. Please keep us posted on the job deal. Finding/landing a new job is about the worst thing I can think of and I’ve given it up as a passtime. I’m also an educator and teaching is pretty much the definition of a job with zero career path because collective bargaining. But now that I’ve grown up, and fully embraced that I am an educator, I am content, though I greatly miss being with my students each day. I genuinely love them like a gardener who grows beautiful flowers. And pulls them up and chucks them into the green waste bin in June . And plants new bulbs in the fall. Though the flowers smell much nicer and aren’t as apt to get cheeky with you.

jminer > farscythe - makin da cawfee! 05/19/2020 at 15:20

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That’s what it always means to me!

Thanks for the luck - I’ll take it

jminer > ttyymmnn 05/19/2020 at 15:21

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It’s not that kind of videocall...

jminer > Future next gen S2000 owner 05/19/2020 at 15:23

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It was brutal. I’m in IT but a pretty small but growing niche of it. My interviews at a small company went all the way to the CIO and glowing feedback from all of it. The next week the Recruiter sent me an offer but said to not put in my notice yet as there were serious talks about freezing hiring.

That was 2 days before the SF stay at home order (the job was in SF) so it got rescinded. Man was it hard to care about my current job that week.

Good luck with your continued hunt though!

shop-teacher > jminer 05/19/2020 at 15:33

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Good luck!

fintail > jminer 05/19/2020 at 15:33

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This part of life couldn’t be more nerve-wracking. I was well along the path to an interesting new position, to the point of completing a ~7 hour interview process and being told what I would be doing “when” I take the reins. The position ended up being moved to Montreal, with a local requirement. Ugh.

Another couple were put on indefinite hold or simply rescinded. One was with Expedia, so maybe I got lucky by not being involved at all - probably not the best industry right now.

Good luck!

TheRealBicycleBuck > jminer 05/19/2020 at 15:37

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Good luck on the call. Not that you need advice, but I find that on days I work (like today), I follow the same routine as if I were heading into the office - shower, dress in “work” clothes (at least a polo shirt), and get a cup of coffee before settling down in the office. The routine helps me get focused and in the work mindset. I would want to be in that mindset if I were about to interview for a new job.

Again, good luck!

jminer > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/19/2020 at 15:39

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Yes our dog is very in tune with us as well, she’s also just very old now. She’s a N ewfoundland and Great Pyrenees mix so those herding tendencies and loyalty are strong, but she’s 120# and 10 years old which is 2 years older that most dogs of her breed live. She’s got arthritis that’s getting serious and can’t see too well at night anymore. We got a clean checkup from the vet earlier this year with the caveat of she’s old.

While I don’t have the temperament to be an educator I wholly appreciate those that do. It’s an important job that isn’t appreciated enough - thank you!

Job hunting is a bitch , I’ve been lucky before to just kind of fall into a new job. IT helps in that since there’s a lot of turnover and head hunting but I’m in a smaller section of it and being really picky about where I want to work has meant I’ve been slowly job-hunting for 9 months now!

My job now is great, but I work for a large quasi-governmental entity so the levels of bureaucracy are stunning and over the 5 years I’ve been there has become too much to handle.  It has led me to embracing more hobbies though which has been a positive for sure.

jminer > shop-teacher 05/19/2020 at 15:39

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Thanks!

PyroHoltz f@h Oppo 261120 > farscythe - makin da cawfee! 05/19/2020 at 15:41

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Just not commando pantsless..... right?

Future next gen S2000 owner > jminer 05/19/2020 at 15:41

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Thanks.

The next week the Recruiter sent me an offer but said to not put in my notice yet as there were serious talks about freezing hiring.

That’s kinda nice of them, to  avoid screwing you over.

PyroHoltz f@h Oppo 261120 > jminer 05/19/2020 at 15:42

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I have a feeling you don’t need luck on your side for this one but good luck, nonetheless.

jminer > fintail 05/19/2020 at 15:42

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Oof that’s rough! That’s how my interviews went with this company last time. 6 hours of video interviews, then a trip to SF for a full 8 hour day of interviews and meetings followed by the director telling me what I’d do when I worked there (just like you) to a ‘ no - but we’re working on it’ 6 weeks later .

I’ve been definitely picky about interviews right now, couple of places that are in a big drawdown (like the entertainment industry) I’ve turned down interviews but this is one of the FAANG companies so not worried about job stability if I get it.

Good luck with your hunt too!

jminer > PyroHoltz f@h Oppo 261120 05/19/2020 at 15:44

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Thanks! I feel like I’ve got it, but that doesn’t really help calm the nerves much.

ttyymmnn > jminer 05/19/2020 at 15:44

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My mom always told me that whenever I went out I should wear clean underwear just in case I was in an accident or something.

No, really. 

nermal > jminer 05/19/2020 at 15:44

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Remember that the job interview process works both ways. You are interviewing the company just as much as they are you. 

jminer > TheRealBicycleBuck 05/19/2020 at 15:45

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Thanks! When working from home started I had a pretty good routine as I’d worked from home before as this has all drudged on I fell out of it, but tomorrow I will definitely go back to it.  I’ll also be calling in sick with a case of interviewitis for sure.

PyroHoltz f@h Oppo 261120 > jminer 05/19/2020 at 15:46

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Make sure you get outside for as much exercise as possible   and a little Bourbon would probably help.

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > PyroHoltz f@h Oppo 261120 05/19/2020 at 15:49

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eh.... *shrugs*

jminer > ttyymmnn 05/19/2020 at 15:54

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My mother used to say the same thing, when I became a smartass teenager though my response was more akin to ‘If I’m in a bad enough accident that the paramedics are removing my underwear something has likely gone wrong that I’ll have soiled myself anyway’.

I will though have to shower, groom myself and get dressed in the morning which lately has not been part of my usual routine.  That’s more in the realm of roll out of bed, stumble into the kitchen to get caffeine and then log in for work...

ttyymmnn > jminer 05/19/2020 at 15:55

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My wife is doing all the WFH, since the symphony is effectively shut down until fall. Most days she never gets out of her PJs. Out of bed at 7:45, on the computer by 8:00. 

jminer > ttyymmnn 05/19/2020 at 15:58

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That’s pretty much my routine, alarm goes off 15 minutes before I start work. I don basketball shorts and t-shirts mostly and shower about every 3rd day now. It’s definitely a perfect design, but it’s kept me at least mostly sane.

The hard thing about tomorrow is it’ll take me a minute to warm my social skills back up.  I’ve talked to essentially the same 10 people in the last 2 months.

ttyymmnn > jminer 05/19/2020 at 16:01

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I’ve talked to essentially the same 10 people in the last 2 months.

Yup. It’s getting old.

jminer > ttyymmnn 05/19/2020 at 16:05

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Hell yeah - it’s basically my wife + the folks on my immediate team at work.

Oppo has been an amazing lifeline for me these last few months but it’s no substitute for actual human interaction.

ttyymmnn > jminer 05/19/2020 at 16:06

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A colleague has arranged a weekly Zoom happy hour with local musicians, but it’s still not the same. Online meetings are just awkward and they suck. 

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > jminer 05/19/2020 at 16:46

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That’s awesome news. Where are you based? Will the job potentially necessitate to a move?

Also shows they value you as an applicant by not making you jump through all the hoops again - nevertheless I’m sure you’ll still bring your A game. Just remember, being nervous is a good thing in situations like these - shows that you care and take this seriously. 

Snuze: Needs another Swede > jminer 05/19/2020 at 16:56

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Congratulations and good luck!

Captain of the Enterprise > jminer 05/19/2020 at 17:16

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It sounds like you care a lot which is a good thing. They already like you so I think you’ll be good. You got this!

jminer > ttyymmnn 05/19/2020 at 18:19

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Yeah, I tried a couple and they just don’t do it for me.

jminer > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 05/19/2020 at 18:22

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I’m in St Louis now, and the job is in the Bay Area so it would require a move (we’re looking to relocate).

Yeah, it’s definitely good that we’re going through this and I get to jump what was about a month of hoops last time.  Hopefully it’ll be good news in the next month or so and I’ll be planning a cross-country move when this pandemic has calmed down.

jminer > Snuze: Needs another Swede 05/19/2020 at 18:22

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Thanks!

jminer > Captain of the Enterprise 05/19/2020 at 18:23

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Thanks! I hope I’ve got this too.

jminer > nermal 05/19/2020 at 18:26

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Definitely - it’s why I’ve been really picky during this job hunting process. I’ve been working long enough to know what I’m looking for. There are a couple companies that I dropped out of the hiring process when the wrong flags came up.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > jminer 05/19/2020 at 18:53

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Nice, the bay area is an awesome place regardless of the high cost of living, traffic, etc. Lived there for 11 years before we moved to Portland (feels like San Francisco North) a few years ago. Miss it a ton although it was the right decision for us. 

jminer > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 05/19/2020 at 19:12

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 I’ve been out there several times for work and love it.  We live in a place now that’s cheap and has no traffic but it’s not awesome, and we are ready to make that change.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > jminer 05/19/2020 at 19:26

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Hope you get the job to make that happen. Please update Oppo, on how things end up when you’re ready . Seems like there are some great Oppo folk out in the bay too that I didn’t know when I lived there.

What type of company/job is this? I’m on the corporate reporting side (trying to not call myself an accountant:P) and work for a major company based down there who have much of their operations and finance out here in Oregon. Didn’t work for them while in the bay, but was a very convenient and timely option to make the move happen with. Hope this works out for you in a similar way too, if a move is something you’re already looking for. 

jminer > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 05/19/2020 at 19:34

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Thanks - I will definitely update Oppo when I know, and certainly will reach out to those I know in the area for tips and advice.  I’ll add you to that list too :)

The job is at a FAANG company, as a senior engineer in the physical security division (think door access and cameras but at a very large scale ). It sounds boring but it’s actually a pretty interesting and fast growing sector of IT.

LastFirstMI is my name > jminer 05/19/2020 at 19:52

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Remember to wear pants for the video interview! 

jminer > LastFirstMI is my name 05/19/2020 at 19:56

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Thanks! I haven’t worn real pants in 2 months now...

Sovande > jminer 05/20/2020 at 09:04

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Good luck!!!! 

jminer > Sovande 05/20/2020 at 09:59

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Thanks!