Yesterday was the weirdest day. I got turned down for the job I
href="http://dichroic.diaryland.com/noidea.html">interviewed for. Sample
quote: "We really liked you, but someone else had just a little more experience."
Then she kindly passed my name on to another person at the same company, who
called to ask for a resume. I don't know whether they lack internal email and
copier machines or if this is just to let me know I'm being considered again. This
is even odder when you consider that this is a company that recently announced
9000 upcoming layoffs. I sent the resume, but have lower hopes, as I don't think
any of the jobs this other person is trying to fill fit me as well as the first
one.
After that, I got a call from the company I once worked for, who
told me they wanted to schedule a phone interview way back in early November. The
person who called left me a message with a different person's phone number
(because the first person is in the middle of an office move) but didn't actually
tell me it was another person's number, so I thought sheĠd made a mistake. We
finally got that straightened out, so I have the phone interview on Monday. They
said they want to get the whole hiring thing done by the end of the month (which
is also what they said in November).
Anyway, at least I'm seeing
action and interviews, a vast improvement on the last few months. If I believed in
omens, I'd think Someone was trying to tell me something. I've run into three
former coworkers, people I hadn't seen since they or I left the relevant company,
in the last two weeks. One, a former manager at my last company, was walking
around the office when I was signing in for the interview last week. One, a
sysadmin from my very first job in Arizona, was sitting outside a restaurant when
I went out to meet T2 and Egret last week -- I hadn't seen her since mid-1997. The
third, who worked in my group at the last place, was my gym this morning. He says
he's belonged there for a year, but he must have been going at a different time
until recently. I thought I saw him the other day but wasn't sure. If I get past
Monday's phone interview, I'll see several more, since I know these people from
when I worked there before.
To complete yesterday's surrealism was
coaching the juniors in the afternoon. The new head coach had to leave early (one
reason they asked me to assist for a couple weeks) so I got to do the wrap-up
speech afterwards on my own. I told them they were much better than Monday, and
mentioned several things they had to work on. I finished talking, let someone else
say a few things, and said, "Well, that's about it." And they just stood there. So
I told them again they'd improved a lot and had a lot of potential, and said,
"That's all I've got". And they just stood there. I went over to talk to Hardcore
who was there helping the club with their juniors, finished talking, and they were
still standing there chatting! None of which would be a problem, but
they're juniors, and I wasn't sure I should leave while they were still there.
Next time, I'm giving up on them -- as soon as I make sure they've all got rides
home, I'm leaving. They're rather like puppies sometimes; it would be cute if I
weren't such a curmudgeon. And today I get to meet another one, because I'm doing
my first alumni interview of a college applicant. At least I don't have to do
anything but draw this one out and report on her.
I just found this
quote, about the succession of a new American President: "They are so tired to
death of intellectual charlatanry, they turn to honest imbecility." A perfect
explanation of GW Bush's election, except for two things. I'm not all that sure
he's all that honest. And the quote was from H.L. Mencken, talking about Warren G.
Harding succeeding Woodrow Wilson. It's from a book on Presidential humor by Bob
Dole, who turns out to be a better raconteur than campaigner
himself.