Goldilocks and the 547 Jobs

This one was too tactical. That one had a crazy lady. The other one didn’t pay enough. Finally, though, after months of searching, I have landed a job that’s juuust right. I now understand how Goldilocks felt – what euphoria she must have experienced at finding the porridge at the right temperature and the bed at just the right level of firmness. It’s as if all of the stars have come into alignment and are smiling on you from above. It’s lovely. But it takes some time to get there.

Anyone who thinks that looking for a job isn’t a full-time job in and of itself is diluted. I spent hours refining my resume, grappling with major issues like whether it was Arial or Lucida Grande that said the most about me as a candidate. Not to mention the lost nights spent massaging each and every word on that silly piece of paper, asking myself, “Should I say managed or coordinated? No, I think it’s best to go with led – that’s definitely more clear.”

Add to that the stress of interviewing and it’s no wonder the unemployment rate is skyrocketing. I mean, who has the energy to go through this process? You show up at the office on time, after running three blocks and barely missing being run down by a bus, only to find that the person interviewing you is running 20 minutes late. And when the interview finally starts, you have to feign an interest in the interviewer so that they think you’re likeable. “Oh, you have a toy poodle?! I love toy poodles. In fact, I was one for Halloween last year!”

By the time you finally make it to the meat of the interview, you’re being asked questions like, “If you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be?”, and “How many red cars cross the Brooklyn Bridge every day?”. Um, what?! My most memorable experience was when a hiring manager told me, two questions into the interview, that I wasn’t qualified because, “I don’t want to hire a boy. The last boy we hired f*&ked us.” How do you over come that objection?

So, it is with little remorse that I leave the job hunt behind me. It’s been an interesting and at times entertaining process, but one that I don’t hope to repeat anytime in the near future. On Monday I start work at a large advertising agency just two blocks from my apartment. It’s truly my dream job, and I feel incredibly fortunate to have landed it. I guess it pays to try all of the porridge – you have to wait for the one that’s juuuust right.

Thanks to everyone who has supported me during this process – I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it!