It has recently come to a close, thank god. I have finally found a job! But I before I put this miserable process behind me, let's review it. Besides boys, it made for a high stress level in New York City. I was giving myself a year of looking before I called it quits and moved away. 8 months and 25 interviews later, I know now that I am able to stay, as I am gainfully employed.
I started the process right after I finished grad school last May. I had my lists of websites that I would check every day to try and find new positions. Luckily this wasn't as intense over the summer, as I found another temporary part-time position at a museum (2 part-times make a full-time right?). So the pressure wasn't so bad, because I was busy enough to forget that I eventually needed a real job. This soon ended though and I was back to job-hunting 3 days a week. Probably why I had so much time to go out.
Now job interviews are probably the worst thing in the world. I would honestly rather go on an awkward first date than a job interview. It's way less pressure and at least you can drink cocktails. Job interviews involve ugly suits and "selling yourself", which I've never had a skill for. I prefer that people are observant enough to notice that I'm a winner on their own, without me having to throw it in their face. This is probably why I'm not good at meeting guys at bars either, but that's a whole different topic. Some notable bad moments of my 25 interviews (yes that's serious), were:
--an interview for an archivist position at a snooty art gallery with two sexist and condescending men. They scoffed at almost every answer I gave and also somehow got it out of me that I have a blog. I of course was asked to send them an entry (choosing an appropriate one was almost impossible), knowing full well that I wasn't going to be offered this job
--I also went on two interviews for a research position at a major law firm near Wall St. They seemed to go very well and I got along well with the four people I interviewed with. Maybe a little too well with one of the younger attorneys. We had a good conversation during our interview, mostly about non-job related topics and when we parted it was slightly awkward in a first date type of way. Perhaps why I didn't get the job?
--There was also the interview I kick myself for. It was with another major law firm, notoriously good to work for. It was near Grand Central and that morning was rainy and miserable. I somehow got completely turned around and arrived to the interview 10-15 minutes late. Needless to say....not hired.
--One of my best interviews was for a research position at the Bronx Zoo, which would have been amazing. I love zoos and animals and after the interview I was giving free reign to carouse around the zoo and check out all the exhibits. I particularly loved the seals, who were sunning themselves and making seal noises to each other. There was a baby one who kept throwing himself in the water repeatedly. I was delighted, though I did feel a bit like a creeper trucking around a zoo filled with children in heels and a suit. I was seriously disappointed when I didn't even get called in for a second interview.
But after all these disappointments, I was asked to do a phone interview for my current position at a legal publisher. This led to two more interviews, one with the VP of the company and was very intense. As if all this wasn't enough, I had to do 6 (!) more phone interviews with different people at the company. By this point I was so discouraged that if I didn't get the job after all this I was probably going to run out into traffic. Luckily, for both my sanity and my wallet I did get it and I started last week. As soon as I was offered the position, I headed straight to Zara and dropped a ton of money on new clothes. I hadn't been able to shop in months and my wardrobe was starting to look pathetic. I finally felt like a real person. Now I don't have to be jealous of girls on the subway in their work clothes. I won't have to pinch pennies as much and I will be able to move out of the godforsaken Shiwck in a few months. Though I am ecstatic to finally have a real person job, I am a bit nervous that it will take a toll on my going out. Obviously I may not be able to party quite as hard sometimes, but this is New York City after all, so I'm sure there will still be plenty of blog-worthy material from my nights out. At least now I will be able to afford them!
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