Journey of 20 Job Applications: Jul 12 Update, What a Difference a Day Makes

Originally published/last updated on myearlyretirementjourney.com on Jul 12, 2019.

Wow, this week has been hectic! Hectic. Hectic, I say!
We are moving over to a new database set to go live Aug 5. So, I had training for that for 2.5 days. I wrote a tutorial for the steps that might be helpful for the team.  Helpful? Bah! More like…Single Girl trying to get a promotion.

Trained a new employee for 2 days. That leaves a half day of actual work. My kind of week!

In the midst of all this I am fielding emails from prospective employers. On Jul 9 I wrote about how after 2 days of waiting, I was already getting discouraged. And by Day 3, I was nearing overwhelm. What a difference a day makes!

No.	Date Applied	Company	Position	Current Status	When I Last Checked
1	6/23/19	DSI	Manager, Widgets	No applicant portal	6/29/19
2	6/24/19	REG	Sr. Manager, Widgets	Applied -24Jun2019	7/9/19
3	6/24/19	TAK	Manager, Widgets	Sumibtted	7/9/19
4	6/24/19	NOV	Sr. Manager, Widgets	Screening Phase -28Jun2019	7/9/19
5	6/24/19	AZA	Sr. Manager, Widgets	E/m for phone screen on Jul 10	7/10/19
6	6/24/19	RAK	Sr. Manager, Widgets	No applicant portal	6/29/19
7	6/29/19	UCB	Lead, Widgets	Under Review – Status date: 06/29/19	7/9/19
8	6/29/19	COV	Project Manager, Widget Safety	Received Submission	7/9/19
9	6/29/19	CON	Specialist, Widget Safety	Completed-Updated: Jun 29, 2019	7/9/19
10	6/29/19	IQV	Associate Manager, Widget Safety	Active	7/9/19
11	6/29/19	IQV	Sr. Specialist, Widget Safety	Active	7/9/19
12	6/29/19	TRI	Manager, Widgets	No applicant portal	6/29/19
13	7/3/19	NOV	Manager, Widgets	Screening Phase -03Jul2019	7/9/19
14	7/4/19	AVE	Sr. Manager, Widgets	E/m for onsite on Jul 10; On 7/11, onsite scheduled for 7/22	7/10/19
15	7/4/19	AZA	Scientist, Widget Compliance	In Progress	7/9/19
16	7/4/19	FDC	Analyst, Widgets	Completed-Updated: Jul 4, 2019	7/9/19
17	7/3/19	SYN	Specialist, Widget Safety	Completed-UpdatedJul5,2019	7/9/19
18	7/3/19	VTX	Sr. Manager, Widgets	Application Received	7/3/19
19	7/3/19	PAC	Sr. Manager, Widgets	E/m for phone screen 7/8; Phone screen 7/11	7/8/19
20	7/5/19	JZZ	Specialist, Widget Safety	NOT SELECTED	7/8/19

On Mon, Jul 8, No. 19 contacted me to schedule a phone screen. It was scheduled for Thurs, Jul 11.  She asked me all the questions I prepared! I stumbled once on ‘how did you hear about us.’ Grr.  Per the recruiter, I would hear back in a couple days from hiring manager. Haven’t heard back yet.

No. 5 on the list contacted me next on Wed, Jul 8. They want to schedule a phone interview for next week. I responded Wed night. No further contact.

No. 14 on the list contacted me a couple hours later. They asked for dates for an onsite interview… in Chicago.  Now I have to remember what address I put on that app. Did I ‘visualize’ an apartment in Chicago or did I use my NC address? Am I going to have to pay to get myself there? How can I take yet another day off from work on short notice without calling attention to myself? Wait…why didn’t they do a phone screen? Is this some sort of red flag I’m overlooking in my zeal to move on?

With the thought of having to negotiate three “sick days” over the next couple weeks while we ready to launch our new database and commercialize two new drug products, I began to wonder how I even got to this place? Am I really ready to leave the nothing I’ve built and the no friends I have living in this area for the last 8 years?

As many of my poor decisions go, I think it all started with the feelings. I was overlooked again for the most recent round of promotions. This time I didn’t even actively pursue it. Oh, I know! It was the Quality, Widgets position I actively pursued and was swiftly denied because quote ‘I didn’t have enough experience with the client (read: you’re not a bubbly blonde stick person)’. That stung. To get ‘revenge’ I thought I’d get a job directly with the client because I just knew I was that good.

I may very well be but I couldn’t convince the client of this.

Those feelings progressed into well, I’m certainly not wanted here. Must find a way out. I applied some more fueled by the silent rejection of each preceding application. Then it morphed into a game I had to win because by now I’d already started slyly storing money for a six-month break in Sept 2019. And my job had kind of mellowed out. Twenty applications later, I am negotiating three sets of interview cycles at three different companies in three different states. I still don’t have a phone and I don’t really want to live in any of these states. Oy!

Single Girl, get your life!