My exciting sob jearch
Spend many a long night on the net poring through company job listings until my eyeballs want to dissolve, my neck and shoulders meld into one painful crooked hump. It is slow going, on this (have I mentioned?) DIALUP connection and even slower on these terribly designed company online submission sites that make you submit your resume line by line, then search their listings line by line, some of which are dated last leap year, some that "suggest" a cover letter (meaning: must do). And keeping those search filters broad means getting "waste cleanup technician" and "junior file clerk, hi sch degree preferred but not required" type things, some of which start to sound not too bad, as my mind gets more and more blurred. How to word this cover letter to sound enthusiastically convincing that this part time photocopying job is exactly what I want?
The many midnight calls I made in Taiwan to contacts back here are turning up dry. Most don't have a position but "can put you in contact with this other person," so that I'm calling a contact of a contact of a contact of a contact; soon we can also trace our common connection to Kevin Bacon.
6/15-6/22
Get a few informational interviews when in California. One of the first is lunch with a consultant; tanned nice-looking fellow in early thirties. He takes me to sandwiches. I buy. Starts by telling me how they get a few hundred resumes a day, from all kinds of impressive MDs, PhDs, MBAs with 10 years of experience, etc. When he says they want people with both strong science and strong business background, I jump in trumpeting my MPH program which is targeted on turning out people exactly that. He dismisses with a wave, as they can pick whoever they want from that impressive swarm of resumes in this employers' market, they want someone who's got the experience, and very nice I have a masters, but honestly no one gives a darn. I gulp and try to stay positive as he continues about the hard work, long hours, measly pay, lack of glamour and appreciation, and how much he loves the whole thing. Repeats a few more times about this employers' market. Mentions Harvard MBAs have run out in the middle of their cutthroat interview day. Half my sandwich uneaten, I throw it out and he shakes my hand with the best of luck. I go back and while waiting for Dave, drown myself in a Ben & Jerry's pint. Tell him all about it when he gets home. Disappointed he says, "Oh. You mean this wasn't even a real interview?"
At a dinner I meet one of Ginger's friends who she's referred me to. We chat and his company sounds great, I ask where he was before this place and he says you probably haven't heard of them, "__". No way! I say, I just had an informational interview lunch with this dude from that co. He yells, Don't work there whatever you do! and proceeds to tell me it is an evil place where turnover is so high he has enough friends who left there in the past year to form a football team.
The next day, I get an email from said company offering to interview me for an entry level position. Salary below what I made first year out of college. Politely decline.
Last week in town. Brush off my suit for finally, my first real interview. A fantastic position for a universally lauded place. Have used the whole weekend studying their company and products, using Dave's medical texts, NEJM articles, analyst reports, many coffees. Am already won over by the quick, smooth and pretty drive of the potential commute. Inside, everyone's office faces the shimmering blue water through huge windows. Have an hour to do a case in a powerpoint presentation. Back to back half hour interviews that seem to get harder with each successive person. All my studying, not tapped into at all. Good thing was that the one I really liked most and seemed to hit off with best, was the one that seemed to have the hiring power for the specific position. Otherwise, came out unsure. Bid goodbye to a bleary eyed Dave back from another sleepless call night. I took a red eye flight back and drowned in sleep alternated with Harry Potter #5.
7/1-7/13
Am invited back for a second go round! along with appointments after phone interviews from a few other co's. Things looking up. The woman I liked so gives me feedback to use next time: more eye contact. Practice it everywhere, she says. No problem. I vow to bore holes into everyone I see. If I get this I may be happiest girl in the world.