Holidays and Motives

Well, it was a nice Christmas. I love my new custom color-matched floor mats! Simple pleasures for simple people...

Had a interesting conversation with my brother-in-law this week about weaknesses and strengths, and how easily we get them confused. Sometimes it's in the area of our strengths where we can get overconfident and make decisions based on wrong or selfish motives. Our weaknesses are sometimes easier to know and work around, than are our successes.

It brought to mind my favorite stanza of one of my favorite hymns, Be Thou My Vision. I've often tried to use this verse as a model for my thinking, but have seldom been able to do so:

Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise;
Thou mine inheritance, now and always.
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart;
High King of Heaven, my Savior Thou art.

As much as I try to hold wealth lightly (knowing it's a resource I'm only temporarily managing), and try not be flattered by the sweetness of people's kind affirmation of me, I still find myself making decisions to take a job that pays well, at a company where they really seem to want me. These allurements of wealth and praise are tenacious in their hold on me, though both are fleeting, as is this earthly life. Would that I could live this verse fully, and focus on the eternal...

Well, from the eternal to the mundane -

American business sort of grinds to a halt during this week between Christmas and New Year's. Only a skeleton crew is working at most companies, including the ones I'm waiting on. And all of you out there slaving away, you know who you are! So everyone, in honor of those few who actually are working this week, let's please observe a few days of silence on the job front, shall we?

Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year! Oh, and how do you spell Chanukkah?

The Picture's Becoming Clearer

Feedback this morning from yesterday and Tuesday's interviews, and it helps clarify things.

They said I interviewed well, they liked me. But at the same time as I was there for my second day of interviews, another person was there for her first day of them. The feedback given to the recruter was: "if we could have half of her and half of him... that'd be just what we want in a candidate."

So, neither of us are ideal in their minds. The other candidate is coming back after the 1st of the year for more interviews, and the hiring manager instructed the HR gal that they "want to also interview 3-4 others." None of those will even get started interviewing until the first week of January. By the end of that next week, I leave for New England, so... we simply can't wait for this one anymore. I was not close enough to what they wanted to make them stop the "routine" process and concentrate on me.

I think it's safe to say as a result that 2 of the 3 "local opportunities" are now out. The 3rd one has still not, after repeated calls from the recruiter, gotten back regarding the last interview they said they needed to make a decision. Granted, I am the only person they were looking at for that job, but nothing will happen now until after 1/1. It would have to move like lightning to be resolved in time. It could, but I can't see that happening given how they've handled it so far.

My plan now is to leave for New England, driving one car there, the afternoon of 1/13. It's getting more clear all the time that there's nothing definite enough here to keep me from going ahead with the move East.

Much better day today

Still a little queasy, but far better than Tuesday. Got through the scheduled interviews and then made up the two I cut short on Tuesday over the lunch hour today. The guy I bailed out on Tuesday said today "you look much better!" Yup. I was.

Nice people. They'd be good to work with. The job actually seems a little better than when I first heard about it. A little less emphasis on grunt work than I originally thought, and a little more opportunity for innovation here and there, and the occasional something interesting to work on from time to time.

One of the interviewers asked me "how long before you'll get bored with this job?" I just had to laugh. I'd been asking myself that for a while. I conservatively said that I thought 3 years or so would be enough to get the role defined and things running nicely. But it's more like 18 months....

It is just not as challenging professionally, with nowhere near the opportunity for advancement as the one I accepted in New England. But that doesn't mean it's absent of both. It's not. And, really a very nice place to work, happy atmosphere, low cost of living, etc.

One of the other interviewers asked me why I had come back to my current/former/just-ended job, when it looked on paper like I had lost an officer title to do it. That's true, I did. But... the move to this community was really a lifestyle-driven one, not a career-driven one. And, that's what the job I interviewed for today would be, too. It would be for lifestyle reasons only.

And how do you measure the importance of those? Lots of other people enter into the decision, then, and take on a larger role in it. Less of me, more of them. But... less of me in the decision still has an impact on them, too, as I live with the long-term results of the decision. Indirectly, yes, but still an impact, because try as I might, I still will bring the job and its effects home with me.

So, now we wait again. I have a direction set. I'm getting ready for it. All I am waiting for now is to see if anything or anyone is going to change that direction. I leave for New England in 3 weeks.

What not to do in an interview

Get violently ill.

Well, it wasn't exactly during the interview, but I had to cut them short yesterday to avoid losing my breakfast in the wastebasket in the conference room. Uffda! This was a new experience.

Some kind of 24 hour flu bug hit me during the morning and I faded fast. Peeled out of there at 10:30 instead of noon, and got about 10 minutes away by car when I had to pull over. After about 3 of those, I drove a little more, stopped for gas, and instead of pumping the gas right away, slept in the car at the pump for 15 minutes.

When I got home I slept from 12:30 in the afternoon until 6:30 the next morning, with about an hour and a half awake in between. As of today, my fever has broken, the joints don't feel achy anymore, and food is staying down. So I got back to the HR gal and we are on for Thursday to finish up the interviews. We'll just run until 1:30 instead of noon.

Talk about embarassing...

But they were nice about it. Seem like decent people. Yesterday was with the technical people, tomorrow is with the operational people. Don't expect to hear anything from them until after 1/3, and still no word from the other company about wrapping up the last interview still needed there.

In the meantime, things continue to move forward in New England. The corporate apartment is all set up for me, and I will drive one car out there either the first trip or two weeks later. Everyone out there seems excited, and I'm getting more so every day! It really should be fun. But, these other discussions locally have to play themselves out. I suppose there's still an outside chance one of them will be compelling, but so far... nothing says so. And, the longer they take to resolve, the less likely it is that they'll be desireable enough to change anything.

My mind is getting more fixed on New England each week.

Phone Calls

My new boss called me this morning, and we had a nice chat. He's eager to get started, and seems happy. Cute little story he related... after I interviewed the last time, one of the people who had to give a yes/no answer on me emailed back a one-word evaluation. "Hooray!" was all he said. :) That's nice...

The relocation service people called too, and we went over things for an hour. Apparently the company has a corporate apartment downtown (furnished) that they will provide me, starting 1/14. It has parking already and is within walking distance of the office, so that will eliminate parking issues for a while. Good. I'd rather have that than a suburban location and a commute. Ick. There'll be plenty of time for that.

But, beyond that they were very willing to slow the whole thing down until after the holidays. I will call them when we are ready to start talking to realtors, etc. And that will not happen until I have some resolution on the remaining "in-state" jobs, hopefully by the end of that first week in January. I don't want them shelling out any money on me yet if I can help it.

And oh... one of the three "in-state" jobs is dead as of yesterday. Rejection letter. This was the least exciting of the three, and no tears shed over that. Still have two half-day interviews next week with one company, and a remaining interview with the other still being scheduled, hopefully next week, too.

I need to be done with this. I know, I know... I have to let these other opportunities play out. But I already feel like moving forward with the job in hand. It's time to work again. Vacation needs to be over.

A Start Date

January 16, 2006.

Just as my severance is running out. Good timing.

They are happy to have me in New England! I'm glad they're excited about it. Now it's my turn to get excited. It might take a while, but I'm starting to get there. I wish I could pick everyone up I know and love here, and just plant them all in New England, so the transition wouldn't be so dramatic and stressful.

But, get over it! And, get over yourself! Dive in and get moving! It'll get easier. It has to.

I'm thinking I'll drive one car out there right off. It must be about a 3 day drive, from what I remember from the last time. Wonder where they'll put me up? A Residence Inn or something? Those aren't so bad - breakfasts and dinners are there for you daily in the main lounge area, and they have exercise and laundry facilities...

I asked the recruiter today to inform them (sometime soon) about my desire for a place to sit that doesn't get sunshine much. Too hot! I wonder if they'll just laugh. If they do, I'll tell them it's the thyroid medicine I take and do you want an ADA claim on your hands? :) Well, maybe not. But when I was there for interviews, in the offices with southern exposure it was absolutely roasting! I'd never get any work done. I'd have to go walking around to see people in the afternoons...

Hardwood floors again! I love that about New England. I'm eager to start reviewing the housing market to see what's out there with a reasonable commute.

Parking! Shoot. I'll have to have the recruiter get some numbers to call about renting a monthly spot in a garage nearby. The subsidized parking has a 2 year waiting list. Maybe this time we'll stay out there that long! :)

The recruiter is still urging me to continue with the local interviews, especially with the longer start date giving us more time to get resolution. I still don't see anything coming from them, but the possibility has to be ruled out to everyone's satisfaction before we can move on, so - I'll have them next week.

But, one way or another, I'm employed as of 1/16. Yay!

A mixed blessing

The recruiter called. And the news was... mixed.

First off, the N.E. company acceeded to my requests for a minimum of 90 days temporary living expense, and for more vacation (30 days!). :) She told them we would respond by Wednesday AM. Gulp! But, I know what I will say. Because...

The feedback from Monday's interviews is... very good. They want me to come back and meet a couple more people. :) By Thursday! Because, the main guy I met with, who's coordinating things, will leave Thursday for the rest of the year. :( Which means, even if it goes well again - there'll be no answers until after 1/1.

No feedback at all yet from Tuesday's interviews on the dullest job of the bunch. :(

And the guy I had lunch with Tuesday... is out of the office until Friday, but the HR gal is setting me up with 8-10 more people!!! :) But, not until next week. Tuesday the 20th 8 - noon, and Thursday the 22th 8 - noon. And of course, finishing interviews two days before Christmas means no decisions there until after 1/1, either. :(

So... since all the "local" ones are so nebulous, and won't gel at all until January, and could just as easily go nowhere as produce an offer...

Wednesday morning I will accept the offer to go to N.E., and start mentally gearing up for the move. And it's a good faith acceptance, too, because none of the rest have jumped out at me and said "You're our man - don't worry. We'll work out a deal for you!", and that's what I would have needed, to say no to N.E., and nobody has said that.

So far, it's just normal interview processes that are ruling the day locally, and I've had many of those that went nowhere. Nobody's shortcutting the process for me. I can't bank on them producing an offer. I may not even hear definitive answers before I'd actually need to be in N.E. to start the new job! I mean, how long did it take to produce an offer there? 3 months!!!

I will probably start there on 1/9. I may ask for another week, a 1/16 start, so that the 90 days temporary living runs through 4/15 and the end of tax season, but I doubt they'd want to wait that long.

So, it looks like we're off! Anything can still happen, of course, but... I have to move forward, and start to get excited about it. Nothing here is yelling "Stop! Stay!" And until it does... we're moving East! Start the clock... 4 weeks left...

Waiting is not all bad

No feedback from anyone. About anything.

Nothing from the Monday interviews, Tuesday interviews, nothing. The recruiter continues to call and may have something for me later today, but, probably not until Monday now.

On the flip side, the N.E. company has not gotten back yet on the vacation issue I posed to them, so I don't have to give them an answer today! Yay! Probably Tu/W of next week, though.

All I want before then is feedback from the other interviews. That will help a lot in knowing how to respond to the offer.

Ai, ai, ai! If I could wait on one front and not the other, that would be ideal. Instead, I wait on them all.

Ethics, Schmethics... it's not my department.

Well, of course it is, but...

the recruiter said today that she will handle all the discussions vis-a-vis the offer. I shouldn't worry about it. Hmmm.

I shared with her all my concerns about being on the up-and-up with the N.E. company, so that they would understand any reason for a delay in answering them, and expressed again that I felt weird about accepting and then potentially backing out. She has the same concerns, but insisted she will manage the conversation with them and take responsibility for the result. OK...

The guy I had lunch with unexpectedly yesterday talked with the recruiter today and it looks like the job is NOT mine to have, but he will interview others. I probably will not get to talk to anyone else there until the week of 12/19. And so far, no feedback yet from the other two interviews Monday and Tuesday. So, what's firm over there? Nothing!

No reaction to my counter-offer, either (not much of a counter... may I have more vacation? Parking? More temp. living expense?)

So, we wait some more. And wonder what's next.

Curiouser & Curiouser

Well, as they say...

when it rains it pours.

Now a third position has opened in the same city to our West, at a company I had talked with a couple of months ago. At that time, they needed approval from a foreign parent to approve the addition to staff, and didn't get it. Now, instead, they have a vacancy to fill that needs no approval. The head of the department there contacted me at home last night, and on my way to my other interviews today (details below), we had lunch and kicked things around. I think I can meet needs that he has. He knows about the offer I have in play, and said he can't react quite fast enough to counter it, but does want to keep talking. So do I.

The other company I interviewed with today, per previous plan, is a very different atmosphere than the one Monday. More laid back and relaxed. The position in question is also one with probably very little stress associated with it - a research unit of sorts, with one or two large company-wide projects a year to handle. Lower pay, no doubt - I knew that already. But how low? Don't know yet. Professionally not the same level of excitement or challenge, but good for a slower lifestyle, if that's what's best...

is it?

They have one other candidate they are interviewing and thought they would be able to tell me something by the end of this week. No feedback yet from Monday's bizarre interviews, nor any feedback yet from the New England company on my negotiating points the recruiter posed to them. Will talk with her Wednesday to see what they think, if anything, and update her on the events of today.

I still don't think I will know enough by the end of the week to say "no" to New England, but...

Do I say "yes" to them, while still carrying on discussions with 3 other companies? Do I stop the discussions upon accepting? Or disclose those discussions to the N.E. company and risk them losing interest in me, or thinking that I'm just playing them for leverage?

I'm not playing them. I'll certainly go, and plan to, if nothing else intervenes that's comparable. It's a good job, and fair compensation. Just an unattractive location to all concerned. Nobody WANTS to go there. And, so far, I don't see anything comparable, in large part because no one has talked compensation on the three remaining discussions. But, what if something does emerge from those - after I've accepted? Do I ignore it?

I don't like being in this position. I'm unsure of how to think. It reminds me of Jesus' comments to His disciples: “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves." and "For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light." Am I being too smart for my own good, or not smart enough, in my dealings with these businesses?

What do I disclose, to whom, and when?

Comments are welcome.

Unexpected

A couple of unexpected things today.

First a clarification on the offer. It's NOT a VP title. It's an Asst. VP title, so not a step up, but a lateral. That explains the bonus opportunity being what it is (no higher than where I was), and the salary being advertised to me by the recruiter as having "no wiggle room" in it - firm as offered. Ah well. Doesn't affect anything but my pride... :)

And also, there is NO home purchase program available, but it sounds like the temporary living expenses are negotiable. So, perhaps we will have until Spring to sell the house, which will also mean that Deb can do her seasonal tax accounting job again, and will mean more trips back here for a while. It depends on what the recruiter can negotiate for me, how many additional days are possible. If she can get me 90 days, then we will have a slower transition of the household (which is good), but it will mean me living out of a hotel longer. Not so good.

Second, my interview today West of here got longer than I thought. I was slated to meet with one guy, but met instead with 3 additional ones, added halfway through the first interview, as the guy got more interested in me and felt he wanted others to meet me too. They were all surprised and so was I, but I had the time, so why not? :)

It's an organization in flux. Lots of changes in structure happening, and even 2 of the guys I met with today weren't quite sure what their roles would be tomorrow! But, the job would support two areas that are fairly stable, and it sounds absolutely fascinating... things I have skills in, but have never applied quite this way before. And, an oddball relationship back with my old company, who has a joint venture with this one, which I would be involved in managing. Very strange... Plus, another part of the job would involve setting standards of practice at a corporate level for all the other people at the company that are in my area of discipline. Hm...

Still, we have to wait for feedback from them to know if 1) they're interested in me at all, and 2) if they will move fast enough to make a difference in how I respond to the offer on the table. They are still defining the job, and could make it really fun for me if they did it right... :)

But, I'm NOT getting my hopes up for that. I have to move forward with what I know is firm, and trust that if this is the right job for me, something will happen to make that clear. At this point, I can't put off my response to the offer for more than another day or two.

Nor can I put off my drug test. :) Have to go in tomorrow or Wednesday for that. Darn. Now all that partying over the weekend is going to catch up with me, I just know it... ;)

Here We Go...

The offer came in from the company in New England. Should I be using bold type with an exclamation and a smiley?

The offer came in! Yay! :)

Like that...

Um, yes, I guess I should. It's the first one, and it's... a good one. Mostly.

VP title (the middle of 3 such grades), $10K more than I made in my previous job, similar bonus opportunity. The $10K will be eaten up by cost of living differences, definitely, but it will essentially keep me whole, financially, which is what I wanted at a minimum. A moderate signing bonus of 12.5% of the base salary offer is included, which is nice, since I won't be eligible for one in Spring.

Beyond that, there's the full relocation package - pretty standard stuff, but a little light in spots, such as only 30 days of temporary living expenses, which is pretty fast to sell here, move the household, plus buy a new place there. I don't know yet whether the relo plan includes a home purchase feature, which I've had the last 3 times I've moved. If it does, 30 days is workable, because you sell the house for a fair market value derived by 2-3 appraisers, and can vacate right away. If it doesn't include that feature, I will want to negotiate for more temporary living expenses, like 90 days worth. One trip home every other weekend is included for however long the temporary living expenses last. But even then, what is 48 hours every other week? You might as well be moved.

They want an answer by Friday 12/9. I will talk to them on Monday just to go over formally the terms of the offer and ask questions (one of which is on the home purchase thing). So, over the weekend, we think about it. Although, what's to think about? Like I have lots of options? Sure, on Monday, I interview at one nearby company, the other one on Tuesday. At that point, I should know whether either of those opportunities are so good and so likely that they will stop me from accepting this one. At this point, I can't see how that would happen. I think I have to take it, don't you?

Here is, then, the "bird in the hand." Not an offer that is so good I simply can't refuse it, but not one that is insulting either. Like the recruiter said: "It's a very fair offer." The job itself is good, and the career opportunities there look good. The only real negative is... the location. Expensive, too far from relatives and loved ones, and it isn't even warmer there! :)

And then there's the two birds in the bush... as the old proverb says, they're sort of equal in value to the one in hand. I guess I'll have to get a closer peek at those two birds in the bush on Monday and Tuesday, and try to guess how close they are to flying out where I can get at them. And about the new lead at the local company - I haven't heard back on my resume' from them, and it may simply be too late if they don't act...

I'm excited, I'm nervous, I'm apprehensive, I'm ambivalent. What to do? What to think? I think I'm stuck. I think I have to take it.

I have a week.