Employment Status

I am sorry to report that only my in-person interview at PayPal happened on Monday.  For whatever reason, every time that I've confirmed a time for a phone interview with the HR rep from Gantech, he doesn't call.  I'm sure that something simply comes up, but it's been frustrating.  I left him a voicemail and sent him a cover letter - when he originally contacted me, he just wanted to set up an interview, since he had my resume from CareerBuilder.  I hope our interview happens soon.

As for PayPal, the interview was a mess.  When I arrived, no one seemed to know what was going on.  I didn't have a suite number with the address, so I had to guess if I was even at the right place.  The door was locked, but someone was just leaving when I walked up so I asked if I was at the right place (I was).  I said that I had an interview and gave the contact name that I had received with the address.  It took about ten minutes to track down the manager that was to interview me and when she came out she said that she wasn't aware that we were meeting that day.  Weird, I thought, but maybe the employment agency that contacted me hadn't forwarded the information to her? We found an empty conference room and sat down.

I should point out that I made a bad decision to not bring a physical copy of my resume.  I was told to bring one in the confirmation email, but every time I've taken a resume in the past, the interviewer already has a copy since I submitted a resume with my application.  For the last two interviews I've gone to prior to PayPal, I didn't bring a physical copy and everything worked out fine.  This time she was expecting me to have one.  When I explained why I had decide to not bring one, she assured me everything was fine and went and grabbed her laptop and pulled up my resume.  Not the worst thing to every happen, but clearly it was a mistake on my part to not bring my resume.

The interview was awkward.  She kept focusing on my pursuit of working as a technical writer and that the position of Project Coordinator would not involve much writing.  I told her more than once that while I certainly sought a career in writing, I felt that this position could be a positive experience and would still be beneficial to me.  Near the end of the interview, I asked why she was considering me for the position if my work history didn't line up with the job.  She said because I came highly recommended from the employment agency.  I have not yet worked for this particular agency, so it's weird that they're talking me up so much.

With the interview over, we shook hands, exchanged pleasantries and I went home.  Later that day, I got a call from the employment agency rep asking if I had had an interview at PayPal.  I confirmed that I had and she asked if PayPal had contacted me directly since no formal appointment had been made.  My blood ran cold when I realized that Monday was a tentative date for the interview, but it had never been confirmed.  Apparently the employment agency likes to have a rep present for interviews and I broke protocol by going alone.  I apologized several times for the mistake and was told that it was fine, but nothing the rep told me could dissuade me from feeling like I had blown my chance.

Honestly, the PayPal position wasn't the best fit, but it was still a job.  Maybe it's for the best that it was a terrible interview, but that just feels like sour grapes.  In the meantime, I've secured a temporary clerical job at the University of Maryland Medical Center that lasts for one month.  The rep (from a different agency) that found me the job asked multiple times if I was okay taking the job since I am so over-qualified.  I just told her that if something else comes along while I'm working this temp job, I would give the standard two weeks notice and take the other job.  She accepted my response and said that making contacts at the University could be very beneficial.

I'm really just looking forward to the boost in my emotional well-being that comes from working, even if it just temporary.