This is going to be a super long post...
I’ve always wanted to be the type of person who believes
things happen for a reason, but I never truly felt that way. Especially for myself. I’d see situations working out for other
people and think wow, things really fell into place for them, but I didn’t
necessarily believe that situations I found myself in were my destiny. And what about the really devastating things
that happen to people… I find it hard to believe there is a ‘reason’ for
those. Aside from my rambling, I’ve
found myself wondering if a “things happen for a reason” situation actually
happened to me. Let me explain…
My job has been especially challenging *
ahem* over the last couple years.
I detailed my sob story
here.
But long story short, a reorganization landed
me in a position that felt like a huge step backwards.
I really missed the responsibilities and
experiences I had in my previous role and wasn’t really loving my current
role.
I hoped to return to that previous
role a year ago and it didn’t work out.
Shortly after, I found that my previous managers were let go from the
company.
I was so disappointed and
upset.
Last summer, I interviewed for a position
at another company. It would have been a
big step up, a big promotion, but the job was not in the field I was interested
in. The interview went well and the
interviewers told me they were impressed with my resume and hoped to see me
again. I knew it wasn’t a done deal, but
I thought I had a good chance at the position.
I was really excited for a fresh start and anxious for new/different
work. I was so so desperate for a change. And then I didn’t get the job. I was devastated. It was one of the lowest points in my
life. I interviewed right after my
brother and my dog passed and I thought maybe I was due for good news. A bright spot in a really awful summer. But life doesn’t work that way. Sometimes, even when you’re ‘due’ for a
turnaround, a bit of good news, it doesn’t happen. I was absolutely crushed.
And then in a strange twist of fate, I met the lady who got
the job instead of me. I don’t think she
has any idea who I am or that I interviewed for the exact position she
currently holds, but she admitted work wasn’t great. She’s traveling a lot more than anticipated
(I was told minimal travel during the interview). The work is tedious, the contracted companies
are really challenging to work with, and deadlines are near impossible. She doesn’t seem particularly happy. While no job is perfect, it seems this job
isn’t as expected.
A couple months ago, I was offered a position at a different
company. The role was in the area I was
interested in and the hiring manager was willing to help me learn – a huge
plus! But the hours would have been
brutal and my vacation would’ve been cut in half. I ultimately turned down the offer, but I’ve
definitely questioned my decision. It
wasn’t a perfect job, but no job is and maybe it would have been a good career
move?
And then a new director joined my current company. He stopped by my desk to introduce himself
and we realized we knew quite a few of the same people from previous work
experiences. Even though he was several
levels above me, he was so friendly and kind.
I’m just not used to high level colleagues stopping by my desk to introduce
themselves and chat. He worked in the
department that I had previously worked in and wanted to return to so
badly. I remember texting A and telling
him I really wanted to work for this guy.
But there were no open positions.
So instead, I volunteered for work outside of my role. I knew his department was understaffed and
they needed help. I knew the work that
needed to be done and I had a pretty good idea on how to accomplish it. I saw volunteering as a learning opportunity
for myself and I met with him to make sure that the work I was doing was in
line with his expectations. I eventually
worked up the courage to ask if he might have a position open at my
level. He said yes. He was in fact working on obtaining approval
to post a position. I knew it was still
a long shot; I had been away from that department for two years and I was sure
he had colleagues from his previous company who’d be interested in working for
him. But I was hopeful.
Without knowing my intentions, another colleague even
mentioned to him that I would be a good fit should a position ever open in his
department.
Fast forward a month or so.
The director stopped by my desk to let me know that the position had
been posted. I took this as a good
sign. But I also knew that there would
be other candidates, likely candidates he knew from previous companies. I’ve missed out on job offers more than once
because the hiring manager already knew someone/had a candidate in mind. It happens often. I applied right away and had to let my
current boss know. I explained that I
was simply pursing an opportunity in a department I was really interested
in. He told me he was supportive, but
that he felt he needed to let his bosses know.
This was disappointing. I
basically knew that I would never receive a promotion in my current role, but
even if there was a slight chance, applying for a new position would be the end
of that. I knew they’d see me pursing
the opportunity as disloyal and I had no future with my current group.
A week or so later, I hadn’t heard anything about a
potential interview and I was nervous.
There was one particular day in which I had meetings scheduled from
8am - 4:30pm straight. I didn’t even have
time for lunch. My boss sent a meeting
request and I knew it wouldn’t work since I was booked. I opened his calendar, which I have access
to, to reschedule. And there it was – he
was interviewing another candidate for the same position (it’s common for
several departments/groups to interview one candidate). My stomach dropped. I knew I had applied right away. I had not received an interview request. My boss told me he was supportive of me
pursuing the position and here he was interviewing my competition? Surely there was another manager who could
conduct the interview? I was
heartbroken.
A few days later, I did receive an interview request. I honestly thought someone was just being
nice. I thought the first candidate had
the job and that’s why the company had been keen on getting her in right
away. My interviews seemed to go well,
but it was definitely awkward being interviewed by my colleagues, all of whom I
knew. I gave it my all and pointed out
why I’d be best for the job. That while
I may not have the most experience of the potential candidates, I knew the
company, products, systems, and processes better than anyone. I explained that for a person to be successful
in this role, I thought it was essential to collaborate with different
departments. I could definitely do that
and I pointed out examples in which I’d successfully collaborated with various
groups to complete projects. I explained
that I’d wanted to be in this role for 2 years and had been waiting for an opportunity. The company had been promoting career development
and this was the perfect opportunity to make a real life example out of a focus
area. I really put everything on the
table so to speak – I didn’t want to leave feeling like I could’ve and should’ve
said more.
I had a meeting with the director to discuss my project a
week later. I definitely wasn’t going to
bring up the job, but it was obviously on my mind. There’s that expression – the “elephant in the
room”. This felt like two elephants in
the room. At the end of the meeting, he
told me he wanted to let me know that they were interviewing more candidates,
but I was still being considered. I
wasn’t sure what to think. If they
wanted me, wouldn’t they have offered me the job and not continued to interview other candidates?
Another week passed and the director sent me a message about
the project. He was super nice and being
the overly analytical person that I am, I scrutinized the message. Was he being too nice? Weren’t people too nice when they planned on
delivering bad news?? I asked A this
very question and he replied that yes, sometimes people were nice when they
were about to deliver bad news. My poor
husband… I was looking for answers and he was trying his best. My coworker sent me a meme about being denied
a job. At this point, I had convinced
myself it wasn’t happening and I think I had convinced others as well.
Another week. I had
to reschedule another meeting with current boss. And there again on his calendar, another
candidate, another interview. Why no one
thought to make these private meetings (as in not visible to anyone else), I
have no idea. And I hardly ever view my
boss’ calendar. At this point, 3 weeks
had passed since my interview, more candidates were coming in, and I was sure I
wasn’t being offered the position.
And then the Friday before Memorial Day, I received a
message from Talent Acquisition asking if I was available to discuss the position. What did that mean?? Don’t people usually get fired on Fridays?? Could the most recent candidate already have
accepted the job? Is that what they were
going to tell me? Would that even come from Talent Acquisition or the hiring director? Was it possible I was
going to receive good news? I had to
wait on pins and needles for an hour!
I was offered the job!! I accepted and I start July 1!!
This was the biggest emotional roller coaster ever for a
job. Especially one that constitutes a
lateral move!! But in the end, I’m so
excited and appreciative for a new opportunity! I know it won't be all sunshine and rainbows, there will be challenges along the way, but I'm so excited for a change.
Had I been promoted previously or accepted another offer, this job
wouldn’t even have been a consideration. So
maybe, just maybe, all of this unfolded as it should have? Or maybe it’s one big coincidence. J
