Friday, August 31, 2007

Deep, Dramatic Sigh

There, pity party begun.

I have driven about 1000 - 1200 miles a week for the past two weeks, going on last minute interviews in the hopes that I would find eleventh hour employment for this year. Two hiring committees that were supposed to get in touch with me by the end of business Thursday have not done so. And both were love-fest situations, but one particularly was all "We WILL be in touch. We haven't met anyone like you. You're perfect. There are nice apartments you'll love just down the parkway. We can go shoe shopping together."

Silence.

Anyway, it has been my experience that hiring people fail to get in touch with you when they said they would because they have no good news for you. So, it seems that with my fancy pants suit (some dude thought I was the opposing attorney t'other day) and my fancy pants educational debt ( though not attorney debt, which is good), I will most likely be spending the next few months doing something menial and sucky for menial and sucky pay.

So, this evening I ate a giant hot fudge sundae. Because I don't need my suit to fit anyway, damn it.

And that should conclude the pity party.

Except to note this: all this waiting helplessly by the phone for someone else to determine the course my life is going to take? That's why I don't do traditional dating.

7 comments:

Dr. Richard Scott Nokes said...

You should feel free to call them today. Just because they didn't call you doesn't mean they have made any kind of decision. It could very well mean that some half-wit administrator necessary to the process decided to take an extra-long Labor Day weekend.

If they are still interviewing now for jobs this fall, they'll be pretty desperate -- and they're probably praying that YOU don't call THEM first asking for the afore-promised answer, because that might force them to admit they don't have their stuff together.

If they said you'd hear by Thursday, call them Friday. Put a little polite pressure on them. Let them think they risk losing you through slipshod hiring practices. Even if you're their second choice, they are in fear of alienating you in case their first choice falls through.

Just remember: You are valuable. You have something they want. If they hire someone else? Then to heck with them -- at least you got ice cream and a fancy pants suit out of it; they got stuck with the lesser candidate!

highlyeccentric said...

all this waiting helplessly by the phone for someone else to determine the course my life is going to take? That's why I don't do traditional dating.

erg. that sucks. but what an apt analogy! ten bonus analogy points to you!

Anonymous said...

The chances are very good that they just don't have their shit together. Universities (and colleges) often work verrrrry slowly, even more slowly than their denizens expect. All it takes is one key functionary to have jury duty and all activity stops. Don't give up hope yet -- it's not like dating to that extent.

Bardiac said...

Do you have career center privileges at your old school?

I remember how useless I felt in grad school, how unable to get a meaningful job if I didn't get an academic job. And I look at what I say to my undergrads, how I talk about the skills they've developed and how thinking in terms of the skills they have and what they know can help them find a good, meaningful job.

I understand that you're looking for a teaching job and I imagine you're a kickass college teacher, and a kickass grad student.

But you have skills way beyond what you probably give yourself credit for, and if you think outside of academia, you might find something that works, even if only while you apply to a different grad program.

If you want to talk or something, in case I can offer encouragement more specifically, drop me an email and I'll email my phone number or call you.

Heo said...

Thanks for the advice, folks. Per Dr. Nokes and Meg's advice, I did attempt to call Friday...but nobody was in the office! Slackers!

Bardiac, thanks for the offer of guidance. I may yet take you up on it, but I want to be certain I'm really finished pouting first. You can't even hear good advice while pouting, I've found.

Karma said...

Good luck to you!

And hooray for hot fudge sundaes :-)

Anniina said...

*Hugs* They don't know what they're missing. Sundaes are always a good idea in times of the mean grays.