This Site is Dedicated to My Random Thoughts and Opinion
Reader Be Warned: My Opinion is NOT the "norm"
|
|
I immediately called Shelia again. She didn’t answer again. I sent her another text “Hey there! I hope all is well with you, I look forward to connecting with you soon. Please give me a call when you’re available.” I even sent her an email to her personal email address. None of my communications to Shelia were answered. At that point, I realized that Shelia had no intention or interest in responding to me. But I was confused at what brought this about. I sent a copy of the LOR to her when I received the email from Hailey’s company requesting it. The LOR was one I had written and was approved by Shelia in the past. I simply changed the date and the header information. Shelia had to have known the LOR was sent and received, because Hailey kept me up to date on my profile. I was sure the other recruiter did the same with Shelia.
I stopped thinking about Shelia and the unknown reason for her lack of response. I needed to prepare for the three upcoming interviews. One interview was with the direct manager for the position. The second interview was with the team members. And the final interview was with the head of the department, the Chief Information Officer. My interviews were scheduled for the start of the following week. I had one business day and the weekend to prepare. It was time for me to focus. I wanted to present the best version of myself for each of these interviews. The following Monday, I completed interview #1. It went really smoothly. The second interview, with the team members, was a bit more rigorous. Some of their questions were probing and inquisitive. The final interview was scheduled for Wednesday. It was GREAT! The CIO conducted the meeting from his home office. We talked more about his kids who were preparing for college than we did about interview questions. Nevertheless, I felt confident that I aced that interview as well. Hailey had already prepared me to not expect an update from her until the week that followed the last interview. So, after the interview ended, I didn’t think about any of it anymore. No more being nervous nor a need to prepare for anything. No more stress of being a good fit for the position. No more uncertainty about what they may ask. I was good with going back to my norm. That Friday, my husband and I planned a date night at home. When he came home from work that evening, he asked had I heard anything about the position. I reminded him that Hailey wouldn’t be calling me before Monday of next week. He said he just thought he’d check in case she decided to call sooner. We talked about how stressed I had been earlier that week, and he was happy I was now at ease. He wanted me to de-stress a bit and I wanted to just stay home and spend time with him. I called in a food order, and he agreed to pick it up. When he left to get the food, it was shortly after 5pm. I was excited because we were about to eat a good tasting meal. I also planned to have a couple of drinks to start my weekend. I finished my last email and closed my laptop. Then, my phone rings. The number is NOT a familiar one. I thought it could possibly be the place we ordered the food from, so I answered. I heard an unfamiliar yet pleasant voice call my name. I answer with a slight tremble in my voice., “Yes.” The voice on the phone responds “This is Ms. ______, the HR manager at ______. I know it’s after hours but it’s important that I make this call today. We are calling to offer you the position with your starting salary of $X per year.” I nervously respond “Okay.” I was shocked and overwhelmed at the same time. I couldn’t hide my emotions. Not even over the phone. The HR manager continued “It that a, yes?” I responded, “Of course! That’s an absolute positive YES! Ms. ______ thank you so much. You just made my day and my weekend.” She replies “Well, I am glad I called, late and all. You have a great weekend, and we look forward to you starting on June 1st. I am sending your official offer by email, now.” When we ended the call, I was stuck in my seat for a moment or maybe even three. Finally, I let out a scream and jumped from my chair. I ran around my house praising God and crying. Shortly after, my husband walked through the door. He took one look at me and said, “You got the call, didn’t you?” I exclaimed “YES! And baby, you won’t believe what they offered me.” I then opened my email and showed him my OFFICIAL OFFER LETTER! We celebrated in more ways than one 😊 The following Monday, Hailey called me to congratulate me on being offered the position. She stated the employer wanted to make the call to me themselves. She was happy for me and stated her firm was pleased to have worked with me. She asked if I’d be willing to participate in their company’s future events. Especially those related to interviewing and networking. Of course, I agreed to do so. Now, it was time for me to give my current employer my letter of resignation and to prepare for a new beginning. As I was drafting my resignation letter, my phone rang. The name on the screen read Shelia Jones. I looked at my phone in sheer disbelief. Shelia finally returned my call. I initially picked up the phone to answer it. Then I dropped it. I quickly remembered Shelia had not responded to none of my communication over the past two weeks. I called twice, I texted her twice and I even emailed her. Not only did I want to share my excitement for both of us being chosen to interview for the position. I also wanted to let her know that I had provided her with a LOR for the same position. I wasn’t sure who the third interviewee was, but I definitely wanted Shelia or myself to get the position. I wanted one of us to win. I also wanted to SHARE my well wishes with her. I needed to hear from Shelia too. I needed her to motivate me like I had motivated her for all the other positions she had applied for in the past. But Shelia wouldn’t respond. Here I was thinking we had built a solid, working relationship. We were rooting for each other. We both wanted to see the other grow. I just knew she was rooting for me as much as I was rooting for her. Afterall, she was the first person I knew professionally who would openly say she wanted to see other Black women win! Needless to say, I didn’t answer nor return Shelia’s call. She even texted me the next day. That went unanswered as well. We haven’t talked since. In the end, Shelia taught me several lessons. And the last lesson was some people will root for you until they think you are their competition.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorThe author of this blog decided to take her "abnormal" thoughts and opinions to the web. This will begin as a 30 day trial. Let's see where it goes. Archives
January 2024
Categories
All
|