The high and the low
The high:
I’d created a Monster.com profile this morning, applied for a contract to write about games/gaming-related content.
About five minutes after I’d submitted the application, the company emailed me for a short phone interview.
FIVE MINUTES. FIVE MINUTES?! FIVE MINUTES!!!!
Yea, I write one helluva resume.
I was elated, nervous, happy, nervous, buzzed, nervous.
What were they going to ask me? What kind of terms should I ask for? How should I sound? Nonchalant? Humble? Foreign?
Omgomgomg.
The low:
The phone interview came and went. Because I had a strict request to want to telecommute, I would not qualify for most of the game-related contracts which required a 40-hour week. The lady said she would keep my resume and see if anything else would come up in the future that would fit me.
In other words, “We’ll call you.” In other words, “I am screwed.”
I am bummed.
I am cognitively dissonant, to use a phrase I learnt from one of my old bosses. On one end, I am determined that the gig HAS to be work-from-home because my kids HAVE to come first. On the other, that gaming contract sounds SO good because *whisper* it’s with Microsoft and it’s really an opportunity of a lifetime for a has-been like me.
Sigh. Sniff.
I need a smoke.
Posted in Imperfect Everything
February 13th, 2007 at 2:56 pm
You never know - they might not find anyone with your skill/experience-level, and they may be willing to bend to your needs to match theirs. Or something else could drop out of the sky. It’s important to focus on that “high” - you were contacted within FIVE MINUTES of submitting. That might just be a record! Congrats on stepping out there into the fray.
February 13th, 2007 at 8:13 pm
Don’t worry, MS isn’t a good company to work with. Most people I know who joined them left within 1-2 years.
February 13th, 2007 at 8:17 pm
haha i wouldn’t say that, Kevin. The hubby is an employee there :). He’s been with MS five yrs and still going.
MS is actually quite a good employer, and having been their vendor in Msia a good couple of years, they are good paymasters as well. Of course, not sure about here.
February 13th, 2007 at 9:06 pm
at the risk of sounding like an employee, (wait a minute… I am), I’ve seen many people come and go, most people leave a company not because of the company, but either
1. Because of the Manager (most common and many books written about this)
2. Because they can’t cut it.
Hardly anyone leaves Microsoft because of Microsoft. I’ve never seen that happen and I’m sure you’ll agree, nobody leaves because of alone.
It’s always something else.
If you like to find out how it’s like to work for Microsoft, we’re hiring!!
February 14th, 2007 at 2:11 am
Jenn, why don’t you check if they have childcare at work? And whether they accept flexi hours? You don’t have to decide that you are going to do it but just see the possibilities first. Really, things do happen fast on your side…..
February 14th, 2007 at 7:47 am
Karen: Well MS has a daycare but you can only use it 20 times a year. It’s really cheap, 20 bucks for a whole day per child, but 20 times onlylah. What am I going to do the other 200 days? She told me she will find me something with flexi hours wor.
Sigh, the agony. Tell u the truth, Ive never regretted being a parent until yesterday. It’s an ugly feeling, and I hate it, but my girls are worth it.
At the very least I know that I’m still worth something if I’m gonna go out there!
February 14th, 2007 at 10:29 am
WOW… At least you got a call. This is a GOOD THING. I’m applying for jobs and I don’t even know if anyone has read my resume. Then on my birthday I got an email to say that I didn’t cut it for a job I applied way back in December. What a bummer. At least some recruiter out there is keeping an eye on your resume. And Julie is right, you never know what’s happening on the other end…
Dont’ want to be a downer… but can foreigners on H4 work on contract basis? I was under the impression that one can’t work with an H4.
February 14th, 2007 at 3:20 pm
Hmm, I was about to mention it too. You’re on H4…hmm…
February 14th, 2007 at 3:55 pm
I’m on an L2 blanket because it was a transfer for Lokes and not a new employment, which allows me to work.
February 17th, 2007 at 12:34 am
[...] But even at 40%, I’m a facking great mom. Like the day I ‘lost’ that job opportunity because I couldn’t commit to a 40-hour week? It felt facked up, and the whole day, I could not stop wondering how great I would be at it if I did not have kids. And then, I went back to making dinner and colouring Moe Doodle with those idiotic crayons and cuddled my girls at bedtime. [...]
February 20th, 2007 at 11:52 pm
you r doing great, at least you had that call and a possibility! my freelance work has been few and far between.. but I hold out hope for you hun!!
it’s hard trying to find a balance I guess..