Work wonders

Things have been pretty hectic here in the last few weeks.  Between all the usual stuff, I have started the long process of returing to work outside of home.

I am feeling quite mixed about it. 

I am ready to return to work and there are some BUTs.

My perfect job would be three days a week in a middle management role where there were enough challenges to keep it interesting, but not so much as to be overly stressful, oh and it has to be something that I can just walk away from at the end of the day - ie not carry any emotional baggage home. 

yeah I know, I'm dreaming. 

Those jobs don't exist. 

Meanwhile I have applied for a few jobs and even had interviews with two companies.  I am now waiting to find out how the second company interview goes.  It is the fist company I applied to that gets my focus at the moment.

A couple of weeks ago I applied for a position some degree below my skills and qualifications.  It was full-time but it was close to home and would not ask very much of me personally - I could do it easily.  Yes I knew i would get bored within a few months, but I figured it would be an entry back into the workforce and I could either gain a promotion or leave for a better role down the track. 

I had two interviews for the position.  The first was over the phone.  I was asked why I was applying for a role below my skills. They must have like my response as I went through to the next round of interviews.  What I didn't tell them was that if I didn't like the job I would be continuing to look for something more suitable.  I guess they figured that out.  I was called in for an interview and spent 40 minutes with the manager.  He told me they were interviewing six people.  My interview went very well - excellent in fact.  He told me they would be making a decision within two days and would let me know either way by the end of the week. 

The interview was two weeks ago. 

I still haven't heard. 

How hard is it to make a simple phone call after interviewing a person twice to say "yay" or "nay" to the role???

We have got used to accepting the common rudeness of not hearing whether an application submitted has gone anywhere (and even surprised when one does hear).  But this new rudeness of interviewing a person and not bothering to notify them of whether they do or don't have the position?  Sigh.  It doesn't bode well.   

I have naturally figured that I don't have the job and am not bothered by that - kind of glad apart from I need a job. 

I am surprised at being told that I was one of six and would hear either way by a certain date and then no follow through.  Six phone calls surely isn't too taxing for a HR profession (whose job it is to make such calls). 

Are you ready for a giggle? 

The position was with a job agency whose role it is to recruit and place employees.  The role was to make the follow up phone calls to people who the agency has successfully placed to check on how they are going and to flag any potential issues - the agency only gets paid if the person stays in the role for 12 weeks.  Ironic.

Meanwhile I have been applying for roles closer to my qualifications and that means answering long position description criteria.