Limbo once again
Yeah, it's been a while. Again. I'm at a loss for a substantive explanation, other than that I've once again found myself in one of those pre-employment offer limbos.
I had three interviews last week. One at the dental magazine. One at a literary agency in New York. And one at a publishing house on the campus of my alma mater. (I'd rather not put myself in jeopardy by mentioning its name--but it's a university press in New Haven. Needless to say, I'm ecstatic about the possibility of working there.)
The dental magazine, as I might have mentioned, seemed interested in hiring me. I've got a second interview tomorrow (today at this point) during which I hope to get an offer.
The literary agency got back to me within a day with the wholly unsurprising news that they didn't want to hire me.
Then there's the YUP. My interview last Thursday began with a 9:30 a.m. proofreading test at the human resources building on campus (separate from the Press offices). I was done by 10 and headed over to the YUP offices to meet the director of marketing (the position I applied to was called 'marketing assistant'). I did my best imitation of a charming, intelligent, capable would-be YUP employee. At one point we stumbled upon the realization that I had spent a summer working under the supervision of this woman's daughter at another university facility. After 30 or 45 minutes, I left to speak with two other members of the department under whose auspices the new assistant would find him- or herself (does that make sense?). Then I met with a young woman who recently vacated the currently vacant position. At the end of this series of meetings, I was given a take-home assignment (produce a mock newsletter, in accordance with a template that I'd be using if I got the job). And I was asked to provide a few references and writing samples. By noon of the next day, all my homework was submitted. I'm supposed to get their decision by the end of this week.
I'll probably get the dental magazine job tomorrow. I'd really like to get the job at the press. Like, a lot. The work would be good; it's a top-notch operation; it'd be good experience; the money is very good; the work is relevant to my interests (yeah, that's a jab at the dental mag job). I'd put my chances at 50-50. That figure is based on nothing but arbitrary speculation, and the fact that I was told of at least one other scheduled interview.
You know what will probably happen? I probably won't get an offer from either of these places. That outcome is much more in line with my recent job-hunting history. How can we forget the lost month of Febrary 2006, when I loafed around and twiddled my thumbs as my first day of Kaplan training approached, only to find out that the training was being put off for another month? Or all those weeks in November 2005 when I waited to hear back from the editors at Food & Wine?
Perfect world: Get both jobs and turn one down. My world: Get neither, take another month off to hate myself, and start all over in August.
I should probably be writing more. I hope I've just been distracted by this job offer lag time and the impending arrival of my LSAT score.
By writing I don't mean blogging. To be honest, I don't think I'm going to get any better as a writer by relying on this that you're reading to keep my wit sharp and limber. Blogging is much more akin to diary writing than it is to memoir or essay writing--I don't think that David Sedaris sits down and spends all day writing about the lousy things that happened to him the day before. Actually, I think that might be exactly what he does...
Well, one clue that I'm doing something wrong is that I still get caught up on about five words in every New Yorker article I read--words that I recognize but can't quite define and wouldn't have readily available for use in my own writing. For example, today's words included: recalcitrant; assiduously; oblique; and a couple of others that I can't remember. Not difficult words, but words whose meaning I've got only a vague notion of, and that wouldn't roll off my fingertips even in appropriate contexts. I want a concrete notion of words like that, and I want to be able to use them without any special effort. Step one toward that goal is reading more. Step two is writing more.
I'll be sure to update the blog as soon as any new news comes in about either of these prospects. Stuff to look forward to this weekend, other than potentially getting a job (and, hence, a life): two graduation parties (one with open bar), LSAT scores, family reunion/hot dog bonanza.
I had three interviews last week. One at the dental magazine. One at a literary agency in New York. And one at a publishing house on the campus of my alma mater. (I'd rather not put myself in jeopardy by mentioning its name--but it's a university press in New Haven. Needless to say, I'm ecstatic about the possibility of working there.)
The dental magazine, as I might have mentioned, seemed interested in hiring me. I've got a second interview tomorrow (today at this point) during which I hope to get an offer.
The literary agency got back to me within a day with the wholly unsurprising news that they didn't want to hire me.
Then there's the YUP. My interview last Thursday began with a 9:30 a.m. proofreading test at the human resources building on campus (separate from the Press offices). I was done by 10 and headed over to the YUP offices to meet the director of marketing (the position I applied to was called 'marketing assistant'). I did my best imitation of a charming, intelligent, capable would-be YUP employee. At one point we stumbled upon the realization that I had spent a summer working under the supervision of this woman's daughter at another university facility. After 30 or 45 minutes, I left to speak with two other members of the department under whose auspices the new assistant would find him- or herself (does that make sense?). Then I met with a young woman who recently vacated the currently vacant position. At the end of this series of meetings, I was given a take-home assignment (produce a mock newsletter, in accordance with a template that I'd be using if I got the job). And I was asked to provide a few references and writing samples. By noon of the next day, all my homework was submitted. I'm supposed to get their decision by the end of this week.
I'll probably get the dental magazine job tomorrow. I'd really like to get the job at the press. Like, a lot. The work would be good; it's a top-notch operation; it'd be good experience; the money is very good; the work is relevant to my interests (yeah, that's a jab at the dental mag job). I'd put my chances at 50-50. That figure is based on nothing but arbitrary speculation, and the fact that I was told of at least one other scheduled interview.
You know what will probably happen? I probably won't get an offer from either of these places. That outcome is much more in line with my recent job-hunting history. How can we forget the lost month of Febrary 2006, when I loafed around and twiddled my thumbs as my first day of Kaplan training approached, only to find out that the training was being put off for another month? Or all those weeks in November 2005 when I waited to hear back from the editors at Food & Wine?
Perfect world: Get both jobs and turn one down. My world: Get neither, take another month off to hate myself, and start all over in August.
I should probably be writing more. I hope I've just been distracted by this job offer lag time and the impending arrival of my LSAT score.
By writing I don't mean blogging. To be honest, I don't think I'm going to get any better as a writer by relying on this that you're reading to keep my wit sharp and limber. Blogging is much more akin to diary writing than it is to memoir or essay writing--I don't think that David Sedaris sits down and spends all day writing about the lousy things that happened to him the day before. Actually, I think that might be exactly what he does...
Well, one clue that I'm doing something wrong is that I still get caught up on about five words in every New Yorker article I read--words that I recognize but can't quite define and wouldn't have readily available for use in my own writing. For example, today's words included: recalcitrant; assiduously; oblique; and a couple of others that I can't remember. Not difficult words, but words whose meaning I've got only a vague notion of, and that wouldn't roll off my fingertips even in appropriate contexts. I want a concrete notion of words like that, and I want to be able to use them without any special effort. Step one toward that goal is reading more. Step two is writing more.
I'll be sure to update the blog as soon as any new news comes in about either of these prospects. Stuff to look forward to this weekend, other than potentially getting a job (and, hence, a life): two graduation parties (one with open bar), LSAT scores, family reunion/hot dog bonanza.
posted by temporarily unemployed at 23:23
2 Comments:
also...the devils wears you-know-what???
~C
ah, if only you had studied something more...geometric. then "oblique" would be a close friend. example: "whoa man, that fault is, like, way oblique."
yeah, i'm still unemployed.
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