I've been unsatisfied with my current job for quite some time now so I've been on the hunt for a new one for ages. It's been slow going- I'm being picky (because why shouldn't I be?) and finding a job I'm passionate about that also pays at or above my current salary has proved... difficult to say the least (because social work degree). I really must be a glutton for punishment too because not only that but I'm looking to branch out a little, meaning I'd like to continue in the "helping people" vein but move away from mental health for a little bit to save my own mental health.
Anywho, I've gone on quite a few interviews and, clearly, no real hits yet. Scheduling/money has been the main reason for that but I've had my fair share of "sorry, we've decided to go with another candidate." It's certainly disheartening after a while but on the plus side, though I still get gut wrenchingly anxious the day of the interview, once I'm actually sitting across from the interviewer(s), I'm strangely calm and unflappable. I've even mastered some in-interview banter for crying out loud. Practice makes perfect, who knew?
All that has led up to this: I went on an interview a week ago and today, I got a call informing me that they liked me, felt I was a good fit, and in order to decide between me and one other candidate, would I like to come in for a second/final interview on Tuesday?
YES. YES I WOULD.
It's easy to get ahead of myself and start dreaming of all the upcoming holidays I won't have to work (I currently work in a hospital with round-the-clock staffing so we work every other holiday), the restraints I won't have to do (did I mention it was a psychiatric hospital?), omg the weekends I won't have to work (yup, every other weekend too)... and that's not even taking into account the potentially rewarding, interesting, and, dare I say, fun, nature of the work itself.
I'm trying to keep the balance of realistic "there's only a 50/50 chance I'll get it, it's not definite" and optimistic "omg I'm gonna KILL the second interview like I did the first, how could they not hire me?" but it's difficult as I naturally tend to see-saw between extremes. Then there's the whole anxiety around the interview process itself...
While I would not condone not preparing for an interview of course, I know what's best for me here is to not worry about it (HAHAHA) for as long as possible. I'm still primed with knowledge and snappy interview question answers from my recent interview; what happens now is largely out of my control. I can do my very best but the interviewers decisions are their own.
I know this all very logically, it sounds good, but it's hard to accept, especially when you've been job searching for so long and now you're so close. I could be writing a blog post next week about how I deal with not getting the job after all but aside from the normal interview prep work I've already put it, it's out of my hands. It's not up to me.
On the cork board on the wall to the right of my desk, I have pinned a scrap of paper with the following phrase on it:
"Thinking about what you can't control only wastes energy and creates its own enemy."
For any Trekkies out there it's from Star Trek: TNG, S1E19 "
Coming of Age" and today, that quote really caught me (shout out to my man
Worf). In an effort to follow that advice, I doodled a little picture of it to take my mind off things.
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Sorry for the crappy mom-style picture of a picture. The scanner intimidates me. |
I've been doing a lot of doodling at work lately to pass the time. My specialty is little cartoons of the kids saying funny things, they love it. So, this is what came out of my rollercoaster of anxiety/excitement/stress today and I'm pretty darn happy with it.
If I was going to nitpick (always and forever yes I will do that), I'd say I should've tried to write the quote in something other than my never-neat handwriting. Oh and I realized afterward that since this is from season one, he would've been wearing
command red...
And for you non Trekkies (weirdos), The strange gray shape under the banner is a
bat'leth, and the knives are called a
d'k tahg, both
Klingon weapons. Oh and the little things shooting red on the sides are TNG
phasers.
I'm going to continue doing my best not to worry but I'll be ready on Tuesday. I'll just wait to freak out until then but it's ok; as Worf said in that very same episode:
Qapla'!