Our Long National Nightmare is (Almost) Over

My fellow Americans, the past nine weeks have been trying ones. Natural disasters are striking at alarming rates. A team from Duke now calls itself the national champions. And, oh yeah, I’ve been unemployed. But one of those horrors is about to change.

Friends, this morning I received a job offer.

Who is my new employer, you ask? Well, that’s a good question…and one I cannot definitively answer. Here’s why:

The job I was offered is with the agency that canceled several interviews and later assigned me an insanely difficult task in preparation for my second interview. Apparently, I aced it! The recruiter called this morning to tell me the good news, as well as the job’s salary. She did not know, however, the other benefits and promised those would be sent to me within 48 hours (the executive director is out of the country on business).

So why am I not yet calling myself “employed?” It’s odd, because although I only spoke with them on the phone for an hour, in recent days the school has emerged as my preferred employer. That may change after my two-day interview scheduled for April 19 and 20, but I want to explore every possible opportunity before committing to one. Am I crazy?

My plan is to accept the job offer, assuming the salary and benefits packages are acceptable. I would ask to start on Monday, April 26 and then be liberated to attend the school interview one week earlier. If it’s still my top choice, I would sit down privately with the school’s chief administrator (and my prospective boss) to say this:

I can’t presume that I am your, or the Board’s, first choice to fill the Development Director vacancy. But I can tell you this – you are my first choice. Unfortunately, life doesn’t always give us our first choices and I have been offered a very enticing position with another agency. I don’t say this to pressure you into choosing me; I say it because of the circumstances I’m in. If I don’t hear from you by next Monday, I am going to start the new position…and I can’t imagine leaving the job after starting, even if you decide to extend me an offer.

What do you think, gang? Does that sound reasonable, professional and/or fair? Any and all recommendations for this potentially awkward conversation would be greatly appreciated. And, of course, I will continue to update the blog until I have made my final decision.

Feeding Frenzy

In my last post, I expressed my concerns about juggling prospects – I currently have no less than four potential job leads that have progressed beyond the initial application stage. And in the days since Monday’s post nothing has happened to diminish the possibilities; if anything, things have progressed even further.

This afternoon I will have an in-person interview with two senior staff members at a medical industry foundation. This is the job titled “associate” with a director-level salary and responsibilities. I had a 15-minute phone interview on Monday that went well and they have invited me to meet in their Evanston offices this afternoon. For some reason, my level of anticipation is not as high for this interview as it has been mere hours before others…a fact that may be due to doubts about the job, my familiarity and comfort with the interview process (after being on so many) or simply due to the fact that I have other compelling prospects and don’t feel the level of desperation that I did a few short weeks ago. Oh well, I’m sure my preconceived notions will either be confirmed or eliminated before the end of the day.

I also got a call this morning, finally, from the Board Member at the community museum. She apologized for not calling Monday as promised; we are scheduled to meet tomorrow morning. I don’t have a feel for her, but I really enjoyed meeting the museum’s executive director and another Board colleague, so I am optimistic that tomorrow will be more of the same.

Next is the private school. Not only did I get a call today from the director asking me to come in for a second interview, but he (confidentially) told me how excited the entire Search Team was after my initial phone interview. Our in-person interview will be comprehensive, to say the least. I’m to meet a large group of staff, volunteers and Board Members over a two-day period – 9-3 on one day, 9-12 the next. While nine hours of face time may seem a bit daunting, I am incredibly impressed with the school’s thoroughness and commitment to finding a Development Director who can fit in with all its diverse constituencies and excel in all areas of job responsibility. The only catch is that these meetings won’t take place until April 19 and 20. But hey, I can be patient.

Finally, I’ve yet to hear back from the New York-based international agency, but I’m harboring no anxiety over that one. As I wrote, I could not have represented myself any better than I did in last week’s second interview. If I don’t get the job, it simply wasn’t meant to be. Damn…that’s a liberating feeling!

Of course, I know I should continue to apply to more jobs since I can’t assume any offers are impending…but the sun is shining, it’s 80 degrees outside and for the first time in a while, things are looking up. I’m definitely going to enjoy the ride.