The Gideon Family

Job Search Starting Week Five

I am starting week five of the search. Each of the past four weeks I have been busy with sifting through job listings, being screened on phone calls, and participating in face to face interviews. I’ve had only one offer so far, which I declined because it would require re-location, which I am not considering at this time. I have a couple of leads that are very far along but no offers, even verbal, as of yet.

Yesterday was an especially long day. I met with a new recruiter in Virginia, then fielded about a dozen more calls while sitting in my car after lunch. The sequence of calls was something like take one call and hear the call waiting tone, finish that call and check voice mail, hear call waiting tones while listening to the voice mail. Lather, rinse, repeat.

I had a final on site interview with my most promising prospect. I think it went well and the CEO and founder of the company paid me several compliments. He also answered the few concerns I had about the management and future roadmap of the company. Despite the nearly hour long commute, all by metro at least, I am pretty excited about this opportunity. I have to call the recruiter who brought it to me later today, I may have some good news as soon as the end of day, maybe tomorrow. We’ll see.

Since I was in Virginia, I brought some takeout over to my friends, Paul and Martha, who are brand new parents. I got to meet their new daughter, Eliza, aka Darth BonBon. I learned that Andrea is not the only one who has retained the magic baby touch as I unconsciously coddled Eliza into a deep sleep right before bath time.

Paul and Martha were very gracious when I somewhat impolitely took my last call of the day. Given that it sounds like a couple of leads may float offers this week, I have been trying to move the others along to a point where I think they might make a counter offer, when the first offers come, or I can rule them out.

I am still thinking over that call but I am leaning towards putting that lead into the latter category. This was also with a CEO and the study in contrasts is striking. The CEO of the earlier interview was focused and had quick, ready answers for my questions. The one I spoke with on the phone later last night was rambling all over the place. He shared some other thoughts about which I am concerned but it really boils down to a general lack of coherence in the business plan, or at least in his ability to communicate it which might as well be the same thing.

If I am able to become employed again, this week or next, then Andrea and I can actually go ahead with some travel we’ve been contemplating and thinking we’d have to decline. Needless to say, we are both eager for this to be over, if not now, then soon.

October 21, 2008 Posted by Thomas | Tom | Leave a Comment