Career Girls

Thanks for everything, Julie Newmar.  Yes, I watched To Wong Foo this morning - love Patrick Swayze in a dress. He was so stylish.

Yes!!! I received the offer for the position I wanted.  No haggling on the salary (woo hoo for having to submit an application and providing my salary), great benefit package, and I believe it will be an awesome working environment.

I love this sentence from the offer letter: Please note that no Laboratory employee can own or have outside contact with rodents such as mice, rats, hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, and chinchillas.  Please discontinue rodent contact 10 days prior to your start date.  


Good thing I left all my rats in Houston! 


So now I can do as The Fella ask - sit back and relax.  And plan my first day of work wardrobe.  I'm feeling outfit photos coming on as I learn how to dress California-ish in a research lab. 

Interview Tips

Ok I'm not a pro at this, but I've now had 4 face-to-face and 2 telephone interviews (3 of which for the same position). I think I can give ya'll a few helpful tips to get you through the scary process.

First off, dress the part. I have 1 traditional interview suit. I bought it on a whim (and on sale) a few years back at Ann Taylor Loft.  It's a classic shape, classic color (black pinstripe), the skirt hits right at the knee. Yes, the blazer needs some tailoring due to weight loss and because I am in between petite and misses so I used some hem tape to temporarily fix the sleeves. Try on your suit/outfit at least the day before to confirm fit and style it with shoes and accessories. I am a firm believer that for the first interview you should dress conservatively even if you know the company is very casual. You can downplay your dress for your second and third interviews.

Second, leave your purse and cell phone in the car. I'm lucky enough to only need a key fob for my car, so I only take that a simple leather portfolio inside with me. Always bring your photo ID, your car key (1 key only) and your resume.

Third, if you're like me searching for an admin position, bring fresh writing samples.  And remember your girl scout training - be prepared and bring extras. I watched the faces of my group from my last interview light up because I came prepared with samples.

Fourth, if you are moving along to the second round...think about questions from the first interview that you want to expound and write out your answers.  An interview is your time to sell a product, you.  So coming to the first, second and/or third round prepared proves that you are organized and can prep.

The best tip I can give you is to be yourself.  Take a deep breath, let it out and relax.  Remember the folks your are meeting with were once in your shoes.

So these are just a few tips. I will keep you posted as I progress along.

The joys of interviewing

Argh!!!! I hate trying to sell myself to others. What happened to the good ole days when you interviewed for a job and you knew by the end of the day if you had the job or needed to seek elsewhere? What HR person thought these multi-day, multi-panel, multi-month interviews is the best way to discern the best employee for a position?  I'd like to shoot that HR person. Just offer a position already.

Today's interview went well. The reason being is because I know I'm overly qualified for the position so I had a response for each question and hopefully, I didn't come across as a snob. I may not be hired because I can be seen as a threat by one of the women who interviewed me.  Oh well.  The joys of working with women. Funny thing is that I've done this job and can do it in my sleep. I told funny ancedotes about my days as an assistant. I seem to have the room at ease, made eye contact, didn't fidget and I came prepared with questions. And best of all, I have wonderful references.

So the dog and pony show is over.  I can sit back and fret or I can continue my search.  I have another interview set for next week.  This will be the 2nd interview for the same job and this is for the job I want - EA to the GM.  So keep your fingers, toes and eyes crossed that I get it.

But until then, I may just hit a temp agency so I wont sit in this apartment going stir crazy. I need something to do.