Another Missed Job Opportunity

It's been five days since my last post, which would usually indicate that my interest in this blog is already fading. However, I honestly did think about posting each day; I just genuinely had nothing to say! I'm still working my way through the same TV shows and books, so there's nothing new to review or recommend, and yesterday was the first day I'd left the house all week. For the most part, I've spent the week waiting for a phone call from the company I interviewed with last week. Every morning I thought "Maybe today is the day I'll get a real job!" Unfortunately, as I discovered yesterday, they have hired another applicant and I'm back to square one.

I really thought I had a chance at this job (since they flew me to Maryland for the second interview), but I guess the other applicants were even more amazing than me. I wouldn't be surprised if most of them had several more years of experience than me; so many historical organizations (museums, libraries, archives, etc) have had to cut staff that every stack of applications is filled with talent. And it doesn't help that I'm absolutely terrible at interviews. I look great on paper, but in person I get so nervous that I'm a mumbling mess. This one went A LOT better than my first real interview in November, though, so I hope that I'll keep improving with each one. The company also asked three times as many questions as my last interviewer, so I have a better idea of what answers I need to prepare.

I applied for this job waaaay back in mid-December, so the uncertainty of my future has been hanging over my head for the past month and a half. Now that I know their answer, I'm moving onto Plan B. I'm going to start volunteering at two organizations in town (probably the Civil Rights Institute and the county archives) while I simultaneously search for a part-time retail job. I managed to save up quite a bit during my two-year stint as a GRA at West Georgia, but those funds have been slowly dwindling since last summer. Since I still live with my parents, I don't spend a lot of money, and working in retail will give me more than enough to bulk up my savings account again.

With any luck, volunteering at an organization and archiving for free will open up new doors for me. Most places hire from within, so there are very few entry-level positions advertised online. I just know that an employer would be impressed with me if he could see me in action, rather than basing his decision on a resume and a half-hour interview. Even if neither organization has the funds to hire me at some point this year, they'll at least be in touch with other archives in the state, so they may hear about job openings that I would otherwise miss.

As much as I would have loved working and living in Maryland, part of me is very happy to remain in Birmingham. Everyone I know and love is within a three-hour radius, and I'd miss my life here if I had to move far away.