The DonnaBlog: About to Happen.

In my business - looking for a job is a lot like online dating. It can be an ego-deflating, energy-sapping, frustrating, soul-sucking, infuriatingly tedious exercise. I can't say it any more plain than that.

I introduced a dear friend to the world of IT Contracting a couple of years ago. She had seen me go through this process before and seemed confused about why I feel the way I do. Well, after she had been part of it for a little while she understood. Needless to say, she's not contracting anymore.

The hope is that whatever match you make will be (a) timely (b) financially worthwhile (c) enjoyable (d) interesting and...if all the above are true... (e) long-term. There are a number of potential down-sides to the equation but we won't dwell on this right now....let's just keep this simple.

This last contract wasn't a good fit. Technically it was fine, but many if not all the elements that made my last contract so wonderful are missing here. I'm not saying it's anyone's fault...that's just the way it is. I go in, I do my job, I go home....and that's what they paid me for. It'd be nice to get more out of it than that but in all honesty there really wasn't anything more to "get".

This process can be a fast one or a slow one. I remember writing a blog entry a couple of contracts ago when I went to Raleigh for an all-day interview. Getting past the introductions, the phone screen interviews, the eventual submittal to the hiring manager, some number of phone interviews often followed by an in-person interview, and ultimately getting a decision is no small feat. That's how it often works, tho, so it's just part of the game.

Some of the positions I've been pursuing are finally at the interview/decision stage this week so it will be interesting to see how it all plays out. I went to a face-to-face interview this morning. And - truth be told - it went really well and would be an excellent fit. Good people, interesting work, beautiful campus, excellent energy.....I really enjoyed it and am allowing myself to be optimistic. I'm told I'm one of two finalists and he has pledged to make a decision by mid-morning tomorrow.

But another opportunity came from out of nowhere and is leading the pack. I first chatted with the recruiter last Wednesday, I sent her my resume Thursday and she sent it to the client. The client scheduled a phone interview for first thing yesterday. That went well, so they scheduled a follow-up with that manager's manager. That went well, too. I strongly believe that things that happen almost effortlessly are exuding positive karma that outweighs many other factors. Anyway - it's a little more complicated than that but the fact of the matter is that the smooth way this has happened is not lost on me.

Stay tuned. I expect to make decisions on "what next" for me tomorrow. Some of it might be surprising.

We had a very pleasant weekend. We had originally planned to head to Daytona for Biketoberfest but cancelled those plans due to current events. We were both disappointed but sometimes life just gets in the way of doing things you want to do. The weather was gorgeous and it would have been beautiful. Instead, we stayed close to home and did some things around Charleston.

Saturday night a certain someone and I went to the annual fundraising gala dinner for the local LGBT organization, AFFA. As we got dressed I was reminded how many times we've done this in the past....how many dinners we've been to together. But we haven't been to one in a long time (at least three or four years) - we've both moved on from those kinds of things, I guess. Anyway, it was a very nice event.