Fantastically and completely unexpectedly, I have (as of today) joined the working homeless. My interview today panned out great and they hired me on the spot - I start Wednesday!!!
The company does internet marketing and search engine optimization, with a focus on clients who are mortgage lenders. I interviewed with the CEO and his Lead Developer. I got great vibes on the company, the people, work environment, and the general atmosphere of the place. After interviewing, I expected to at least have to wait a couple of days to find out (I was feeling pretty confident, but these days you never know) - but they asked me if I could start immediately! They said that they don't usually make a job offer right off the bat like that, but I seemed like the perfect fit for the company and their culture, and they saw no reason to see anyone else before making the decision!
Wow. Just... wow. I've never been so flabbergasted (or flattered) in my entire life. 8 MONTHS of searching and dead ends and sending out applications into cyberspace that may as well have been dead air because no one ever even called, and then... boom!
The position is really a catch-all, which is great because I will be able to build up my strength in all aspects of a business. It's a 31% cut in pay for me from my last position, but who cares - I'm being paid what the market will bear for my skills at this precise moment in time, and it's a HUGE increase over making nothing! The CEO made sure to mention to me that as the company grows, I will be offered pay raises and bonuses often, as he would really like to get me back up to my usual pay scale. It seems like they really try to take care of their employees there - I met the other workers, and they seemed cheerful and content with work and life in general, so how nice is that? What a change from the last guy who interviewed me last week. My official title is Executive Assistant, but the position will cover everything from Office Management to Human Resources to Payroll to Article Editor... There are 5 employees in the business, as well as a few freelance workers they've outsourced (company is growing and expanding, so adding some more) and I will be overseeing them all! How insane is all of this!? I'm terrified and thrilled, what a challenge!
Of course, I have to go to extra lengths to make sure that they never find out that I'm homeless, for however long that may be, but I'm pretty positive I can pull it off. As long as I arrive on time, work hard, and always appear polished and tidy, I don't foresee any major problems with it. I've tried to draw up an estimate of how long it will take me to get myself out of this and into a house. As near as I can tell, I should probably expect about 4-6 months, if all goes well and I budget very tightly, save as much as possible from each and every paycheck, and avoid emergencies and/or complications. I will, of course, still be updating tGGtH daily; new posts will probably arrive in the evenings, though, rather than mornings/afternoons as I have been doing.
Oh, my god. I'm exhausted. Happy, but exhausted. It's still all sinking in.
Thank you guys for your support, I don't know that I'd have felt or projected nearly as much confidence if I didn't feel like I had an invisible band of cyber-homeless-activists cheering me on as a support network. Unbelievable.
Shameless plug: don't forget to send in your letters to Colbert and Jon Stewart, kids! Homeless Tales links to just about every major (and about a jillion minor) homeless activist/volunteer/shelter out there, in all areas of the world. If Homeless Tales gets a boost, we all get a boost, and the issue gets some major face time on TV in front of millions of viewers - I'm willing to bet more of the younger generation get their news from "The Colbert Report" and "The Daily Show" than from actual newspapers or news networks. And, the younger generation is the one that's going to take over and inherit the earth next, so earning their awareness is a pretty big deal. :)
The company does internet marketing and search engine optimization, with a focus on clients who are mortgage lenders. I interviewed with the CEO and his Lead Developer. I got great vibes on the company, the people, work environment, and the general atmosphere of the place. After interviewing, I expected to at least have to wait a couple of days to find out (I was feeling pretty confident, but these days you never know) - but they asked me if I could start immediately! They said that they don't usually make a job offer right off the bat like that, but I seemed like the perfect fit for the company and their culture, and they saw no reason to see anyone else before making the decision!
Wow. Just... wow. I've never been so flabbergasted (or flattered) in my entire life. 8 MONTHS of searching and dead ends and sending out applications into cyberspace that may as well have been dead air because no one ever even called, and then... boom!
The position is really a catch-all, which is great because I will be able to build up my strength in all aspects of a business. It's a 31% cut in pay for me from my last position, but who cares - I'm being paid what the market will bear for my skills at this precise moment in time, and it's a HUGE increase over making nothing! The CEO made sure to mention to me that as the company grows, I will be offered pay raises and bonuses often, as he would really like to get me back up to my usual pay scale. It seems like they really try to take care of their employees there - I met the other workers, and they seemed cheerful and content with work and life in general, so how nice is that? What a change from the last guy who interviewed me last week. My official title is Executive Assistant, but the position will cover everything from Office Management to Human Resources to Payroll to Article Editor... There are 5 employees in the business, as well as a few freelance workers they've outsourced (company is growing and expanding, so adding some more) and I will be overseeing them all! How insane is all of this!? I'm terrified and thrilled, what a challenge!
Of course, I have to go to extra lengths to make sure that they never find out that I'm homeless, for however long that may be, but I'm pretty positive I can pull it off. As long as I arrive on time, work hard, and always appear polished and tidy, I don't foresee any major problems with it. I've tried to draw up an estimate of how long it will take me to get myself out of this and into a house. As near as I can tell, I should probably expect about 4-6 months, if all goes well and I budget very tightly, save as much as possible from each and every paycheck, and avoid emergencies and/or complications. I will, of course, still be updating tGGtH daily; new posts will probably arrive in the evenings, though, rather than mornings/afternoons as I have been doing.
Oh, my god. I'm exhausted. Happy, but exhausted. It's still all sinking in.
Thank you guys for your support, I don't know that I'd have felt or projected nearly as much confidence if I didn't feel like I had an invisible band of cyber-homeless-activists cheering me on as a support network. Unbelievable.
Shameless plug: don't forget to send in your letters to Colbert and Jon Stewart, kids! Homeless Tales links to just about every major (and about a jillion minor) homeless activist/volunteer/shelter out there, in all areas of the world. If Homeless Tales gets a boost, we all get a boost, and the issue gets some major face time on TV in front of millions of viewers - I'm willing to bet more of the younger generation get their news from "The Colbert Report" and "The Daily Show" than from actual newspapers or news networks. And, the younger generation is the one that's going to take over and inherit the earth next, so earning their awareness is a pretty big deal. :)
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Congrats!!!
ReplyDeleteWill keep all my fingers crossed that all goes well... and gets better.
Thanks so much! So will I :)
ReplyDelete~B~