- Our Employee Association has been hosting “Cribs” presentations during lunch hour each week, and yesterday I presented Dragonstone (you can see my presentation here). It was fun to put the presentation together and give it – I work in design/construction so everyone was really interested! I had a total buzz after giving it.
- Which was immediately killed (like within 10 minutes) by getting a call saying I am not getting a second interview for the supervisor position of my team. Neither is the other person on my team I thought should. We’re both shocked and really, really, really upset. We have a very specific skill set (no, not channeling Liam Neeson, ha) and are not eligible for other advancement opportunities and someone had to pass away (then it took a year) for this position to even open, so advancement feels helpless right now. But I will look for new opportunities at work. I will request a debrief when it’s eligible. I will focus on the great things in my life. I will relish in the fact that work is not my life. Oh well.
- The first thing I wanted to do when I got the news was go on a long run. And I can’t. Sigh.
- Moving on! Here are other bullets I had drafted for this post:
- We had a tornado warning Monday and the cats did NOT want to go in the basement, which is odd, since every time I work out down there, Apollo and Starbuck are clawing at the door to join me. Poor Khali was especially FREAKED out. But we were only down there about 15 minutes and everyone (and our property!) is fine.
- This is gross, but whatever. I keep sweating through my outfits while working, especially when I have calls. Our house is properly cooled and ventilated, and I am wearing shorts and a tee. I wonder if I am out of balance from not working out as much or from eating crap for a while? I will DEFINITELY keep you posted on how this progresses! Ha ha ha.
- We’ve lived in our home four years but have never set up a garden because we always have some house project going on. Someday we will! In the meantime, I am super grateful our neighbor has been sharing their tomatoes (and said we could go pick them whenever!). I rarely eat store bought tomatoes – they just aren’t worth it. Fresh from the garden though? Yes, please!
Awww, Kim, it makes so much sense that you are really upset – you put so much time and effort into the application process, and it seems like these types of advancement opportunities are so few and far between. I admire your ability to flip the switch and think about the good things in your life and looking for other opportunities – I am sure it would be much easier to do that with a run! I also really admire the way you share what you are going through so openly with us here on the blog! In the meantime, though, I hope you get the time you need to grieve and process this disappointment. Hang in there – sending many many hugs and good thoughts your way.
And yes, home grown tomatoes – hands down!
xxx ooo
That is exactly it – I spent so much time on it and waited for it so long! Of course, you know, since we’ve been talking about it for like, a year, so thanks for always listening! <3 And thanks - blogging about it helps! Although for a second I felt dumb to post I didn't advance, but I know I am the only one who thinks that. And I am consciously trying to figure out how I feel about it. It's hard not to snap right to bitter, but I do feel that way - why have I been working so hard and had a ton of complicated projects and special assignments? LOL. Thanks for your hugs and thoughts! XOXO
They're so much better! I hope they have a garden next year, too, ha!
You are welcome! Yeah, I do get how this experience would make you question your current level of effort and commitment and how it would make you feel bitter. You will probably go through a whole range of feelings about this before it settles down a little bit and you figure out how you really feel. I’ll be interested to hear what you finally land on.
Hope you have something fun or relaxing you can do today to distract yourself a little?
Yeah, I can tell it’s going to be a lot of up and down as I process it – it already has been!
Well, I get to start the day with a meeting with my new supervisor about my development plan. LOL, great timing. I don’t today (it’s errand day after work) but maybe tomorrow!
That is such a bummer about the supervisor position. I hope they are open to giving you feedback about what they were looking for. Do you read the website “Ask a Manager”? She has some good advice about asking for feedback when you don’t get a position you really wanted.
I hope so too. I know there is a formal debrief process, but I can’t go through it until the position is filled. I don’t – I will check it out, thanks!
I am so sorry about the supervisor position. You worked so hard on the application and interview. And not being able to go run off the feelings must make it even harder 🙁 my husband has a job with very few advancement opportunities and he says it makes it hard to stay motivated to keep working hard when he has been passed over for the very few promotion opportunities there have been. Maybe you need one of those sprinkle cakes to cheer you up?
Thanks <3 Yes - it's very similar to his work! Advancement opportunities are few and far between and super competitive and it's a morale/motivation killer. And we don't get merit based raises, so it's like, why do I care so much when someone at the same level of pay doesn't? Sigh. I hope he gets selected for advancement!
OMG that cake. YES. But I should try a new flavor, right? Maybe Oreo?
I’m so glad your presentation went well!! Sounds like it was well received, I’m sure they will all want a tour once COVID is no more-vid.
I’m so sorry about your job. It is seriously their loss, and I can’t even fathom how they would not at the very least advance you to a second interview. It baffles me. I truly think they just know how great you are at your current job, and don’t want to have to find someone to fill your shoes. Total BS. Hopefully something bigger and better is headed your way. Love you snist!
No more-vid LOLOLOL snis. There were some really funny work-specific related jokes about having a ribbon cutting and having the head of our organization come out for it. It was a lot of fun.
Thanks. I don’t want to sound cocky but I am surprised I didn’t make it to #2 as well. I guess I will find out what I effed up in the interview whenever I can do a debrief. I feel like they want to keep me on my projects too 🙁 I am already brainstorming other ideas and will keep looking for new opportunities!!! Love you too snist!
Kim, that sucks so bad that you didn’t get a second interview. Must be political. Always comes down to
who you know. This makes me so angry and disappointed. 😫
Thanks for feeling my frustrations 🙁 I feel like something is up, too. Or we both really effed up our interviews?!
I find it incredibly unlikely that you had any problems with the interview. More likely, they already had someone in mind before the process even began.
I’m so sorry about the job 🙁 It really sucks, plain and simple. It is very odd to me that both of you got passed over when you both have such a specific skill set. I would assume both of you having that skill set would mean the supervisory position could benefit from someone with those skills. Obviously I’m not on the hiring team, but I would personally be very curious to know what specifically they were looking for if neither of you had it. I understand your frustration (to an extent) – I also have a specific skill set that will never allow for any advancement at my current company. I could become a Senior [Position], or they could tweak my job title to make me sound more important, but that’s it. All those changes would just be in title alone, and maybe in compensation, but not in responsibility. There will almost certainly never be an opportunity for me to manage others in any capacity with what I do, and it’s frustrating. I would have to go to a SIGNIFICANTLY larger company to even have the chance of finding a supervisory role, most likely, and it does make me feel very stuck career-wise. I’d have to make a big pivot to ever have a chance of climbing a corporate ladder. So I feel you. It’s not fun, and I’m really, really sorry things worked out the way they did 🙁
Your Dragonstone presentation is beautiful! What a cool idea with the Cribs thing. I’m perpetually curious about the inside of other peoples’ homes – not in a creepy voyeuristic way, but just in a “I wonder how things are laid out and how they decorated” way. I’d love if we had work Cribs! I also didn’t realize you’d been working on Dragonstone for a full year now – wow!
Monday’s storm was WILD! I feel like living in the Midwest my entire life, it’s easy to blow off warnings about how bad storms are going to be, since they’re so often wrong. Not on Monday! I saw some videos out of Iowa on NWS Chicago’s Twitter feed and was like, “Okay, so this is NOT a joke, then.” Spent the afternoon bustling around, making sure all of our outdoor stuff was secure and my car was far away from trees, then hunkered down in the bathroom once the sirens went off. I actually think that was the first time in my life I’ve heard tornado sirens due to an actual tornado warning (I grew up rural enough that we didn’t have sirens out there).
That’s what seems so odd to me too – not many others would have those skills, and no one has been doing them as long as us! And we both have experience acting in the position. Odd.
Gosh, yeah, you totally feel me! It’s very similar here, only I can’t get a title change or change in compensation. Ha, and they give me more responsibility but not management. Do you think you will consider a new company down the road? I feel for you.
Thank you! I am curious too! The person who bought our old townhome is an Instagram Influencer and I really like seeing pics of it. I’d say “isn’t that weird?” but I know you’ll get it. Crazy it’s been a year, right? We hope to finish siding by the end of summer!
It was! And yes, I was like “is this even legit?” UM YEP. I am glad you could get things secure and get safe! Have you seen the damage in Iowa? It’s horrible. My friend just drove her son to college there and basically drove the highway path it was on and she said it was so depressing 🙁 Many still don’t have power and it took down a lot of cell towers so that affected a lot of the state! 🙁
If I don’t think things will ever change advancement-wise, I’ll probably look elsewhere eventually. I just don’t want to be at the same level 10 years from now as I am today, you know? My job is hardly my life, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to at least have the option to move up. We’ve undergone some big changes over the past six months, so we’ll see if that opens any doors. I do like what I do for now, so that’s something!
I saw some photos of Iowa, and it is so sad 🙁 I feel awful for all the farmers who lost so many crops 🙁
I do know! That is what I feel like now – I have been in this position almost 12 years. I have good benefits and get paid well but I am burnt out. I am glad you like what you are doing and have my fingers crossed that something exciting comes your way there.
Right? 🙁
<3 <3 <3 My heart breaks for you about the supervisor role, and I hope you're able to have a full debrief when the time comes. And I want to echo what Amy said: thank you for being so open and honest about the process. I know it can feel vulnerable to have to tell us that you didn't get the position, but it's a place so many of have been and can empathize with your grief. <3
Poor cats in the basement! Question: how did you get them in there? Treats? I'm trying to figure out the best way to get my cats into the bathroom during moving day (I mean, it's an entire month away but here I am, worrying about it, ha). Just curious!
Thank you <3 I was kind of mad I have to wait so long for the debrief but maybe waiting will make it easier for me to take the feedback and process it. And you are welcome! I am mostly glad I am sharing because I have so much support from people like you!
I was able to put Apollo and Starbuck on the stairs and they were not as freaked since they go down there. Khali was the one who was freaking out the most so I had to put her on the other side of the door, with me, and close us both in quickly before she could escape. And yes, with treats! Are your girls used to being in the bathroom? If not (or even if they are!) I'd have them spend time there now, and put their litter boxes in, and a towel to lie on, and reward them with treats or a favorite food.
Oh, my goodness – I am so sorry to hear about the job. I know you said it’s for the Feds, so I have to wonder if it’s a) an outside person they wanted in the position, or b) if there is some other factor that’s affecting the decision. RE b – when I applied for a gov’t position years and years ago, I was not selected even though according to the person with whom I interviewed I was their first choice. The reason was that the other individual was in one of the categories that bumps them up the list if their qualifications meet the criteria. (There was a really weird outcome to the story, but it’s unique so prefer not to share it here…) Anyway, all of that to say, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Thank you for sharing so openly, though – I truly appreciate how much you share with us. It’s a rarity in the blog world these days.
Sorry this comment is so late, as always, but I imagine it’s still stinging quite a bit. 🙁
Take care.
I am wondering if it’s b too. We’re all rated based on our resume and how we respond to things, so maybe I had less points than the two that moved forward. I am sorry that happened to you too. It’s very common but it still freaking sucks 🙁
No need to apologize! I appreciate all comments! I just have to look back and make sure I am responding to the right post 😉 Hee hee
And you are welcome for all my sharing 🙂 I am glad it’s appreciated and not annoying!!!