The Nicest Rejection I've Ever Heard

I had yet another interview this past Friday which means I've had interviews almost every other Friday for the past month. Interviewing at a school on a Friday causes one unavoidable awkwardness: being necessarily overdressed. Fridays at schools are typically "casual Friday" and not business casual, but like "spirit-wear" casual (you know where you wear your favorite sweatshirt or track jacket with your school's name embroidered on the chest). Though I know "spirit-wear" Friday is upon me, I certainly can't show up not wearing a typical interview ensemble. So there I sit in my neatly pressed duds across from lovely administrators donned in denim and fleece smiling politely and pretending like I don't feel awkward at all.

Judging from the title of this post I'm assuming you've figured out by now that I didn't get the job. But I have to tell you this was one of the most encouraging experiences I've had in the past few months. Thanks to an inside tip from one of my references, I found out I was in the final 3 under consideration. After hearing that I told a lot of people that honestly even if I didn't get the job that I just really needed to hear that. After each interview I have no idea of how I did other than obviously not well enough to land the job. Which in my Debbie Downer little mind starts to assume that I did terribly, which now I'm realizing may not be the case.

I got the "no" call yesterday and hung up feeling better about myself than I did when I started the call. It was a 3-5 minute conversation praising me and my attributes and explaining why I didn't get the job. I hadn't ever had a why accompanying these other rejections and it was incredibly comforting information. The reality is that I was the only external candidate they interviewed and there were multiple internal candidates who were already doing the job I was interviewing for. With it being mid-school year they opted to go with someone who wouldn't require the training that I would. He even mentioned that I should stick with it if this is something I really want to do because if it were summer time they would have really considered me for the position. And then in a stroke of divine intervention he said multiple things that were really encouraging and answered some of the lingering questions that always seem haunt me after a rejection. He said everyone on the interview team was really impressed with me, that I didn't do anything wrong, that they wanted to keep my resume on file if anything opened up, that my references had glowing remarks and the kindest things to say about me. Though I was okay with not getting the job, the rejection phone call made me want to work there.

There was some relief in not getting the job. I would have needed to be there at 6:30am which meant with the commute and getting ready, I would have needed to wake up at 5:00 everyday. That would have meant a radical lifestyle change. The good news is I am pursuing another job that I am really excited about and is closer to the creative world and the work I hope to be doing in the long term. Be praying. I feel like I am very close to settling into my future.

I also really need to thank my two references Drew and Tom. I have applied for numerous jobs since July and have used Drew and Tom over and over again. If anyone has shared in the grueling process of finding a job with me it would be these two. They've answered phone calls, filled out surveys, and spoken my praises enthusiastically with each opportunity. I texted Drew the other day that I hoped to just settle in a job already to spare him the monotony of being my reference. So thank you so much for being my advocates!