Friday, April 30, 2010

Choice

I think I have an offer.

I had my interview with Papa Murphy's this morning. I met with the boss' boss and his colleague. They seemed very nice. Then they brought me back to meet with the manager again and he was talking like I was in the role: "you'll want to meet with this person, you could do that, etc." It felt like I was it. Then they took me to HR. The woman cut to the chase. She said,
so the job was posted at this amount, but we want to know how much it would take to get you because we don't want to lose you. we don't want you to get an offer from another company in a year that's more money and end up losing you.


So, I put it on the table. I said how much I wanted - still less than my Nike salary by a good bit, but quite a bit more than Volunteers of America and who the hell knows what PSU is going to pay, but more than that.

Then I told her that I would like to work 9 hour days and have every other Friday off. I said that I realized that it's probably not realistic for the position, at least not at first, but that would be a big incentive for me.

So she said she was going to talk to everyone and get it sorted out and get back to me today.

She didn't.

That's OK, I figure I put her on the spot by asking for $15,000 more than what the job was posted for and the rest. But, if they want the honest truth, that's what it would take to get me at this point. They're not the only offer on the table.

One of my references told me that Volunteers of America called him yesterday and that PSU called him today. Another reference told me Volunteers of America called her today (which I knew because i accidentally gave them the wrong number and had to call with the right one!).

I'm trying to remember whether in all my years of hiring if I ever called more than one person's references. It almost always was just calling the person I was offering. I don't think it was ever between two people and so I called both references.

So, if that train of thinking is correct, I believe I should be getting offers from both.

Then, at 4:50pm I missed a call on my cell phone. I checked my phone at 5:30 (I had been playing dinosaur attack in the basement) and it was Volunteers of America saying she really wanted to talk to me. I could call her back in the next 10 minutes (which had passed) or call on Monday.

So, I am thinking Monday is going to be an interesting day.

I feel literally cramped about the whole situation. How do I choose. As I sat in the Papa Murphy's interview, I thought, hey, this would be kinda cool, I like this place, I like the people, it would be easy for me to make a huge impact immediately and then just grow and learn about marketing and communications. I could do this job and be happy.

But that's how I felt about PSU.

And I totally felt that with VOA.

So which do I choose?

VOA is the job that I would like the best. It would have writing in it, I would love the people, I would be proud of my work and love what I was doing. I would be challenged. I would be close enough to come home at lunch and put dinner in the crock pot.

But I don't know if we'd be able to pay all our bills. I would be paying almost $1000 a MONTH for insurance, which takes the already low salary down another $10K when you figure that in.

PSU is a job that would be fine. Not thrilling, not necessarily challenging once I learned it, just kind of crunching numbers, supervising a staff and dealing with the administrative side of a university department. They still have a christmas tree up in a lobby. But i realized if i looked past the tree and looked past the bare penitentiary-white walls, that the people were OK and the university setting was great. I had lunch downtown after the interview and was serenaded by a wandering musician - and he was great. I didn't have any cash, so I gave him a card for a free cup of coffee that had been long forgotten in my wallet. It was wonderful. And it would be amazing benefits. Amazing. And it's a state job which would open me up to all sorts of potential opportunities.

Then there's Papa Murphy's. I would like the job fine, but it's also the job I've been doing for the past ten years, just in a difference place. I would do fine with it, and quickly, once I got a handle on the group, I could branch out and get into other parts of the business. I could work my way up there quickly, i think.

Maybe the reason all the jobs sound appealing is because I am just ready for a job. I'm ready to contribute. But to what?

I guess I just have to hear what all the offers are and type them into my spreadsheet and then choose. It'll probably be like how I order something at a restaurant. i pick two or three things off the menu, not sure of what I want and then I don't think about it. When the waitress comes to take our order, whatever pops out of my mouth then is what i get, and it's usually the right choice. I am thinking it'll go something like that.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Dramatic Turn of Events

Well, a turn of opinion anyway.

Today, I had my second interview with PSU. I wasn't looking forward to it. This was the place that still had the Christmas Tree up in the lobby. It just felt dank and depressing. Today, however, felt ... different.

I met with the Chair - the current Chair, who is leaving and the one who is probably replacing her. I don't totally understand what a "Chair" is, but I think it's a faculty member who agrees to be the administrative head for awhile. Both were Eastern European and the questions seemed like no-brainers. I think I do well in interviews. I'm relaxed, conversational. Maybe I have an overly high opinion of myself, but I'm pretty confident in my ability to do any of the jobs I've been applying for, so I think I come across well.

Then I met with the Dean. He was lovely. We discussed our philosophies of management and academia and he was just wonderful. If I were reporting to him, it would be more appealing. But, at least the college is all under his leadership.

Then I met with an Accounting person (a lot of budgeting work in this job - whoo hoo). She, too, was lovely and personable. She's new to PSU and she really likes it there.

They'll be in touch with me soon.

According to my friend in HR, it's between me and one other person. The other person is the temp they had in place who no one liked, especially the Dean. I knew this going into it and so I asked the Dean why the position was open. He said that they had a temp in the position and they could have hired the temp or opened the position up for someone new, so he decided to open it up. To me, that sounds like she's not in the running as far as he's concerned.

Yesterday, I was all for Volunteers of America. I would be helping people, I would be writing (grants) and it would be oh so close to home that I could come home at lunch, get dinner put together and go back to work after a stroll around the prettiest park in the city. They would probably be flexible with my schedule. But, now, I'm not so sure.

PSU pays $5000-10,000 more and pays 100% family benefits and pension. For VOA, I would have to pay over $10,000 a year for insurance. So that's a $20,000 difference. Plus, tuition. Tuition! It's $30/credit or $400 per term for FT. Crazy! I could get a master's. I could get a bunch of master's or a doctorate or pick and choose. I could get an MFA in writing and then a MA in counseling and anything else that caught my fancy. I could go to lectures during my lunch hour. And the gym is 5 blocks away. And I could take the max (which is subsidized). I could get student discounts on all sorts of things. Oh, and 3 weeks vacation PLUS 3 weeks sick leave (cough, cough, can't come in today - please disregard the sound of the ocean in the background). Suddenly, Nike's amazing benefits don't seem so amazing anymore.

But, I don't know if they'd go for the every other Friday off. I really really want that. If they offer me the position, I would try to negotiate it, but I suspect I wouldn't get it. That would be a bummer.

Tomorrow is Papa Murphy's. I'll see what they have to offer. I suspect it's more money. Their benefits aren't bad, but they're nowhere near PSU level. If I don't get any offer by any of them by Monday, I am going to be going nuts. Tuesday we leave to visit my parents in Florida.


which had a big impact on my outlook. The job seems much better than it had originally and I met some great people in the department. Then I talked to my friend in HR who told me that PSU pays 100% medical, dentail, vision for the whole family plus they contribute 100% to pension, plus transportation fees, plus crazy crazy rates for tuition. So, to my surprise, I'm now leaning towards PSU. The bummer is that I don't think I could do the every-other Friday off, which would be too bad. But, I might just ask anyway!

I haven't heard from Volunteers of America yet. Seems weird. But their benefits were rough, financially. It would have a big impact on the total compensation. We'll see.

I have second interview for Papa Murphy's tomorrow.

Please let me know if anyone contacts you. As always, I appreciate the reference.

Cathy

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Interview, interview

Tomorrow at 9:30 I have the PSU interview. It's between me and one other person. I have a friend on the inside and she's told me that the other person is the person that they fired in the first place. Strange. But also goes to show that they're not the most well organized group.

I just got a call for a second (third, including phone screen) with Papa Murphy's. Friday again, so they'll be wearing their Papa Murphy's polos. Another two hour interview.

And, still no word from Volunteers of America. I also haven't heard from any of my References about them calling. Weird. With all the other interviews going on, i kinda feel like the girl who is going out with all these guys, but waiting on the one guy to ask her to prom. But he still hasn't called.

Housecleaning...Not going so well

Yesterday I was inspired. I read about the Happy Slob and got inspired to get the house clean. After all, it's just 10 minutes. 10 minutes of a quick clean in the morning, 10 minutes in the evening and 10 minutes of a focus room at some point in the day. No problem.

So I start with the kitchen. However, there was something getting in the way. Two somethings.

"Mom, I'm a Spectral Tarsiay!" To which I had to respond or else that phrase would be repeated over and over until infinity.
"Mom, can you help me take my pants off."
"Mom, I just spilled"

So I go in the livingroom to deal with Quinn. When I come back into the kitchen, Reed has taken everything out of the toy tool drawer (one of the most brilliant things we did was take the tool drawer in the kitchen and dedicate it to toy tools) and spread them across the floor. I start to pick those up. I start to clean again.

Quinn needs something again, so I go in the living room. He's pulled all his stickers out of his woodland book and they're on the rug. I come back in the kitchen. The tools are all on the floor again.

The kitchen went uncleaned.

I think I'll try again in a couple years.

Monday, April 26, 2010

My job search

It's interesting. I've been writing all about the housewifing side of being home, but not the other big side - looking for a job. It hasn't been pretty.


So I've divided the three days a week that the boys are in daycare to the three main chunks of my life right now - Housewifing, writing (mostly the memoir but I'm going to expand to all aspects of my writing life), and looking for work.

I started looking for work, "for real," after the holidays. It was quiet at first but then in the past month it's been nuts. I've been interviewing for four different positions at four different places.

Interviewing is exhausting. All the selling yourself gets really tiring. Last Friday I had a first interview that took over two hours because I met separately with two different people.

One, I didn't get. It was a fun one. The Pear Bureau - a non-profit marketing organization that supports the pear growers in Oregon and Washington. It would have been a lot of communication (aka writing), some design, and lots of events. It was low pay but I would be writing, it would be fun and casual and I would get to travel a lot. Unfortunately, they didn't hire me. I was the second choice, but they felt I was overqualified and would be bored after six months. They felt it wouldn't be fair to me. I get it. It makes sense. But I think it would have been fun, but that I probably would have gotten bored with it after awhile. And, it was a sucky commute, so at least I don't have to deal with that after 11 years of awful commuting.

The one I'm most hopeful for is Volunteers of America. In fact, given the choice between Pears or VOA, I probably would have chosen VOA. It's a non-profit organization helping all sorts of people - homeless, elderly, poor, addicted. It does great work. I had worked in social work before Nike and had told myself that I'd work in a big corporation for a couple years to learn, and then come back to non-profit and apply what I learned. So, it took a little more than a couple years, but it would feel good to actually be back on that plan.

The position is grant writing and process developent. I would get to do writing (yay) and develop my grant writing skills (very marketable). I love process development - it's my "thing." The job description was kind of weak, but then when I interviewed the actuality of the job sounded great. Unlike Pears, where it would have been below my skill level, this will require brainstorming with the director, process development, autonomy, initiative, drive, problem-solving - and I love all that stuff.

And what a difference in the vibe of a non-profit vs. a huge corporation like Nike. Everyone's friendly, genuine, relaxed. Relaxed! And they're the ones dealing with people with addictions and problems that seem insurmountable. You go into a big corporation and everything and everyone is all polished and slick. Even Nike, even though I would wear jeans and tee shirts to work, there was still this high-powered, intense, competitive vibe going on. It would be lovely to work in a place that was the opposite of that.

I've had two interviews and they seemed to go really well. They're checking references this week, so that has to be a good thing, right? The pay is crap, but that's to be expected. I think I can probably negotiate working 9 hour days and have every other Friday off and have Dane do the same so that we can have the kids in daycare 4 days a week instead of 5. That would be huge. And I would enjoy the work and feel good about what I'm doing and would be proud for my kids to know that I help people for a living.

Oh, and it's 2 miles away and across from one of the loveliest parks in the city.

There's that and then there's PSU for a department manager. I'm one of two finalists. Interview is Thursday. I thought a Univerity job would be idyllic, but it was kind of bleak. Off-campus, very office-building feeling, dark, drab - they still had a Christmas tree up. I asked one of the staff who would be reporting to me what she liked or didn't like about her previous managers. She said she had 3 managers in the past 3 years - that's saying something. And there's no creativity in the job. Just management. I thought that would be okay with me but apparently it's not.

And then Papa Murphy's. Yes, Papa Murphy's take and bake pizza. No, not making pizzas (thank god I'm not at that point yet) but as design manager. I've had the phone screen and the first interview. It would be a snap since it's the same job as I've done for the past 8 years but on a smaller scale. And that would be better money and all that. But, it would be the same thing as I've been doing for the past eight years and that just doesn't seem inspiring.

Luckily all the jobs lined up to be around the same time so I should have a good amount of information on all of them before I get an offer or have to accept anything.

So, I'll keep you posted. I should hear more this week!

Studying Housewifery

So I realized that I'm studying how to be a housewife, and I find that mildly disturbing and mostly amusing.

For most things in my life, I refer to books. Whether it's something that sparked my interest or something I don't know how to handle or when I need to make a big decision - I go to books and study the subject as a way to sort out my thoughts around it.

It was when I checked out a book on housecleaning from the local library that I realized I was doing the same thing with the housewife thing. First, there were the cooking books. Then, the parenting books, and, lastly, now the housecleaning books.

But, I am not ashamed. They have all been a huge help! I love it. There is so much to learn about. I figured that these are things that a person should know how to do, and so if you don't know how to do it, there's nothing you can do to help your situation. But, today, there's information on how to do everything so why not on how to be a housewife! If I wasn't taught how to be a housewife by my mom, it's not my fault. And, why, she didn't teach me things I don't know. She's just not that way. But, I wish she did.

I remember my birthmother remarking how amazing it was when she showed her stepson how to clean. She was always frustrated when she asked him to clean because he did a bad job of it. It took her awhile, but she finally figured out she had to teach him how to do it. It seems obvious to me, but I guess it's not. All things are taught whether directly or indirectly.

So, these are a few gems I found in the Housewifery canon:

Cooking
  • Cooking Light Magazine (always has quick recipes that are healthy. though i modify most of them. some are a little too from scratch. also great online resource)
  • Rachel Ray's Magazine. What I like is that she'll give you a menu for the whole week along with a shopping list. That was a stroke of brilliance.
Parenting
  • Love and Logic. Brilliant. How to discipline in a very calm way that's effective. The biggest part was it changes you from yelling and fighting to simple consequences.
  • Supernanny. Yes, Supernanny is great. She has so many things that are helpful - schedule, consequences, tone of voice, playing with the kids, being united with your partner. I just wish she had it all written down in a book - hey - maybe she does. Duh! Of course she does. OK, just ordered it from the library.
Housecleaning
  • No Hassle Housecleaning. This is a book from a blog (what book isn't starting as a blog these days?). The blog was from the "Happy Slob" and I relate to the author instantly. She isn't happy about housecleaning, so she figured out how to do it at the most minimal effective level so that you can back to your life. I liked that a lot. Plus, she is very much on the side of natural ingredients without preaching it, so that lines up with me too.
We'll see how the housecleaning reform goes. It's the last of the big three that I've listed. I feel like I have pretty firm footing on the other two. But housecleaning just isn't my thing. Even when I had all day to clean up the house when our daycare provider was coming for a "home visit," I just couldn't pull it together. I get distracted. I get overwhelmed. I realized that day that I'm not good at it and I need help. It was the first time I could laugh with my husband at my being bad at it and not feel guilty about it. Because the biggest part is simply that I don't know HOW to do it. I'm hoping the book will change that. And change me. We'll see.