A while back, I posted about talking to the gal at the community college about teaching some classes there as well as where I'm teaching now. I was nervous. I've never been comfortable with pitching myself to people. The whole, "I'm awesome, wouldn't you agree?" thing makes me want to puke. Still, it's a necessary evil when it comes to things like getting a job.
I sent off the inquiry e-mail to the gal and cringed when I hit "send." Then I immediately realized I had forgotten to put something in the subject line. Crap. Cue the butterflies in the gut, sweaty palms, and panic attack.
Imagine my thrill when her response was to say my CV was "impressive" and that she'd love to talk with me further.
Fast forward to the day when I went in for my talk/interview. Mr. Curls had wished me luck that morning, adding, "Though, I'm sure you don't need any." I was running approximately two minutes late because I had decided at the last minute that I wanted to include one more document in the folder I was bringing to the interview and had to print it out. Two minutes late, and I was cussing myself out as I raced across the parking lot. I found her office and she smiled warmly at me and said, "You must be Jean. It's nice to meet you."
Then, we started talking. She asked me about some of the experience I listed on my CV. She asked me what I considered my strengths as a teacher and what I struggled with. The interview started to get longer and longer and she was both very friendly, very professional, and very thoughtful about my answers. Before long, I started to feel less like a deer in headlights. Then she got to the point where she asked if I had any questions for her.
"At this point, my main question would be how I might fit here. If I were to teach here, what classes might I be teaching?"
The answer was not what I expected. Instead of saying, "Well, the classes you might teach would be X, Y, and/or Z," she said, "What would you think of teaching a class this summer? I have one more X class to fill." Just like that, I got hired! No second interview, no having to think it over, just a comment about how she'd already spoken to my current boss about me, gotten a positive review, and that she wanted me on board.
As soon as I said I'd be thrilled to take on the summer class, she loaded me up with the materials I'd need, told me to talk to HR, and said she looked forward to working with me. I was professional and said I was looking forward to it, but I didn't gush or squeal with glee since that would've been weird. Let me tell you though, as soon as I walked out of her door, I had the biggest, dumbest grin on my face and it stayed there for at least two hours afterward.
Okay, one summer class is hardly enough to retire on, but it's my foot in the door and it is an earlier start than I had hoped for. Now I have something productive to do this summer. The extra bonus is the self esteem bonus. My whole work and income situation has been a source of stress for me for a while, and I am just so extraordinarily psyched about this because even if it's a small win, it's still a WIN!
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