Change is in the Air

It was a whirlwind of a week. On Monday, I interviewed for a Director of Marketing and Communications position. On Monday afternoon, I was called back for a second interview. Wednesday, about 90 seconds after leaving the second interview, I was offered the position. Yeah!

The offer was contingent upon my current employer providing a positive reference, which I knew would not be a problem. It meant I had to rush back to the office, break the news I’d be leaving after more than 3 ½ years, and then put my boss in touch with the new employer. It felt a little “fake”, making all these big plans before the news had really sunk in. But it’s real, and my start date is November 4th. My coworkers gave me lots of congrats and a few asked if I'd been headhunted, which I took as a compliment.

I could not be more excited about this opportunity. It’s exactly what I was looking for in terms of career advancement, with a fantastic organization I’ve been familiar with for years. The type of work, the hours, the location, the benefits, everything is great. I’ll also be working alongside women more senior than myself, which will be a first for me. Hard to believe, isn’t it? Or maybe not so much. 

The stars really aligned this time. The guy who left the position put in a good word for me during his exit interview. He and I met through his wife about 4 years ago when I was volunteering on a local community health initiative. Also, I tried a new resume format which allowed me to highlight accomplishments without making the reader go through all my work history. 

Coincidentally, the new employer recently hired an ad agency led by someone I worked with in advertising about 5 years ago, and he also put in a good word for me after my first interview. Finally, I will have two salespeople who report to me, so it was perfect to be able to mention I teach a Professional Selling course, and I was able to answer their hypothetical sales questions well. I couldn’t have scripted a better combination of events.

My coworkers jokingly asked if I was going to bail right away, and I answered honestly – I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if I did that! I’m definitely feeling the rush to tie things up at my current job so I don’t leave them hanging, and I had a couple of crappy nights of sleep this week as a result. Today I’m finally able to slow down, organize, and look forward without worrying. I hope they/we hire my replacement soon so I can spend a few days getting the new person up to speed. 

Tomorrow Felix and I are going to the pumpkin patch with our Babies & Tots group. I scheduled a weekend outing for working parents and we have 10 signed up, so it should be lots of fun.

Not eating cat food. Just watching...I promise.

He has the smiliest eyes.