At Long Last!

I can finally have that exhale I have been wanting so badly. I got a job! It is a good job, too. One that will be a good fit for now, pay me decently and has potential for future growth. I am glad that I was able to stick it out and keep my standards high. I will have to admit, I was very tempted to apply for things that I didn't really want just because I wanted a job so badly. But, thanks to the constant support of Paul, my family and friends and my stubborn nature, I was able to be selective in my search and end up with something that I don't feel I am settling for.

It definitely wasn't easy, though. In fact, this was the hardest and most morale crushing job search I have ever experienced. Rejection really sucks, especially when the stakes are so high. At one point in my job searching, I started to become curious about my job search statistics. I knew calculating them while still in the midst of searching would only depress me, so after I accepted the offer, I compiled this data:

Statistics of a Job Search

# of applications submitted = 52

# of jobs interviewed for = 9 (including 2 placements agencies that supposedly had temp-to-perm positions)

# of interviews = 12

# of people that interviewed me = 44

# of times I was told I was the second choice candidate and that the first choice accepted the position = 2

length of job search = 6+ months (from September to February with a small break around Christmas, plus a few months prior to September when I was searching from Boston)

a sampling of hoops I had to jump through = typing tests, intelligence tests, personality assessments, computer skills testing, on-the-spot essay writing, interview panels, interview committees, phone screenings, online form after online form, teaching sample lessons, and answering countless questions that started with the phrase "Can you give me an example of a time when..."

Whew! I am so glad that process is over.