(cont)

I haven’t written about it, because my rule of websites is, “Always assume the one person you don’t want to read it, WILL.” Heehee. Good rule, eh? So, now that it is all gone through, it’s OK to share.

James got a great job offer from a great company and has accepted it. We have a couple of our friends that work there and like it. He has actually been in touch with the company since before CHRISTMAS, and he put his resume in for it LAST SUMMER, so it’s been a while in the works, though progress has only really been made in the last week or so. Turns out the HR person he was talking to (and kept missing) left, and he was contacted by someone new, who really took charge and got things done. He went in for an interview yesterday, and was offered the job this morning. My only beef with him is that he didn’t even do the courtesy, “Let me think about it, discuss it with my wife, and get back to you,” spiel, he just TOOK IT. Hahaha! However, we both knew he was going to take it, and the offer was even better than he expected, so I can forgive him not talking to me about it first 🙂 The money is good, the benefits are good, especially in that they HAVE SOME, whereas in his old job there was vacation, and that was about it.

He told his boss about it this morning, and apparently there was some carrot dangling that was probably kind of laughable, because the boss has dangled the carrot before, in terms of yearly review/ raises end of year bonuses, etc, and when the carrot actually comes, it is always a let down. James pretty much told him that even if he matched it (which I don’t think is even possible, due to the benefits) he would still leave. There was a lot of, “ahhh… well, you might be tossing a lot of money away..” sort of talk, but it was a bunch of HOOEY.

I don’t know if James is a good interviewer, because I’ve never seen him in interviews, but I do know that the one fault he has is that he undervalues himself. He is too modest. I never have that problem, honestly, I’m a greedy bitch 🙂 When I was leaving the second “real” job I ever had, I shopped myself around, got myself two offers, played them against each other, and took the better one at a 15k raise (remember, this was at the very beginning of my career, so it was basically raising me out of the level of poverty, haha). I’m just that kind of person. James is a much nicer, genial sort of man. The job he has now, he took after being laid off for 2 months (with only 3 months severance pay) with me being SEVEN MONTHS PREGNANT. I was working, but as a contractor with no benefits, and I would not have paid time off to give birth. He was under a good bit of pressure (talk about an understatement)! He took the first decent job that came along, at a salary that he should have laughed at. Four years later, some job benefits that made up for that lack of salary have eroded away, and the salary/ bonus promises that were made originally never really paid off.

When we went into this situation, he even turned to me one night and said, “Now you’re going to have to tell me what to say in the interview, when they ask about money, Miss I-had-two-offers!” I did tell him things he could say, and we discussed all the bogus froo-froo-y interview questions that might come up, “If you were a tree, what sort of tree would you be?*” and what he could reply to them. Maybe I said something that helped, but more accurately, they recognized a good nerd when they saw one 🙂

* I actually have never been asked this, but you have to agree that there are definitely weird interview questions that sometimes come up. Like, “What is your biggest weakness?” that you’re supposed to somehow make be an asset, like, “Oh, gosh, I guess I’d have to say, I’m just TOO ORGANIZED, it SUCKS.” Yeah right.

Seeing him get this offer is just the best feeling in the world. He is the hardest worker I know, he hardly ever misses a day sick, he works his ass off, he doesn’t complain (except to me!) gets the job done even when he has his family to take care of and school to attend. He has not really liked working with the people he has worked with the last four years. He hasn’t minded some of them, but he hasn’t had the nice camaraderie of colleagues that become friends to help him get through his work day and make going to work ENJOYABLE. He hasn’t had a good company environment, he hasn’t been appreciated for his SUPREME talents, and if anyone deserves a rewarding, well-paid position IT IS JAMES. I am just so proud of him and excited for him and excited for getting out of the suck-joy hell hole that he is currently employed at, that I could just burst.

No one deserves it more, honey.

WAY TO GO!

Plus now, as my friend Greg said, we can definitely get me a bike for my birthday. 🙂

I mean, WAY TO GO!