huddled ’round the fire

Listening to my Fugees station on Pandora and ruminating.  I wonder how being my rambunctious brown self affects/will affect the current hunt for employment?  The hammer fell some months ago at the last SnakePit; merely a casualty of the ‘last hired, first fired’ syndrome in spite of what some of my brown colleagues may think.  Presenting the fact that my pale colleague in Boston who was hired at exactly the same time as I was also laid off seems to be of no consequence to them.  It’s gotten to the point to where I’m avoiding talking to at least one of them.  I’m  sure there’s conspiracy theories that are valid, but seriously, just leave it alone, okay?

And while I’m on the topic, a tip or two on having conversations with an unemployed acquaintance, friend or colleague.  Do not plop down next to me, turn to me and open the conversation by brightly saying “So, how’s the job hunt going?”  It’s been about three months now and believe me, if I have any successes to report, I will be the first person to trumpet it from the rooftops.  As it is, I’m usually a polite person and mutter something inconsequential.  But after a few times of this, I’m just going to stare at you.  If it comes up in conversation, I’ll certainly discuss it if I’ve anything to discuss.  But don’t act like I couldn’t possibly have anything else to talk about, mmkay?  While none of this or the effects of said unemployment are tasteful topics to me at present, you will score mad extra points for asking me how I’m doing instead.  So far no one’s said anything abysmally stupid.  Another tip: you have a crappy job.  I’m sure your friends know it and have even commiserated with you about it.  No matter how bad it is however, you’ve got one.  Best not to holler about it to your unemployed friends who also had crappy jobs before they were suddenly unemployed.  I had a crappy job but I complained about it as little as possible because I believe in karma.

So I did have an interview a few weeks ago.  Pre-contact went well, everyhing seemed set for a good interview and a teaching presentation.  In the past, I’ve usually been very good about what my chances of advancing to an offer are in an interview process and I was fairly certain when I left that even if they did make an offer, I’d have a hard time accepting it.  Did.  Not.  Fit in.  Small team, small town meets me.  I wasn’t introduced to anyone on the professional level of the org chart who wasn’t a pale person.  Mind you, I wouldn’t ever assume the rejection (a very nice one, I might add.  Basically distills to “you were fun!  but we want more of X and X even though we didn’t say so in the posting, kthxbai”) was based upon my ethnicity without good cause and there isn’t any here.   The fact that when I was finally sprung from the interview, I didn’t have that walking-on-air feeling that I get after good response to a presentation, be it performance or mainstream business was enough for me.  It wasn’t a bad interview.  Just not a merging of the minds synergystic intellectually flexing flight of fun like some of my other interviews that ended in offers.

Still have to be careful.  This will be the first time I’ve been interviewing with local yokels.  Don’t know what I’ll find.

~ by missterioso on July 2, 2009.