No news on the JP job front. It is frustrating to say the least. I also had the unpleasant task of telling JP over lunch that I read the emails from the Director differently than him. They said: "Good news! One of our internals is out, so you're up. I'm talking to HR about getting approved for external offers." When JP responded with enthusiasm and asked which division he'd be in, the Director replied, "Not final yet, hopefully X." Businessy optimist that he is, JP skimmed it once and assumed Director meant the offer was his, and the Director hoped JP would be in X division (that's the Director's main division and he'd told JP earlier he hoped to get him). Cautious attorney and careful reader that I am, I read it 52 times and concluded the Director hoped he'd get approval for an external offer, and if he did, JP would be in X division.
As I gently suggested this interpretation, JP pulled out his blackberry, read the email chain, and then slowly put it back in his pocket, saying sadly, "you're right." And so I crushed another dream. I do think the Director wouldn't have told JP about the change in ranking if he wasn't pretty darn sure he could make an outside offer, but I'm also sure he hedged his language for a reason.
JP applied for three more jobs yesterday, all entry level no MBA required, and all making the same as he did at his very first job out of college. And so this whole situation continues to suck.
But other things are good! This park, for instance. It's a new discovery and we LOVE it. We spent an hour here on Mother's Day, in the ridiculous 98 degree heat, kicking a soccer ball and telling Claire not to eat wood chips.
I love that it has two huge playscapes, four swings, a covered area for eating, a big grass field for running, and a sign that says: "Danger Falling Rocks."
I don't love how grown-up my baby boy is looking, but I have thoroughly enjoyed this year between 3 and 4, so I'll forgive him.
We went to Claire's parent-teacher conference yesterday at daycare. These are super fun for babies because the teacher just shows you a bunch of adorable pictures from class and then tells you how awesome your baby is. And Claire is awesome. She's the leader in all things development, and apparently is the ring leader of the whole baby gang. My favorite was a story about Claire starting a "lunch riot" the day before. We even saw a picture of Claire shaking the little baby gate between the play area and the eating area, with all her baby friends yelling behind her.
She also has a huge crush on their weekly visiting guitar player, and can find any toy the teachers hide anywhere. As JP and I frequently say at home- she's wily and I think she's going to keep our hands full as she gets bigger.
Who, me?
With her penchant for outlets, the fact that she crawled up the stairs in 10 seconds out of nowhere the other day, and her drive to explore all the things her brother always had an inherent understanding he shouldn't touch- yes, her.
Good thing she's so darn easy and cute in every other way (and she has a big brother to yell out, "Mommy! Claire's not being safe!" or "Mommy! Claire's crawling up the steps really FAST!" He's like her guardian angel/emergency alert system).
Thank you so much for your support on the last post. I get so much from this blog, it'll get me choked up if I think about it. I promise to update as soon as we know anything.
I'll be honest, LL, the lawyer in me reads those emails exactly the way you did. I think you're right that the chances are good, though, and I hope this works out for JP!
ReplyDeleteAnd if he ends up having to take a non-MBA job...it will suck, but know it doesn't have to last forever. Mr. D. took a crap job after finishing his graduate degree because we needed a paycheck while I finished law school. It sucked, a lot. BUT, three years later, he got his dream job, the one he went to grad school for. Miracles happen, I swear.
Well put!
ReplyDeleteIsn't it great to have cyber friends? You can confide things to "strangers" when you wouldn't say anything to a neighbor or even an office coffee buddy.
We're all here for you, anytime.
I think you're right from about the email, as well. However, from as a hiring manager, I wouldn't send an email like that unless I was pretty damn sure it would go through.
ReplyDeleteAlso as a hiring manager, it is a tough market, and JP should definitely not take any of this personally. We have had MBAs applying for receptionist positions, just to have an income. It's insane. The sadder thing is, we just throw those applications aside, because we know why they are applying, and we know that they will jump ship the moment a "real" job becomes available. It sucks.
I am sorry for the continued uncertainty. I kept checking your blog to see if there was an update on this situation. As Wendy said, I know plenty of people who have gone through this. A good friend's husband - a lawyer who was laid off after 6 years with a firm - couldn't even get a job at Bloomingdales because he was overqualified, but also couldn't find a law job either. It really is a hard market and it is so disheartening to see really smart, qualified people not get jobs and not develop their skills. My fingers continued to be crossed for JP.
ReplyDeleteAnd how cute are Claire and Landon? I love those chunky thighs on the baby.
LL, we are all on pins and needles with you. My husband works for a behemoth computer company, and getting HR approval for stuff is completely insane sometimes. On his last team, 8 out of 9 people quit, but they couldn't get a requisition to hire any new people -- so one guy (my husband) was doing 9 people's jobs! They interviewed people (including a former Navy Seal with an Master's in engineering from Stanford), but could never get HR to approve the requisition to hire new people. Needless to say, he transferred to a different division within the company; the VP loved him, but it took two months for them to approve the transfer!!
ReplyDeleteGood luck to you and JP!! These things are just crazy some times.
I have no idea why "from" was inserted in my comment twice... weird. (no, I can't ignore things like that once I notice them).
ReplyDeleteALSO... despite being surrounded by cute babies of people I actually, like, KNOW, I swear it is your little Biscuit who makes my ovaries percolate...
ReplyDeleteI have one a little younger than Landon, and am normally ambivalent about another... until I see new pics of Claire. I love her.
And now I promise, I'm done commenting.
Claire as the ringleader! I love it.
ReplyDeleteSorry about the JP job situation. I hope he finds something worthy of him, and if it doesn't happen I hope he finds something that leads to something great.