Deal With It

You struggle for what seems like months to get an interview, and then it happens. You go to the interview and everything seems to click. You walk away convinced you are perfect for the job. Why? Who knows? You just fall in love with the idea that they plan to hire you. Why else were they smiling at you and nodding their heads during the interview. And it is just like falling in love, you can't remember anything that was other than a perfect fit for you. You quickly forget (or may not even notice) that one of the decision-makers challenged your fit for the job and you were unable to convince him otherwise. or correct that impression. You ask at the conclusion of the interview what the next steps will be and when they will be making their decision. You leave feeling certain they will call you shortly. Two weeks stretches into three, and you are alternately brooding and dreaming about the opportunity (you don't even call it a job anymore). Do they have your number? It's on your resume, of course. Why haven't they called?

Deal With It

The reality is that this is a chore to them. Some of them dread the prospect of making a mistake, knowing the cost in time and stress of choosing the wrong person, so avoidance is the most effective strategy. Others are blithely ignorant of the possibility of such a disaster and just can't be bothered with all the time they are being asked to spend on this. Somewhere there is someone who is accountable for getting a person hired, but few organizations measure how long it takes to hire someone to fill a vacancy, so getting the principals to move in one direction is like herding cats. It will happen eventually, but not on the kind of schedule that someone guessed at at the conclusion of you interview.

The other thing you need to face? The odds are they will not be calling you. What? Is that possible? They seemed to like me. I had all the necessary qualifications and I know they bought my pitch about the skills I could bring to bear. Sure, you could be right. You may just be the best person they could hire. But remember, I said "the odds are..." Fact is they likely received a hundred resumes, invite seven to ten in for interviews, will invite three back in and will hire one. So, you were a hundred-to-one shot.

What to do? Take the time to look at this in a cool, rational way. There are lots of activities you still pursue despite the odds, and you don't beat yourself up about it. You date, you spread grass seed, you swing a golf club hoping to hit the green, you bowl hoping to make that spare, you buy the occasional lottery ticket (oh no, not that one), you ball up a sheet of paper and throw it at the wastebasket, you cut the grass, you spread weed killer on your lawn, you diet, you exercise, you buy raffle tickets, you sign up for drawings, you play tennis against your sister, there's more, I am certain. Some of these activities are just like hunting for a job, you pursue them and dream about the possible outcome, even though you know the odds. So, what it this about? Let go of the outcome on this one, and on all of them. Send the resume, go to the interview and let them worry about it. You just remember to just keep plugging away and don't let your emotions get wrapped up in the outcome. You don't have any control over the outcome. Deal with it.