The Interview

A week or two ago I applied at a local urgent care facility for a position as a receptionist.  I wasn't really expecting to hear anything since I've been a stay at home mom for 9 years now.  I mean it's hard enough to get a job for people with experience and college degrees.  Who's gonna hire someone who has been in the workforce for almost a decade?!  I received a message on my home machine last wednesday from a lady who said she was with the HR department at the urgent care and would like to speak to me regarding the position I applied for.

After hearing the message I started thinking.  Do I really want to get a job?  I have 3 "young" boys at home, one of which has weekly therapy and is about to start preschool.  My husband makes decent money.  I mean yeah we struggle sometimes, but who doesn't right?!  Getting a job will most likely throw my husband and I into a higher tax bracket.  Paying more taxes is something I really don't want to do (who does?!).  I decided I would not call back right away, and think more about it.  I had put my availability down for evenings so it would keep me from having to pay childcare, I would still be here to get the boys off to school and able to take my youngest son to therapy appts. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to do it.  I could definitely use a break from the kids a couple nights a week.  I could use some money that is "mine".  Getting a job now would make it a lot easier then saying I'd been out of the workforce for 10, 15, 18 years.  I'd get my foot in the door in a medical setting, and be able to pay for the classes to move up in the actual field I'm looking to get into.

Thursday afternoon I called her back.  I was told by the lady that answered that she was on the other line. She took a message for her and said she would give her the message and call me back.  I didn't get a phone call thursday.  Friday morning I figured she would call and I waited on her call.  When she hadn't called by 3pm I decided to try her again.  This time she answered the phone and I told her I was returning her call.  She said "Oh yeah! Unfortunately I can't talk right now." and then either we got disconnected or she hung up on me!  I told my husband I would not be calling her back.  I said to myself obviously it wasn't meant to be.

This morning I got a phone call and saw the number on the caller ID was hers.  I answered the phone and she apologized for not calling back friday and said she was really busy.  She spoke with me for a while and when she asked about my previous experience she said "I see you've been doing the most important job in the world for the last 9 years or so."  The way she said it made me feel really good.  I felt like she wasn't looking down on me for being out of the workforce for so long!  We spoke for a while and then Avery started acting up. She said "I hear your little boo bear in the background, he reminds me of mine."  I laughed and then she asked if I could go in for an interview this afternoon.  I was like "This afternoon? Uh ok,"  She said "ok show up in business attire at 4pm."

After hanging up I called hubby and said how I had an interview this afternoon and could he make sure he was home on time.  Then as I was thinking about it I said "Business attire?? I don't have any of that!"  I mean a stay at home mom doesn't have any of that!"  I immediately ran to Target and got a long dress and a sweater type cover up for the shoulders.  Then realized "uhh I need shoes to go with this!"  So of course I had to stop and get some heels.  I came home and got in the shower and got ready to go.  As I walked out the door for my interview I thought to myself "It's been so long since I've worn heels I'm either going to fall flat on my face or I'm going to break my ankle!"

The interview went really well.  He seemed really nice, and didn't mention anything negative about me not working for the last 9 years.  He said the next step in the process would be a shadow shift, where I would show up for a shift and just shadow someone all night.  After that I would have another interview and then that would be that.  He said I should hear something by Wednesday if they decide to have me do a shadow shift.

I left feeling pretty good about it.  I guess we'll see.

Here's to my first interview in almost 15 years!  And here's to me not crying if I get the job and I have to leave the kids each night.