interview 5 or, fear

I don’t mean to make this harder than it is, but here’s the thing for me with job-searching:

When I graduated from undergrad in 2004, I moved home and job-hunted. I applied for all sorts of things, but hoped to write or edit. After several weeks of nothing promising, I got called about an editor position within a private investigation company.

The woman I interviewed with was fabulous: she and I had so much in common, and the job she described sounded good. They offered it to me, and I took it.

The next week, I went to my first (shortened) day of work: 10-4. And, I hated it. Hated it, hated it. The small company only had a dozen or so employees, yet in cubicles. The job turned out to be more tedious than I’d expected: conforming copy to match a template, over and over again.

I went home, freaked out, and called Awesome Interview Lady to quit. I never regretted it.

What I did (and do) regret, however, is that I took the job in the first place. I wish I hadn’t gone through that whole process, disappointing Awesome Interview Lady and myself. So now, when I interview for jobs, I always have an image of that first job in my mind. I can’t explain what this process is like really, except to say I look for a feeling–just this sense that the job is the right one. Is this normal/good/healthy? I don’t know.

Today I interviewed with a not-for-profit in the area, for a project assistant/writer position. I’d be writing in a much more business-y format than I’d prefer, I’d be reporting to one particular (self-described unorganized) person, and the job description remains fuzzy beyond that because it’s a new one. That warm, fuzzy feeling I’d hoped for isn’t there, but should I wait for it? Or is it better to take what you can, even if your gut is hesitant?

Filed under interview, job-hunting |