I have a confession to make. I am jealous of those people from my former company who quickly found jobs and don't have to move. Today I saw that the company started by my former boss had a job listing for someone with my exact background. Even though there's no way in hell I would work for them again, and I'm happy with how things have turned out, my brain started doing the shoulda, coulda, woulda routine, aka wishing for the parallel universe where nothing ever goes wrong and I never make a mistake or speak my mind too much, and no one else makes mistakes either.
In this parallel universe ("SCW"), I would've maneuvered carefully through the hell project a few years back and not gotten kicked out of the group for reasons that were never entirely made clear to me, and former boss would not have made his own set of mistakes. Let's say, since we're in SCW universe, that T and I never broke up either. Then, in SCW universe, when I get laid off, I do like some of my former coworkers do and just go get a new job with former boss and life goes on very much as it did before. La la la coasting along in fantasy land....But the reality is that even if this had somehow happened, I'd be fighting the same uphill battles at work that used to drive me crazy, and I'd still be in my comfortable but not entirely comfortable relationship with T, and I'd still be in the rut that I've been in, itching to have a mid-life personal and professional crisis.
Anyway, to that I say, "F%^$ that shit!" Apart from wishing I didn't have to move, there's nothing that could make me want to jump back into working for them. Incidentally, although they've hired six people (in addition to the two founders) from our former company, they haven't hired any women, which is totally unsurprising given the history.
I admit, I still do the SCW routine about T. But I'm starting to do it less.
Showing posts with label interviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label interviews. Show all posts
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Decision time
I had my interview at Normal Small Company (NSC) two days ago. It was fine. The technology was good, the business plan was sensible, and the people were nice. It was definitely in the top third of all the places that I've interviewed. However, they would've had to hit a home run and really wow me. That didn't happen.
I had a moment of doubt. I hadn't realized they were planing to have an IPO at some point in the future. Money is a good thing. However, when I talked with the HR person, she said that stock options weren't given except to senior management. Uh, WTF?!?! I'm from Silicon Valley, so I don't get out of bed, much less relocate 2000 miles, unless there are stock options involved. Of course, she could've dug out of the hole she dug herself by telling me that salaries are very high, but she didn't. She said that salaries were market rate, and didn't ask me what I made back at my old job. I didn't get the impression that my salary would've been that high, assuming that I even got an offer. They still have a few more candidates to interview, so it will be a few more weeks before I find out.
So in the end, it didn't come down to a close decision for me. I gave my verbal acceptance of the other job before I had even gotten on the plane back to California. Now it's official.
I had a moment of doubt. I hadn't realized they were planing to have an IPO at some point in the future. Money is a good thing. However, when I talked with the HR person, she said that stock options weren't given except to senior management. Uh, WTF?!?! I'm from Silicon Valley, so I don't get out of bed, much less relocate 2000 miles, unless there are stock options involved. Of course, she could've dug out of the hole she dug herself by telling me that salaries are very high, but she didn't. She said that salaries were market rate, and didn't ask me what I made back at my old job. I didn't get the impression that my salary would've been that high, assuming that I even got an offer. They still have a few more candidates to interview, so it will be a few more weeks before I find out.
So in the end, it didn't come down to a close decision for me. I gave my verbal acceptance of the other job before I had even gotten on the plane back to California. Now it's official.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Wankercon Update
Dear readers, you may be wondering if I ever heard back from Wankercon. Well, indeed I did. On Tuesday, I got the following email. I also got a phone call but they didn't leave a message.
Hi Old Biddy,
I got your contact from Prof X, who we collaborate
closely on one of our projects. He said that you have many years of
experience in organometallic chemistry and recommended we reach out to
you to ask you if you know of anyone in the field who would be a great
fit for Wankercon. We are a start up so ideal person would be very high
energy, proactive, passionate about the mission of the company,
talented technically and somebody who loves to solve interesting
challenges. Just wanted to stress that we are more interested in
attracting passionate and talented people rather than finding a
specific skill set. (Uh dudes, you might want to get rid of the stupid "7 questions" screening email. Just a thought. Besides, I thought it was pretty clear that I was passionate about synthetic chemistry and "Animal House"))
About the company, Wankercon is more of a mission with a company rather
than the other way around, and that mission is to turn biology into an
information science, and ultimately to cure all diseases. Wankercon has
developed a nanorobotic DNA manipulation technology that is the best thing since sliced bread.(ok, I changed the wording slightly, the original was a much bigger exaggeration)
For a broad preview of what Wankercon does, watch this video of our
scientific advisory board member Big Wanker at SpaceX last
year. Note that we are no longer just five guys in a garage. (link omitted)
Please keep us in mind, and we appreciate any suggestions you may have.
Kind regards,
A Wanker
Uh, ok. Granted, Prof X may've told them I've got something lined up, but even if he had, would it kill them to do a phone interview or even pretend like they're considering me for the position?!?! They've only had my resume for four months. If they had my resume, they probably had resumes from my coworkers. Guess what - most of us have found jobs. I'm all for networking, and have even told colleagues about open positions that I myself was applying for. However, I do that for normal companies with normal search procedures. Wankercon is not normal. So I took my time and wrote back to them today. Here's what I wrote.
Hi A Wanker,
Thanks for the email. I'm currently in negotiations on a job offer, and most of my former colleagues have already located employment. However, I believe that so+so* is still looking for a job. She is local and is a talented organometallic and polymer chemist. Her professional profile is available on LinkedIn (link omitted) You may also want to contact some of the inorganic faculty at local UC school. Professors Larry, Curly, and Moe are well-known chemists and they may have some students or postdocs who are looking for employment.
I hope this helps. Best of luck with everything!
-Old Biddy
* hopefully so+so has already found a job. I'm going to send her an email just to warn her.
Hi Old Biddy,
I got your contact from Prof X, who we collaborate
closely on one of our projects. He said that you have many years of
experience in organometallic chemistry and recommended we reach out to
you to ask you if you know of anyone in the field who would be a great
fit for Wankercon. We are a start up so ideal person would be very high
energy, proactive, passionate about the mission of the company,
talented technically and somebody who loves to solve interesting
challenges. Just wanted to stress that we are more interested in
attracting passionate and talented people rather than finding a
specific skill set. (Uh dudes, you might want to get rid of the stupid "7 questions" screening email. Just a thought. Besides, I thought it was pretty clear that I was passionate about synthetic chemistry and "Animal House"))
About the company, Wankercon is more of a mission with a company rather
than the other way around, and that mission is to turn biology into an
information science, and ultimately to cure all diseases. Wankercon has
developed a nanorobotic DNA manipulation technology that is the best thing since sliced bread.(ok, I changed the wording slightly, the original was a much bigger exaggeration)
For a broad preview of what Wankercon does, watch this video of our
scientific advisory board member Big Wanker at SpaceX last
year. Note that we are no longer just five guys in a garage. (link omitted)
Please keep us in mind, and we appreciate any suggestions you may have.
Kind regards,
A Wanker
Uh, ok. Granted, Prof X may've told them I've got something lined up, but even if he had, would it kill them to do a phone interview or even pretend like they're considering me for the position?!?! They've only had my resume for four months. If they had my resume, they probably had resumes from my coworkers. Guess what - most of us have found jobs. I'm all for networking, and have even told colleagues about open positions that I myself was applying for. However, I do that for normal companies with normal search procedures. Wankercon is not normal. So I took my time and wrote back to them today. Here's what I wrote.
Hi A Wanker,
Thanks for the email. I'm currently in negotiations on a job offer, and most of my former colleagues have already located employment. However, I believe that so+so* is still looking for a job. She is local and is a talented organometallic and polymer chemist. Her professional profile is available on LinkedIn (link omitted) You may also want to contact some of the inorganic faculty at local UC school. Professors Larry, Curly, and Moe are well-known chemists and they may have some students or postdocs who are looking for employment.
I hope this helps. Best of luck with everything!
-Old Biddy
* hopefully so+so has already found a job. I'm going to send her an email just to warn her.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Limbo
On Monday, I finally caught up with all the things I needed to do. Now I'm kind of bored so the house and yard projects have started. It has stopped raining for now so at least I can work in the yard and go to Rancho San Antonio now.
The job search stuff is going ok, but it's SLOW...The prof is putting together the offer letter, which means he has to go through a lot of rigamorole with the university. Meanwhile, I have an interview at a place in Chicago, but they're slow too, so it's not for another two weeks. I'm kind of cranky since they scheduled it during the ACS meeting, which means I'm missing out on some prime networking opportunities. In the meantime, I feel like nothing is official until it's official, so I'm not celebrating just yet.
It's kind of weird being in limbo like this.
.
The job search stuff is going ok, but it's SLOW...The prof is putting together the offer letter, which means he has to go through a lot of rigamorole with the university. Meanwhile, I have an interview at a place in Chicago, but they're slow too, so it's not for another two weeks. I'm kind of cranky since they scheduled it during the ACS meeting, which means I'm missing out on some prime networking opportunities. In the meantime, I feel like nothing is official until it's official, so I'm not celebrating just yet.
It's kind of weird being in limbo like this.
.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Phone/email Interview with Normal Large Company
Last week, I applied on-line for a job at a large company ("NLC"). It's for a R+D managerial position. I don't have a lot of official managerial experience but have a lot of unofficial experience. Today someone from HR called me. What followed was a fairly normal pre-screening process, large company style. Wankercon should take note here too. Even though my resume came in via a large nationwide job engine, NLC (and the other large companies that have contacted me for more information) was smart enough to call or send me an email addressed to me and specific to the position I applied for
I was a little bit taken aback, since I had just gotten of the phone with the prof, and my thoughts were not on NLC, especially since I just sent in my resume on the previous business day. I'm also fighting the flu.
HR guy asked me about my responsibilities in my old job. He also asked why I was looking for a job and would I be willing to relocate. He asked me my old salary was and was smart enough to ask what my salary range would be if I were to come to NLC. I didn't do a very good job on the pre-screening interview and made the mistake of saying I had a verbal offer, but I guess I cleared the salary and seriousness of job search hurdles, so he told me he'd send me a list of questions to answer and then the technical team would review them. Here are the questions. I answered them tonight after I had mulled it over for a while.
I was a little bit taken aback, since I had just gotten of the phone with the prof, and my thoughts were not on NLC, especially since I just sent in my resume on the previous business day. I'm also fighting the flu.
HR guy asked me about my responsibilities in my old job. He also asked why I was looking for a job and would I be willing to relocate. He asked me my old salary was and was smart enough to ask what my salary range would be if I were to come to NLC. I didn't do a very good job on the pre-screening interview and made the mistake of saying I had a verbal offer, but I guess I cleared the salary and seriousness of job search hurdles, so he told me he'd send me a list of questions to answer and then the technical team would review them. Here are the questions. I answered them tonight after I had mulled it over for a while.
1) Please describe the leadership roles you have held within an R+D environment.
2) Please provide examples of your ability to manage people resources effectively, as well as prioritize those resources against competing project deliverables and deadlines.
3) How would you describe your staff management capabilities?
4) What experiences and values can you offer NLC in this position?
5) What is motivating you to explore new job opportunities?
Note to Wankercon: These are questions that are relevant to the job. They also give some insight into my personality. If I don't get a second phone interview I will hold no grudge against NLC, and I won't assume that they are all a bunch of arrogant assholes. No. I will simply assume that it wasn't a great fit and they had other candidates who were better suited for the position.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Phone Interview with Normal Company
I had a phone interview with someone from a normal small company ('NSC') today. I'm only posting this to contrast with my Wankercon experience (see below.) NSC is a joint venture between two other companies, and is privately held. They're located in the Chicago area.
My friend MKL told me that there was an opening at NSC. She knew someone there so I got her to provide an introduction, and sent in my resume. They told me they were going through the resumes and would get back to me the first week of February. They didn't, so I assumed I didn't make the cut. A few days ago I got an email from the hiring director apologizing for being slow and asking to set up a phone interview.
Today was my phone interview. I lured Rugrat out of the house by turning on the dryer. She gladly went out to the garage to sleep on top of the dryer. She likes to meow when I'm on the phone, and I've learned the hard way that this is not conducive to business conversations unless I am talking to another cat person. I got myself all caffeinated up and ate lunch. I did not follow the suggestion to get dressed up for phone interviews (I guess it's supposed to get you psyched up for it.) I did follow the suggestion to walk around while talking, instead of sitting. Apparently your voice projects better while standing and and walking helps relieve nervous energy.
So anyway, the interview was pretty damned normal. I was asked what I was looking for in a position, what my chemistry strengths were (inorganic chemistry and catalyst development), what I liked least (polymer properties!), did I have a lot of experience with a particular instrument, and of the programs I worked on at my old company, which one was the most rewarding and why. I asked questions about the company, the position, the chemistry, and what the interviewer liked best about NSC. Note that there are no pop-psychology questions in there, as well as no layers of annoying big company bureaucracy. Also note that the interviewer probably learned more about my personality in the 30 minute phone call than Wankercon got from my email, and I certainly got a much more favorable impression of NSC than I got from Wankercon.
I was invited out for a visit to NSC. It will either be next week or the second or third week in March. If I get and accept the Cornell offer before NSC HR calls me to set up the visit, I will withdraw my application before they make plans.
As for Wankercon, I still haven't heard back from them;-)
My friend MKL told me that there was an opening at NSC. She knew someone there so I got her to provide an introduction, and sent in my resume. They told me they were going through the resumes and would get back to me the first week of February. They didn't, so I assumed I didn't make the cut. A few days ago I got an email from the hiring director apologizing for being slow and asking to set up a phone interview.
Today was my phone interview. I lured Rugrat out of the house by turning on the dryer. She gladly went out to the garage to sleep on top of the dryer. She likes to meow when I'm on the phone, and I've learned the hard way that this is not conducive to business conversations unless I am talking to another cat person. I got myself all caffeinated up and ate lunch. I did not follow the suggestion to get dressed up for phone interviews (I guess it's supposed to get you psyched up for it.) I did follow the suggestion to walk around while talking, instead of sitting. Apparently your voice projects better while standing and and walking helps relieve nervous energy.
So anyway, the interview was pretty damned normal. I was asked what I was looking for in a position, what my chemistry strengths were (inorganic chemistry and catalyst development), what I liked least (polymer properties!), did I have a lot of experience with a particular instrument, and of the programs I worked on at my old company, which one was the most rewarding and why. I asked questions about the company, the position, the chemistry, and what the interviewer liked best about NSC. Note that there are no pop-psychology questions in there, as well as no layers of annoying big company bureaucracy. Also note that the interviewer probably learned more about my personality in the 30 minute phone call than Wankercon got from my email, and I certainly got a much more favorable impression of NSC than I got from Wankercon.
I was invited out for a visit to NSC. It will either be next week or the second or third week in March. If I get and accept the Cornell offer before NSC HR calls me to set up the visit, I will withdraw my application before they make plans.
As for Wankercon, I still haven't heard back from them;-)
Monday, February 15, 2010
Email from Wankercon, a startup
A few months ago, I applied at a local startup company ("Wankercon"). Today I got the following email. I have changed the names and omitted the links but other than that I have the email as is
Dear Random Hopefully Brilliant and Awesome First-Tier Candidate, (yes, this is what they wrote)
For a broad preview of what Wankercon does, watch this video of our scientific advisory board member Wanker #1 speaking at bleah bleah bleah VC conference last year. Note that we are no longer just five guys in a garage :) (link omitted)
Another hint about the excitement of our effort is found here in a techcrunch blog post about an email that our Founding President Wanker #2 (who also co-founded big important company X) sent to his talent network some months ago:
Wankercon is a mission to turn biology into an information science, and ultimately to cure all diseases. Do you have the talent to drive that mission, and the vision to see beyond the mediocrity that says it's impossible? If so, sign our NDA digitally and return to us by email so we can tell you more.
Along with the signed NDA, we ask candidates to answer the following seven questions by email. Answer with the first thing that comes to mind; this is just to get the discussion started:
1. What are you best at?
2. What are you worst at?
3. How would you spend ten billion dollars?
4. What are your goals?
5. What is your favorite movie, and why?
6. What is your favorite book, and why?
7. If you had to name one thing, what is the biggest misperception people have of you, and why?
Also, please attach a CV or resume if you haven't already sent us one.
Cheers, The Wankercon Team
uh, OK?!?!? I don't mind the 7 questions part, but the trying to be hip and funny part is totally cancelled out by the mass mailing nature of the email. (Actually, I take that back. I've never encountered those sort of pop-psychology interview questions such as 5 and 6.) Ever hear of cut and paste, dudes? It's also unheard of to have someone sign a NDA (non-disclosure agreement) until they actually show up on site.
I've got enough experience with startups to know it usually works another way. A more typical email would read like this.
Hi Old Biddy,
Thanks for sending in your resume. We would like to invite you in for a short interview. How about Friday? Please be prepared to give a seminar. We will also ask you to sign a NDA before we show you around the company.
Thanks,
Normal Startup Company Team
Adding to the incongruity of the whole thing, the position that I applied for is actually a part time, post-doc sort of deal, where they want a highly specialized chemist but don't want to bring in anyone non-local. I'd blow off the whole thing, but one of my former professors is sort of involved with them. So I wrote back. Here's what I wrote.
Dear Random Hopefully Brilliant and Awesome First-Tier Candidate, (yes, this is what they wrote)
For a broad preview of what Wankercon does, watch this video of our scientific advisory board member Wanker #1 speaking at bleah bleah bleah VC conference last year. Note that we are no longer just five guys in a garage :) (link omitted)
Another hint about the excitement of our effort is found here in a techcrunch blog post about an email that our Founding President Wanker #2 (who also co-founded big important company X) sent to his talent network some months ago:
Wankercon is a mission to turn biology into an information science, and ultimately to cure all diseases. Do you have the talent to drive that mission, and the vision to see beyond the mediocrity that says it's impossible? If so, sign our NDA digitally and return to us by email so we can tell you more.
Along with the signed NDA, we ask candidates to answer the following seven questions by email. Answer with the first thing that comes to mind; this is just to get the discussion started:
1. What are you best at?
2. What are you worst at?
3. How would you spend ten billion dollars?
4. What are your goals?
5. What is your favorite movie, and why?
6. What is your favorite book, and why?
7. If you had to name one thing, what is the biggest misperception people have of you, and why?
Also, please attach a CV or resume if you haven't already sent us one.
Cheers, The Wankercon Team
uh, OK?!?!? I don't mind the 7 questions part, but the trying to be hip and funny part is totally cancelled out by the mass mailing nature of the email. (Actually, I take that back. I've never encountered those sort of pop-psychology interview questions such as 5 and 6.) Ever hear of cut and paste, dudes? It's also unheard of to have someone sign a NDA (non-disclosure agreement) until they actually show up on site.
I've got enough experience with startups to know it usually works another way. A more typical email would read like this.
Hi Old Biddy,
Thanks for sending in your resume. We would like to invite you in for a short interview. How about Friday? Please be prepared to give a seminar. We will also ask you to sign a NDA before we show you around the company.
Thanks,
Normal Startup Company Team
Adding to the incongruity of the whole thing, the position that I applied for is actually a part time, post-doc sort of deal, where they want a highly specialized chemist but don't want to bring in anyone non-local. I'd blow off the whole thing, but one of my former professors is sort of involved with them. So I wrote back. Here's what I wrote.
| Dear WankerconTeam, Thanks for getting back to me regarding the chemist position that was advertised on VentureLoop and was also brought to my attention by Professor X. I have enclosed a digitally 'signed' NDA. Here are my answers to the seven questions. Please feel free to contact me if you have any additional questions. I look forward to hearing from you. Best regards, -Old Biddy 1. What are you best at? 2. What are you worst at? 3. How would you spend ten billion dollars? I'd use some of it for research on improving pyrolysis techniques and catalysts, so things like waste plastics and biomass can be converted into liquid or gaseous fuels. I'd use the rest for improving water desalination techniques so they are more economically viable. 4. What are your goals? I'd like to work on projects that are intellectually challenging and make the world a better place. 5. What is your favorite movie, and why? Animal House. It's stupid, but it still makes me laugh my ass off every time I see it. I'm a sucker for juvenile and slapstick humor. 6. What is your favorite book, and why? Possession, by A. S. Byatt. It's a literary novel with two interwoven stories, one involving two present-day academics and the other involving two Victorian poets. A lot of mythology and poetry are thrown in for good measure. It's probably the most detailed novel I've ever read, but the author has such a skill for descriptive writing and character development that it moves along quickly and seamlessly. Unfortunately, the movie did not turn out nearly as well. 7. If you had to name one thing, what is the biggest misperception people have of you, and why? I am rather quiet and reserved, especially at first, so people usually assume that I'm very uptight. |
Friday, February 12, 2010
Wandering Around Ithaca, Day 1/World's Fastest Bootquest(TM)/How my former company still manages to give me grey hair...
I'm done with my interview. It went well. I have a verbal offer, to be followed in a week or two by a written offer, unless the prof freaks out or something. Hopefully that will not happen, and hopefully I am not jinxing myself by writing it down.
I am a moron when it comes to salary discussions. The prof is equally inexperienced. When the prof told me he would make me an offer, he asked if the salary we had previously agreed upon was ok. Like a fool, I said it was. He then said he'd give me a raise if things went well (which he'd said before, which should've clued me in that I was leaving money on the table). We were both showing our cards. Oh well. He doesn't know that it's the same salary as I got at my old company.
Anyway, today I got to relax and see the area. A real estate agent showed me around and took me to a few houses. Naturally it was a lot cheaper than the Bay Area. She didn't take me to any of the super cute houses near campus, mainly because they didn't have garages or large yards, but I wish she did.
I saw a lot of houses painted green. The color scheme on my house would fit right in here. I also walked past the world's cutest purple house. I'll post a picture when I get home and can upload the pictures to my computer.
After that I wandered around all afternoon. First, I went over to Ithaca Commons, which is a pedestrian mall in the downtown area. There were a lot of cute shops, and some tacky ones too. I liked the mineral store. Unlike most stores of its ilk, this really was a mineral store, rather than a jewelry store with a few stones. I wandered into a crafts/jewelry store. I wasn't expecting much, but it was quite nice. I bought some earrings and cards. Then I had a slice of cheap pizza (chickaboli - bacon, chicken, pepperoni, and sausage....mm) and went back to my hotel to drop off my stuff.
I then wandered over towards Cornell. I was on a Bootquest(TM). My trip here made me realize that I was missing a key element in my wardrobe - the perfect pair of waterproof rubber soled lace up black boots. I normally have a pair, but they're very hard to find in California. I have to be very persistent, order them online, or try to buy them when I'm on the East Coast. I had compromised with a pair of brown boots, a pair of pseudo-UGGS, and several pairs of dressy black boots. I bought my dressy black boots for the interview and my brown boots for walking around, but they're not great for snow. Anyway, there was a shoe store on the way to Cornell. I walked in, saw a lot of cute black bots that met all my requirements, and ended up buying a very nice pair of boots. They were even marked down 30%. I used to have a very similar pair by the same brand, and I wore them to death. (I bought those on a trip to Boston.)
After I bought my boots, I continued on to Cornell. It was cold but I was nice and comfy warm, especially since I was walking uphill. I wandered around campus and took a lot of pictures and bought myself a Cornell fleece jacket. Yes I was feeling confident. That was stupid.
When I got back to my hotel, I chilled for a bit, wrote most of this blog post, and checked Facebook. On it, one of my former coworkers posted that the company had just sold their group to another company. Yep, that's the group that would make the equipment that we would buy for Cornell. Geez. Like my former company hasn't caused me enough headaches already. It wouldn't affect my offer (we did discuss the possibility of something like this happening in the short, mid, or long term) but it will sure confuse things.
I'm just glad I didn't know about this before my afternoon of retail therapy.
I am a moron when it comes to salary discussions. The prof is equally inexperienced. When the prof told me he would make me an offer, he asked if the salary we had previously agreed upon was ok. Like a fool, I said it was. He then said he'd give me a raise if things went well (which he'd said before, which should've clued me in that I was leaving money on the table). We were both showing our cards. Oh well. He doesn't know that it's the same salary as I got at my old company.
Anyway, today I got to relax and see the area. A real estate agent showed me around and took me to a few houses. Naturally it was a lot cheaper than the Bay Area. She didn't take me to any of the super cute houses near campus, mainly because they didn't have garages or large yards, but I wish she did.
I saw a lot of houses painted green. The color scheme on my house would fit right in here. I also walked past the world's cutest purple house. I'll post a picture when I get home and can upload the pictures to my computer.
After that I wandered around all afternoon. First, I went over to Ithaca Commons, which is a pedestrian mall in the downtown area. There were a lot of cute shops, and some tacky ones too. I liked the mineral store. Unlike most stores of its ilk, this really was a mineral store, rather than a jewelry store with a few stones. I wandered into a crafts/jewelry store. I wasn't expecting much, but it was quite nice. I bought some earrings and cards. Then I had a slice of cheap pizza (chickaboli - bacon, chicken, pepperoni, and sausage....mm) and went back to my hotel to drop off my stuff.
I then wandered over towards Cornell. I was on a Bootquest(TM). My trip here made me realize that I was missing a key element in my wardrobe - the perfect pair of waterproof rubber soled lace up black boots. I normally have a pair, but they're very hard to find in California. I have to be very persistent, order them online, or try to buy them when I'm on the East Coast. I had compromised with a pair of brown boots, a pair of pseudo-UGGS, and several pairs of dressy black boots. I bought my dressy black boots for the interview and my brown boots for walking around, but they're not great for snow. Anyway, there was a shoe store on the way to Cornell. I walked in, saw a lot of cute black bots that met all my requirements, and ended up buying a very nice pair of boots. They were even marked down 30%. I used to have a very similar pair by the same brand, and I wore them to death. (I bought those on a trip to Boston.)
After I bought my boots, I continued on to Cornell. It was cold but I was nice and comfy warm, especially since I was walking uphill. I wandered around campus and took a lot of pictures and bought myself a Cornell fleece jacket. Yes I was feeling confident. That was stupid.
When I got back to my hotel, I chilled for a bit, wrote most of this blog post, and checked Facebook. On it, one of my former coworkers posted that the company had just sold their group to another company. Yep, that's the group that would make the equipment that we would buy for Cornell. Geez. Like my former company hasn't caused me enough headaches already. It wouldn't affect my offer (we did discuss the possibility of something like this happening in the short, mid, or long term) but it will sure confuse things.
I'm just glad I didn't know about this before my afternoon of retail therapy.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Reorg Blog,7 weeks/Old Biddy Wish List
The negotiations are still going on for the sale of my group. So far it seems to be going well. The level of detail has progressed to the almost trivial level, i.e. which printers are part of the deal, do we get food service, putting stickers on all the lab equipment that is part of the deal, etc. This is a good sign. I'm trying to be positive and calm and yet not get my hopes up too much. If they're going to this much detail, I hope they remembered to include the espresso machine is part of the deal! I may have to go and put a sticker on it in case it isn't....Caffeine is the true catalyst for the catalysis group.
They told us that if the deal isn't signed by next week, they will automatically extend everyone's layoff date by one month. That's a relief, even though I had an unofficial two month extension anyway.
The startup where I interviewed made an offer to one of my coworkers. I don't know who, although I do have my suspicions. I did manage to inferentially confirm that it was one of my coworkers. I didn't like their business plan, so I'm not too disappointed.
I'm not actively looking for jobs at the moment. It was just too much stress to throw myself 100% into it. I'm still very vulnerable. I had dinner with Judy last night. She thought that I should look for jobs more aggressively, but I just can't until I know what's going on. There's not much hiring going on right before the holidays, anyway. Likewise, I'm holding off on putting my profile up onto Match.com. I'm just circling the wagons trying to get through the next month or two.
It is weird trying to get all the health stuff squared away in case I have to switch insurance providers. I got the OB/GYN exam and birth control issues out of the way, but decided to get my eye exam out of the way too. Unfortunately, they found some trouble spots on my retinae, so I've got another appointment to get that looked at more. I may have to get them sealed up with a laser.
So anyway, on a lighter note, here are a few things I'm going tobuy do if I stay employed.
1. Figure out what to do with the rest of the living room project, including window treatments, redoing the fireplace, and paint. This may also include a new TV in time for the 2010 World Cup.
2. I'm still tempted to get a kitten.
3. I had originally planned to get laser hair removal of my old biddy chin hairs and also get rid of some redness/spider veins on my cheeks as a birthday present to myself. My midlife plastic surgery, such as it is, will once again be a possibility.
4. I want jewelry. I'm on a big jewelry kick. In place of plastic surgery, I bought myself a nice watch as my birthday present to myself. I plan to buy a nice necklace or some cool rings or earrings.
They told us that if the deal isn't signed by next week, they will automatically extend everyone's layoff date by one month. That's a relief, even though I had an unofficial two month extension anyway.
The startup where I interviewed made an offer to one of my coworkers. I don't know who, although I do have my suspicions. I did manage to inferentially confirm that it was one of my coworkers. I didn't like their business plan, so I'm not too disappointed.
I'm not actively looking for jobs at the moment. It was just too much stress to throw myself 100% into it. I'm still very vulnerable. I had dinner with Judy last night. She thought that I should look for jobs more aggressively, but I just can't until I know what's going on. There's not much hiring going on right before the holidays, anyway. Likewise, I'm holding off on putting my profile up onto Match.com. I'm just circling the wagons trying to get through the next month or two.
It is weird trying to get all the health stuff squared away in case I have to switch insurance providers. I got the OB/GYN exam and birth control issues out of the way, but decided to get my eye exam out of the way too. Unfortunately, they found some trouble spots on my retinae, so I've got another appointment to get that looked at more. I may have to get them sealed up with a laser.
So anyway, on a lighter note, here are a few things I'm going to
1. Figure out what to do with the rest of the living room project, including window treatments, redoing the fireplace, and paint. This may also include a new TV in time for the 2010 World Cup.
2. I'm still tempted to get a kitten.
3. I had originally planned to get laser hair removal of my old biddy chin hairs and also get rid of some redness/spider veins on my cheeks as a birthday present to myself. My midlife plastic surgery, such as it is, will once again be a possibility.
4. I want jewelry. I'm on a big jewelry kick. In place of plastic surgery, I bought myself a nice watch as my birthday present to myself. I plan to buy a nice necklace or some cool rings or earrings.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Butt Cold Birthday Biddy/Get the door, it’s Domino’s
Note to an unnamed chemical company: It would help your recruiting immensely if you put your out of state candidates up in a hotel in downtown Boulder rather than a Best Western in the middle of nowhere. Then again, every single chemist I met was originally from Colorado, so I’m sure they didn’t even think of that.
It’s my 41st birthday. I am sitting in a motel room in Longmont, Colorado, after having finished my interview. It is about 5 degrees Fahrenheit, and about -8 with wind chill. It is snowing and the roads are icy/snowy. My original plan was to drive 15 miles over to Boulder for a really nice dinner and walk around, but it’s too damn cold. I’ve been trying to warm up and motivate myself to get out the door for the last hour, but in the end I just decided to be truly nice to myself and do what I wanted to do at this moment in time, not what I wanted to do in some other, warmer moment. And what I really wanted in this moment was to just order a pizza and then go sit in the hot tub and not think about the fact that some weather forecasters are predicting blizzard like conditions for tonight/tomorrow. I’m waiting for my pizza now. Nonetheless, if I were in Boulder now and didn’t have to drive too much I would get off my lazy ass and go look around.
My interview went fine. I’ll write more in a future post. It’s been a mildly ill-fated trip, though, mainly due to the weather. My flight got in late. I had printed out every damn set of directions except the ones from the airport to the hotel. The hotel is on one of the main highways and normally the rental car agents give you a map and point you in the right direction. Not the Denver Avis, though. They give you a map at the exit and you’re on your way. It’s probably their way of getting people to rent the GPS unit. It was pissing down snow when I got in my car and the route to the freeway wasn’t clearly marked. I got lost and went on a skid-filled sojourn through the neighboring areas. Did I mention that my car is a Chevy Cobalt and that I have no experience driving in snow?!?
I finally got on the highway and had gone about 20 miles when I realized that I was going in the wrong direction. I turned around and encountered massive amounts of traffic. It was 5:45 by the time I got to the exit for my motel. I located it but didn’t check in. Instead, I called my host to let him know I’d be late for dinner, which was 25 more miles north. Then I got back on the highway and drove for another hour. All told, I drove for 3 ½ hours yesterday. Fortunately, I didn’t have to drive to my interview sites today, as was originally planned.
Most of the interview was conducted at the main plant, which consists of a lot of trailers that are used as offices and larger non-insulated buildings where the labs, pilot plant, and scale up facilities are located. There was a lot of walking between the buildings. I really should’ve worn some heavy socks under my knee high dominatrix boots. So part of my problem is that I’ve been getting chilled and then warming up and then getting chilled again all day.
There was a brief respite from the snow today, but it was starting up again when I got back to my hotel. It’s supposed to get heavy after midnight. Hopefully I will be able to get to the airport without trouble. If the roads are ok in the morning I may go over to Boulder before heading to the airport.
The good news about all the weather-related issues is that it distracted me from getting nervous for the interview. I know I talked a bit fast at my talk, because I was combining a 45 minute talk and a 20 minute talk. It went ok and was nice to be able to tell the two stories at the same time. Thanks to the paper that I was working on, all the data was very fresh in my mind so I could quote all sorts of obscure data when prompted, even though it took place 5-6 years ago.
It's time for me to go hit the hot tub now.
It’s my 41st birthday. I am sitting in a motel room in Longmont, Colorado, after having finished my interview. It is about 5 degrees Fahrenheit, and about -8 with wind chill. It is snowing and the roads are icy/snowy. My original plan was to drive 15 miles over to Boulder for a really nice dinner and walk around, but it’s too damn cold. I’ve been trying to warm up and motivate myself to get out the door for the last hour, but in the end I just decided to be truly nice to myself and do what I wanted to do at this moment in time, not what I wanted to do in some other, warmer moment. And what I really wanted in this moment was to just order a pizza and then go sit in the hot tub and not think about the fact that some weather forecasters are predicting blizzard like conditions for tonight/tomorrow. I’m waiting for my pizza now. Nonetheless, if I were in Boulder now and didn’t have to drive too much I would get off my lazy ass and go look around.
My interview went fine. I’ll write more in a future post. It’s been a mildly ill-fated trip, though, mainly due to the weather. My flight got in late. I had printed out every damn set of directions except the ones from the airport to the hotel. The hotel is on one of the main highways and normally the rental car agents give you a map and point you in the right direction. Not the Denver Avis, though. They give you a map at the exit and you’re on your way. It’s probably their way of getting people to rent the GPS unit. It was pissing down snow when I got in my car and the route to the freeway wasn’t clearly marked. I got lost and went on a skid-filled sojourn through the neighboring areas. Did I mention that my car is a Chevy Cobalt and that I have no experience driving in snow?!?
I finally got on the highway and had gone about 20 miles when I realized that I was going in the wrong direction. I turned around and encountered massive amounts of traffic. It was 5:45 by the time I got to the exit for my motel. I located it but didn’t check in. Instead, I called my host to let him know I’d be late for dinner, which was 25 more miles north. Then I got back on the highway and drove for another hour. All told, I drove for 3 ½ hours yesterday. Fortunately, I didn’t have to drive to my interview sites today, as was originally planned.
Most of the interview was conducted at the main plant, which consists of a lot of trailers that are used as offices and larger non-insulated buildings where the labs, pilot plant, and scale up facilities are located. There was a lot of walking between the buildings. I really should’ve worn some heavy socks under my knee high dominatrix boots. So part of my problem is that I’ve been getting chilled and then warming up and then getting chilled again all day.
There was a brief respite from the snow today, but it was starting up again when I got back to my hotel. It’s supposed to get heavy after midnight. Hopefully I will be able to get to the airport without trouble. If the roads are ok in the morning I may go over to Boulder before heading to the airport.
The good news about all the weather-related issues is that it distracted me from getting nervous for the interview. I know I talked a bit fast at my talk, because I was combining a 45 minute talk and a 20 minute talk. It went ok and was nice to be able to tell the two stories at the same time. Thanks to the paper that I was working on, all the data was very fresh in my mind so I could quote all sorts of obscure data when prompted, even though it took place 5-6 years ago.
It's time for me to go hit the hot tub now.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Interview Suit
I pulled out my old interview suit yesterday and tried it on/squeezed myself into it. It's a size 14 dark green suit from Ann Taylor. I still think it's the prettiest suit ever, even though it has those 90's power look shoulder pads. I still look good in it, I just can't move. I bought it almost exactly 14 years ago, when my first faculty interview was scheduled. Sheila came with me and helped me pick it out. I haven't worn it since 1997, but I keep it since I like it so much.
It didn't really fit, even though I am the same weight as I was when I bought it. I'm not surprised - my weight has shifted around and more of it has ended up on my waist and torso. To be honest, the skirt was a bit tight when I bought it - at the time Ann Taylor only went up to size 14, and there's been size inflation since then, so this is more like a 12, or possibly even a large 10 in the waist. Nonetheless, it's definitely tighter now. I blame perimenopause, soccer, swimming, and genetics.
Most women have one or more types of clothing that they just hate to shop for because it's hard to find things that fit properly. For me, that item is suits. Weight goes up 5 lbs, it doesn't fit. Weight goes down 5 lbs, it doesn't fit. Add or remove a type of exercise - same result. Go on or off the pill - same results. Big shoulders = bad. Big ribcage and fat/muscle around ribs = bad. Long torso + short arms = bad. Contrast this to men who can still squeeze themselves into suits they bought 30 lbs ago. They get free tailoring too. Not fair. Sadly, they do not make "athletic fit" suits for women like they do for men. If I'm ever in a position where I have to wear suits frequently, I'm getting one custom made, and just to be safe, I am getting it made out of something stretchy.
For my interview nest week, I'll probably wear last year's interview blazer and a pair of slacks. It's a bit too loose in the torso and tight in the shoulders. Grr! Net weight difference = -2 lbs, net workout difference = +swimming, - soccer, net hormone difference = no birth control pill this time.
It didn't really fit, even though I am the same weight as I was when I bought it. I'm not surprised - my weight has shifted around and more of it has ended up on my waist and torso. To be honest, the skirt was a bit tight when I bought it - at the time Ann Taylor only went up to size 14, and there's been size inflation since then, so this is more like a 12, or possibly even a large 10 in the waist. Nonetheless, it's definitely tighter now. I blame perimenopause, soccer, swimming, and genetics.
Most women have one or more types of clothing that they just hate to shop for because it's hard to find things that fit properly. For me, that item is suits. Weight goes up 5 lbs, it doesn't fit. Weight goes down 5 lbs, it doesn't fit. Add or remove a type of exercise - same result. Go on or off the pill - same results. Big shoulders = bad. Big ribcage and fat/muscle around ribs = bad. Long torso + short arms = bad. Contrast this to men who can still squeeze themselves into suits they bought 30 lbs ago. They get free tailoring too. Not fair. Sadly, they do not make "athletic fit" suits for women like they do for men. If I'm ever in a position where I have to wear suits frequently, I'm getting one custom made, and just to be safe, I am getting it made out of something stretchy.
For my interview nest week, I'll probably wear last year's interview blazer and a pair of slacks. It's a bit too loose in the torso and tight in the shoulders. Grr! Net weight difference = -2 lbs, net workout difference = +swimming, - soccer, net hormone difference = no birth control pill this time.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Friday Interview Blog, Week 3
So for the third Friday in a row, I had an interview. This time it was with the CEO of a company out in Colorado that makes custom reagents for the chemical industry. It was a pretty low key interview. The real interview will come when I go out there. I think that mainly he wanted to make sure I knew that this job does involve being in the lab. It made me wonder what kind of candidates they get.
Anyway, I could do this job easily, and it's a pretty cool company, but I'm not sure I want to move to Colorado, and I'm not sure there's any room for advancement. I'll have a better feel for it after my real interview.
Anyway, I could do this job easily, and it's a pretty cool company, but I'm not sure I want to move to Colorado, and I'm not sure there's any room for advancement. I'll have a better feel for it after my real interview.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Calgon, take me away!
It was another crazy week. Here's the play by play.
Monday: VP of my group walks into my office,closes the door, and asks if I'd be interested in working on a certain project if it gets extended. This would push my layoff date to March 31, if we don't get bought. I say yes.
Tuesday: T IM's me and apologizes for not calling or emailing, that he'd been sick with the worst cold he'd had in years. Whatever I am relieved that he didn't find the blog, happy to hear from him, still annoyed with him and annoyed at myself for still caring so much.
Wednesday: We have our layoff meeting with HR and the placement firm retained to help us with career services. Us old biddies and geezers are told to take graduation dates off our resumes. I get back from the meeting and find an email from the startup where I interviewed last week, inviting me to come back for interview #2, this time with a non-disclosure agreement, real chemistry discussions, and meetings with the folks I didn't meet last week. T lurks in IM but I don't IM him. I begin to ponder the fact that if the project gets extended, but we don't get bought, and I get a job offer, I may not get my severance package. hmmm.
Thurday: a relatively uneventful day. I send in my resume for a job in Colorado doing synthetic organometallic chemistry. This company does a lot of scaleup for the chemical industry. There's a strong possibility that catalysts that were first made by me are now being made in large quantities there. Someone emails me to tell me that the company where one of my former bosses is working is hiring. This is the boss who kicked me out of his group in a hush hush manner a few years back. Not many people know about this. Even people who do know still as me if I'm going to aply there. I give evasive answers and forward the email on to coworkers who are not on old boss's shit list. Meanwhile, I look at the ACS job listings, and guess what - my other former boss's company is hiring! I email them my resume, which now has graduation dates omitted, even though they know when I graduated. There are other local jobs too, one for an organometallic chemist and one for someone with experience in emissions catalysis. Weird. I have never seen so many local listings for people in my field.
Friday: I go for my second interview at the startup. It's total 'holy grail' chemistry they're doing. It could be entertaining but I need to read more of the literature to really understand it. The interview lasts twice as long as planned, so I don't get back to work until 2. The stress is starting to get to me. Naturally, when I would like to IM T he is not lurking. When I get home there is a message on my answering machine from the career services firm, as well as an email. No, I do NOT want to start the process now because I DO NOT HAVE A FUCKING CLUE and we only get one month of services so I want to use it wisely. I send them a polite email telling them that so much is up in the air that I would contact them when I know more. I go to the bathroom. Period is here. Woohooo. Need to call tomorrow and make that IUD appointment.
So yeah, that's the short version. I'm off to go swim/sit in the hot tub, but with a week like I've just had, I may need to start drinking and take a bubble bath when I get home.
Monday: VP of my group walks into my office,closes the door, and asks if I'd be interested in working on a certain project if it gets extended. This would push my layoff date to March 31, if we don't get bought. I say yes.
Tuesday: T IM's me and apologizes for not calling or emailing, that he'd been sick with the worst cold he'd had in years. Whatever I am relieved that he didn't find the blog, happy to hear from him, still annoyed with him and annoyed at myself for still caring so much.
Wednesday: We have our layoff meeting with HR and the placement firm retained to help us with career services. Us old biddies and geezers are told to take graduation dates off our resumes. I get back from the meeting and find an email from the startup where I interviewed last week, inviting me to come back for interview #2, this time with a non-disclosure agreement, real chemistry discussions, and meetings with the folks I didn't meet last week. T lurks in IM but I don't IM him. I begin to ponder the fact that if the project gets extended, but we don't get bought, and I get a job offer, I may not get my severance package. hmmm.
Thurday: a relatively uneventful day. I send in my resume for a job in Colorado doing synthetic organometallic chemistry. This company does a lot of scaleup for the chemical industry. There's a strong possibility that catalysts that were first made by me are now being made in large quantities there. Someone emails me to tell me that the company where one of my former bosses is working is hiring. This is the boss who kicked me out of his group in a hush hush manner a few years back. Not many people know about this. Even people who do know still as me if I'm going to aply there. I give evasive answers and forward the email on to coworkers who are not on old boss's shit list. Meanwhile, I look at the ACS job listings, and guess what - my other former boss's company is hiring! I email them my resume, which now has graduation dates omitted, even though they know when I graduated. There are other local jobs too, one for an organometallic chemist and one for someone with experience in emissions catalysis. Weird. I have never seen so many local listings for people in my field.
Friday: I go for my second interview at the startup. It's total 'holy grail' chemistry they're doing. It could be entertaining but I need to read more of the literature to really understand it. The interview lasts twice as long as planned, so I don't get back to work until 2. The stress is starting to get to me. Naturally, when I would like to IM T he is not lurking. When I get home there is a message on my answering machine from the career services firm, as well as an email. No, I do NOT want to start the process now because I DO NOT HAVE A FUCKING CLUE and we only get one month of services so I want to use it wisely. I send them a polite email telling them that so much is up in the air that I would contact them when I know more. I go to the bathroom. Period is here. Woohooo. Need to call tomorrow and make that IUD appointment.
So yeah, that's the short version. I'm off to go swim/sit in the hot tub, but with a week like I've just had, I may need to start drinking and take a bubble bath when I get home.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Interview blog: Startup edition
I had an interview at a startup company today. They are very small (4 people) and are looking to hire a chemist with my background. The CTO knows a lot of the current and former people from the company where I currently work, including all 3 of my former bosses. (Hopefully, he won't talk to one of them!) Not surprisingly, they had already talked to a number of my coworkers about the same position. In fact someone else was being interviewed at approximately the same time, at another location.
The CTO was a good looking, fast-talking guy of extremely confident, slightly shorter than average, slender but muscular, dark-haired variety. They seem to be fairly common in academics but this was the first industrial one I've met. In any case, I've known a few in my time so I felt about as comfortable as possible, considering it was an interview. The other guy was an inorganic chemist with approximately the same job history as myself (do postdoc, then go to tiny startup company and stay there for a very long time). He'd just started there last week, although he and the CTO had worked together twice before. I was assuming, since it's a startup , that they'd have people right out of grad school, but this guy was about the same age as me, and they'd also hired someone with 30+ years experience who starts next week, so at least they'd done their homework and realized they needed some experienced people. Whether this translates into giving me a competitive advantage over my younger colleagues remains to be seen.
Anyway, it's very long-shot technology. They are going to need a good business plan to succeed. Since this was just a preliminary interview, they didn't have me sign a non-disclosure agreement and couldn't tell me exactly which reactions they were targeting, so it's hard to judge how feasible the chemistry is.
I'm still in this strange phase where I'm not stressed about the reorg or the interviews. Part of me thinks that the deal will go through and we'll get bought, part of me feels like it would be nice to get a fresh start, even if that means moving to another part of the country, and part of me is still burnt out from the stress of T breaking up with me that I'm guarding myself from feeling too much. Nonetheless, it does help that I've already had two interviews and the job market for chemists seems to be picking up compared to the summer.
The CTO was a good looking, fast-talking guy of extremely confident, slightly shorter than average, slender but muscular, dark-haired variety. They seem to be fairly common in academics but this was the first industrial one I've met. In any case, I've known a few in my time so I felt about as comfortable as possible, considering it was an interview. The other guy was an inorganic chemist with approximately the same job history as myself (do postdoc, then go to tiny startup company and stay there for a very long time). He'd just started there last week, although he and the CTO had worked together twice before. I was assuming, since it's a startup , that they'd have people right out of grad school, but this guy was about the same age as me, and they'd also hired someone with 30+ years experience who starts next week, so at least they'd done their homework and realized they needed some experienced people. Whether this translates into giving me a competitive advantage over my younger colleagues remains to be seen.
Anyway, it's very long-shot technology. They are going to need a good business plan to succeed. Since this was just a preliminary interview, they didn't have me sign a non-disclosure agreement and couldn't tell me exactly which reactions they were targeting, so it's hard to judge how feasible the chemistry is.
I'm still in this strange phase where I'm not stressed about the reorg or the interviews. Part of me thinks that the deal will go through and we'll get bought, part of me feels like it would be nice to get a fresh start, even if that means moving to another part of the country, and part of me is still burnt out from the stress of T breaking up with me that I'm guarding myself from feeling too much. Nonetheless, it does help that I've already had two interviews and the job market for chemists seems to be picking up compared to the summer.
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