An amazing past 2 weeks and more... Oh MY!

Of course, I've been knitting and crocheting all this time, but there's lots more that's happened since my last post!

First bit of news. I had sent in an application for an administrative assistant in the ranks of a very large corporation. When I emailed my application, I figured there was no harm done, that my resume would fall in a huge catch all and land on the bottom never to be seen again. Boy was I wrong!!!

A week after sending in my application, I get a phone call from one of their HR advisors who asks me quite a few questions over the phone (45 minutes worth) and by the time the questions come to a stop, I am told to come in for a face to face interview the following week on a Monday! Of the hundreds of resumes I'd sent in since March, this was the first & only response! So off I go to the interview, heart in my throat, have to use the transit bus, transit train to get to the town, then use that city's transit system. Two and a half hours later, I'm standing in front of the building. It's warm, and trying to stay fresh when you're already nervous is a lost cause. I went to the public washroom, brushed my hair, applied cologne, straightened my clothing that had not fared as well through 2 and a half hours of jumping on and off transit vehicles and walked in. This interview had more questions, to which I fortunately had the perfect answers, as well as concrete examples to show what I'd done in the past. It lasted around an hour and a half. At the end of that interview, I was told I'd hear back from them by the end of the following week.

The next day, Tuesday, the phone rings, they want me to come in for an interview with the managers on Thursday at 9 am! Now that I've already done the trip once, I at least know what I'm in for which means I wear something that won't wrinkle to death on the buses and trains. I meet with the two managers, the entire interview is conducted in english and french, switching back and forth as we went. That definitely proved to them that I can speak french LOL Again, I answer a hodge podge of questions, they obviously are looking for someone who has done different types of administrative work and also someone who can handle a fast pace and changing demands at the drop of a hat. I have no problems with that since I've been doing that a long time working for different companies as a temp. Both managers seemed rather impressed with my experience and did not have poker faces as far as showing their excitement. At the end of the interview, I was told that I'd hear back by the end of the following week to which I thought to myself, of course :)

The next morning, Friday, the phone rings, they are sending me the paperwork via email for a background check and reference check and then inform me they will be proceeding with an offer when the results of the background and reference checks come back. This is the Friday before the long holiday weekend, so I fax the paperwork back this Wednesday morning (had a bit of an emergency overnight with my the next door elderly lady. She's fine, but it delayed my sending the papers on Tuesday) I called the HR advisor, explained the situation, apologized and asked if I could fax the papers to which I was told, most definitely.

Yesterday, Thursday morning, the phone rings, I have the job!!! and they are going to email my contract, to please review it, jot down any questions I may have and see you Monday!!! The HR advisor goes over the terms verbally to which I can only nod, despite the fact that I'm on the phone, as if she can see me nod, but I'm speechless! When asked for salary, I had quoted a ball park figure that I knew fell mid-range of what admin assistants receive in larger corporation. To me this amount was above and beyond what I'd made up until now, but I stuck to my guns and quoted it anyway. The HR advisor didn't even bat an eyelid, so I figured I must have done ok. During the 2nd interview, the question of salary comes up again, of course, I assume that it means I quoted too high for a starting salary, so I make sure they understand that it is up to negotiations, that I'm willing to start with a lower salary until I can prove myself, etc etc... The salary offered in the contract is MORE than I quoted!!!! My jaw is still having issues staying where it should. Every time I think about it, I can't fathom the amount quoted. I have a feeling it's going to take me quite a while to assimilate that LOL

So yes, all this to say, that I FINALLY HAVE THE JOB OF MY DREAMS!!!!!!