Life.Simple.Perspective

The emotion…

I was so excited that I could hardly speak. I was so emotional that I cried.  I looked up to the heavens and thanked God for my blessing.  I couldn’t process or get my head around the great news! I had waited patiently and gratefully for so long.  I wanted to tell someone but I needed to be certain that this was really happening.  I mentally prepared a new budget and thought of all the things I would finally be able to buy.  My weekends at the beach would finally be free to spend time with family and friends; to enjoy the festivities all around me.  I went to Office Depot to check out desks, file cabinets and printers that I would need for my new office.  I decided on the perfect spot in my home for my work space.  I considered getting a spring pedicure to celebrate with the $50 sign on bonus that was in the mail.  For a few hours my life and good fortune felt surreal…that is until reality set in.

The initial contact…

I was sitting at my desk one evening working the late shift when the initial text came through.  A person (who I later learned was not affiliated with the company referenced) reached out to me regarding a position that I had applied for on a job website called ZipRecruiter.  He said that my qualifications looked good and asked if I was available for an online interview at that time.  I responded that I was at work and asked if we could re-schedule for a more convenient time?  He agreed and suggested that in the meantime I add their HR person to my Gmail Google Hangout account because that is where the company briefing/interview would take place.  I went ahead and did as he instructed assuming that a first interview online was not uncommon today; similar to a phone interview.

The interview…

I raced home from work that evening and promptly sat in front of my computer at the appointed time.  The interview lasted approximately one hour and everything about it seemed legitimate.  There was the photo of the Human Resources V.P. that I had seen on the company website and the interview was conducted in a very professional manner.  The interviewer began by telling me a little bit about himself and the company and asked that I do the same.  The interview questions were pretty generic and seemed normal to me i.e. what are your greatest strengths, weaknesses, how do you handle stress, what do you consider to be your greatest career accomplishment and why, etc. He then proceeded to explain the job responsibilities, the training provided, the compensation, benefits, etc. After doing so, he asked if I wanted to continue moving forward in the interview process and of course I said “yes”.  It was a billion dollar company in an industry that I am passionate about, the benefits were great, the compensation was excellent and the best part was I could either work remotely or from their office. We wrapped things up and he asked if we could reconnect  the following morning at 9:00 a.m.?

The offer…

It was 9:00 a.m. as scheduled, we exchanged morning greetings and he indicated that the interview last evening had gone very well.  He went on to say that the company felt I would be a good fit for the position and they wanted to hire me.  We discussed the pay rate during my one week of training and he said that a local representative from their company would contact me shortly via phone to discuss the schedule and to meet me in person.  Since this was a “work from home” opportunity, I would need to go ahead and set up my home office. He indicated that the company would provide me with an Apple MacBook Air laptop but that I would be responsible for my desk, four drawer file cabinet and combination printer/fax/scanner/copier. I would also need to purchase computer software programs (he sent me a detailed list) from their preferred vendors and they would overnight me a check to do so.  They were also including a $50 sign on bonus. 

To be continued…..