So interview over, time to check my email a million more times. They did say they'd be in touch by the end of the week, the interviews having taken place on a Wednesday, or the next week at the latest.
By end of the week, no email. Week after, no email. Cue manic panic. Kept checking their wesbite to see it they'd updated it with the name of their new hiree or something, but nothing on there either. I checked my cv thoroughly- was there a lie in it? Nothing. Phew. I remember Johanna saying they would frown upon any mention of doing a PhD alongside the job. *Thorough examination of my cover letter*- no mention of a PhD. Phew! But what on earth is going on, I wondered?
On the Wednesday after, I called the Secretary, Anita, to find out what was going on, but she said she didn't know anything. She suggested calling HR, as they'd be the ones to send out the email or whatnot, which I did, but they said they didn't know anything. At least thy didn't say I wasn't successful, so that was a good thing, I thought. I called back the next day, still nothing. No email either. I also checked the online application thingy to see if mine had been updated, but nothing. Really couldn't function much at work. Called HR again, and it turns out the person who was in charge of the job I applied for had quit, so someone else just started dealing with things, so that was probably why there was the delay. I was told I'd get a call back soon, once the new person had caught up to speed.
Temporary relief for the weekend, but not completely. Waited for the call, but nothing on Monday. Called again the next day, and they said I'd get the call back. Later in the day, I finally got a call back to learn my fate. To finally get put out of my misery. Or so I thought.
Turns out everyone already knew their fate. Everyone else except me! The HR woman said they weren't going to contact me until they were very sure, but since I'd been calling them repeatedly, they thought they'd let me know what was happening. They didn't contact me because they'd already offered the job to someone else, but I was like the reserve candidate, just in case things didn't work out with the other person! Talk about bitter-sweet! Turns out I didn't do too badly in the interview, but I didn't get the job. Or rather, I wouldn't be getting the job unless the other girl (dunno why I always assumed it was a girl!) turned the job down, her security checks didn't turn out, or worst case scenario, she dropped dead! I remember saying to Natalie that maybe I should, you know, get myself a hired gun! Obviously didn't mean that, but it was so so depressing. I remember being so 'depressed' when I wasn't sure whether or not I'd get called to interview, but this felt so much worse.
*Random alert*
Oh wow, watching Burlesque for the first time, and who do I see? Eli Gold from the Good Wife! I was thinking that he looked familiar, but a quick IMDb search and it turns out that it's him as Alexis in Burlesque! I'm so going to look at him differently when Good Wife resumes, haha. Just in case you didn't know, Eli's my favourite Good Wife character!.
*Random alert over*
Sorry about that! So where was I?
Ah. So the HR person said I should just keep calling, and maybe things would go wrong for the other girl. Fat chance, right!? It's amazing how when you want something badly, how you try and find clues in your favour in the littlest of things. Johanna told me there might the possibility of them hiring two Research Assistants, so I kept stalking the website for anything. There's a bit on the website where it says:
"The Institute maintains a fully staffed office and employs Research Assistants to assist with Institute projects."
I saw "Research Assistants", and in my mind, when I went on the website before the interviews, it said 'A research assistant'! Who knows, it might not have ever changed, but I just had to believe that that meant they were going to hire two people! At least it made me feel somewhat better!So I called again the next week, but called the Secretary more, as I thought she'd know more. She did tell me that the contract had been sent to the other person, and they were just waiting for her to sign it. I called the HR person one last time, and she told me flatly that she doesn't see them offering the job to anyone else. Fair enough, I thought, and decided not to bother calling after that. Was ofcourse disappointed, but I just felt that there was no point stalking the poor people any longer. If things did indeed go wrong, they had my email address, my address and my contact number, so they knew were to find me! I did pray one last time, and I even remember saying that if I got it one way or the other, I'd give a testimony in church! But yeah, all I could so was continue with life and continue with other applications. Sigh, how I hate applications!
And continue with life I did! I'd started driving lessons a while back and finally decided to book my practical test, as I felt I was ready. Somewhat! I'd orginally settled for 18 February, a weekday, but I'd planned on taking that day off work. But I had to change to another date, when I inexplicably thought I had nothing planned for that day when Natalie asked me, and she then booked her assessment centre for that same day! When I eventually realised the error, it was too late for her to change her test date, so I had to move mine. Sigh! The earliest date I could eventually find afterwards was 4th March. Annoying, as it meant paying for more lessons, but not much I could do about that.
I'd previously gotten an invite from Johanna to come down to the Uni on 27 January to be a judge at the first year contract law moot competition, as they didn't have enough judges. I agreed to do it, partly because it sounded like fun, and partly because I really thought I'd get the job, so it'd be a great opportunity to maybe meet people I'd be working with, and maybe I'd even be able to do some flat-hunting. But ofcourse, none of that wasn't happening! I didn't pull out, but dragged myself down to far-away Southampton for the moot, wondering wistfully whether that'd be my last time there. It turned out to be good fun, and I was glad I went, even though it was bitter-sweet and I didn't get home until about 1am. And apparently I can put it on my cv, so it wasn't a bad idea to go!
No real luck with any other applications, so all I had to concentrate on was Chiswick work. Oh, and driving lessons. And it was after one of such driving lessons that my phone rang. Was in the kitchen washing up, when it rang. I answered the phone, and who was it calling me? Filippo Lorenzon! My heart was thumping straight away, but I knew what it was. It couldn't have been anything else. He was calling to offer me the Research Assistant job! After the usual pleasantries, he offered me the job, and after I said yes, he was like 'Can you start on the 14?' I was a bit in shock and good thing I didn't say yes a second time, because that so wouldn't have meant starting in less than two weeks, as this was the 4th February, and I obviously had no where to stay in Southampyon! I knew they needed someone urgently, so we settled for 21 February instead. I remember telling my Aunt, who was in the kitchen, about it when I got off the phone. She seemed more excited about it all than me! I am very bad at showing emotion, but I think I was just in shock, really. I'd sort of accepted that the job wasn't mine, so wasn't even expecting the phone call! Told my parents about it, everyone was happy, etc. Who says God doesn't work miracles, right?
I did have to get off cloud 9 asap though, and start figuring out how to find myself somewhere to stay. Had to go down to Southampton the next week to meet the people I'd be working with, so used that opportunity to do some flat-hunting. I was able to see two that day, but no satisfactory one. I did manage to get like 10 different viewings for the Saturday after, so my Aunt and I drove down from St Albans. I really HAD to find something that day and sign a contract, as I had only one weekend left, which ideally ought to be my moving in weekend. My Aunt loved the second one we saw and pretty much made her mind up there and then that that'd be the one I'd be getting! But I convinced her that we should look at other ones, just in case! We ended up having two choices- the second one we saw, and the last one we saw. They were from different agencies, and it later turned out that the girl who showed us the second one and the guy who showed us the last one, were a couple! Not married, but they lived together. It was kinda funny! My Aunt even suggested they open a lettings agency together! We did go with the one we'd seen earlier, and luckily were able to sign the contract there and then, and we were told we'd be able to get the keys the next weekend, so just in time for me to start work on the 14th! Phew! I was lucky my dad had sent me some money for some exam, if not I probably won't have been able to afford to move in on pretty much very short notice. It was an unfurnished apartment as well, so had to buy a bed, wardrobe, fridge/freezer, washing machine, etc. It was a nice newly refurbished one-bed flat not too far from the station, very decent price, so I didn't really mind. We bought the bed and wardrobe that same day, and the plan was they'd deliver the next weekend, so at least if I didn't have time to buy anything for my flat- and I was running out of money- I'd at least have a bed to sleep!
So yeah, great end to the job saga! I don't know why my life attracts so much drama! I should have just gotten the job in the first place and avoided all the heartache and drama, but I guess God wanted it that way for a reason!
I've got to end this here, as I have to leave literally now. Gotta go see my cousin in a minute, so have to stop typing like now! More drama occurred, but I guess that can be left for another day! Flat drama, driving test drama, etc! Maybe that'll be the DVD extra scenes, but other than that, 'current affairs' can begin, woohoo!
wow lol loads of drama, but that's what you call a miracle!
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