While I'm in the Job Search-When a Conversation Becomes an Interview

I recently had an interview, or at least I think that's what it was. I have been pursuing a conversation with the president of a small business for the past few months. It is in the industry that I have worked in for the past eleven years and I know someone who works there. I always imagine these conversations as being friendly and peer to peer. You know, conversations that two adults can have when trying to get to know one another. However, a few minutes in and I realized that the conversation was an interview so I quickly got it together and was prepared for whatever came my way.

We met by Zoom with it's usual awkwardness. Once we established connection we found a level of rapport that managed to work. The usual 'tell me about yourself' question began the conversation and from then on, I felt that we were talking on equal footing. The conversation was going along well until the person doing the interviewing said that based on my resume, they felt that I would be best suited for a coordinator position. Mind you, I had applied for a manager role so this took me aback. I have been a coordinator before and there is certainly nothing wrong with that, but in this particular instance being the coordinator was not what I had in mind. I have recently stepped down from being an Executive Director and I certainly believed that my resume determined that, but perhaps I was wrong and the resume was all wrong, and the experience I had wasn't quite enough, because after all, the job seeker never seems to get it right, do they?

Once I realized we were no longer on the same page I was able to take a step back and put myself in the third person. I no longer was interested in pursuing this position so I could take more of a driver's seat approach. I asked what the salary range was for the coordinator role, which the person didn't want to disclose until we went further in the process. I gracefully said that I needed to have some idea of what they were thinking. I even threw out a few low numbers to get the ball rolling. They offered an amount and I appeared unfazed.

In the end, I believe they are not the company for me and I have a hunch I am not what they want either. I am grateful that I had the opportunity to talk with someone at the company. I know a few things about the industry and believe that I am more than qualified to work there. Yet the vibes we have during an interview can determine a lot. A job coach recently told me not to rush it. Don't force something that isn't meant to be. She's right.

Conversations are critical. We have to have them. Hiring managers and prospective employees need to have several in order to make the best decisions for themselves. The best jobs I've had have started with good, easy and honest conversations. When the words flow and there seems to be a sincere interest in what each has to say there is a chemistry that's worth pursuing. When it isn't there, it isn't there.

It's been two weeks and I haven't heard from anyone at the company. That's okay. I don't think they would have been a "good fit".