Though I’m posting this blog entry after
having been hired, I wrote this post during the summer of 2013 during a
discouraging time in my job search.
The two-year-old
that I babysit for is a complete delight, and every now and then she teaches me
something important. One day during lunch I was working really hard to get her
to eat her tortellini. She didn’t want it and wasn’t about to be fooled by my
coaxing. Instead she put on a serious face and told me, “not this time, maybe
next time.” The only thing I could do was laugh and laugh.
When her mom got
home I relayed the story and found out that this was a phrase from the family’s
potty training book. The book tells stories of successes and close calls in a
toddler’s efforts to learn to use the toilet. Its healthy, shame-free approach
asserts that it’s okay to miss an opportunity to use the potty. If you don’t
make it this time, you can do it next time.
~
I had a job
interview recently for a fantastic position recruiting and coordinating
volunteers and serving in administrative and supervisory roles in a refugee
resettlement program. My experience working in resettlement and my degrees and my
skills and my interests and my commitments and my passion for multicultural
settings made me a great fit. I used my connections – someone knew someone at
the organization and put in a recommendation – to make sure that my application
materials were noticed. The interview went fine, and I had a great connection
with the interviewer who was impressed with my experience and knowledge.
After I didn’t
hear anything for a week, my hopes started to sink. After a week and a half I
began mentally and emotionally disentangling myself from the role. I quit
planning a new schedule and quit brainstorming program development ideas. After
two weeks, I received my rejection letter and it was over.
Another
difficult job search experience to add to the rest, and this one hit
particularly hard because it seemed so promising. One morning as I was feeling
discouraged and trying to recognize and honor the disappointment of another crushed
hope, this phrase popped into my head: not this time, maybe next time. A
helpful lesson from a two-year-old turned into a helpful mantra as the search
continues.