Friday, October 28, 2005
Progress?
Well, Mr. Chick finally received the letter from the law firm in Bend with whom he interviewed a few weeks ago (took them long enough - sheesh!). It was as we expected: we're not saying no - yet - but we're going to run an ad and hopefully talk to a few more candidates before making a decision by the end of the year. They're looking for someone with 3-5 yrs of business law experience, and Mr. Chick has volumes of business experience, but not so much legal experience. Some, but not 3-5 yrs worth. And so we wait. And wait. And wait. And hope that the timing of this will work in our favor. That the ad they run won't turn up a slew of qualified candidates. That because it's in the middle of the school year people won't be too interested in relocating to Bend and pulling their kids out of their current classes. Oh please oh please oh please let them find no one else for the job!
In the meantime, Mr. Chick has a strange, yet promising, meeting with a managing partner in Portland yesterday. He got the meeting through a well-connected contact he has - someone he used to work with and has stayed in touch with. It's all about who you know, people. Never forget that. So this lunch meeting was arranged. Mr. Chick, as the law clerk for a bank who used this guy's firm as their outside counsel, was denied an interview for an opening they had way back when. He had apparently called his contact at the firm and expressed his frustration with being shut out. Well, at the meeting yesterday the managing partner had heard that Mr. Chick had been upset. He essentially raked Mr. Chick over the coals for it, declaring himself the decision maker, not the guy Mr. Chick had been talking to, blah blah blah. Very intense, apparently. But then, in a sort of strange twist, he said he wanted to mentor Mr. Chick in a way and would help him out. He said he would circulate his resume throughout his firm saying that they need to hire this guy. He's also going to push his resume to a forum of managing partners in town saying the same thing. He asked how quickly Mr. Chick could move to Portland and is striving to get him a job within 60 days. Sweet, right?! It was so odd, he said, to be berated in one breath and then helped in the other. This guy said he can't guarantee anything but that by circulating his resume to the managing partner forum group it's likely something will happen. He's never seen it not work. So... it's great that he's getting this "insider help" from this guy, and his well-connected contact that arranged this meeting gets all the credit, but at the same time we're both hoping that a job works out in Bend over Portland. We love Portland, we're from Portland, we have friends and family in Portland. But. BUT. Bend has a special vibe that really appeals to us. It's smaller without being too small. Portland has nightmare traffic and friends spread all over. Bend is condensed. Bend is a destination. But then again, beggars can't be choosers and we'll be very happy to get ANY job at this point.
It's just so hard being in a state of perpetual limbo. I can't make plans. I can't commit to stuff. We might move! It's a very helpless feeling to not know what's coming next. To wait. I have a hard time being patient. I want to know what's next for us - the next chapter. I want a vision of my life. But for now I have to take things very much day by day. It's like life on a month-to-month rental agreement vs. having a long-term lease. I'm ready to sign the lease and get on with it!
In the meantime, Mr. Chick has a strange, yet promising, meeting with a managing partner in Portland yesterday. He got the meeting through a well-connected contact he has - someone he used to work with and has stayed in touch with. It's all about who you know, people. Never forget that. So this lunch meeting was arranged. Mr. Chick, as the law clerk for a bank who used this guy's firm as their outside counsel, was denied an interview for an opening they had way back when. He had apparently called his contact at the firm and expressed his frustration with being shut out. Well, at the meeting yesterday the managing partner had heard that Mr. Chick had been upset. He essentially raked Mr. Chick over the coals for it, declaring himself the decision maker, not the guy Mr. Chick had been talking to, blah blah blah. Very intense, apparently. But then, in a sort of strange twist, he said he wanted to mentor Mr. Chick in a way and would help him out. He said he would circulate his resume throughout his firm saying that they need to hire this guy. He's also going to push his resume to a forum of managing partners in town saying the same thing. He asked how quickly Mr. Chick could move to Portland and is striving to get him a job within 60 days. Sweet, right?! It was so odd, he said, to be berated in one breath and then helped in the other. This guy said he can't guarantee anything but that by circulating his resume to the managing partner forum group it's likely something will happen. He's never seen it not work. So... it's great that he's getting this "insider help" from this guy, and his well-connected contact that arranged this meeting gets all the credit, but at the same time we're both hoping that a job works out in Bend over Portland. We love Portland, we're from Portland, we have friends and family in Portland. But. BUT. Bend has a special vibe that really appeals to us. It's smaller without being too small. Portland has nightmare traffic and friends spread all over. Bend is condensed. Bend is a destination. But then again, beggars can't be choosers and we'll be very happy to get ANY job at this point.
It's just so hard being in a state of perpetual limbo. I can't make plans. I can't commit to stuff. We might move! It's a very helpless feeling to not know what's coming next. To wait. I have a hard time being patient. I want to know what's next for us - the next chapter. I want a vision of my life. But for now I have to take things very much day by day. It's like life on a month-to-month rental agreement vs. having a long-term lease. I'm ready to sign the lease and get on with it!
// posted by MP @ 2:39 PM 
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