John-Morgan - Foter - CC BY
Pen on Paper
I learned a big lesson on the candidate experience this week. I was surfing around LinkedIn when I saw an interesting job posted. It looked like something I might want to do. I hemmed and hawed for a while on the decision-making teeter totter. Should I? Shouldn’t I? I like what I do but what if there is something better?
I took a deep breath and then sent an email. Whew.
Then I went about my day and forgot all about it. Until two days later when it dawned on me that no one had called me. All of the sudden, I was back in sixth grade. Do they like me? Was I too forward? Am I barking up the wrong tree? When should I call to follow up? Now? Maybe I should wait. For about ten minutes, I was like a dog chasing my tail.
Then the phone rang. It was not the employer. It was a client. I got my head back in the game and forgot about the whole thing.
Later, I actually did get a call from the headhunter. We had a nice chat. Ultimately, we decided that my experience did not quite fit the employer’s wish list. This was not heartbreaking news. I love what I do and I am doing it in one of the best places to do it. It was an interesting exercise that confirmed exactly what I thought: I am in the right place for right now.
It was also an interesting exercise because it reminded me what it’s like to be a candidate: putting it out there, waiting for some feedback, trying to continue focusing on other things while you wait to see if you are wanted. An excellent lesson indeed.
