Near misses (in new fields)

Blocked trails are the rule, not the exception.

Part 10 in this series.

On the heels of my near misses in higher ed, I found myself asked into a couple of interview processes outside the academic world in the early summer. As I prepared for both, I lectured myself on not getting too hopeful.

One was a three-interview sequence, the other four. Both were in sectors I’ve not worked in. But I’m a storyteller and professional sense-maker. I tend to do well in person, so I went into both feeling positive.

The first interview was for an editing job in the communications department of a utility company. I’d applied for a different position, but their recruiter reached out to encourage me to apply for the one would interview for.

And it went well. I was lined up for a second interview until an internal hiring review put the process on pause. When it started up again, I was not invited to continue. That sucked, but it felt like a good sign and if another position opened, I expected to be taken seriously.

To date, I’ve applied for three more with the company with no luck.

Around the same time, a large food wholesaler posted an internal comms position. I applied and completed a general first-round interview with HR and then a second rounder with the team lead who would supervise the position. Both went well and the lead said she’d be in touch in a week to let me know if I’d be moving on to in-persons.

And that was it. The company ghosted me.

In professional sports, athletes refer to their “welcome to the league” moments when the dream of being a pro collides with the reality of how hard it is to compete at that level.

I see these two experiences as my welcome to the market moment. Message received.