When an opportunity presents itself to you, do you jump on it?  Or do you let it pass you by and then you are left wondering “what if?”  How do we know when to take on something new?  This past week I had two recruiters contact me from two companies.  Before I say anymore, it’s very common for recruiters to reach out to me.  However, typically they’re from a 3rd party and are looking to fill for a contract position.  Those roles, I kindly say, “thanks, but no thanks”.  The two that contacted me this past week were different.  They were recruiters for the actual company.  If my current employer was not in the financial state we’re in, I wouldn’t have given them another thought.  For the first time in my career, I can honestly say I am very happy with my job.  My supervisor is one of the best I’ve ever had, and my team is awesome.  I’d be crazy to leave that.  Unfortunately, there have been quite a few layoffs and there are more to come.  No one feels safe right now.

Because of that, I decided it’s in my best interest to at least entertain what these recruiters had to say.  Never hurts to be proactive.  I won’t name the company names, but one is a very prestigious company.  Honestly, I never imagined they would even consider me.  We’ll call them ‘company A’.  I spoke with the recruiter from company A and the first thing she did was compliment my background and said it’s very impressive.  She asked I send her my resume and I agreed.  The next day, I had an interview scheduled for the following day.  I couldn’t believe how fast they were working.

For some bizarre reason, I have always done quite well in interviews.  And I don’t know why. I don’t get nervous and I’m typically brutally honest….sometimes, that can backfire.  My interview with company A was unlike any other interview I’ve ever had. I typically walk away feeling quite confident. Not this time. But I guess it wasn’t as bad as I thought because within two hours, the recruiter emailed me and said they’d like to schedule a second interview.

The days waiting up to the second interview is when the recruiter from company B contacted me. Again, the conversation was very similar to the conversation I had with the recruiter from company A. Company B is a very large organization, though it’s one I wasn’t familiar with, so of course I did my homework on them. I sent her my resume and the next morning the recruiter reached out to me and let me know they’d like to schedule an interview.  This was for a leadership role. I was stunned.  While I have many years’ experience, I don’t have experience is management.

I had my second interview with company A and with company B in the same day. My interview with company B was first and I had such a great feeling at the end of the interview. I really enjoyed all the personalities on the video conference and conversation came easy.  My answers to their questions seem to come even easier.  I didn’t want to get ahead of myself, but I truly thought they’d make an offer.

I woke up this morning to an email from the recruiter from company B, thanking me for my time, but they decided to pursue another candidate. With the quick turnaround time, I have to wonder, did they already have an applicant in mind before speaking with me?  I racked my brain, trying to think if there was something I should have answered differently. Looking back, I don’t think I would have changed any of my answers. I was open and honest and gave it my best.  Though rejection is never fun, I was okay with it.  Ultimately, I went into these interviews to test the waters. I didn’t pursue them, they approached me.  It’d be rude not to hear them out.

My second interview with company A was smoother than the first interview.  Still, I didn’t leave the video thinking “I nailed it”.  And I was okay with that.  After doing extensive research on company A, they only hire the best of the best. I read an article that stated it’s easier to be accepted into Harvard than to land a position with company A.  Talk about intimidating.  I feelso intimidated by them, I started to talk myself into declining the offer - - if one should come my way.  But would that be a mistake? My resume is pretty decent, if I do say so myself.  But adding company A to my profile would definitely beef it up.  Even still, it scares the crap out of me.

This afternoon I received an email from the recruiter from company A, asking if I had time for a quick call. Unfortunately, I didn’t see the email until after business hours. Now it’s the weekend and I have to wait until Monday to speak with her.  Definitely do not want to make any assumptions, but from my past experience, typically if there’s no offer on the table, they’ll send an email and call it a day.  So why does she want to speak with me?  Is it possible they may make me an offer?  If said offer comes in, would I be a fool to turn it down?  Times like these, I wish I could snap my fingers and have the answer at the ready.

Even still, there’s something to be said for being happy with what you’re currently doing.  Maybe it will be less money, but I have all the flexibility one could ask for.

Times like these, I really don’t like adulting.  What’s been your experience?  If you made the leap, was it the best decision you could have made or did you have regrets?  Talk to me!