Monday July 12, 2010
And there I was: in my usual spot on the couch (laptop on lap) tirelessly searching the internet for job announcements and postings. It had almost been 7 months since I graduated with my Master's degree, and I had only been to one interview. It got to the point where I would receive rejection E-mails from jobs I had applied for months prior, and I wouldn't even be able to remember what the job was... that's how many I had applied to! So I was visiting a website that I had saved in my "favorites" that regularly listed new jobs in the conservation arena for the Hawaii/Pacific region. That day, an obscure posting popped up entitled "Specalist (Corals)" ... so I clicked on it. They were looking for someone to provide "professional support to the National Marine Fisheries Service Pacific Island Regional Office response to a petition to list 83 coral species under the Endangered Species Act." Considering my Master's internship and thesis/report was all about the conservation and restoration of threatened coral species, it seemed like a perfect fit. So without hesitation, I sent my resume in without even giving it a second thought afterwards.
Tuesday July 13, 2010
Just about the first thing I do every morning is check my E-mail: looking for any potential responses to job applications, job announcements, etc. This particular morning I had an E-mail from a woman I had met during my internship at a workshop I got to go to in D.C. I had contacted her a few times in the past to see if there were any positions available in her office (NOAA Southeast Headquarters) in St. Petersburg, and the answer was always "no, not at the moment- but I will keep you in mind for the future." The e-mail I recieved from her was a forwarded e-mail from another guy who works for NOAA, asking for names of recent graduates/entry levels with a background in corals who might be interested in the position to "assist the Coral Biological Review Team in their response to the petition of listing 83 coral species under the Endangered Species Act." Turns out, it was the same job that I had just sent in my resume for the day before. So I did a little bit of detective work to see where the original E-mail came from.
*Sidenote- I recognized ANOTHER name that this E-mail was sent to... another NOAA scientist that I had met during my internship at both at the D.C. workshop and the Benthic Ecology Meeting I attended back in March. This will come into play a little later.*
Anyway, I found out where the original E-mail came from, and decided I would send a personal E-mail to this person in hopes of maybe getting my name into their consciousness. I sent a little synopsis of my experience and how I could apply it to their position, attached my resume, and hit the SEND button. I remember I was in a hurry because we were on our way out the door to an interview at a hospital for a potential job for Daland.
The job interview took 2 hours and it ended up being a bust- they offered him even less pay than what he is making now... but for some reason, when he approached the door with a disappointed expression on his face, I felt relieved. The whole way home I was reassuring him that I believed it was for a reason that this job wasn't a "good one" and that I had a feeling I might have an E-mail waiting for me at home... sure enough, as soon as I walked in the door I checked my E-mail, and there it was. An E-mail from the lead project coordinator...
In a nutshell, he told me I seemed very well qualified, that they would like to fill the position ASAP and asked when I could start if I was chosen. He closed the e-mail by asking for a copy of my Master's thesis, a copy of the paper I had been published on with my internship advisor, and my previous supervisor's contact information. I immediately responded to his e-mail with attachments of everything he asked for and told him that I could basically start as soon as I could. He then e-mailed me back right away and began to give me specifics about the salary, the potential start date, and wanted to know if I would need much time to tie things up on my end. At this point- I'm jumping out of my skin... it sounds like I got the job in the bag... but after I wrote him back and told him that I would only need time to sort the logistics of moving and everything sounded great, he responded with a few more details, but then ended with "Ok thanks, Chelsey. We need to go over the other applications over the next few days, and then I'll get back to you by next week, OK?" ..............
UGGGGHHHH!!! The first thing that came to mind was "what if someone else applies with my same qualifications (or better) and they're a local? Then they wouldn't have to pay any re-location expenses, etc." My hopes were essentially dashed and all I could think of was damn... I need to do something to make them decide RIGHT AWAY that I'm the best person for the job.
I then proceeded to E-mail the other NOAA scientist I had met (that I mentioned previously) to see if she could possibly recommend my name to the project leader. She responded right away and said "Actually, I chatted with _______ this morning and he seemed very impressed with your background! Good luck!" At that point... I was convinced that I was in the top running for the job. But I couldn't get that tiny negative voice out of my head thinking that ONCE AGAIN, I would be rejected, let down, and disappointed. And then the waiting began. Assuming they were going to keep the application announcement open for the time stated on the website, I would have to wait at least an entire WEEK to find out!
Thursday July 14, 2010 4:42 p.m.
An unexpected E-mail from the project leader arrived in my inbox:
"...We have recommended to our contract management company Ocean Associates to offer you the position..."
At which point my mind is going: OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG!!!!
I'm still not 100% convinced yet, as I still needed the official phone call and offer from the contract management company. But Daland and I decided we could celebrate and go out to dinner that night at our favorite Mexican joint to get me a well-deserved margarita.
At approximately 7 p.m. on the way to the restaurant, my cell phone rings: IT'S THE CONTRACTING COMPANY. I was officially offered the position as Natural Resource Specialist (Corals) for the National Marine Fisheries Service Pacific Island Regional Office in HONOLULU, HAWAII!!!!!!!
And of course... I ACCEPTED!!!
