Exciting News!

Good evening readers!  Hope everyone has made it through the first half of the week in alright shape following the holiday weekend.

I actually have some great and pretty exciting news to share tonight so we'll get right to it.

When I returned to my regular part-time position in late August/early September following the completion of my summer internship my boss told me that they would not be able to take me on full-time following graduation in December.  I knew then I needed to either apply for a transfer within the company I work for or I needed to apply outside the company for a full-time job.

I finally made the commitment at the end of October and applied for three different positions outside the company.

I wasn't hearing anything from any of the applications I submitted and was just beginning to think that it was time to follow up with those companies and to take another gander at the job listings.  (Side note: I used indeed.com to search for openings to apply for.)

Before I had a chance to seriously look into following up I received a phone call while I was at work from a area number that I wasn't familiar with.  Normally I wouldn't answer a phone call like that but because I may be getting called about one of those applications I submitted I decided to answer.  Turns out it was one of the companies I applied with!

I set up a time to talk with them on Friday (it was a Tuesday I got the call) since I wasn't able to talk while at work.  That phone conversation was a pre-screening with an HR assistant.  I was told it would probably be 2-3 weeks before I would hear back from them if a manager liked me and wanted to go further with the process.

So imagine my surprise when I received a call that very next week asking to set up an interview!  I made the interview for the following Tuesday after I was done with my classes for the day.

The interview went well, nothing out of the ordinary happened or was asked.  I left feeling pretty confident about the interview and excited about the company because they have a casual work environment (jeans Monday-Friday are acceptable), a 22% discount with AT&T is one of their benefits (currently I only get a 12% discount through work), and you start with a very nice chunk of PTO + 4 additional days called "floating holidays".

The interview took place last week which included Thanksgiving so I wasn't expecting to hear back from them right away but once again I was surprised to receive a phone call on Monday offering me the position.  Immediately after I got off the phone with HR I called my mom and told her all of the good news.  But then panic set in as I realized I needed to hand in my two weeks notice before I left work for the day because they wanted me to start in two weeks already.

I managed to calm myself to type up a two weeks notice, and meet with my boss.  She actually knew it was coming because she was called as a reference earlier in the day.  I signed the offer letter I was emailed when I got home and scanned it over to my new employer right away that night.

Yesterday my boss called a meeting with the department and let them know I would be leaving.  While it is incredibly exciting for me it is incredibly stressful for the department I am leaving as they are already down three people (they were let go a few weeks earlier), and  will be down another person when she goes on maternity leave at the beginning January.  The work load didn't get any smaller due to the shrinking size of the department so everyone left is overwhelmed with work and is working 5 hours of overtime.

I went in for my drug test yesterday afternoon which I am sure I will pass with flying colors. If I don't there is something seriously wrong! :)

So, that's my exciting news!  I've accepted a new job where I will be receiving an increase in pay which will definitely help pay down these student loans that I will have to start paying back soon since I am graduating in two weeks.  I will be starting Monday December 10th part-time (20hrs/week) by working on Mondays and Thursdays 10a-6p and Fridays 3-7p.  I start full-time (40hrs/week) on Monday December 24th and will be working 10a-6p Monday through Friday.

I feel extremely lucky to have been given this opportunity as I know there are people struggling to find jobs.  Really, I have felt pretty fortunate throughout my career as I have always been able to pretty easily find a job.  This will only be my third job ever.

Did you find full-time employment after graduation pretty easily or was it a struggle for you?

What's one tip you would offer someone in the job hunt following graduation?