When Lisa and I graduated, we
planned to look for a job together. We
talked to a counsellor at school for advice about how to search for jobs. The counsellor suggested writing a cover letter
to explain who we are and what we can bring to the table. It seemed like Lisa and I could continue in the
same relationship we had before, but at a professional stage. I talked to Lisa about it and she asked if it
was what I wanted. She didn’t want to do
it if I was going to back out. “No, I’m in,” I stated emphatically.
A whole year went by with a few
interviews and freelance work added in. We looked at websites to see which
companies had made them, and kept searching for job opportunities at these
companies. Lisa found someone who worked
from his house in Bragg Creek and needed someone to develop a website for a
client of his. However, we didn’t realize
he worked from home until we arrived for the interview in Bragg Creek. I waited
in the car while Lisa went in because the man had steps leading up to his house,
and we didn’t know how I could get in. We
got the job the same day, but it wouldn’t last for a long time.
Our employer would email us what
he needed done and we would head somewhere and work on it together. Or sometimes we needed to head to Bragg Creek
to meet with him. We did it for a month
or so, but it wasn’t working out. We
needed to use a new program and had to ask him a lot of questions as we were
learning it. He needed the work done
quickly, without having to explain the details of how to do it. Eventually we stopped hearing from him.
Lisa and I kept looking for work while
I was doing little jobs for family and friends. They weren’t paying projects
but that was fine with me because I could practice my skills and learn new
programs. I had been out of school for
over a year and it was time for me to really think of what I wanted in life and
if continuing with this job search plan was the best fit. I also felt that something had changed between
Lisa and me. I didn’t say anything but
the job search had become frustrating and I was starting to think I wouldn’t
find anything in my field. I was
thinking about giving up on a web design plan and working on other ideas like
finishing this book and becoming a speaker. But then we heard back about a job
application! I decided not to mention my
doubts to Lisa; after all, we had been looking for a job for so long that maybe
I had just hit a wall and was tired of the situation. Maybe a job change in my life would change our
relationship too.
I wasn’t expecting to get too much
out of the interview but I was still nervous.
I spent the days leading up to it asking my family and friends what I
should wear. I hadn't really had a job interview
for web design before. The Academy of
Learning had a weekly job club for graduates that was all about preparing for
the job search process. Lisa and I used
some of their ideas like writing practice questions and having a mock
interview. It was helpful because it
gave me a little sense of what might happen in the interview. I didn’t think I would get the job but at
least I could go and do this job interview so I’d have more experience in the
future.
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