My story of persistence: Part #6

Ask a Toddler - Persistence 6-2

I know this story has been dragging on for some time so I’m going to try and wrap it up as quickly as I can, maybe even in this post…let’s see how we go…thanks for your persistence!

When you put your heart and soul in pursuit of an outcome and for whatever reason it doesn’t pay off, it’s quite a task to pick yourself up and keep on going, if not for any other reason but exhaustion. Aside from fatigue though, when you give it your all and it doesn’t work out you inevitably start questioning your own abilities; maybe I’m not good enough? You might even start questioning the very purpose of what you’re doing and contemplate a sea change; maybe I’m not interested anymore; I should just give up and move on. Well that’s not how this story plays out, thankfully.

My interest in the company grew. The mystique deepened. I had unanswered questions: Who got the job over me? Why were they better for the role? Was there anything I could have done that I didn’t do? Was I simply not good enough? Do you think you might be hiring again soon? Not that I put them so bluntly to my email pal, my intentions were obvious: I’m still interested and I won’t go away. I continued to monitor the goings on of the company from the outside in and continued to learn a lot about an industry I had only limited exposure to. So there I was, guttered at a missed opportunity, buoyed only by an interest in reading a company blog about stuff I knew very little about. The monthly (or so) emails didn’t stop. I’m not quite sure what my now boss thought of me at the time, but to continually get monthly emails from a rejected job candidate was probably a little annoying. I couldn’t help myself, I had unfinished business.

It was probably 10-12 months or so (the timing of some of these events is probably a little off) after missing out that I had another genuine opportunity to pursue my worth at a different company to the one I was working with at the time. Although I hadn’t given up completely on my email pal, I couldn’t stick around forever waiting and so another good job came up and there I was going through the recruitment process, albeit in a different industry, but still an exciting growth and contribution opportunity. I got the job. There was some delay in them getting the paperwork out to me and so it took a few days longer than usual to close the deal. That delay turned out to be the best wait ever. In that time, I thought I’d just send one more email to my pal, this time, asking for a job. I’d never been more forthright. The email I sent basically read something like this: I want to work with you, now.

Timing is everything. Really. Things happen not because of luck, but because of timing. So, I had a verbal job offer and a contract on its way on the one hand and an email asking for a job on the other. What transpired from that day would set me on the path I’m on today. My monthly email pal responded with an invitation for lunch! On Friday. It was Wednesday. The other job I had landed got the paperwork out to me and needed the contract signed by COB Thursday. I quickly got on the phone and negotiated a bit longer to the get the signed contract back and confirmed Friday lunch.

Lunch went well. It was civilised and I found a new hawker style asian restaurant that I could eat at but I didn’t really get what I was looking for. It was after we’d settled the bill that I just came out and asked whether my email pal wanted me to come and work with her or whether this was just the beginning of another gruelling recruitment process. The answer made me a very happy man. I was in. Finally, after about a year from being rejected for the job and a few monthly emails, I found what I was looking for, a dream job with an awesome company.

For the sake of brevity, I’ve omitted a few bits and pieces leading up to the Friday lunch and some events that transpired on that magical Friday but on the whole folks, that is my story of persistence (in six parts). Thanks for reading!