Battle Kitten: Ascension

[fleaball]

My father came out of his procedure high as fucking balls. It would have been hilarious if I hadn’t had to babysit him. 

 

I slept for about an hour last night, then passed out for 4 when we got home. It was less a nap and more “I am horizontal, lol bye.” 

 

It’s about 5 now. I do not want to go shopping. Fuck. 

[Sylvaa]

8 minutes ago, fleaball said:

It’s about 5 now. I do not want to go shopping. Fuck. 

 

Shopping is literally THE WORST! But you can do it. You got your hair done all nice, you need to have an awesome outfit to rock this interview! 

 

[fleaball]

Fun fact, actually: I looked at my hair under decent lighting today and the part that was gray is very clearly a different color from the part that was still red from last time. My hair is very obviously two different colors and I am pissed. But I don’t want to go back and have her redo it because I don’t want to sit there for another two hours with chemicals burning my head. (I’m actually allergic to dye so it’s a miserable experience.)

[fleaball]

I don’t have a winter coat. I don’t want to buy a winter coat right now. Considering I’ll already be wearing a blazer, I’m just going to walk in with a slightly too small

coat draped over my arm and say I took it off in the Uber on the way there because the driver was blasting the heat. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

23 minutes ago, fleaball said:

I don’t have a winter coat. I don’t want to buy a winter coat right now. Considering I’ll already be wearing a blazer, I’m just going to walk in with a slightly too small

coat draped over my arm and say I took it off in the Uber on the way there because the driver was blasting the heat. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  nothing, because I won't have to say anything.

FTFY  

[fleaball]

Okay. Pants (slightly too big because no matter how much my weight changes I always seem to be in between sizes wtf) and shirt acquired because I texted @NeverThatBored and @Sylvaa photos from the dressing room. Whee. Still have to get a blazer because Kohl’s sucks, but there’s a Marshalls at the other end of the mall so fingers crossed. Currently sitting in my car charging my phone. 

 

I really need to lose weight ugh. I hope i get this job and it helps me get a routine going. 

 

34 minutes ago, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

FTFY  

This is why I keep you around. I have no idea why I always feel the need to have excuses prepared and to preemptively explain shit.  I mean, we know it’s related to my family but I haven’t dug up a specific reason yet. 

[fleaball]

Aaaaand Marshalls doesn’t have blazers at all? Onto the next shopping center. Pray for me. 

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

24 minutes ago, fleaball said:

This is why I keep you around. I have no idea why I always feel the need to have excuses prepared and to preemptively explain shit.  I mean, we know it’s related to my family but I haven’t dug up a specific reason yet. 

Because you're so used to having everything, even the most mundane nonsensical ridiculous things questioned, you plan ahead to deal with it. It's a coping skill that works for you in the context of your family, and isn't needed anywhere else. Because you've lived so long with your family, your subconscious hasn't realized it doesn't have to do this all the time.

[fleaball]

6 minutes ago, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

Because you're so used to having everything, even the most mundane nonsensical ridiculous things questioned, you plan ahead to deal with it. It's a coping skill that works for you in the context of your family, and isn't needed anywhere else. Because you've lived so long with your family, your subconscious hasn't realized it doesn't have to do this all the time.

Goddamn it. It sounds so obvious after you point it out. 

[fleaball]

WELP. Fucked myself over hardcore. I’ve been to a half dozen stores and nothing. Gonna got another kohl’s to see if i get lucky even though the website says they don’t have anything in stock. If not, I guess  I’m getting up early so I can be 100% ready before zipping around to some plus size stores and hope I can find something in time. Ugh. 

[fleaball]

Okay. Got a jacket that’s tight in the shoulders but I can most likely get away with. Still gonna get up early and book it to a Lane Bryant and see if they have anything better for me. Resume has been printed after an epic battle with not one but two printers in the house, as well as job descriptions for both positions because I don’t actually know which one I’m interviewing for anymore. Gonna pack my fancy purse in a minute with everything I won’t need while shopping tomorrow, including the makeup I’ll do in an Uber on the way there. Notes from both previous interviews plus questions I want to ask have been rewritten, and my answers to the common stupid interview questions everyone hates have been written in French in case I blank when asked. 

 

I’m going to look and see if we have different printer paper anywhere because my resumes looks super cheap for some reason. And then I’m going to pass out, hopefully. 

[WhiteGhost]

You are going to rock this interview.  100% confidence in you  

[Jean]

1 hour ago, WhiteGhost said:

You are going to rock this interview.  100% confidence in you  

 

This. It looks super stressful but you are doing super great. You've got this.

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

9 hours ago, fleaball said:

Notes from both previous interviews plus questions I want to ask have been rewritten, and my answers to the common stupid interview questions everyone hates have been written in French in case I blank when asked. 

 

In the hopes you see this while being driven around: Don't forget to drop all your language experience. In addition to the international travel, being multi-lingual is a huge deal. Play it up in the interview.

[fleaball]

Blazer acquired. I hate it and I hate the price tag, but that’s what I get for waiting til the last minute and also for being fat and not doing anything about it so I’d have more options. Now I have to iron the fucking thing. 

 

I’m so tired. Someone kill me. 

[Jean]

Don't be too harsh on yourself: that's what you get for making it so to be ready on time: a dressing good enough to take you through this interview, which is what is required of it.

 

You're doing this right.

[RES]

3 hours ago, fleaball said:

I’m so tired. Someone kill me. 

Nope, you're going to kill this instead!

and you should be in the interview (in the time it's taken me to catch up with this thread) and I look forward to hearing how you worried over nothing!

[fleaball]

I survived! Write up to come when I get home. Right now I’m going to get a stupid expensive salad. And maybe another coffee. 

[Jean]

I knew you would.

 

Now, eat that salad and enjoy every part of it.

[RES]

22 minutes ago, Jean said:

I knew you would.

 

Now, eat that salad and enjoy every part of it.

Yes, this ^^

[fleaball]

I got a cookie at Starbucks and it’s stale.  sad kitten. 

[Severine]

2 hours ago, fleaball said:

I got a cookie at Starbucks and it’s stale.  sad kitten. 

 

Booo crappy cookie, but how was the interview? We are all in suspense.

 

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

6 minutes ago, Severine said:

 

Booo crappy cookie, but how was the interview? We are all in suspense.

 

I'm in Texas, but I do want to know how the interview went.

[fleaball]

Argh. Just caught myself in the mirror and was like "huh, with eyeliner and not-gray hair I don't look so disgusting. Still fat tho." I think I'm mad that I looked half decent. Okay brain. 

 

11 minutes ago, Severine said:

 

Booo crappy cookie, but how was the interview? We are all in suspense.

 

Sorry, I told myself I'd send thank you emails before I wrote it up here, but as soon as I opened gmail I just started staring off into space. So sleepy. I'll work on it in a minute. 

 

4 minutes ago, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

I'm in Texas, but I do want to know how the interview went.

[fleaball]

Right. SO. Fat kitty was not pleased when I opened up the screechy ironing board. Just thought I would start with that, because cats. 

 

Wound up not even bringing a coat at all. It was maybe 35F. The first woman I met with asked if I was cold and I was like "meh, I took an Uber so it wasn't awful." I'm glad I always plan to show up early though. The email from the recruiter told me to go to the 10th floor, but when I checked in with the security guy in the lobby he told me the 8th. Whoops. Go to 8, there are huge glass doors but they're locked and there's no receptionist and the lights in the reception area are off. Weird, but whatever. Go up to 10, awkwardly hang out because even though the lights are on and the doors unlocked, there's no one at the desk. Receptionist actually runs in from the conference room across the hall and tells me I do need to be on 8, just knock on the door until someone comes by. Awkward. Do that, and did you know that when you knock on glass it's really not loud? Found that out. But there was a break room looking thing directly across so I knocked and awkwardly waved at the guy who'd appeared there while I was gone. He let me in and got the woman for me. Huzzah. 

 

So first I met with the woman who'd be my direct supervisor. She clarified a lot of what the day to day looks like and what the work actually is. Definitely sounds like a job I can handle. She liked my answers to questions about how I work with a team and how I feel about research and stuff. Yay. I felt sort of iffy about the interview at first but it got better as it went along. She thought my Arabic tattoo was really pretty and we chatted about losing language skills (she's from a Francophone country but has been in the US for a while and doesn't use French much except with family I guess) so I got points there I think. 

 

Next interview was with a dude who's a step above her but I wouldn't necessarily interact with much. If I understood right, there are Relationship Managers who go out and get the clients and handle all their products and shit. Relationship Managers answer to him and the third person I interviewed with. I'd be doing admin stuff for the Relationship Managers, but he's not really concerned with the work I'd be doing. He was cool though and really seemed to like me, so that was that. Asked if I wanted to be a teacher, because everyone fucking assumes that when they see I have a language degree. But yeah. Good conversation, liked the answers I was giving and liked the questions I was asking about the job and the structure of the team.

 

Third person was a woman, same title as the guy but with her own team. Seemed really bored with the entire thing tbh. Straight up said "I don't really have any questions for you. What do you want to talk about?" UHhhhhh... wut. She said something about the girl who's leaving the position to work elsewhere in the bank, so I started asking questions about the career development opportunities and stuff. #nailedit. Almost felt like she thought the whole thing was a waste of her time, but it didn't seem personal so I wasn't super worried. 

 

ANYWAY. tl;dr I think it went pretty well overall. The one thing I didn't ask anyone is what the timeline is for filling the position or how many other people they're interviewing. I usually try to do that but it just never fit so whatever. Recruiter lady had told me they were trying to fill it more or less ASAP so I'll just cross my fingers. I also don't know which position I'm ultimately being considered for. The recruiter initially hit me up for Level II, but by the time we talked on the phone Level III had opened up as well and she thought I could do either but would be better suited for the higher one. When I asked both supervisor lady and the guy which one we were talking about, I also didn't get a straight answer. One said they'd just brought someone into one of the positions (didn't say which) from a retail position in the bank, and the other made it sound like they were restructuring the positions somehow? I don't think they were trying to hide anything or whatever, I think maybe they either didn't know what the recruiter had told me or just answered the question in a way they thought made sense but I didn't have enough information to understand. Either way, I was willing to take the Level II position when the recruiter reached out so it's not a big deal if that's where I wind up. Obviously the higher level would come with a higher salary and I am all about the benjamins, but meh. That can be dealt with later.

 

One thing I did not find out, despite trying, is what the goddamn schedule is like. Supervisor lady said it's flexible but wouldn't really get more specific. She did ask me if prefer to work in the morning, afternoon, or later, which I thought was weird. (I said morning because then if something goes crazy there's time to fix it, vs starting mid morning or later you're running up against deadlines, COB, etc.) Bored lady later asked if supervisor lady had asked that question and I repeated my answer, and also asked her what the workday tends to be. She repeated that supervisor lady is flexible and when I pressed a little more she said it's a 40-hour week with at least a 30-minute lunch as required by law, but if you want an hour lunch you just work an extra half hour to get to 8. Both women said like, if you have a doctor appointment you need to come in late or leave early for then that's where the flexibility comes in and you can just add time to the other days in the week to hit 40 hours or something. Which is good to know. I didn't ask if overtime is a thing (idek if this is technically a salaried position or hourly) or if it's expected that you stay after 8 hours to get things done; it was on my list of things to ask but considering I wasn't getting straight answers on anything else I figured it wasn't worth it. 

 

So yeah. Idk. I'd def take the job if I get an offer.