I'm Officially Hired!

That's right, I got a job! They called around 8 last night and made me an offer, which I accepted. I'm SO happy and thankful! Now here's something very rare to appear on my blog...something serious. This is what happened with my job search.

Well, it all goes back to July. Kent got accepted to the school and we decided that IF we got jobs ahead of time then we would move. It turns out we both felt like God wanted us to go ahead and just move. Without jobs. With only the money we had saved up. So we moved in with my grandparents. Kent got a job 2 days after being here! They offered him flexible hours to work around his classes and the right amount of money. It seemed just right. I had more difficulty finding a job. Our goal was that my job needed to meet ALL of our needs outside of Kent's tuition (his job would pay for that). So we figured out how much we needed and it came to X amount of dollars. We and other family and friends began praying that I would be able to find a job paying X dollars. Well about a month and a half into the search we began to get discouraged. No one would call me back after I told them my salary requirement. Other people told me "you won't be able to get a job making that much, you don't have enough experience", meanwhile our savings was dwindling away. We then re-evaluated our budget and made some cuts. We also decided that we could live on campus, although that wasn't really what we wanted to do and Kent would take on a few more hours. So, I began searching for Z amount of dollars. I got a few calls back after that amount was decided, but none of them worked out. About 2 months into the job search I got really down about the whole thing. I started thinking maybe we made a mistake moving here. Maybe we read things wrong and God really didn't want us here at all. Not to mention, I looked at our budget and realized our money would run out on November 15th. Then I signed up with a staffing agency. They sent me on a lot of interviews! One in particular was an interview on friday October 22nd. They really liked me and I got a call from my recruiter saying that they would probably make me an offer. It was an "okay" job. It paid Z dollars. I would be doing ALOT of filing. I would also have to drive downtown everyday and pay $1000 per year just to park! Well, as soon as I hung up the phone it rang again in my hand. When I answered, a lady said "Hi Jessica. I'm _________ a recruiter from ______ and I have your resume' in front of me." She went on to tell me about this job that sounded EXACTLY like what I'd been looking for! It paid X dollars, health insurance, vacation and the possibility of promotion. Plus it would pay the tuition for any industry related degree or license I wanted to get. It's about 1 mile from where we live and it's in the property management industry! The whole time she was talking I just kept thinking things like "How much of a chance do I really have?" "Should I turn down other offers for this job?" God answered all my questions through her as she talked. I didn't voice any of them. She also told me that she usually has a feel for these things and she thought I'd be a great match for the company. She was only selecting 3 other people for interviews. I didn't even apply for this job. Somehow she got a hold of my resume'. Possibly from somewhere I posted it on the internet. We left it as she would contact me on Monday to set up an interview for Tuesday. So, all weekend we prayed and tried to figured out what to do. On Monday the downtown job made me an offer. It was a good offer, but I couldn't help think of this other opportunity that God put in front of me. So we prayed and read and asked for God's guidance as to what to do. I had until Tuesday morning to make a decision. I just kept thinking how could I justify turning down a job OFFER that I'd been praying for for so long for a job I hadn't even interviewed for yet! Kent and I agreed though that we both felt like this other opportunity was put in front of me for a reason and it's all in God's control anyway, so if he wants me to turn down this offer then he will provide something else, whether it's the property management job or not. So, we decided that if the recruiter actually called me back to set up an interview, then I would turn down the downtown job (yikes). Well, of course I waited and waited for her to call back. When it was after five I figured she wouldn't. So, I prayed again for her to just call me and let me know either way. It didn't have to be the way I wanted. She called at 5:30 and told me I had an interview! I was so excited and nervous. The next morning the downtown job called and I turned it down. They were not happy. They tried to press me for information about the new company and how much they pay and all that, but I wouldn't give it out. I went to my interview and, by the way, I've lost all of my ability to read people. I used to be pretty good at that, but not anymore. I don't know what happened. Anyway, I wasn't sure if he liked me or not. The interview lasted about an hour and he said he would more than likely call me the next day to meet with the VP who would be in town on business. He called me the next day and asked if I could meet him and the VP for lunch (see the post that is below this one). So, I met them and it went okay. I say the strangest things sometimes and I think how on earth could these people like me. But, my recruiter called me back and said they loved me, but no offers yet. All the while we still were continually praying that I would be shown if this is the right job or also if there are any red flags I should know about. Then the guy that interviewed me called me back and said we're very interested but we need to work some things out. Okay. Recruiter calls back, they're very interested, but they need to work some things out. Hang on until next week. Alright, I will. Monday, recruiter calls again, they really like you when is the latest you could start. I tell her November 15th (that's when our money runs out, but I didn't tell her that :). Tuesday, my interviewer calls me back and wants me to meet him and one of the partners for cocktails ( I was so nervous about that). It went really well. They were very nice and relaxed people. They kept asking me if the recruiter had called me yet. I told them just that she'd called and asked when I would need to start. So, finally one of them said, well, you know, we want you. And hopefully we can get this worked out and the recruiter will call you. YES! But of course It's not official yet, so I still think there's the possibility they might not hire me. Well, on the way home I get a call from the recruiter. She says they'd like to make you an offer of X dollars per year. Do you accept? I accepted. "You're officially hired at X dollars". Oh I'm so happy! Thank you God! I just can't believe that what I had given up on over a month ago God didn't give up on at all. He knew all along what was waiting for me. Even when I acted like a baby and cried when I got turned down for jobs and said things like We should've never moved here, He knew that I was getting turned down because He had the job for me waiting that paid the amount that we had originally prayed for. Even the recruiter said, "You know, it's still a mystery to you and me how we actually got your resume. I can only assume it was from the internet, but I don't know." Someone had just given her a stack of printed out resume outlines to look through. All the work and money I spent on my own sending out resume's and paying for postage, in the end wasn't even needed. I didn't have to search for the job, God sent it to me. I just feel so "taken care of", if that makes sense. Thank you so much to anyone who prayed for us during my search. :)