The Interview Process

And then there were two:

I'll give you a shorter version of the picking process on how I came about the cities I was looking into for my first job.

1) Called NCRA for cities without certification so I could start to work immediately. The Texas state exam had passed before I could get registered for it and it only comes along three times a year. They faxed me a list.
2) Looked in the JCR classifieds for firms looking to hire new students. I found quite a few.
3) Sent a copy of my resume along with a copy of a sample transcript to the firms, and waited for emails or phone calls.

And I got quite a few. It seems that there are an abundance of jobs out there for us, but picking the right one sounds easier than it really is.

This is where I inducted my poor instructor to do some research for me. (He's an extraordinary writer and knows EVERYONE!) I gave him the names of the firms and waited for him to reply. He said okay to only four or five out of, I don't know, a gazillion. Interesting though. I would trust his judgement over anyone's. So I went with those choices.

A few were in Florida and a fellow former student was down there so I called to see how it was going....not so hot, but the firms I was looking at were not the same as the ones she was working with. I still didn't get a warm and fuzzy, so I almost unconsciously marked those off my list.

Seattle was my first choice, but they have a state exam at 200, but the next one isn't until February...so, ix-nay that one, too. I needed a job now, before I chickened out or went broke. (Left this part off...my current job laid me off, so I only had until the end of the year before I was going to start struggling in a bad way.)

Places left: New York and Washington DC. So I set up interviews for both. New York comes first.

NEW YORK:

Day One:
The city is teeny tiny, but the firm was wonderful. Their crew is top of the line, no questions about that, and extremely comforting for a newbie that's about as green as my grass. (Yes, it's still green. I'm in Texas in December and it's still in the 80s.) They want me to go on a deposition and they want my notes. The owner can find out a lot about a person's notes. Scary. Let's just hope I do okay.

So, I get into the airport at 11 pm, after two connections. I walk into an airport that has, oh, I don't know, three gates. Yeah, that small. I head out to get my bags and look for a cab. I mean, we are in New York, right? 11 pm and not a cab in sight...and it's freezing! So, as I'm standing on the curb looking like a complete fool, this guy in an older model limo comes up to me, "You need a cab?" Yes, but not a limo, please. Hello, it's just me and my one carry-on and my machine bag. He says, "I'm a cabbie. Let's go." If you can only imagine how hesitant I was...LOL, let met tell ya -- I let him put my clothes in the trunk but refused to put my machine in the back. It was going with me in the massive space I was about to enter. The man was nice enough, don't get me wrong, but I was sure something was wrong with him. I took the tripod of my machine and left it in my hands waiting for the man to stop on the side of the road and murder me. I would be ready. Guess what? I was paranoid. Got to the hotel without a hitch, checked into my room at a fairly nice hotel by Elephant Man himself, and off I was to probably the most comfortable bed EVER.

Day Two:
I'm early. I showed up in my best suit and the only jacket I could find in San Antonio that would work for an interview in the cold. I even had gloves and a scarf. I was feeling very New York. I met the lady doing the interview, and she had to be the nicest lady I had ever met. She sent me off on the depo with one of the other reporters, equally as nice. The city is strikingly gorgeous. This time of year, all the leaves have different colors...like red and orange and yellow. Who knew leaves changed colors? (kidding, only slightly) I'm doing an attempted murder depo on himself. Weird, I know. Anyhow, I get done with my portion of the depo, call the lady, and head outside to wait on her to pick me up for lunch. I walk outside with my machine and get bombarded by a news crew, "There she is. She's the official reporter. Can we get a statement from you?" (complete with microphone up my left nostril.) Not wanting to laugh out loud, literally, I just said, "I cannot speak about anything that went on in this building. Sorry." Seriously...hello, I'm on an interview, but the jacket must be working for me. She comes and gets me, we laugh about the episode and have lunch at a wonderful place that puts green apples on their sandwiches. I'll have to remember that. We get back to the office just in time for me to give her my notes that were so faint I almost threw up. Of course, I had put in a new ribbon just to be absolutely certain that everything was working, but the longer I used my machine, the lighter it got until it was almost non-existent. I was about to just die. I'm not sure she believed me that it was a new ribbon, but I just gave her the notes along with an electronic version of my notes and went on my way. Not sure about the pay, but she would let me know in about a week.

WASHINGTON DC:

No issues here. Okay, lol, I'm lying. Just a few though. Nothing like New York, thank goodness. I've learned my lesson. I have TWO ribbons with me, both of which I have worked on for over an hour. They'll do fine.

So, my mom was so cute. She was so excited for me she went and bought all kinds of suits for me. I picked the one black suit with black silk pinstripes that my dad picked out specifically for me, and went with that one. The only problem -- I didn't have enough time to get them taken up. They were too long. But no worries, I would take the subway and would be sitting for the majority of the time; right?

I get to my hotel after a bus ride from the airport, to the metro, and getting just a little lost. Not too bad though. Found a great Italian place on the way to the hotel and ate there. It was to die for and I was starving. Peanuts will only get you so far. I'm so very excited to be here. I can't even describe it. It's like I'm about to burst. You'll know what I mean soon enough, ladies...and gent! I'll have to make a decision by this weekend. I got the job in New York and they need to know something soon, otherwise, they will start looking for another reporter. Cross your fingers for me. I like the city better -- more things to do, and quite frankly, I always loved those congressional records they gave us in school. Give me one of those on a lit test...100% baby!!!! I walk up to what is supposed to be my hotel. This can't be right. The pictures on the Internet look nothing like this place. I turn around and check the address. Holy crap! I'm staying in a dive. And for almost $100 a night, I am FURIOUS! How is this legal? I am not happy about this, but I check in with Miss Unibrow and Mr. NASCAR and reluctantly go to my room. It's actually nice. Nicely redone. The bathroom is yellow and black tile with a cute little shower curtain, and the bed is a king, nice and fluffy. But I'm on the first floor right by the street. I quickly put the desk chair under the door knob and unpack. I couldn't sleep. I was afraid Michael Myers was outside my room trying to unlock the door. That, and I was so excited about tomorrow. I roll over at 6:30 am after not sleeping a wink and get in the shower. Then, breakfast in room 1. I'm a little scared. Frankly, it was the best breakfast I'd had in awhile. I guess you really shouldn't judge a book by its cover......yeah, whatever! Next time I'm staying at the Marriott!

I only tripped three times walking to the subway station. I finally rolled my bag onto the escalators that were so steep I thought I would roll to the trains. I was gripping so tight going down to the trains that I almost didn't turn around when some crabby teen pushed me on the back and asked me to "move the hell over lady. Stand to the right if you're not moving." Boy, did my horns want to come out. I almost pulled up my pants and kicked his little butt down the rest of the stairs. Don't fluster me today. My pants are too long! I've got more things to worry about. And I'm not sure on the directions. I mean, how many trains did I need to get onto before I was at the office? Only two, good.

So, I'm at the office. I only tripped on my pants one more time -- as I was getting off the escalator and they got caught right there at the end as the little stairs disappeared into nothingness. I literally almost died. Please don't let my pants get ripped off in public. Just yank them out and keep walking. Well, I'll just roll them up until I get there. I find it, quite easily, thank you. It's a gorgeous row house renovated for commercial properties. I'm way out of my league. I mean, they have a chandelier and everything. Who does that? But the lady is extremely professional and a very good match for me. She likes to have "stuff" and so do I. I didn't get into this career for the stress. I want a flexible career that will be able to afford my tastes. (Does that sound right? Whatever.) As I'm walking down to the basement to do the formal interview, I realize that my freaking pants are still rolled up like a complete moron. OMG! I hope she didn't see that! Just what I need...

She wants me to take a five minute lit test. No problem. I back up my chair to get my machine out, (and unroll my pants) and I almost knocked over a 40" flat panel LCD TV that is beautifully hung right behind me on the wall. Dear God, could you give me a break, please? C'mon! Luckily, it just teetered a little bit, and hopefully she didn't notice that...or my pants. I take the test. It's a little rocky because of my self-inflicted nerves, but overall, I think I did all right. Just get me home. I'm so sick to my stomach, I just want to get home and hug my dogs. We'll see if she noticed the pants and if she thinks I'm a complete geekwad.

CONCLUSION:
I got both jobs, and accepted DC. I love the city and think it affords me more opportunity as a court reporter. I start January 2nd. Wish me luck. More later.

The Job

Well, it's really here. I have a real job. It happens to be in DC, so we'll see how this country gal does in the city. I mean, they have real subways and stuff! Can you just imagine?

I will post pictures when I actually get down there -- December 28th-ish. I've rented an english basement from a really great lawyer-type in downtown. My mom is driving up there with me, then I'm flying her back to Tejas! Excited, nervous, mortified that I'll forget my name when someone asks it...you name it is going through my mind.

But I'll keep all of the "school girls" up-to-date with everything that goes on so you can at least get a second-hand-look at everything I'm going through up here.

:o) Wish me luck, and Happy Holidays!