Camelot at last?

I closed the door behind me. “Hello San. Please, have a seat.” My supervisor Maya and our HR pearl Chevonne sat at a conference table facing me. It had been five days since I had started working for the company. What? Was it really five days already? My perception of time was surely messed up, because although it seemed like yesterday, I had already learned soooo incredibly much. Getting a bit shy, I sat down.

Maya and Chevonne exchanged glances before Maya began to speak: “Tell us San, you had some individual meetings with a few people and the chance for a brief insight into the company. So, what do you think so far?”

Stream of consciousness

I ask you, do you know James Joyce’s stream of consciousness? Well, it was nothing compared to my answer:

Wooooow where to begin It is sooo awesome here So many nationalities Did you know that I have an Italian and French cubicle neighbor Oh my goodness it is wonderful to finally hear these languages again and the training woooow there are sooo many different applications As a matter of fact we had a belt training and we could build our own belts and everybody is sooo friendly and helpful Can you imagine I had a problem with the laptop and it was fixed almost before I sent the request out and the industries and different positions….

As I was catching my breath, Maya quickly interrupted me with a smile: “That is good news, indeed. Because we feel we should put the cards on the table now.”

Let’s put the cards on the table

I was quiet immediately and looked at her skeptically. For some odd reason, my previous accelerated brain activity went down within a split second. “We would like to make you an offer. We propose to extend your contract from 3-4 to 6 months….”I frowned and leaned a bit to the front of my chair. “Full-time and Full-pay, of course…” “Excuse me”, I interrupted shyly, raising a finger, “But that would kind of keep me for looking for the REAL job if I work full time, no?” “Well, San… how do I say this? We would like to get the chance to get to know you a bit better and in return give you the possibility to get a better insight into the company.” Her smile made me relax a bit more. “Ahm… but how and hmmm….” Don’t you hate the feeling when your eloquence is comparable to a primate?

“Well, obviously, your title would change from ‘Market Analyst’ to ‘Jr. Business Development Analyst’, since that would be the field where you would receive your training for these six months.” “Whaa… .” My eyes must have gotten bigger, because Maya and Chevonne moved slightly back. So I felt. Actually, I don’t recall what I felt… it was all a bit colorful and ‘carouselly’.

 You get your very own Blackberry

“Yes, you will receive training, meet all important people, maybe travel when you write field reports, if there is a mutual liking after about four months we will make it permanent and of course you will get your very own blackberry… .”

And precisely at this was the moment … I woke up!     

Yes, yes, a noble knight’s quest is a tale of glory, mystery, adventure and bravery. So, in a way it can be compared to your modern graduate’s job quest, since the ultimate goal is the same: we both want to finally find our utopian Camelot, the resting place of your Holy Grail. It is the place where your qualities are finally recognized and nurtured and that finally brings some sense of direction to your quest (life is an ongoing quest, since your objectives change constantly, right?). This is the place you want to be, the place you want to be a part of and the place that is worth fighting for! But beware, no matter how much you want it, it is not that easy to find.

Always keep your spirit high

Sometimes, your tiresome journey will be filled with HR-dragons and evil line manager magicians that make your quest impossible to complete. However, if you keep up your spirits, good humor and maintain just a little self confidence, you may find it sooner or later. Did I find my Camelot? Was that what my dream wanted to tell me? Well, only the future knows the answer!

I wish you all good luck out there and remain

Yours sincerely,

San

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