Coming Down from the High

Dare I say this week has been the best week ever! I know, I know I won't shut up about it.

I ran 6 miles this week and today I knocked off over two minutes from my two mile time on Tuesday.  I love it when my body feels good! It's only my first week of training and I was already able to run two miles without stopping for a walk break today. Today I ran two miles in 22 minutes and 13 seconds. That's pretty good considering how out of shape I am. I hope to keep improving. My motivation has been through the roof and I am head over heels in love with running again. I know health is always an uncertainty, but my goal is to train hard, train smart, and finish strong. If I can do that, I believe I can get a PR in NYC. My training schedule has been made, but right now my focus is to get ready for the Corporate 5k on April 7th. I can't wait to run with some co-workers! My company is giving every employee that crosses the finish line a Fitbit!

My first training day in my new position yesterday went well. My new supervisor had a lengthy conversation with me about how I got the position. I found out that I beat out six other candidates for the job. Originally my new supervisor already had a different internal candidate in mind for the position and was just going to offer it to that person, but the CEO told her that she had to open the position to everyone. She got two other ladies from her department to help with the hiring process since she felt she was biased. Evidently, my cover letter really gave me an edge because it showed my amazing writing ability. The person that my new supervisor originally wanted for the position is a Project Assistant, so he/she already has some experience and is familiar with contracts and work flow, but he/she didn't have a strongly written cover letter and didn't have a college degree. After all of the interviews, my new supervisor consulted with the two ladies from her department and they both chose me for the position. My new supervisor also agreed that I was the best for the position because I was also the best communicator in the interview.  They all felt that it would be easier to train someone from scratch, which it's anticipated that it will take up to two years for me to fully learn the position, than to train someone how to communicate proficiently even if they already have some experience.  My new position will be communicating with executives on a daily basis, so they felt it was extremely important to have someone competent that can write e-mails and such without having to proof read everything.

I am so proud of myself for really earning this position. This position will be a change of pace that will take some adjusting to. It's strange not knowing anything and not being able to really be productive at this point. At least, my new supervisor understands that it's a slow learning process. Its not slow because I'm not smart, it's slow because there's a lot of information to learn and a lot of decisions are circumstantial. There aren't necessarily rules for everything. Rather, there are guidelines with multiple directions.  I can already tell she is going to be a great mentor. She knows her field well and she has passion for what she does. I can't wait to get on her level of understanding. The way she manipulates words and negotiates contracts is impressive. So far, I'm really intrigued. So far, I feel dumb.

Big Week Next Week

Why does it seem like everything in life happens all at once. Next week is big because I'll be hearing back about the job either way, the lottery drawing for the NYC marathon is on Tuesday, and I should be getting my lab results back and hopefully feedback from my doctor about whether I'll be staying on Cimzia or not.

I interviewed for the contracts/risk specialist position on Thursday. There were two interviewers in the room and another interviewer on a video conference call. It was a little intense to be on the video screen during the interview. Questions flew at me in all directions. One right after the other for 45 minutes. At one point, I thought that interviews should be called interrogations instead.  I never trust my vibes about things like this, so time will tell how it went. I can say that I'm pretty happy the way I answered the questions and I think my closing questions were solid. One of my questions was, "Do you see any gaps in my qualifications that would prevent you from offering me the position?"  If offered the position, they know I would be transferring from a different department, so I told them that we would have to discuss the time frame with my supervisor to make a smooth transition.  I'll find out next week if I got it or not. I really want to get this job offer. Either way it turns out, at least, I know I did my best.

I am pretty much freaking out about the lottery drawing on Tuesday!!!!! I want to get in so badly even though I am so out of shape that I have trouble running two straight miles without walking. I know there's only like an 18% chance that I'll get in, but I'm totally getting my hopes up about it.

I just got home from getting lab work done, finally. After three weeks, I felt healthy enough for it. The nurse struck gold on the first try, which is super rare. Plus, she didn't even have to move the needle around inside me to find the vein. She hit it right away. My arm doesn't even hurt. I hope to get the results back next week with feedback from my doctor. These labs are supposed  to tell us if I'm still anemic and if Cimzia is still working.  I stopped taking iron again last week and my period started yesterday, so I'm not very optimistic about my iron levels; However, I am optimistic about whether Cimzia is working or not. I have not been having any pain and my poop has been pretty good lately.

What a Week

I cancelled my lab work for the second week in row. I'm still trying to shake this cold. The runny nose just seems to be hanging around. I had a bloody nose today at work and it was just lovely. Once I felt my nose start to drip I grabbed a tissue to wipe before it could drip  down to my mouth. To my surprise, blood was on the tissue after I wiped.  I rushed to the bathroom to clean myself up. Thankfully, the bleeding stopped with little effort on my part.

Today was the first Half-Day Friday at work. It's a new benefit that gives all office employees a half-day on the last Friday of every other month. After work, I tried calling my primary doctor about my nose, but he's on vacation and the receptionist recommended me to an urgent care. I don't feel like dropping money on an urgent care, so I'm just going to take extra care of my nose this weekend by using the expired ointment I have left over from the last time this bloody nose thing happened back in 2013. In 2013, the bloody nose was due to some infection that usually only occurs in infants; however, since I'm taking immune suppressants I might as well be an infant.  

I turned in my resume and cover letter and I scheduled my interview for the contracts/risk specialist position on Thursday, March 3rd @ 3pm. 3 is a lucky number right? I mean it's in my lucky number 13, so it must be. I am super motivated to practice my interview skills over the weekend so that I can shine my brightest on Thursday. Although I'm sure I'll have a nightmare over the weekend about getting a freakishly unstoppable bloody nose during the interview. Between practicing my interviewing skills I will be binge watching Fuller House on Netflix.

In other news, my credit card number was stolen yesterday. Thankfully, Chase caught the fraud right away. They caught it at the first fraudulent purchase on the same day the purchase was transacted. Chase is awesome at protecting me. It's not the first time and I'm sure it won't be the last. It's a pain to block the card and change my automatic bill payments that go on that card though. I was just thinking the other day that it had been a while since the last time it got stolen. 

Another Step Forward

Over the weekend, I updated my resume and wrote a cover letter. I gave my resume and cover letter to my supervisor to review and give me feedback before I submit it for the position I'm applying for. It was nerve wracking because I talked myself up real nicely on my cover letter and I wondered what would happen if she doesn't think as highly of me as I do. Although she has never said anything to back up that irrational fear. It turns out, she was really impressed with my resume and cover letter. She suggested a couple changes, but mostly she just had ideas of things I could add or re-word for consistency at my discretion. Thankfully, she seemed to agree with all of the fluff I wrote about myself. After all, I am pretty awesome. I'm proud of the cover letter I wrote, so if you want to peruse it, let me know and I'll send you a copy to read along with the job description for the position I'm applying for.

I plan to submit my resume and cover letter tomorrow, and then my goal this week is to start answering practice interview questions I found online so that I'll be prepared once I'm scheduled for an interview. I know my supervisor will be a solid reference for me, but I'm apprehensive since they will be interviewing people outside the company who perhaps have more experience.  Nonetheless, I will do my best to get it.

Wish Me Luck

I have an interview tomorrow with an amazing company, Wharton-Smith, Inc. Construction Group. They have provided general contracting solutions for Atlantis in the Bahamas, Manta at SeaWorld, and Bright House Networks Stadium at UCF to name a few. I'll be interviewing for a payroll assistant position.  I'm super excited for the opportunity to meet with the payroll supervisor tomorrow afternoon. I am going to put my best foot forward.

New Beginnings

Last semester, I began submitting my resume to job openings that interested me on Knightlink. Right away I got a bite from Jackson Wealth Management, LLC. They requested an interview within a few days of me submitting my resume. I told my mom about it and she recognized the name of the company right away. Our old neighbor got a job with the company after he graduated UCF with a finance degree and my mom remembered his parents telling her how horrible the company was to their employees. So, I told the person recruiting me thanks for the opportunity, but I am currently seeking another opportunity.  I secretly wanted to at least take the interview to practice my interview skills, but after hearing about the company from my old neighbor, I didn't even think I'd learn anything from the interview.

I heard back from a couple of other companies, but they were looking for recent graduates and requested that I submit my resume again once I graduate in May. I was kind of disappointed that I didn't hear back from all the companies I submitted my resume to. However, I didn't let it stop me from searching Knightlink for new opportunities every other week.

I submitted my resume to Classic Mazda on Knightlink for two different positions on Thursday. December 11th, 2014. One was for a Sales Specialist / Management Trainee and the other position was for a Financial Services Representative. I received an email from the General Manager at Classic Mazda requesting me to come in for an interview on Friday, December 26th, 2014. I used Veronica's computer in Texas to reply to let the GM know that I was currently out of town, but would like the opportunity to schedule an interview for the following week. Through being sick I managed to set up the interview for Friday, January 2nd in the afternoon.

On the 2nd, it took a team effort to prepare me for the interview. My sisters dressed me, and did my hair and makeup so that I would still have energy for the interview since I was still recovering from being sick and wore a depend to the interview because I still didn't completely trust my bowels again. Yes, I went to the interview in a diaper.  The interview with the GM went fantastic.  We had a great conversation of where I'm at with school and what I'm looking for in this job, which is a challenging career with opportunity for growth. The GM explained the whole operations and I got a really clear picture of the company, which is a company I can totally rally behind and see myself becoming a part of its family. He explained the opportunities of the two positions and asked which one I wanted.  I chose the sales position even though it's less pay because that is where I can better learn the industry with plenty of room for growth within the company. The GM made it clear that if I get the job in sales, as long as I work hard, work efficiently, and do my job well I have a chance to move to the finance department... Perhaps right after I graduate.  At the end of the interview he requested that I fill out an online job app and he would send my file to HR for a second interview. He also said that I have a great personality.

HR called me Monday, January 5th to set up my second interview, which I scheduled for Friday, January 9th. I filled out paperwork and took a 60 question survey, and then I waited to be called back for the interview. The interview went splendidly! Typical interview questions about weaknesses and strengths. The lady I interviewed with also took my paperwork from my first interview and made copies of required documents that I brought with me. After the interview, I had to write free response explanations to some of my survey answers. I returned it to the front desk where I picked up my pre-employment drug test papers and went to Centra Care. I peed in a cup and brought a receipt of my visit to CentreCare back to HR.  HR then had to review my file, run a background check, and get my drug test results before calling me to let me know their hiring decision.

I got a call this evening from Classic Mazda to let me know that I got the job! This makes me SOOOOO happy! I'll start January 26th, but until then I'm going to try to schedule my orientation and training lessons during my days off so that I can hit the ground running when the 26th rolls around. This opportunity excites me greatly! I can't really put into words the way I felt when I got that phone call. It's like my future is right before my very eyes.

Top Twenty

          I had an interview today to be considered for the Financial Executives International distinguished student award. Last week, I got an email from one of my old professors, Dr. Sturm, informing me to send him a copy of my resume and cover letter to be considered for the award. I found out today that only the top twenty finance students and the top twenty accounting students at UCF received that email.  I am one of the top twenty finance students at UCF! Holy cave turds, Batman! Someone pinch me. From everyone that emailed him a resume and cover letter, he picked the top candidates to come in for an interview, that's me! Honestly, I'm flattered to be recognized as one of the top twenty finance students at UCF. It would be absolutely amazing to win the award, but I'll feel like a winner even if it goes to someone else.

               

              When I started college back in the spring of 2009, my greatest fear was failing. Along the way a professor taught me that the only way to fail college is to stop trying. I could have never dreamed of the amount of success I have had in my college career so far. I graduated with an A.A. having a 4.0 GPA. Now, I’m being recognized as one of the top twenty finance students at UCF. It’s unfathomable to me.  I truly believe that if I can do, anybody can do it. I’m here to tell you that hard work will get you far. Sure, brains help, but hard work has been to the key to my success thus far.  I’m not saying it’s easy. I’m saying it’s worth it. I hope that my success inspires someone to give college a try.