Update on the job search

With my husband’s upcoming retirement, our health insurance premiums will be going from around $10 per month to about $1,000 per month.  This is not COBRA rather it is a benefit that we get from the City where we can stay on the City’s group plan but have to pick up 100% of the premiums instead of just a percentage.  We can stay on the City plan as long as we want but if we ever drop out, we are off for good.

Combine this with my salary dropping by 50% last December and my husband’s salary about to drop by 50%, we are starting to think that working part time at Lowe’s is not going to be a permanent gig.  I am having fun there and the money I make is nice pocket change but as a part timer, I get no benefits and we surely won’t be getting rich on what I make.

I had begun a serious job search this time last year and then I took a little break from looking.  I geared it up again in earnest towards the end of the year and within a couple of months I ended up at Lowe’s.  I pretty much knew when I took the job that it was just until something better came along.

I have been looking for a job again and so has my husband.  Many of the jobs we have applied to happen to have non traditional hours and we decided that we would go with the old ‘bird in the hand’ adage and take the first job that was offered even if the other was on the brink of hearing back from a job that paid more.   If one of us were to get a 9-5 job, we could always go back to daycare for the kids but if we both had evenings and / or weekends, daycare would not be an option.

Believe me when I say that there were many moments when I hoped and prayed that my husband would find work first so that I could be a woman of leisure.  But also trust me that there were quite a few times when the kids’ behavior drove me to search the job postings with fingers crossed.

Well, he beat me to the punch.  He received a job offer today.  It will, unfortunately, be non- traditional hours.  This will limit what job I can take and means that I am about to leave Lowe’s.

I have had some interviews and some jobs seemed like a sure thing but I still have not received a job offer.  Most recently, I interviewed for a position as Lieutenant of Public Safety for Anne Arundel Community College.  The interview seemed to go well and I was called back in to sign a conditional offer and to get my information about pre-employment screening.  I was asked to stop in and meet the Chief.  I think it was supposed to just be a meet and greet but we ended up chatting for about 30 minutes.  The candidate pool was down to two but they made it clear that they would not fill the position until the right person came along.  They scheduled me for my pre-employment physical and psychological testing (about $400 worth of tests).  I know I did well on the pscych test (more on that later) and, other then needing glasses, I think I passed the physical.

I had not heard anything from the college so about a week and a half after my testing, I emailed the Major in charge of filling the position. He said that they were giving it another two weeks to see what other applications came in before making a decision.  About a week after that, I received my ‘Dear John’ letter from the college.  The letter said that they had selected another candidate.  Funny thing, the job is still posted online.

I tried to console myself by saying that I didn’t want permanent evening shift anyway and I would be terribly bored but, I am disappointed.  I could have made the job fun and the pay was OK and benefits were great.

Hyattsville Police Department is still in the process of setting up their speed camera program and will need a program manager – a job I am perfectly qualified for.  The Chief of Hyattsville knows me and knows that I would be perfect for the job but, alas, the job does not actually exist yet.  He is still waiting for his City Council to creat and fund the position.

I hate to talk about potential jobs which are still in the works, partially out of fear of jinxing them and partially out of fear that my blog will be seen by potential employers.  With that in mind, I am going to blab anyway.  I have recently applied for a position as the program administrator for Howard County’s Speed Camera Program.  They called me yesterday to schedule my interview for July 5.  Keep all fingers crossed.  The pay is good and the hours should be daytime / weekdays so my husband and I can both work.

I also applied for two dispatching jobs – one of which is a supervisory position but they would each be rotating shifts so I am not sure what we would do if one of them plans out.

Also, before all of this recent excitement, the Outdoor Power Equipment Specialist at Lowe’s was recently let go.  I was strongly considering applying for that position since it would mean full time employment and benefits but it would still be retail hours and would not work out with my husband’s new job.

Next:  The other side of pre-employment screening.