(twss)

Last Monday (the 20th), Caltrans posted a vacancy for a Associate Programmer Analyst position (what I am currently working as) at their headquarters in Sacramento. I happen to run across it on the state’s job vacancy website on Thursday, mailed out my application on Friday, and today, Tuesday the 28th, I received an email from them requesting to schedule an interview. My interview is on Thursday at 1045am. Yeah buddy!

Even before my 6 month probationary period was up, I was constantly looking at the state’s job vacancy website for any openings around the state for my position. There were several up in Sacramento, but not within Caltrans. Due to the current hiring freeze, I can only stay within my current department and at my current position, so no promotions and no switching departments.  But after almost 11 months, there was finally an opening within Caltrans. So of course I jumped all over it.

This is my chance to get out of Fresno & Merced. Who knows when another position will open up again, or if or when governor-elect Brown will lift the hiring freeze. This may be my only chance in a long while (really hope it’s not). The thing is, I don’t have some of the “desired qualifications” that they listed (php, mysql, cots cms). I guess I’ll have to make up for it by being a good interviewee. We’ll see.

If I am to believe my previous interview history is any indication of if I’ll get hired or not, I may have to (purposely or not) completely bomb this interview, or despite my best efforts, have absolutely zero confidence that they’ll offer me the job after the interview. My past 3 jobs (current one included), I did not feel like the interview went even remotely well enough to warrant a job offer. I left like I didn’t answer anything right and that I wasted everyone’s time. Yet, I must've done something right, as I was offered the job every time. Every. Time.

It’s the same logic with the interviews were I felt great afterwards. The interviews where I answered all or most of their questions correctly and with confidence, where I felt like I had a good rapport with the interviewers, where I walk out of it thinking “Nailed It!!!”, they never offered me the job. Never.

But who goes into an interview trying to purposely bomb it? It’s not like I’m Brennan and Dale from Step Brothers. So I’m just gonna go into this interview like every other interview I’ve gone on before, and just be me. I’ll try to honestly answer all their questions and not bs anything. I’ll try to make a good impression and try to sell me as good as I can. I’ll give it my all and hope for the best.

I'm trying not to get my hopes up, but just the thought of being out of Fresno & Mercced.....man, I just can't help it!