Interview FAIL

I was very excited to be starting last week off with an interview at a very cool, trendy, marketing agency in downtown Minneapolis. Then things went miserably and I've spent the last week thinking about what went wrong and doing research on the whole job interview thing. I consider myself as being quite good in interview situations, but the last two have proved otherwise. So what's my deal?

The position was that of Account Director for a very creative internship program that, rather than dispersing interns throughout the agency, kept them working together on assigned projects as if they were their own mini-agency.  I had done my research on the company and it seemed great, some of the work they had online had me laughing out loud. I prepared my resume, printed off work samples, and arrived just about 10 minutes early. I was feeling great, the location was awesome, and the offices looked fun and open.


The interview however, was anything but great.
I have a long list of grievances (ranging from the continual yawning and shifting of the interviewer to the fact that she had not one answer to any of the questions I had regarding the position). I left the interview feeling miserable: she completely disregarded the two jobs that I actually felt were relevant to the position, she showed no interest in anything I said, and seriously, yawning the whole time?  I was frustrated that, while I felt I was perfect for the position, I didn't have the opportunity to actually speak to the reasons why. She so greatly put me off my balance of confidence (oh yes, I was also expecting to have more people partake in the interview, or to even know the role of the lady who interviewed me--she told me nothing, plopped down in a chair and said "lets get started") that I didn't feel I acted myself at all. I paced my way around the tunnels that connect all the buildings in downtown Minneapolis before settling down at a local bar with a beer to contemplate what went wrong.

I definitely could have handled the situation better.
Though I'm still frustrated with the way the interview was conducted, I'm appreciative of the challenge that it presented. Can you imagine if that was the actual setting for the interview; if she had intended to make me feel that off-put and, well, crappy as a test of my ability to handle the job?  It would be an excellent challenge and a sure way to weed out candidates who may have to spend lots of time working with challenging clients in their role. While I don't think that was the case, I look back and realize that I should have embraced the challenge and taken the direction of the interview into my own hands (as she very obviously had no direction or idea what to do anyway).

Preparation with concise examples
Anyway, it also made me realize that, though I did a lot of preparation for the interview, I need to better describe the positions that I've held and the skills that I have because of them. And I need to do it in very short, concise terms. This article's second point, about formatting accomplishments really hit home with me.  I've since worked on it and in a phone interview today I believe I did a better job concisely explaining the work I've done as it was relevant to the position.

Lodging a complaint-Constructive Feedback
After the interview, I always send a thank you note via email. I know some people still say it's good to send an actual thank you card, but for me that doesn't seem like part of my strategy for this day and age (check out this interesting post from US News on sending a thank you note). In this thank you note though, I took it to another level and expressed (politely) some of my concerns from the interview and asked if there might be an opportunity for me to come in and speak with her or her coworkers again (I did site her behavior was another condition of why a re-interview was reasonable to ask for).

Well, she didn't respond and later that day her company posted a Tweet that said they had chosen their interns who were to start the following week. As of Friday I had received no response from her. Now in my opinion, this one lady with whom I had interacted was making the entire company look really bad-and strangely I felt bad about it. I decided that it was in their best interest to let them know about my experience. If you were the COO and one of your employees created this negative impression of your company you'd want to know, right? So I emailed one of their officers and explained in great detail the experience that I had, the impression that I was left with, and let him know that while I appreciated much of the work I had seen from their team, this ordeal gave me a negative perception of the company-something they surely wouldn't want. At this point I wasn't so much angry about the injustice of the interview experience, but felt it important to let this fledgling company know that one of their own was making them look so bad. What was great is that after I sent this email, the COO responded within the hour. He expressed his apologies for my experience and let me know that my input was appreciated and would be taken very seriously. He even asked for other suggestions that I may have had after the experience.

In conclusion
The interview sucked. I felt horrible afterward, but after taking some time on the matter maybe it was best that it went so poorly. I realized some key things I needed to work on for my own interviewing habits and I've now read a ton of articles that have given me insight for future interviews. Everything is a learning experience right?

Website is Live!!

This website has been 1. More work 2. More stressful 3. More of a learning experience and 4. More time consuming than I ever could have imagined it would be.

Initially I was like, okay build a website, it's like a word document with some funky coding saved back behind all the pretty stuff. This shouldn't take too long. And then I realized I should actually try to learn the software I was working with. And that learning html coding is kind of hard. Well, I can learn as I go right? As soon as they teach me something I'll just go and insert it into my template and walla, it'll be done. It turns out that's not the greatest idea, especially when you have no idea how the program works in the first place. I'd learn something, try to insert it into my template, and then everything else I had done before shifted uncontrollably or was deleted or lost and Oh it was just a mess. So then I re-thought and decided to learn (at least the basics for most parts) of the software before I started building.

About one month and 15 hours worth of Dreamweaver tutorials on Lynda.com later, I think I may actually be pretty alright at using the program and YES my website is live!! 

Check it out at http://www.stephusry.com

Now, I'm definitely not yet an expert in Dreamweaver. I still get padding and margins confused once in a while, and my Spry menu bars are definitely not always doing things I want them to be doing (right now there's a strange dotted box around every menu bar link that I have and each time I think I've fixed it, it turns out that it somehow magically reappears) but I've gotten pretty good at it so far.  I even had a friend ask on Facebook if I used a Wordpress template! (In case you didn't gather, no, I did not use a template, my entire site I built from scratch!)  It definitely has some more work to be done still, but for now I'm rather happy that it's gone up and the feedback has been good!

I do have to say that if it wasn't for Tom Boyer I probably wouldn't even have a website. He was a huge contributor in helping me with Dreamweaver and everything on Adobe. He taught me the basics of using Adobe Photoshop, he helped me create the header images for every page, and he was the genius who figured out why my navigation menu bar wasn't working for about the last 3 weeks. So so so many thanks to Tom for his help!

With that project mostly done for the time being, I've now got time to refocus my fUnemployment life on a new venture. Any suggestions?

Becoming quite the cook

I'm very good at keeping myself on task and busy and learning during this period of unemployment, but I definitely have found the need for other more creative outlets amidst my days of website design, resume re-writing, and cover letter creation. One of those things (and in my mind my contribution to the rent I don't pay) is doing my best to come up with some awesome food experiments. I'm inspired to write about them today, after two months of cooking extraordinaire, because  last night I combined ginger and pears with pre-breaded chicken in a delicious amalgamation of a meal.

In Minnesota in the winter, fresh produce selection is often challenging and it leads me with a fridge full of random components that I would never think of to put together. But with the wonders of Google and online cooking websites, I simply searched for "pear dinner" and found an array of delightful delicacies that I actually had the ingredients to make!

The other day with leftover tomato soup I ended up making rice, chicken, and feta filled stuffed bell peppers-and for a little spice I added chili powder! Brownies are a cake to make with  8 ingredients and 10 minutes, while tonight I'm trying to figure out something great to make based on cream of chicken soup.

Now, most of the time I definitely don't follow the recipes to a T (limited ingredients remember) but they're always a great starting point to rummage through the cabinets to see what I can combine. Yum!

Lots goes into websites...

As I've mentioned, I've decided to bring together all of my online presence and self into one reflective website.  Turns out, even with the right tools there is a lot to learn when it comes to creating a website.

First, I started out trying to learn Adobe Dreamweaver. It's a great program that allows you to design a website and it will write the code for you. Very helpful considering learn HTML coding is quite a process (here is a list of some of the most basic little phrases you have to be able to recall to format content). I'm trying to do the majority of my work in the 'split screen' view, so I at least get to see what is happening to the code as I change and reformat the page.

Currently my website creating is, unfortunately, on hold as I have no clue how to make the website do all of the cool things that in my head it needs to do. I have this menu bar on the left with a number of options that you can look at. Clicking on these options will link to online PDF documents, basic text information, or  images that will then pop up in an adjacent box, but I don't know how to make it so that you click on them and then it pulls the information up without directing you to a new page. Or maybe it will have to be a new page. Or maybe there is some magialc way to put content in the same spot but make it only visible if you click on a link. Anyway, the answer to this question is what is keeping my from having my new website up and running, and I hope like crazy that I will learn the solution sometime next week. (here's hoping)

I've heard of this great website tutorial program through lynda.com which a few friends have recommended and which, during my vast time being fUnemployed I thought learning a new program and language (as much as I want to emphasize Spanish, strangely I don't feel it's as marketable of a skill as website design is) would be a good use of time (and yes, $25 for a month of unlimited access). It's a website that has countless tutorials on thousands of programs, giving you direct lessons on how to make programs work to their full capacity. Dreamweaver and I are going to become good friends during the month I have access.

And then I started looking into search engine optimization--in other words, how to make it so your website shows up in a Google search. There is so much information about how to do this and how not to and I don't know if I understand much of any of it so far!  What's interesting is that Google  has a formal, free, simple submission processs so that their codes and algorithms will decide if your website is something people want to see in a search! And they have lots of great webmaster tools and guidelines to help you create your sight so it's searchable.

Okay okay, I really don't need to get into that amount of depth with the optimization stuff until I actually learn how to build the website, so instead of reading on with that I put it aside to write this post and then refocus my energy on learning about instructing yoga for breast cancer survivors. (A new gig to keep me entertained and serving those around me, I'll be writing on that come Monday!)

Car Wreck 07, 4 year anniversary!

January 5th of 2011 is my 23rd birthday. And the 4th anniversary of the day in 2007 when I had a horrendous car wreck that nearly cost me my life.

So in reflecting on my birthday every year, it's not so much about celebrating my birth as being thankful that I made it through the wreck in 2007.

I've realized that many people haven't heard the story, so in as few words as I could manage here it is (I speak of it much more lightly than the actual situation was).

Senior pic 2006

It was my last day at home during my freshman year at college so I dutifully had lunch with my sisters at Katie's elementary school. After lunch I planned to run into town (Cheyenne) to catch up with a few friends and run errands before my birthday party that evening.

Unfortunately on my way to Cheyenne, for reasons then and now unbeknown to me (and only described in a police report from the incident) I went like I was going to take an exit off of the interstate, then decided not to. Either the momentum or some ice caused my car to flip, and it rolled 4.5 times before resting in the median. I, however, had been ejected from the vehicle, smashing my leg into the steering wheel as I careened through the air and landed on the entrance ramp for the opposite side of the freeway (supposedly this flight was over 100 yards). Guesses presume that I landed on my head, possibly in some snow when I came down because I had very (very) few external scratches on me or breaks, yet broke nearly every bone in my face.

I was picked up by an ambulance in critical care and taken to the Cheyenne Regional Hospital, where they determined that I had broken every bone in my face, my femur in 3 places, fractured my 7th cervical vertebrae, and was otherwise in a very critical state. What was amazing here is that the ambulance arrived to the scene within 5 minutes, they had been at the gas station off the ramp that I wrecked at and responded immediately (thank goodness for small towns).

Notice all the broken bones (and teeth) in my face. Can you find all 15?

Later that evening when reviewing a CT scan, the doctors recognized a blood clot forming in my brain. They asked my mother if they should try to operate-the likelihood of survival was not likely. At all. My mother said to operate, and after 10 hours of surgery I lived, still with a slim chance of survival, no chance for normal brain functioning, and every likelihood that I would be in a vegetative state indefinitely-so the doctors presumed based on the severity of the injury.

After the surgery my vitals continued to get stronger and after a few weeks other doctors were brought in to repair my broken femur, the multiple breaks in my face, 5 broken teeth, a broken jaw, and the skin issues I suffered.  When I was brought out from under the anesthetics (I was in a sedated state most times) I was miraculously responding appropriately to the questions being asked of me. My mom remembers that at one point they were asking me questions and I pulled away, refusing to answer because I was tired--she said that's when she knew that I was still there mentally, I can be rather stubborn if I'm tired.

Man my face was Swollen! And my head shaved-bummer

I spent four weeks in the hospital in a sedated state, 2 of which were in the ICU. Occasionally I was woken up for simple physical therapy activities or an exercise of my reflexes. I don't really remember much, except that for one exercise I would sit upright in a chair for a period of time. This was Exhausting (muscles atrophy quickly when you aren't moving them at all), so one time when they left me alone during the exercise, I managed to reach my walker and put myself back to bed--this was the incident that made it so that I had to have a bedside attendant at all times, I kept doing things by myself when the doctors said I couldn't. Otherwise I pretty much slept, my face hurt because it was so swollen, the neck brace they had me in itched, and at one point I complained that my mouth tasted like old sandwich and it really tasted bad (my mouth had been wired shut due to the broken jaw).

Got this from my dentist. notice all the metal (nose, chin) and missing teeth!

In February my health had progressed to the point that I was transferred from the hospital to a rehabilitation center (in Cheyenne with its lack of specialized rehabilitation centers, this consisted of an old folks assisted living home). There I spent two weeks doing group wheelchair therapy and trying to pick up as many hobbies as I could to keep myself from boredom. I also requested to be taken off of all medication (I couldn't remember who my visitors were from one day to the next) so that I could really work on get better--and so I could start communicating with friends and student council members back at school.

Communication was really tough-my mouth had been wired shut since early January and I could barely open my eyes to write because they were so swollen. My friend Aliina remembered that I could nearly text with my eyes closed, so when people would come visit me I would respond by typing out a text to them, eyes closed and all.

Eating was also tough, I was being fed through a tube when I was sedated and they were pumping me full of the stuff-but also because my mouth had been wired shut I had a really hard time opening my mouth wide enough to get food in.  I brag now how my family and friends would sneak food out of my room for me and bring me smoothies so that I could meet the required calorie intake to get off of tube feeding!

Once I was in the old folks home, I started communicating with doctors, friends, and family a lot more frequently. I was hugely fortunate to have an enormous amount of support from the community and my doctors.

And then I started talking about going back to school in San Diego for the next quarter...in April...the April that was a month away.  To this my doctors initially laughed and referenced the strength of medication, but as I continued to bring it up they grew more concerned that I was serious. They said that I still had more surgery to undergo, that I was barely able to walk, that it would be good to stay home with the support of my family. And I told them that I was bored and I had a life and responsibilities to go back to so I needed to leave. At one point I mentioned to my head doctor that I had a plane ticket to return home, and he kindly handed me a list of doctors in San Diego that he said I could call if I needed a specialist. So it was, I was going back to school-it was the best bad decision that I ever made in my life.

Back in SD that summer

At school I struggled. People didn't recognize me due to my shaved head (from the brain surgery) and the massively swollen face. Campus was huge and my broken leg made it tough to get places. I was exhausted from the physical exertion so I wanted to sleep all the time, but I had to do homework and of course attend meetings for all the clubs I was in. I didn't know how to fit in with my friends anymore and I was usually too tired to hang out with them. But I kept trying, and over the course of the three month quarter I started to feel much more like me.  Every year since then I feel like I have moved my life back to the point I should have been, even if it was stalled by three months.

All of it was hard. I felt like my life, a life that was very good and I had worked hard for, had been taken away from me. I struggled with anger and depression, lamenting my misfortune. But most of the time I'd stop myself and remember how fortunate I was just to be alive. And how I should do everything in my power to bring myself back to being the person I was. And I realized that most of the things we complain about daily are really not that big of a deal-take the bad things in life reflect on them, and then figure out how to make them work for you because complaining and being sad about it means your choosing to make your life sad rather than to learn and grow from it.

In Europe with Sun God this summer.

So that is me now. A person who had an awesome life that was put on hold due to a really bad wreck, who recognized that living fully was better than being sad and regretful about circumstances, and who now is one of the most positive, adventurous people you will come across in life. And I'm pretty happy about it all.

Here are some images from the wreck-a few are pretty intense, others are pretty awesome medically. Overall I think it does well to depict my before, then, and now.

Wyoming Seat Belt Commercial

Thanks to all who have been there with me throughout and yay for 23!