Found a Great, New Job
After 3 1/2 months of search, I finally found a job. And, what’s amazing is that I’ve landed at an even better place. I want to get it out there before anyone thinks otherwise: I had a fantastic experience working at the FDA. I had The. Best. Working. Relationship. than I’ve ever had with anyone else in my career with Kush (no, not that kush). He’s become even more than a friend. He’s a brother.
The Search
The search sucked. For all of June, July, and August, I did not get any positive response. In fact, I didn’t get any response that was not an automated one the ATS systems use.
I started questioning how good I thought I was at my work.
And then something happened. Right around the end of August, something changed. All of a sudden, I was getting 4 to 5 calls a day. Most asking for some kind of meeting/interview. Some were paying too low a salary. Some wanted me to commute 75-90 minutes twice a day, five days a week. And others were not the right fit. Until the right fit called me. I had applied the month before.
The Courtship
I talked to the company’s recruiter once or twice and had fantastic conversations. In fact, I told Holly, “I think I’m going to get an offer. I’m perfect for this role!”
Then I had a technical interview and felt like I knocked it out of the park. On top of that, I really got along with the interviewer.
A week later, I had another technical interview with his boss. And wouldn’t you know it – I nailed it and hit it off with this interviewer too.
Iwas feeling really confident.
A week later, I had to meet meet someone in person (AI interviews and all). They wanted to verify that I was a real boy. And I was told that “at this point it’s really just a formality.” And I felt really great about my chances.
And then about a week later, I spoke to his boss. I thought I did well, but I could not read this guy at all. I had no idea if he liked me or not. But strictly from the conversation, I thought I did well enough but my confidence went down a few notches (it’s been 3 Months!!)
The Prize
I got the offer a week or so later. The salary is close to my old salary. The company’s benefits are outstanding. It’s a 100% remote position. I work for a small company (Corellium) that was bought by a big company (Cellebrite). So I get the best of both worlds: small company speed with big company resources.
I love the guys I’ve worked with so far. In fact, the guy from my first technical interview is my boss. He’s great! And, turns out, the second technical interview is his boss. And the third… well you get the idea. All three guys are great. And the boss’s boss’s boss showed me a very warm welcome when I started.
The Details
- No timesheet (no contracting)
- My daily driver is Arch Linux running Niri plus DMS
- So I get to work with Kitty + tmux + neovim and all of my favorite tools
- Schedule is really flexible. As long as I’m there for core hours, am available, and get my work done, it’s easy going
- I’m working with really cool toys
- I’m working with great technologies
The Verdict
I couldn’t be happier! Thanks for all of the support I got from everyone!