Diane DeLong Just Landed!

Posted by: "D. DeLong" delongddk@yahoo.com   delongddk

Wed Jul 29, 2009 12:13 am (PDT)

Since I've already called attention to myself in a not-so-great way today, I figured perhaps I would make up for it by posting my "Landed" message :)

I am pleased to announce that I have landed a position as Sales Coordinator for the Industrial Analysis division of Oxford Instruments in Concord.  It happened so fast that I haven't had time to figure out how to get donuts to St. Matt's to celebrate - if anyone in Ayer or the surrounding area would like to coordinate delivery I'd be happy to supply the donuts :)

For those who are interested in the story and stats, here it is.  I was laid off in early January and had one three-week temp assignment in February, then nothing from then until now.  You could count the number of interviews I had on one hand - three to be exact - and all of them came through the same agency (the one that I did the temp assignment for), though I was registered with several agencies.  Anything I applied for on my own seemed to go into a black hole. 

At any rate, I interviewed in June for a temp assignment at Oxford Instruments covering for the vacation of my predecessor but was apparently the second runner up to someone who had more "industry experience".  When the person came back from vacation he gave his notice, and the temp who had been covering for him was offered the position but declined.  So I was called back to interview again for the position, which was now a permanent position, and was chosen.  I interviewed on Thursday, was offered the postion on Friday, and started on Monday.  That was about a week ago.  

So far I have been impressed with the company, which was spun off from Oxford University in England about 50 years ago and is still HQ'd there.  They seem to be on good financial ground and are very in tune with the economy and its impact on their various business divisions.  Many of the people have been with the company for a long time by modern standards - two of the people I met with in my last interview had been there for 9 years each and the third had been there for 13 years, for example.  Some have been there even longer.  I always think that says something positive about a company that has a lot of longevity, especially in this day and age of job hopping and layoff cycles.  People seem genuinely happy to be there, and while they work hard they also have a lot of fun.

As for me, I never thought I would ever use my chemistry background professionally but it has come in handy in understanding some of the lingo and uses for the products the company sells (btw - nowhere on my resume would someone ever know that I had taken chemistry classes because that was not the major I graduated with).  Being a science nut at heart, it is kind of cool to work at company that is developing cutting edge scientific technological stuff.  I had sort of hoped in the back of my mind that someday I would get an opportunity like that :)

Final Thoughts
Once I got past the initial shock of being unexpectedly laid off, I can honestly say I have enjoyed my "time off".  A wise friend early on in my layoff gave me a reality check that I took to heart.  "Jobs come and go, but how often do you have time to do things you want to do?  Enjoy this time off too, don't just get stuck in job search mode."  

In retrospect, I am grateful to have been laid off for a time.  I have gotten to do things with my children at their schools and over the summer that I have never been able to do before when I was working because I had to protect my precious PTO to cover school vacations/closings, sick children, etc.  I have been able to do projects around my house, spend time with friends, welcome new babies into the world, and deal with multiple crises that happened all at once (broken dryer, dead phone, dead computer, totaled minivan - all at the same time).  I have made new friends along the way through my networking groups, and have reconnected with folks I met at ANG the last time I was laid off.  I have learned a ton from the various speakers, discussions, articles and others experiences that have been shared.  For me, it has been a time of refreshment.

My faith that God has a plan in all this and that the perfect job for me would come in His timing really helped me to relax and not stress about things and finances.  It also gave me a lot of confidence and contentment, which freed me emotionally to support others who were not feeling as optimistic in their job searches.  

I am very grateful to the members of ANG that have touched my life in any way, big or small, and welcome the opportunity to "pay it forward".  A special thanks to Elinor Kerr, who helped me so much with all my HR questions and dealing with my former employer in the early days of being laid off, and to Steve McGovern, who always made a point to say hi to me at the meetings and check in with me from time to time.  Both of you, like so many in the group, are already paying it forward.

I wish all of you the best and look forward to seeing many more "happy landings" in the future :)

Diane