Chapter 4
Midway through the semester, I started my job search. The university campus sponsored several job fairs, plus I canvassed on my own throughout the entire Fox Valley. There were positions out there, but big surprise, everyone wanted someone with more experience, education, or specialization than I had. I didn’t get too discouraged. UW Madison had a great reputation for placing its graduates. My résumé was rock solid, and the couple of years I spent on the road with Charlie Vanderkin gave me a lot of life experience as well as some knowledge of graphic arts and communications. I submitted at least thirty applications, several of them right in Nicolet Harbor or the immediate area.
On the Thursday before Easter, I landed my first interview back in the Valley. Everything preached to us in class or at the job fairs hammered home the importance of looking and acting professional. I didn’t even own a decent pair of shoes, much less a suit.
Annie and I took the credit card, the one in her name since I didn’t have any credit yet, and hit the mall Wednesday night. I decided on a dark-brown sports jacket that seemed more practical than a suit. We paired it up with a couple of shirts, one white, one light blue, and some nice, very subtle ties. The pants, one pair a lighter brown and one pair a darker tan, completed the ensemble, along with some plain dark socks. Then we hit the shoe store.
Having spent several hundred dollars in a couple of hours, I teetered on the verge of a nervous breakdown. We’d just spent way more money than I had made so far this year.
Once home, I got out the ironing board to smooth out the wrinkles in the new stuff. Annie relaxed on the couch watching me. I sort of hoped she’d offer to do it, but she didn’t budge.
The next morning, my mouth was dry, and my stomach cinched as I put myself together for the big vis-a-vis. Annie left for school after a small pep rally on my behalf. I was on my own.
As I stood in front of the mirror, I chastised myself for not getting a haircut. There just wasn’t time. Blowing it dry, I combed through it, then wet it again, because one side was doing this little flip on the ends. I patted my face with some aftershave. I still didn’t need to shave every day, but no scruff was spared today. The clear, blue eyes looking back at me appeared so desperate that I laughed out loud. That wasn’t exactly the poise I wanted to exude. They say the eyes don’t lie—I’m in trouble. The pressure to nail down a position, to have something concrete going into the wedding, weighed heavily.
It went horribly wrong. From the moment I walked in, I felt the guy wasn’t the least bit interested in me and carried a chip on his shoulder to boot. My résumé lay on the desk in front of him. He made some off-handed comments about the projects I referenced from school. My couple of years on the road with Charlie didn’t even belong on the résumé. According to him, they were totally irrelevant to what I did now. I smiled and tried to stay upbeat, but by the time I left, I wanted to throat punch him.
It wasn’t one you really wanted, anyway, I told myself on the drive home. Thirty-five miles from where we lived would be a bitch to drive in the winter. Besides, who wants to work for an asshole like that? Not me! But my ego was bruised, no denying it.
Being the totally loving and supportive mate, Annie was great about it. She allowed me time to vent, then told me I was wonderful. At the end of the day, I felt less like a failure and better prepared for the two interviews coming up the following week, one at home, one in Madison. I didn’t want to work in Madison. It would require us to move. Annie would have to find another job. I didn’t know why I was thinking so far ahead, after the way my first one went.
~ ~ ~
On Easter Sunday, we humored my mother and joined the rest of the family for church. Afterward, we headed to the house for a ham dinner. The only ones not expected were Paul and Emily with the baby. They were going to visit Emily’s family. On the drive over to the house, Annie suggested, “I think I should look into joining your church.”
“Really?” We’d never even discussed it.
“Well, we’re getting married there, and everyone seems so warm and friendly. I think we’d fit in pretty good, don’t you? There seems to be some other younger couples, some with little kids.”
“I guess. Haven’t really thought about it.”
“I have. Sometime this summer or fall, I’m going to talk to Pastor Ken to see what I have to do. And you’ll do it with me, right?”
I chuckled. “I don’t think I have to do anything because I already belong.”
“Well, you wouldn’t make me do it alone though, would you?” She switched to her pouty face.
“Wouldn’t think of it, Annie,” I said, giving her a sideways smirk. She grinned smugly at getting her own way, as usual.
~ ~ ~
Back in Madison, interview number two went much better. I left with my dignity intact and some very positive feedback. A call back either way was promised in the next two to four weeks.
I needed to skip a class on Wednesday to drive back to Nicolet Harbor for the third interview. My limited wardrobe required me to bring the clothes back and forth, because forgetting anything would mean I would have to shop again. Lord knew I didn’t need that.
Things were getting pretty crazy. I didn’t have time to jump in the shower or run the iron over my pants. I just threw them on and ran out the door.
The business was right on the outskirts of our side of town. The newer building looked clean and orderly when I walked through the door, and I plastered on my “I’d love to work for you” face. A secretary pointed me to a chair in the lobby, then a few minutes later she escorted me down a hall to a conference room. A lone man sat at the head of a massive oak table. Standing up, he smiled and gestured for me to take the chair next to him. My résumé sprawled in front of him. My sweaty palms clutched together in my lap.
“Mind if I call you Mike?”
“No, sir.”
“I’m David Smythering. Just call me Dave. Independent Engineering is my company. We have an extraordinary group of people here, and we’re negotiating with several new clients for upcoming projects in the near future, which means we’re hiring a couple of new positions. We work in teams here—” On and on he went. He actually liked the samples I submitted for his review. He asked my opinion on a couple scenarios he threw out. We talked about my grades, and he seemed curious to know how I ended up going to Syracuse before UW. After a half hour, he asked me if I had any questions or concerns. I told him about my upcoming wedding and requested a week off around it.
Instead of being upset or put off, Mr. Smythering smiled. “Big year for you—”
“Yes sir, go big or go home.” Oh, crap! Did I really just say that? So lame. My blasted cheeks were starting to burn. He laughed and nodded.
“I like to think that we value our employee’s commitment to family and community, so of course you can have a few days for your wedding. If I hire you.”
Now I smiled. In fact, I felt really good about everything until he hit an intercom and asked the “team” to join us. Six other people dropped what they were doing and all came into the room, taking places at the table. After introductions to everyone, we spent another half hour with me being grilled by each of them in turn. As overwhelming as it appeared at first, I actually felt unthreatened, maybe even welcomed. It was easy to see how their skillsets complemented each other.
“I think it went really well. Really, really well,” I told Annie when I got home that afternoon. Despite trying to calm myself, my heart raced.
“I would hire you in a heartbeat,” she said as she stood at the kitchen counter, chopping up vegetables.
My arm wrapped around her waist, and I nibbled the back of her neck on my way to change my clothes. “I don’t know how I could work for someone as pretty as you. My mind would be so messed up that I couldn’t concentrate. But thanks,” I replied, then kissed her cheek. “I don’t want to get my hopes up, but I’d really love to work at that place.”
Again, I’d been told to expect a call back within a couple of weeks if they were interested.
~ ~ ~
Five weeks until graduation. It was next to impossible to believe, for so long it seemed it would never come. With a fourth interview under my belt and a fifth scheduled, I felt good about the prospects of landing a position.
I could hardly wait to be able to move back to our apartment and my beloved. But for the time being, I decided to stop making the weekend trips home. There were papers I needed to complete and a final major project to wrap up with a couple of other classmates.
On Tuesday afternoon, I got a call back from Mr. Smythering at Independent Engineering. He wanted me to come in the next day for a second interview.
The timing couldn’t have been worse. A report was due on a guest speaker lecture I couldn’t miss. And the big semester project was scheduled for presentation on Wednesday. An understanding professor let us reschedule our demonstration, and thankfully the guys in my group were good with it. A recording of the speaker would be available online. I knew missing the interview would amount to disaster.
~ ~ ~
On the drive home, I called Annie to tell her all about it. “Do you remember what shirt I wore that first day?” I asked.
“I think the blue one—no, maybe the white. I don’t know. I just remember you wore the blue to the very first one.”
“I don’t want to show up in the exact same clothes, the same jacket’s bad enough.”
“Honey, I don’t think they care that much about what you wear . . .”
“Yeah, they do! I can’t tell you how many times people stressed about dressing right. We’re going to have to go shopping again tonight.”
“Oh, Mike!”
“Annie, we have to. This is really important!”
~ ~ ~
“Lavender? Really?”
Annie insisted. Told me the color complemented my skin tones. Whatever. A tie at home matched perfectly. At least I knew I hadn’t worn it before.
I thought I was even more nervous this time around. My whole future rode on a good outcome. A broad smile greeted me as the secretary led me into David Smythering’s office. Leaning across the desk, he offered a solid hand shake and asked me to have a seat in a chair across from him.
My knees trembled as I sat on the other side of his desk. Thankfully, the table shielded his view.
Dave’s blue-green eyes had a gleam about them. His hair was light brown, longer on top and combed back, then tapering to very short on the sides. His posture was relaxed, almost laid-back, yet still professional. Awe-struck, I just stared at him.
“I called you back because I’m in a rather delicate situation. The good news is that a couple of the contracts that were pending when I first talked to you have come through. The bad news is that we need to get going on them as soon as possible. Which means I need to get my new people on board. When do you actually graduate?”
My heart pounded in my ears as I fought to stay calm. “May fifteenth.”
“How soon after graduation would you be able to start?”
Is he offering me a job right now? I felt a little lightheaded. I mean, I busted my ass for the last five years to get to this point and as much as my body and soul could use a few days to recuperate, I wasn’t about to risk it all. This job was my dream. A smile stole across my face.
“I can start the sixteenth if you need me to.”
He laughed out loud as he checked his calendar. “I think I can give you until Monday.”
I nodded, grinning.
“Oh, and I don’t think I told you about our summer schedule. We work ten-hour days, Monday through Thursday, so you get a three-day weekend all summer. Now, there may be times when we’re in a scheduling crunch and have to meet a deadline. Then we work Friday and occasionally a Saturday. Are you okay with that?”
“Yes, sure . . .” With my mind working hard to take this all in, I was ecstatic. We briefly discussed wages, starting pay, and an increase after three months, depending on my performance. The team I met during the first interview would be the group I’d be starting with.
“Any questions?”
“I’ll definitely need a few days off around the wedding in June.”
“Yes, I remember. Would the Wednesday and Thursday before and Monday and Tuesday after be enough time?”
No honeymoon. Annie isn’t going to be happy with that—sorry. “I think so, yes.” That wide grin appeared, again, and he stuck out his hand toward me.
“Then welcome to Independent Engineering, Mike!” Oh hell yeah!
With a firm shake, the deal was done. “Thank you, sir. Thank you so much!”
“And hey, Mike? Lose the ‘sir.’”