Positive Outlook

I had the interview yesterday, and I did my best to take Nate's advice. "Don't overthink it," he said. "Relax." He said this as I was reviewing the company website for the tenth time, and jotted down notes about ideas I had and questions I wanted to ask. I had pulled out some of the books I've collected on the topic of fundraising, to just see if there was anything else I wanted to refresh in my mind.

And when I got there, I was able to speak very clearly about my experience and my ideas. I am really enthused about the possibility of this job, and from what my interviewers told me, it would be a wonderful opportunity to use my creativity as well as my knack for organizing.

Since my last experience was less than optimal, however, I am definitely being objective when I consider this position. The last time, I was really excited about learning something new and working closely with a mentoring supervisor, which didn't exactly happen. So, while I am interested in being creative and taking on more responsibility (obviously in a field that I'm very familiar and comfortable with), I want to be sure that I know what I'm getting into. I liked that everyone I spoke with spoke very highly of their superiors, but I want to make sure that I will be up to the amount of deliverables that go along with the job.

In looking at what I want and what I took away from the interview, I find a lot of agreement; it's a smaller office, the staff echoed a lot of my personal philosophy toward philanthropy, I felt that there was a lot of respect for each other in the office, and there is a good system of communication in place. I was comfortable talking to my interviewers and potential colleagues. Additionally, I have a number of networking connections to this company, and I have heard many positive things from them as well, particularly about the new territory the company is moving into.

The process should take about three weeks. I'll keep you posted.