I know I dodged a bullet...
You know, as I watch national events unfold and see how elected officials are responding to it, I’ve been reflecting on an interview I had not so long ago. I was the “first runner up” so to speak. As is often the case, a candidate that didn’t require relo assistance was chosen. And, as is often the case, there’ve been a number of people in the position since. That alone leads me to believe I dodged a bullet.
But, as I pondered the process and tried to pinpoint missteps I may have made during it, I came up with two options. One was that one of the people with whom I did not have a particularly warm or engaging interaction was a key influencer and blackballed me.
The second possibility that I considered and think might have sunk my candidacy occurred over a dinner conversation. The company president asked me if there was anything I wouldn’t PR – so to speak. The leader told me that the agency wouldn’t represent tobacco companies and some other categories I forget, which I found admirable. I thought a moment and mentioned that I would likely not like to work with/for a specific local politician who, even back then, was noted for being particularly incompetent, divisive and, well, useless. I’m not even sure how or why I went down that road. But, I did. I could sense a shift and was told that perhaps that pol would feature an important local commodity board’s product at a campaign gathering and if we represented that commodity, we’d have to show up and PR, PR… That was the end of that part of the conversation and I think, really chilled the rest of the evening.
The next day, the conversations and interviews went swimmingly and I really liked the team and agency leadership – save for that aforementioned influential interviewer – and the space and was truly jazzed about the possibilities. But… well, you know the outcome.
As I reflect, now, I’m happy that I said what I did and I would say it again. I am, and will continue to be, true to myself and my beliefs, despite the potentially detrimental impact to my professional life. No job is worth it. You be you.
