Thursday

Thursday was a wonderful day. Got up at 6:30 to make sure that I had plenty of time to get everything I needed to get done done in time for me to leave for my interview two hours early (haha). I prefer to err on the side of caution... which was a good thing in this case, which I will get to...

So I sat and read a little bit, hoping to calm my nerves. Then I hopped in the shower and got cleaned up and then decided I had better print off my references list. So I go on the internet... Nada. I try both of the computers, still nothing. GREAT. So I call my mom and have her check my e-mail so I can write the phone numbers down and then type them up and print them off. Poor mom, I was super cranky because I was so nervous and she was slow. I felt bad. So I had all of my stuff put together and I was ready to go at 10. I wanted to leave at 10:30 so I could put gas in my car. Then I realized: I had to print off and fill out a standard application. From the INTERNET. So I call Shaun all in a panic because of COURSE the morning that I actually need the internet it doesn't work. (That seems to be the way my life works.) So he tells me to go to the Public Library, get a card and print it off there. Duh, why didn't that occur to me? But I didn't know how long all of that would take, and I didn't have a piece of mail with my local address on it. But then I remembered that my mom had to mail my degree to me - so I DID have a piece of mail with a local address on it. JOY. So I went there and got it printed off and paid the 40 cents and drove down to Milwaukee. The drive was fine, I didn't get lost, even though the parking structure was nearly FULL and I was freaking out about what to do if I couldn't find a spot. (The streets in that area were all hospital run. It was a conglomeration of multiple different hospitals.) There were no metered spots. But I finally did find a spot. Then I had to fill out the application - another call to my mom about addresses and phone numbers for the area. Fun. Got that done just in time for me to be 10-15 mintues early to my interview.

Got to the HR desk and had to fill out more stuff. Then sit and wait. The lady finally came out to meet me and and we went back to her office. She asked me what degree I had and I told her. She looked me right in the eye and said, "You realize this is a Graphic Designer position, right?" And I felt like puking and my scalp got all tingly. I said yes. So she printed out a detailed job description and asked me to read it and then to let her know if I could do any of this stuff. I read it and yes, I could do what it described. I told her that multimedia and graphic design go hand-in-hand a lot because I have to do graphic design and then post it to the web, basically. That made her happier. Then she asked me if I had a portfolio, and I told her it was online. So she looked at it and everything she clicked on she was all like, 'Cool. Cool. Oh, that's cool. Cool.' I'm assuming that's good. But as I was sitting there with my tingly scalp and upset stomach I was thinking: The ad said Graphic Design major or related majors. All I could think was that someone else wasn't doing their jobs...

Then Tony, the guy who set up the interview walked me down to the Marketing Dept. to meet with the contact there. I was wearing new (pleather) shoes and my feet were sweating something horrible so I had to walk weird to keep my feet from squeaking in the shoes. It was hard. And I was starting to get a blister. What made it even harder was the fact that he was cute. Haha. So we walk approximately 10-13 city blocks to this department and I get there and wait, again. But for a much shorter period of time. I was met by two men - the marketing director and the freelance art director. So we had to go find this other conference room because the ones in that area were all booked up. About 5 city blocks this time. Feet: killing and sweating. But we sat down and they asked me all kinds of questions about me and everything, and I told them how I was planning on brushing up on my Graphic Design skills, possibly even take more classes in that area because I'd rather be doing it. I was less nervous there. I told them I also had my transcript if that would give them a better idea of what classes I've taken. I told them that art teachers hardly ever gave A's. The marketing guy said, "Oh, you got a 'D' in Stats? (I was nervous here - worst grade on there) So did I. (I felt better after that)." I laughed and said, "Yeah, I'm not a math person." The art director said, "You're my kind of people. I'm completely right brain. In fact, I don't think I even took stats." So that was a major relief. I feel like overall it went well, but at the same time it could have been better. There are some things that I wish I could have said different, but I suppose everyone has regrets like that.

Got back to the house, packed up, and left for Hinckley. We stopped in Menomonie to talk to JP for a couple of minutes. Very hot, sweaty drive. Totally gross.