29.7.10

Fear, Doubt and Insecurity

As I have mentioned before, it has come time to move on in my career. I need to find a full time job and I am really quite apprehensive. I have already had an interview with a company called CIBER, Inc. and I think I did well in it. Today I got another call, this time from a recruiter, about a position that is pretty close to Squirrel Hill. I spoke to him for a few minutes and the job sounded promising and then he sent me an email with the job description. I freaked out and probably ruined my chances of even getting an interview. I read the details of the job and it seemed to me that it would be way above what I would be comfortable doing; project lead, B.S. degree required. So I sent him an email back saying this:

Dear Dave,


I am wondering if you sent me the wrong job description? This position seems to be above my qualifications. I would love to work on a QA team but I only have 5 months of work in this field and do not feel qualified to be a project lead. Furthermore, the job description states that a bachelors degree is required and I don't have one. If there is a job description for a more junior position I would be glad to apply but I believe this one would be too challenging as my first full time job in the field.
Thanks

He responded with this:


That is the right position.  They looking for someone who is Junior level.  If you feel that you don’t have enough experience to pursue this position it is ok.  I can contact you for other positions that I think you would be a good fit for. 
Thank you
Dave

To which I replied:
Hey Dave,


Would it be ok to ask for an interview to get a better sense from the company of what my exact responsibilities would be? I would be ok with going in and presenting myself. I don't want to rule myself out of anything without knowing more about it.
Thanks



Now I am freaking out at my desk that I totally screwed this whole thing up. I didn't think I would be qualified for the job I am working right now and I did a great job at the interview and am doing a really good job at work. Why couldn't I have just kept quiet and listened to my gut. 

Have I ruined my chance at this job?

Update: Apparently I didn't blow my shot. This email was waiting for me in my inbox when I got home:
Yes, we can send your resume to our client and see if there is any interest on their end.  I will also keep in you mind for any other positions I have that I think you might be a good fit for.
Thank you
Dave

2 comments:

  1. Being a project lead generally means that you have both a decent understanding of QA and also putting together a project, keeping up on it, and making sure things run smoothly. It's almost more important to know the latter more than the former. If they are looking for someone junior level, it means they don't expect you to know all this perfectly anyways, and they might be willing to train or mentor you.

    The reality is, being a good leader or project leader is something really innate to you and not just a skill you can learn in school. It's a question of how organised you are. If you're capable of doing it, or willing to at least give it a shot, this is a very good opportunity. I would go to an interview, be honest that this is new ground, and ask if there is someone at a senior level experience that would be willing to be a good mentor. If they say no, at least you were honest, and questions are free anyways.

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  2. Thanks! That is really good advice. I am going to try to get an interview and I will just let them know that I need mentoring us.

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