Round One of Interviews

I am happy to report that round one is OVER!!! Both went very well and I am excited about both opportunities. One is with a regional public accounting firm, in the internal audit practice, which is different from my old public days. I would be involved in a number of different parts of the internal audit practice, including business development, which is something I have not done before. Business development in a regional firm is a little different than in Big 4, which I definitely was not cut out for!

The second opportunity is with NiSource, our local gas company. This role is an internal audit manager, which is similar to my current position. I would have full management capacity over the staff and limited travel. There would be much more of a learning curve in this role, primarily because the utility industry is very highly regulated and I would have to learn a completely new industry. But they were very interested in my resume and experiences, and would like me to meet with the VP next week. A big plus for this is the the need for such services and commodities really is not going anywhere. I also liked the fact they are willing to support training, additional certifications and even higher education if I wish.

Tomorrow, I have an exploratory interview with Nationwide for a potential position in the office of Controllership. It is a relatively long interview, 4 hrs, but it will be a good experience. I put on some make up and my power suit today - have not really had makeup on in the last week!

As it is a beautiful day today, I am going to do some yard work. Tonight is hospital and agility night, and I am definitely looking forward to that. Amazing how time changes perspective. A week ago at this time, I was shell shocked, feeling sorry for myself and very hurt and angry. Many people have told me that when one door closes, another opens - which I knew to be true, but in the moment, it is somewhat difficult to see that. I am confident that in the not too distant future, I will have a job - even if it is not one of the opportunities above. I was talking to Belinda this morning and commented to her that this morning was a real turning point - I was pretty sure I had a good resume, the question always being is it the right resume for what the employer is looking for. I realized this morning that I do have a lot of great things on my resume, and that some time along the way, I will indeed get a job.

I am now looking to finish up my responsibilities at Cardinal - they are not too voluminous in nature, primarily consisting of completing performance evaluations for my team and finishing up some projects in the end stages. I will also try to meet with my team and answer any questions they might have - I am certainly in a much better place to do that now than I was before this. One thing I have learned from all of this is how important it is to keep your networks and to be constantly improving yourself from a professional perspective. I had a few things on my resume that are turning out to have a fairly big impact - at the time I did them, I knew they would be beneficial, but I had no idea how valuable they are turning out to be.

And with that, the mower is calling my name - and Chelsie is thanking god that I am going outside so she can get back to her nap.