#midterm next week and i've been so mentally preoccupied that i didn't really study at all this past week

[novadreii]

Yesterday’s meeting with the VP went super well, but was completely bizarre and opposite to what I expected, in  a good way. We got drinks after work and talked for nearly 4 hours--he even made a call and postponed another meeting he had after me because, his words, “I don’t want to rush what I’m doing right now.”

This is super long, mostly because I just need to document what was such an unexpected evening.

We talked about everything, and I mean everything. The state of the world, politics, morality, enlightenment (!), you name it. He wanted to know about my personal background--the questions were not that invasive, so I was open. He took notes as I spoke and kept saying he wanted to get to know who I was as a person, to see if I had 2 qualities: a good attitude, and was i “switched on”--a term that he couldn’t really elaborate on because he said it’s just a feeling he gets from people.

We spoke very little about business or supply chain. Just a little, I guess for him to make sure I wasn’t a total idiot. He said skills and knowledge are secondary to what kind of person I am, because those things can be learned, but latter is intrinsic.

He is no doubt a brilliant and surprising person; extremely quick witted, jumping from topic to topic with the acrobatic tendency only ADHDers exhibit. He’s a former microbiologist who has travelled nearly the entire world and now is some kind of hybrid entrepreneur/world traveller/charity ambassador. He’s only at this company for fun, as he has his hands in so many different pots, so to speak.

At first, I felt extremely intimidated by him. His is not a fool, and I knew I couldn’t just bluff my way through the whole thing with business speak. He was trying to get to the core of who I am, and without knowing exactly what it is he values in a person, I figured I had nothing to lose--babbling articulately about things that matter to me is a strength of mine, so I just let it rip.

We spoke about artificial scarcity meant to keep 99% of the world impoverished/financially enslaved, about rampant racism/sexism that society at large is still trying to sweep under the rug, about income and class inequality, about how the world’s richest hoard money that could relieve so much suffering, you name it. He agreed with me on all points, enthusiastically. He was not at all what I expected.

He also got a few drinks in him--apologizing each time he got another one, saying he only drinks during business meetings when he’s having a really good time. He was never inappropriate or obnoxious, but each drink made him giddier and giddier like a little kid. Each time the topic strayed back to business he looked a little bored, so I’d bring it back to something that interested him. He asked why I switched out of accounting, and I was honest in saying I did not fit in with those people--too dry, cold, and unhelpful towards others, concerned only with professional appearances and money. He figured out I support my brother by myself--it was too hard to dodge these kinds of questions, and I’m a horrible liar. I just knew if I lied--about anything--this dude would sniff it out in a second, and dishonesty would be a huge strike against his evaluation of me. At this point I saw him jot down what looked like, “responsible, dependable” on his notes.

All in all, it felt like a psychiatric evaluation more than a business interview. By the end of it he was, for lack of a better word, enamoured with me. He kept repeating how fascinating I was, that I was not at all how I appeared at work--quiet, reserved, mostly keeping to myself. I passed his two tests with flying colours: I had a great attitude and am “switched the hell on.”

I thought my face would explode for how red it was--the compliments felt genuine, because he seems like the kind of candid, brashly honest person that just can’t hold back what he’s thinking, ever. He was honest that of course they would love someone with more practical experience, but again, “all that bullshit”, as he put it, is secondary to him. He had spoken to my executive manager, a cold woman who I can hardly get a read on, and said she had nothing but praises for me which was a huge surprise. She gave her blessing for him “stealing me away”, but asked that it not be immediate because they are going to need time to replace me. He said that if she didn’t like me or thought my work performance was shit, he wouldn’t have bothered meeting with me. Lesson: no matter what job you’re doing, do it the best of your ability. Everything is a stepping stone.

I asked him a few questions about how likely this was to proceed, what the timeline would be like etc. He was bluntly honest which I appreciated, instead of him telling me what he thought I wanted to hear. I asked why they waited months after the last analyst left before approaching me, even though I expressed interested immediately. He said that everyone was on board to proceed, but the ops manager (3rd guy in the chain of command) was against it because “people with degrees just leave”. LOL. So they had to do some convincing. He asked me, point blank, how long I intend to stay at this company. I smoothly replied that I couldn’t give him a concrete figure without having worked in the actual position, but I intended to give it my all and stay as long as both myself and the company are satisfied with the working relationship. He really liked that, and wrote it down with a huge smile.

He said I had passed his “tests” with flying colours, and that the final decision lies with the supply chain director, who I’m going to meet with Monday. That will be the more supply chain-oriented conversation, and this guy is extremely hard to get a read on. He is quiet like me, doesn’t really socialize with people, and stays in his office most of the time. But from my email correspondences with him about pricing/supply issues I need to have with him a few times a week, he seems like a nice and fair person, and goes out of his way to explain things and dole out industry knowledge even when unprompted. I think I can work with that.

As for the timeline, he said should this move forward, I will likely have one foot in my current position and one in my new position for 2-3 months at first, while my replacement gets trained and my customer accounts/workload is re-distributed so as not to disrupt the flow of department. I totally respect that and am on board--though salary negotiations will have to take place soon. We didn’t talk about that last night, but I’m not about to get jerked around money-wise. I know what supply chain analysts are worth, even without experience, and I’m kind of over being poor lol.

And so concluded easily the strangest interview/meeting of my life. Even if nothing should come of it, it was super interesting to meet with one of those high energy, enigmatic entrepreneur types and see what they’re like one-on-one. I had such a headache afterwards--the mental strain of keeping up with his wit and cross-examination of me was both fun as hell and draining. It felt like some kind of anime boss fight that I somehow managed to survive unscathed, lol.

As we left he couldn’t stop shaking my hand, smiling from ear to ear saying he was so glad he met with me and that we would “jump right into the next step” on Monday.

So it’s looking pretty good so far. In the back of my mind, I am always prepared for the disappointing outcome--but I have given up the illusion of control in life. All I can do is be myself, and work hard. The right job/career environment for me will be receptive to that. I kind of picture myself as floating down the Stream of Life lmao; I can do my best to navigate through the currents, I can protect myself and stay afloat, and eventually I will reach my destination and wind up wherever I’m meant to be.