Still looking for my dream job. My calling. Thought I found it. Not only did I fill out the online resume, I called them. Immediately. I couldn’t have made this position up. It was perfect. I had to wait a week for the phone interview. In that time I had delusions of grandeur.

I would see myself on a mission, interacting with their…uh, my, clients, solving problems I cared about, and using technical language it had taken me years to master. How could this not work?

The logical conclusion would be to start working for this outfit, like…. tonight. Let’s get this party started. When I shave and shower for a telephone interview, I know I’m excited. I hit the call button on my phone as soon as the second hand swept onto 12.

I was so jazzed, I was afraid I would start making involuntary noises in my throat. When I heard the phone pick up, I was ready. I became myself. Game on.

Then it goes something like this:

Reality. From the first few sentences, you start feeling the ground move under your feet. Not only are you not on the same page, you’re not even reading the same book. You flail around trying get your balance. To no avail. The chest gets heavy and confusion enters the discourse. It’s cold in the room all of a sudden.

You’re not answering their questions. You’re trying to change the direction of the inquisition but they’ll have none of it. They know what they’re looking for. The blinders are on. No room for improvisation here, bucko.

It’s scheduled for 30 minutes, but you’re done. The kitchen clock is not working with you. You want to pull your hand back out of the fire. Whoops! Sorry, wrong number. What just happened here?

There are a few spaces I’m comfortable playing in and this was one of them. I would have absolutely killed this position. They would have been high-fivng each other tonight at happy hour. No…friggin’…..doubt. But life has other plans. I guess.

It was mine to lose and I lost it. It did wake me up to possibilities for me that I hadn’t considered before, in the corporate video/multimedia world. As business development. This is where I belong. I’ve made my bones in this industry.

I’ve had tough interviews before and always been pleasantly surprised when they call back with a change of mind. But this time, I’m not waiting by the phone. I can’t afford to. I’m off on a new mission.

Sorry, Charlie.