A Teachable Moment

Photo courtesy of here

I've been fortunate in my "new" role to have the opportunity to build a marketing team and most recently interview candidates for a junior role of Marketing Assistant.  Surprisingly, for a role with 1-3 years of experience, we had an abundant amount of master's and MBA holders apply to the position. 

Fast forward to 2nd round interviews, candidate 1 I LOVED after my first interview with her and went to my boss and said I wanted to hire her pronto, candidate 2 I wanted to move to round two since he had interned with my group back in my corporate america days, and candidate 3 I thought had potential to become something great.

Let's zoom in on 4 weeks ago, an offer was made to candidate 3 who started last week.  We really liked candidate 1, but after more consideration I was concerned that her personality wouldn't fit the job; I needed high energy and low maintenance and while she definitely was high energy, she was also high maintenance.  While that was a concern, since candidate 3 was in the bag, I really wanted to bring on candidate 1 for a more senior role and pretty much tailor made a position for her, going to bat to increase her salary, being flexible about bringing her on as a contractor and hiring for a more senior title role after 6 months, and so on and so forth.... really going above and beyond trying to bring her on.

It was an uphill battle with my boss and then her boss and eventually received the ok to offer her a role while I was in London two weeks ago.  Emailed her on Friday mid-day and didn't hear back.  Emailed her again at the end of the day and didn't hear back.  Heard from her last Monday saying my email went to her spam (totally likely b/c it happens all the time) and was finally able to offer her the role.  She said she wanted to think about it because she had another unofficial offer on the table from a large financial services firm she wanted to consider.  I said that was fine and inquired as to what time frame the other company had given her and she indicated Friday.  I let her know we would be fine with the same and expected an acceptance or decline on Friday.

While I had the day off, I checked my blackberry for voicemails and emails from her all day and when I didn't hear anything, spent the rest of the weekend really annoyed that I had stuck my neck out for her and didn't even warrant a courtesy check in.

By Monday I was fuming.  Spoke to my boss first thing and asked her if candidate 1 did reach out, if we could rescind the offer and she was fine with that.  No word Monday or Tuesday and then finally, mid-afternoon I receive an email from her outlining all of the things she wants detailed, PTO, work from home, phone expenses, travel expenses, etc.  My brain turned to mush after that.  I was floored.  For someone who has only 1.5 yrs of experience, most of it contractual or short term work experience, she had some nerve.  Ultimately HR reached out saying the business has gone in a different direction and that the offer was no longer on the table.  Unwilling to let the matter drop, she says she turned down a role for this position, unbeknownst to me, and doesn't understand how we could make a position for her and then unmake it.

Teaching Moment for those of you interviewing out there:

1) be humble and yet confident in your interview; if the hiring manager feels like they'll need to stroke your ego, chances are you won't get the position

2) have a good weakness lined up; not being able to take constructive criticism objectively is not a good weakness

3) when you're made an offer, accept or decline within the appropriate amount of time

4) negotiate and ask for what you want, but stop pushing or you will lose the offer

5) act professionally during ALL aspects of the process.  you never know when you'll cross paths with the same folks again

My love affair with Cape Cod

I've loved the beach for forever, but the Jersey shore never did it for me growing up.  I've always been a Cape girl at heart.  Luckily for me my grandmother lived on Cape Cod and we could visit her and the New England beaches, with dunes, and coarser sand.

I'm getting sentimental about beach time as summer winds down, Labor Day approaches, and MES and I get ready to spend an entire week there next week.  Woohoo!  Counting down the days, count 'em 3.5 more work days, until we depart smoggy NYC with the crap rain, and head north to clean salt water air, fresh steamers and lobster, more wedding plans, and sand between our toes!

Neck Candy

If we can have arm candy, can't neck candy be a thing too?  Things I'm obsessed with or have recently purchased:

BHLDN whirligig necklace

Kate Spade mrs necklace

similar here

Found this in a boutique in downtown Charleston.

Obsessed with Lulu

On my last trip to London, Christina introduced me to Lulu Guinness.  Frankly I'm surprised at myself, shocked really, that I hadn't stumbled across her fabulous items in any of my numerous shopping sprees.  However, while introducing my shopaholic self to Burlington Arcade, they had the cutest little boutique there where I fell in love with this. 

Lulu Guinness - similar found here.

I walked away because it was my first day in the city and who knew what other fabulous items I'd find, plus if I could buy it in the US why buy it in London?  Oh how wrong I was!  By the end of the week, I couldn't stop thinking about it and thought to go back and purchase, where to my dismay it had sold out of all the London locations!  Quickly I checked online for the US and it had sold out there too, because who wouldn't want a cross-body, super soft black leather, with gold studded bow bag?!  Luckily I have a great future-sister-in-law who let me buy it on the UK site and ship it to her.  Woohoo!  Although I had to wait until my current trip to get it, a mere 5 weeks, I'm SO excited that it's finally in hand.  

To further my addiction, and not to spoil myself, I picked up this for the future mother-in-law

Found here

I did get one for Christina too, as a thank you for putting up with my crazy touristy self, but unfortunately it's no longer on the site.  

Dots and Bows

My obsession with polka dots began long before it became a fad and will probably remain part of my wardrobe for years to come.  Given that, I was psyched to find this classic white and black polka dot scarf at Alice & Olivia.  I've withheld from purchasing for 6 weeks!  But couldn't take the chance that it would be gone by the time I returned from my upcoming travels.  So I bit the bullet and purchased it yesterday.  I think it goes really well with my Tiffany blue pencil skirt (it's lined in pastel dots) with a little bow at the waist.

DIY Weekend back in the old Hood aka Home

So I spent the weekend back in good 'ole Franklin Lakes, yes it's the location of the Real Housewives of NJ, and NO it's not really like that.

MES and spent a lot of time on our Ptown invitations because they were so much more complicated that our banquet ones.  Being mildly budget conscious, we decided to have the printing done but to do all of the assembly ourselves.  Printing was supposed to be done by us, but after how long it took to print the Save the Dates, there was NO way that I was going to spend an entire week printing again.

I'm only going to share a few pictures with you now because I want the Ptown ones to be a little bit of a surprise.  Banquet invites aren't as exciting since there's only so much you can custom a traditional invite.  I'm still pretty psyched that the caricature looks like MES though.  And super excited about my polka dot liners  :)

One Week to Go

I'm excited to say that there's a week, well now less than a week, until my bmaids and I will be in uber hot Charleston, SC for my long-awaited bachelorette - long-awaited by me that is.

Next Wednesday I fly out and won't be back for ELEVEN days.  Don't misunderstand, not all of those days are bachelorette days because truthfully my liver couldn't handle it.

Three of us arrive on Wednesday to The Cottages on Charleston Harbor where my goal is to lay like broccoli, get a tan, and just unwind from the really stressful passed month that I've had; between early morning global meetings, being sick, trying to hire a marketing assistant, and just general day job stuff, who has had the time to keep in touch with anyone?!  I even forgot to order my wedding invitations!  GASP!!!  I know... so unlike me it's absurd.  Rest assured, I rushed the order and they're now in hand and crisis of delayed shipping almost averted.

Back to the topic on hand, Charleston!  Such a cute southern town... I can't wait to walk around and shop the boutiques, eat some good southern eats, and party like it's my last shindig, because frankly it is until the wedding.  Once Charleston happens, it's non-stop traveling until the last wedding in November and then finally I get to take a break.

So bring on the sunshine, the poolside cocktails, and the tan that has to last me straight through until October.

Photo courtesy of:  http://www.bbonline.com/

Welcome Dinner at Local 186

And.... it's booked!  FINALLY!!  MES and I have been agonizing over which of our favorite places in Ptown would be the right place for our dinner, the right location, the right food, and most importantly the right atmosphere that will make it feel super New England.  One of our favorite places, Bubalas, recently took over a restaurant across the way and dubbed it Local 186.  THE burger place to go in Ptown seemed like THE place for us burger aficionados.  We hope our guests are ready to chow down on some burgers (beef, turkey, lamb, veggie etc), mussels, steamers, fries etc to kick off wedding weekend with us.

Photograph courtesy of:  tumblr.com