You win some...

...you lose some, and some are a draw. I didn't get the job I interviewed for a few weeks ago (I got my PFO letter yesterday) but neither did anyone else... I heard through the grapevine that they offered it to one candidate who was already working on contract with the government but when she turned it down, they decided none of the remaining candidates were the fit they were looking for, and have re-listed the position with different qualifications.

I have no idea whether that makes me feel better or worse; I just know it's a hell of alot better getting turned down for a job when you've already got your ass safely in one than otherwise.

I also know that getting a PFO letter after you've been called back for two interviews and all your references were contacted feels a hell of a lot better than getting one which makes it obvious the peon who opens the mail didn't even pass your resume along to the appropriate person.

So, we chalk it up to experience and the reinforcement of the belief that I'm "government material" and am, as Husband keeps optimistically saying "in the system" (his own civil service hiring process followed this series of events almost identically, including interviewing and being turned down for a job that didn't go to any candidate; followed by being tapped for his current position).

Possibly in reaction to the moderate disappointment, the cold I've been fighting off for a week (it felled Husband for three days) overtook me by mid-morning and I left work and I am flat on my back in bed right now. What did people do when they were off sick from work before the internet?

They didn't watch daytime TV, I can tell you that much... not if they were suffering nausea in the first place...

ronnie