Working Together

Well, for the last month or so, I know I've been slow to write and slow to sdiscuss things going on. Well, I'm going to let you all in on the big news:

In the beginning of April, I received a notice to meet the head of H.R. in the boardroom. Next thing I know, I was in a conference room with 12 of my co-workers with the head of H.R. standing in front of us. Then, he drops the bomb on us that due to circumstances beyond the company's control, they would have to downsize. That means that we would be let go. So, in the flash of an eye, I was laid off and unemployed.

The next day, I went to a job fair, and afterwards, I stopped by my then former employer to pick up a package I had shipped to my job. I went there, retrieved the package, and the HR assistant said "Well, while you're here, do you wanna file for unemployment?" I said sure, and began to apply online. While I was doing that, one of the women that worked there came at me and whispered "hey Brandon, do you want a job?" I said sure quite quickly, and she informed me that the former HR director at THAT company was at a new company and was looking for new employees. I finished setting up the application and the H.R. guy called me. We set up an interview the very next business day.

I went to that interview (dressed to the gills, ready for anything). I met with the director of facilities, who looked at my resume and said I was overkill. Having an electrical engineering degree, he knew I was capable of much more than just keeping track of incoming and outgoing shipments and warehouse inventory. He advised I meet with the head of manufacturing, which was closer to my skills. We concluded the interview, and the H.R. guy took another copy of my resume (job-seeking tip: ALWAYS bring extra resumes to an interview!!) to give to the head of manufacturing. It was then that I was told that there was a possibility that working in this department might relocate me to Stafford, TX (around Houston). Seeing as I eventually wanted to live in Texas anyway, I figured this would be the best avenue to take

Then, about a week later, I called the H.R. guy and we set up another interview. I went to that interview (dressed to kill), and the head of manufacturing told me what the director of facilities did: you're capable of doing this job, but your skills are overkill for what they needed. He said that if I was hired, he understood that I probably wouldn't be with them long, because his department had no mode of advancement to offer me. He also told me that they would have rather different hours, coming in at 4 and 5:00 in the morning. I thought of this (and the possibility of moving to Stafford), and let him tell me about their department. I went back to meet with the H.R. guy, and got the go-ahead to do the drug test.

Took the drug test. Had to wait a week for the results. The next week, I got a call with the official job offer. I told him to give me the rest of the week to look it over and decide whether or not to accept. I took the week, and seeing as no other offers on the table, I accepted.

Fast forward to today. I'm now a Black Man Working (BMW), and I'm blessed to have gone through this. The struggle and the grind has given me a testimony. So, for those stuggling with picking up a job, just hang in there, and remain on your hustle.

-B