February

We made it through the snow and then the awful arctic blast of the past couple weeks. Starting today the temp is supposed to get better and better through next week, 30's and even 40 sometime next week. It's sad that even 20 degrees feels warm at this point! I am excited for 32+ temps because I want some of this stupid snow to melt! The snow really makes parking hard because there are SO many huge piles taking up precious parking spots on the street. Walking is a nightmare because there are so many piles to navigate. It will sure be a mess when it all melts, but I don't care...Bring on the "heat wave"!

On the job front, it seems like things have been picking up more and more. I had about a week between my last bunch of interviews and then I have 2 interviews this week. Both are actually at architecture and design firms! Woo! I have one today and I had the other one on Wednesday.

The interview I had Wednesday was...pretty much my dream job. I didn't know that going in, but when they described the work that they do, the kind of business they run, the way they work, I was amazed and instantly wanted to work there. Here are a few highlights:
They do primarily corporate interiors and architecture. (Which is what I want to continue to do)
They pride themselves on not working overtime. (In this industry, that is unheard of!)
They work 8-6 Monday-Thursday and 8-Noon on Friday, year round. (Sweet!)
They have a small, close-knit team that works well together. (Good)
They want someone who is willing to learn and be involved in every part of the design process. (That's TOTALLY me!)
They want someone to stay there long term. (Sounds good to me!)
They don't have titles. (cool)
They are super nice. (yay)

During the interview I was thinking, is this too good to be true? I don't think it is. I am really trying hard not to get my hopes up, but it's hard when you feel like it's the perfect job. I just hope they liked me as much as I liked them. I never know in interviews...it's so hard to know what they are thinking. I know there are lots of people looking and they will probably find someone with more experience than me, so I have to hope that they see something in me and are willing to give me a chance. We'll see. If I don't get it, I will be very upset because it seems so ideal. They are going to call one or two people back to come in and chat with their whole team before they make a decision. I hope I get called back. Please. Please. Please!!!! 

The job I am interviewing for today is also with a A+D firm. I heard they are looking to bring someone on part-time and "on the cheap", so we'll see what that's all about. I am OK with it (as long as it's not $10/hr) because it could lead to full-time work eventually. Any way I can get my foot in the door is fine with me.

All I hope is that I get something soon or keep getting lots of interviews as things pick up. It is still pretty slow, but I have heard about more jobs in the past month then I have over the past 6 months. Let's keep this up, Chicago.