by Ashley
This past week was a tough one. I felt like the blows just kept coming.
First was work-related. After favorable reviews in the first round of comments, I received TWO manuscript rejections this past week: one on Monday and the other on Friday. For those of you in academia, you know how this stings – particularly after the first round of reviews sounded so positive. It felt a bit like being punched in the gut.
Then on Sunday I received an email from “University B” saying that their payment structure is going to be changing. Instead of paying an hourly rate, they’re going to switch to paying a per-project completion flat rate. I did a little math (figuring how many hours the projects typically take me) and determined the flat rate they are offering is actually a bit lower than what I’ve previously been getting paid. The email was sent to all of the contract employees, so I know this was not specifically targeting me individually and I don’t think it is negotiable. In the email they even said that some people may decide to no longer work with them as a result of the rate change, and that it was okay to let them know that. After thinking it over, I’ve decided to stay with them even with this reduced rate. They throw me enough work that I’d hate to severe the relationship and potentially loose this stream of revenue.
So…more shit. Coming right on the back of my extreme childcare-related stress and the serious expenses we’ve recently been hit with. Side note: Thanks for your comments on this morning’s post. I’m still going to explore new childcare options, but I think I’m going to give our current situation a fair try before making any changes. I thought about it and realized I’d had a bit of a freak out early on with both of our previous childcare situations (when the girls were infants at the JCC, and as toddlers at the in-home childcare), and they both ended up being fantastic. So I’m hoping some of my angst is related to the new, unfamiliar situation and that I’ll settle down and end up loving our current situation. Only time will tell.
BUT BUT BUT –
With all of these negatives and all these heavy blows, I do have one piece of POSITIVE NEWS to report so I’m trying to look on the bright side….
Remember all my networking I’ve been doing? Well, it landed me an interview. I received an email saying they would like to schedule a Skype interview with me either this week or next (I’ll receive a follow-up with exact time frame). This is for a part-time work-from-home managing editor position at a journal that I’m REALLY excited about! It’s right in my area of expertise and would look fabulous on my resume. The pay is also a little less than what I’m used to making, but I think its worth if for the experience, and I think the pay scale actually makes me a really attractive candidate because I’m assuming more qualified candidates may not have bothered applying since the salary is probably quite a pay cut for anyone with more experience than me. I think this is really to my advantage.
So I need to prepare for this interview – it’s been EONS since I last had to interview for a position (my last couple positions simply fell into my lap). I plan to do some googling for tips. I’ve never done a Skype interview before so this makes me a bit nervous.
Any tips or recommendations for helpful interview-tip websites?
