I Am Looking Forward To A New Beginning And A New Life
My husband got a new job!
For over ten years, he toiled and struggled with a job at Walmart. It was okay at first. It paid the bills. It drove him insane, but he managed to get through it okay for the sake of survival. But ever since he transferred stores so we could be together, things got worse and worse. His managers treated him like crud, the working conditions were unsafe and unbearable, he was lied to, yelled at, and disrespected. But as long as it paid the bills, he remained a trooper. And then his hours began to get cut… and then they were cut more… and more and more. Eventually we were excited if he go at least 20 hours in a week, the normal being under 15. It just wasn’t going to work.
He tried everything. He begged, he tried to make a case to sue, he learned how to drive a forklift, he put in for multiple departments, just praying they would give him just enough to live on. He didn’t want the benefits (having him on my benefits is better anyway), he just wanted to support his family!
Eventually, we knew this wouldn’t last. He went to work on his time unscheduled, sending out application after application, with the help of my dad. He got an interview, but it was a bust. They told us the result three days after they promised, and then rejected him without giving a reason. And that’s after going on and on about how desperate they were for new employees, as if they were hinting that he was a shoe in. Getting his hopes up like that ate at his soul. We felt lied to. He felt discouraged. I felt helpless.
He got a call for another interview. We went over to my dad, a very smart and business savvy man who knew how employers thought (since he was an employer before starting his one-man consulting business). I told him that my husband was discouraged, and asked him to give him a pep talk. Rather than waxing poetic about confidence or believing in yourself, he gave us some incredible advice:
Lean in.
My husband needed to study the company, learn about it, get excited to work there. And that’s what we did. We learned that it was a multi-generational-owned business that started in the 1930’s, illustrating how important dedication, good leadership, and loyalty were to this company. We legitimately got excited about the idea of him working there.
He went in prepared and actually managed to impress the interviewer. It was a winery, and my husband knew a little about the brewing process. He also slipped in a few facts about the company that he knew, which rocked their world. After a tour of the facility, and a few more questions, they said they would contact him to tell him if he was going to have a second interview.
We had to wait longer than we were promised, due to the HR not being there (probably due to Easter coming up that weekend). We were worried. But the Monday after Easter, he got an email and was asked to come in the following Tuesday morning. He had to call out sick from his Walmart job to do it, but it was worth the risk.
He went in; they asked him a few more questions. One of the family owners was there. They asked my husband if he was in. He said yes. They asked the owner if he was good moving forward. HE SAID YES!
Out of dozens of applicants, only he and one other person were chosen for the two open positions. It’s a small company, but it’s a steady, full time job with benefits, holidays, vacation, and sick time! It’s an industry he loves and work he loves doing! We won’t be rich, but my husband hasn’t been this happy in years, and I’m so glad he can leave that awful retail life behind him and focus on what makes him happy. It makes my heart burst with happiness to start this new chapter in our lives, and I couldn’t be more excited!
For over ten years, he toiled and struggled with a job at Walmart. It was okay at first. It paid the bills. It drove him insane, but he managed to get through it okay for the sake of survival. But ever since he transferred stores so we could be together, things got worse and worse. His managers treated him like crud, the working conditions were unsafe and unbearable, he was lied to, yelled at, and disrespected. But as long as it paid the bills, he remained a trooper. And then his hours began to get cut… and then they were cut more… and more and more. Eventually we were excited if he go at least 20 hours in a week, the normal being under 15. It just wasn’t going to work.
He tried everything. He begged, he tried to make a case to sue, he learned how to drive a forklift, he put in for multiple departments, just praying they would give him just enough to live on. He didn’t want the benefits (having him on my benefits is better anyway), he just wanted to support his family!
Eventually, we knew this wouldn’t last. He went to work on his time unscheduled, sending out application after application, with the help of my dad. He got an interview, but it was a bust. They told us the result three days after they promised, and then rejected him without giving a reason. And that’s after going on and on about how desperate they were for new employees, as if they were hinting that he was a shoe in. Getting his hopes up like that ate at his soul. We felt lied to. He felt discouraged. I felt helpless.
He got a call for another interview. We went over to my dad, a very smart and business savvy man who knew how employers thought (since he was an employer before starting his one-man consulting business). I told him that my husband was discouraged, and asked him to give him a pep talk. Rather than waxing poetic about confidence or believing in yourself, he gave us some incredible advice:
Lean in.
My husband needed to study the company, learn about it, get excited to work there. And that’s what we did. We learned that it was a multi-generational-owned business that started in the 1930’s, illustrating how important dedication, good leadership, and loyalty were to this company. We legitimately got excited about the idea of him working there.
He went in prepared and actually managed to impress the interviewer. It was a winery, and my husband knew a little about the brewing process. He also slipped in a few facts about the company that he knew, which rocked their world. After a tour of the facility, and a few more questions, they said they would contact him to tell him if he was going to have a second interview.
We had to wait longer than we were promised, due to the HR not being there (probably due to Easter coming up that weekend). We were worried. But the Monday after Easter, he got an email and was asked to come in the following Tuesday morning. He had to call out sick from his Walmart job to do it, but it was worth the risk.
He went in; they asked him a few more questions. One of the family owners was there. They asked my husband if he was in. He said yes. They asked the owner if he was good moving forward. HE SAID YES!
Out of dozens of applicants, only he and one other person were chosen for the two open positions. It’s a small company, but it’s a steady, full time job with benefits, holidays, vacation, and sick time! It’s an industry he loves and work he loves doing! We won’t be rich, but my husband hasn’t been this happy in years, and I’m so glad he can leave that awful retail life behind him and focus on what makes him happy. It makes my heart burst with happiness to start this new chapter in our lives, and I couldn’t be more excited!
