Now I really don’t know my dog. The last several days he slept in until 6:50am. No whining in the middle of the night to get up to piddle, no 5am whining to get on with our walk. Those of you who have or have had children tell me you’ve been there, done that. I don't have any children. I have a dog. When we brought Bruno home, I told Doc to treat him like a three- or four-year old. Basset hounds throw tantrums, whine and complain, talk back, and hold their ground just like a toddler. Tantrums are pretty funny. But lately, he’s subdued and he’s had difficulty with steps and furniture – yes, I allow my pets on the sofa. I don’t know what’s wrong and I’m trying not to worry. We’re going to the vet on Wednesday (regular maintenance of glands and nails) so we’ll get him all checked out. I want to do the best for the pets I’ve committed to bringing into my family but now cost becomes a bigger factor than ever. It’s hard not to feel guilty asking how much health care of an animal is in order to make a decision of what to do next.

Last week my husband found the article below. It encapsulated some of what I and others have experienced. Not sure if I agree with the 13 interviews statement, unless he was counting each person in a panel who may have interviewed him as separate interviews. That would bring one of my interview counts to nine on one day at one company – three panels of three.

A long wait for job offers
Friday, November 13, 2009
The Week magazine
With an average of six job seekers now competing for every opening, employers have the luxury of putting candidates through the wringer, said Diane Stafford in The Kansas City Star. “And, boy, is that frustrating the applicants,” who at every turn are subjected to blood tests, drug tests, and personality tests—often in vain. Gordon Bonnes, who works in the apparel industry, recently endured a drawn-out job search only to narrowly miss getting the position. He says you can’t blame a company for trying to find the right fit. “But 13 interviews may have been overboard.”

The best way to get past those barriers may be to find a back door, said Phyllis Korkki in The New York Times. “A lot of people don’t like to hear it, but it comes down to networking.” If you don’t have any connection to the company, there’s a good chance that you’ll jump through a lot of hoops for nothing. If you know someone on the inside, however, hiring managers may be willing to cut you a little slack—provided, of course, you can convey “what a witty, personable, flexible, cooperative, and hardworking employee you will be.”

It’s hard to keep feelings, specifically frustration, at bay during the hiring process when the competition is so intense and so well qualified. I just want to know where I stand so I can concentrate my energies on opportunities that are really interested in me and it’s up to me to ace it or blow it. When I was a hiring manager, I tried to push things along if not only to satisfy my own needs but to be sensitive to the people waiting for me to make a decision. This article has a cynical tone to it. I choose to think that most HR and hiring managers are conducting their process with more sensitivity and prudence than this implies. Even after 14 months.