And maybe I'll be elected Pope...

I had an interview the other day that was three hours long... Three hours in a hot conference room with no airflow. It was for an entry-level job that pays less than I make on unemployment.  I met with 8 people. Back-to-back, I did eight interviews.  Eight times I answered pretty much an identical set of questions. In a hot conference room.  And at the end? I was told that IF I made the cut, they'd be scheduling second interviews "some time next week"... and a little part of my soul died.

It's one thing to have to sit through three hours of interviewing once.  To contemplate having to go back again makes me cringe.  Especially since there are actually multiple positions available and I wouldn't mind working for one team and I shudder a little at the thought of working for another of the teams. And remember, it's for an ENTRY-LEVEL position.  Why they are interviewing someone with over 20 years of experience for entry level positions, I honestly do not understand. But this was a referral from the Unemployment Office and if I didn't apply for the job, they'd cut me off from my Unemployment Benefits.

So, now I am faced with a dilemma.... do I write EIGHT thank you notes?  Do I only write thank you notes to the people I genuinely wouldn't mind working with?  Do I not write thank you notes at all and hope they forget about me/pass me by for other candidates?  Can I afford to do that when, honestly, this is the most viable opportunity currently in the pipeline?

Honestly, right now I am hoping some sort of miracle occurs and that a job that had hired someone else has that someone else abruptly quit, spurring the employer to call me out of desperation.  Or maybe my old job will call me back from layoff.

And maybe I'll be elected Pope.