In my last post, I had hinted at a potential Life Changer. Some of you were privy to the big secret, that Beth was being considered for a fantastic position in SYDNEY FREAKING AUSTRALIA. She'd been in the interview process for a few weeks, giving us ample time to consider the whole thing.
For me, it was a no-brainer. As in, hell yes, I'd go and not give it a second thought. Yes, there was some trepidation - chiefly, the thought of leaving Mick behind haunted me, for as big of a pain in the ass as he is, he's our dog, and part of the family, and that would have been painful. (Yeah, I know, what about your friends and family? Two words: Skype and Qantas.) But the idea of it, living Down Under and all that goes with it - 20,000 miles of mostly empty coastline, cool critters, cooler people, watching the toilet water go the opposite direction when flushed - come on, people. AUSTRALIA. That type of opportunity doesn't come along very often, and when it does, you need to jump on it.
So Beth had two interviews with this company, during which time I obsessed over all things Aussie. I read books, checked out websites, sought out the advice of some of my Australian mates, and got all fired up. Perspective was needed - despite Beth being eminently qualified for the position, there were a lot of things that could factor into the company's decision. Cost to hire and relo, competing local talent...it was by no means a sure thing, and as a recruiter myself I know that there's rarely a slam dunk when it comes to hiring someone, especially when it involves an overseas position. Still, I was optimistic.
Well, it's with a tinge of regret that I report that we will not be departing for The Fatal Shore, at least not in the immediate future. The company decided to go with someone else, although Beth did get a phone call from the company recruiter asking her to stay in touch in case they had any additional openings in the Sydney office (professionally speaking, I never call candidates that don't get offers unless I want to keep them on the radar for other jobs, so that's a good thing).
Is it for the best? Who knows. I'd be more upset if we didn't live where we live, and the world tends to work in strange ways - Beth was called out of the blue for this job, so one never knows what will happen. And it's a bit of a relief to have an answer, even if it wasn't the one we were hoping for - the company contacted her in mid-February, and it seems like our lives have been in a holding pattern since. And over the past few weeks we've realized that the idea of leaving San Diego for a new home abroad has its appeal. So if you're living in Sydney and need a good PR person or technical recruiter, shoot me an email!