pers taym - like a virgin

i know what you were thinking, shame on you!!! =P

grabe, i didn't realize how fast the HR departments are in the US until this afternoon.

i haven't even finished browsing through www.monster.com for available jobs, my phone rang and it's an unidentified number. i have this gut feeling that it's one of the employers i sent my resume to. natatakot akong sagutin! i just looked at my phone for a few seconds, made the sign of the cross and prayed for guidance, then flipped my phone open.

"Hello? Is Harbie there?" --> Thank goodness, hindi sya slang or something. parang taga-Ohio ang accent nya, which is good kasi naiintindihan ko yung mga tao dun.

"Yes, speaking." --> woo-hooo, mind gears already working double time.

"This is so-and-so from so-and-so. I came across your resume this morning. Do you have time to discuss some items here over the phone?" --> i honestly can't remember her name and the company. basta e-email naman yon eh. =P

"Yeah, sure! I'd be glad to." --> ano daw?! I'd be glad to?! di ko sure kung tama ba yung sagot ko eh.

then came the looong discussion about my work using C++ on Unix platforms. kung nag-develop daw ba ako sa unix, or sa linux... how many years of C++ experience, unix, linux. i don't wanna lie, so sabi ko, i haven't coded anything on linux, we just migrated some programs there a few months before i resigned, so i'm not that familiar with it that much, but i believe it's relatively similar to unix only it's an open source and used more on networking. damn, i think i sounded so convincing. sabi nya lang "yeah..ok." hehehe!

then came the question on salary. sabi ko it's negotiable, pero she insisted on a figure per hour. good thing i was bored yesterday, i did this salary research for Florida programmers. i gave her a figure, then sabi ko, most likely within that range kasi sa previous employer namin sa Ohio, around that figure din. but i added right away, "but i know it depends on whether my skill set matches your requirements, it's just a rough estimate". dapat ata di ko na sinabi yung sa OH, stupid me! *boinks self*

tapos ayun, nagsalita na sya about sa contact info nya, ie-email na lang daw nya sa akin. she confirmed my email add... "is it hawr-bie, ig-ney-show et gmail dhat com?".... i had the urge to correct her, but a "mentor" told me, "don't correct the way they pronounce your name unless they ask you if it was correct." so i just said yes. =p

before we hang up, shempre, the classic "thank you, have a good day!"... i hope i did it right. =P

ayan, ang aking unang experience with a phone interview. i sent out my resume to more than a dozen job openings, so malamang by next week, kailangan mahasa na ang aking speaking skills. at sana lang, wag na ko mataranta no!

sa sobrang taranta ko nga, tumawag ako kay Je eh, kaya lang nasa meeting nga pala sya ngayon, so i just left a voicemai. i hope hindi sya naka-speakerphone pag pinakinggan nya, kasi i was freaking out! hehehe!

hayyyy, guys, i need your prayers.... =)