Survived the Interview... now what?

Okay... So I survived the Group Interview, yesterday, and am now in a holding pattern for the next week waiting for a call to find out whether I'm going on to the One-on-One interview stage. And, you guessed it, I'm unsure whether getting a call back would be better or worse than NOT getting one. (want more details? see yesterday's post)

On the one hand, the call back would mean I'd be closer to a steady income, good benefits, and the chance to start having my normal life back. On the other hand, getting that next interview would mean that I'd have to jump through more hoops--all for the "opportunity" to got back into a job arena that I really don't care for. 

Do you want to know who else I was "non-competing" with in the interview? (see yesterday's entry for why I call it that) There were a few older women who were looking for something fun to do, a couple of women (in power suits for our "casual" interview) who are contemplating career changes, one woman who is looking for an out before her job gets downsized, and a young guy right out of college who really kind of came across like a used car salesman. We were interviewed by two guys: the General Manager of the store and another guy from the Managerial team. The GM has been with the company for 7 years and, unfortunately, it seemed his smile had been plastered on his face for that long, too. The other guy only joined the company 5 weeks ago, and relied way too much on his script during the interview. 

Although the interview went well enough, I found myself wishing I could be conducting it. I know who I'd have hired immediately, and who I'd have been able to say no to before they left the room. And, yes, there were a couple of people I'd have had to bring in for second interviews (unfortunately, I would put the two interviewers into that category).

So I filled out my availability form, made some notes on the bottom, and went on my way across the in-process-of-being-tarred parking lot. I stopped at Dino's to pick up a Sampler Plate for dinner, and came home and half-sulked for the evening. 

But at least my day was better than my nephew's--he's 4 years old and dealing with the aftermath of surgery to put tubes in his ears and an adenoidectomy (or something like that). Basically, it should help him avoid earaches and sinus issues, but I can't imagine what it must be like to be 4 years old and have facial surgery aftermath to deal with. Yuck. I'll take a mediocre interview any day!