There had to be a bump ...

Sigh, I knew things were too smooth sailing, there had to be a bump somewhere and it has come. It was too good to be true, I can't get everything I was hoping for. Now the question is how much am I willing to settle for?

Here's how it went ...

Mon (5 Feb)
Afternoon
Sent out 2 resumes via email. One was for the Valiram Group who were looking for Boutique Mgrs, however they did not specify for which outlet or brand.

Tues
11am
Received a call from COACH asking me to come down to the store THAT DAY for an interview. Holy crap! I nearly peed my pants! I started to get nervous as hell. I had not expected such a fast response and it was going to be my FIRST official interview.

4pm
Interview, or rather, it felt more like an interrogation to me. Was not really prepared to answer some of the questions. I just felt that she didn't seem to like the answers that I gave her. Was nervous as hell. She mentioned that she does not think I have the necessary experience to work as a mgr for a luxury good (yes, Coach is considered a LUXURY good here in Singapore ... it's kinda laughable ... kinda) She asked whether I would be willing to considered an entry level position .... I said yes .... the interview went on ....

After more than 1 hr, the torture was over .... and she asked me back for a second interview the next day. She mentioned that the director would prob have more difficult questions for me. WTF?!?! I left the store still feeling mighty demoralized .... I felt that I did horribly in the interview but then I was asked back for another interview so it couldn't be that bad, right?

Wed
4.15pm
Was even more nervous, did some homework, studied on mgt styles. That was something that stumped me the day b4, I wasn't prepared to describe my style. Went in the office, shook his hand, the first thing he said? "Nice bag." Haha, of course I was carrying my Coach .... I had it on Tues and during the interview, Susan (that's the lady's name, also my mom's name .. is that a sign?) also took notice of it and mentioned it. I guess that is one thing I did right.

The interview lasted 15 mins and he did not ask "more difficult questions" like Susan said he would. It was more of a getting to know me. Once again, it was mentioned that I wasn't qualified enough for a mgr position, that they would only be setting me up for failure. However, he said that there are many stores opening and there are lots of opportunity ... "the sky's the limit" so cliche ... blah, blah, blah ... They said they would get back to me, hopefully b4 the weekend.

Thurs
It was a waiting game .... I absolutely hate waiting for the phone to ring.

It never did ...

Fri
10.21 am
The phone call finally came .... The job offer is made. The only thing that would make this a storybook ending would be if they gave me what I want. But I knew it was too smooth sailing ... the offer that they made was lower than what I expected. I told her I needed a day to think about it ...

Which leaves me in a dilemma.

What should I do? I know I am going to try to negotiate, but how low will I go b4 accepting the job? Do I even take it? Can I do better in another industry? Am I expecting too much? I know that I don't have the necessary experience for the line and I am starting at an entry level .... it supposed to be an "Senior" position, WTF is that? However, I do have a degree, so I should be worth something, right? I think it is a great opportunity to work for a brand I love but is this going to be a moment's fancy? Technically, I will not be working for the brand but under the company that governs the brand. They still have to follow guidelines set by the parent company and Susan mentioned that she was in NY last week doing buying ... drool. I think that accounts for why the bags here are way more expensive than in the US, there is the middleman.

And, NO, I did not ask about employee discount, I just thought it would be imprudent to touch on that. It is not at all part of my decision process. I don't need a discount to buy my bags. Plus, with the huge markup, I wonder whether it would still be cheaper getting it direct from the US.

I think there is opportunity for advancement, I have shown interest and they seem to be wanting to groom me and have high hopes for me. Must be all the BSing that I did .... However, I am afraid that I might have been fooling myself and them into thinking that I am more than I truely am.

Yes, my self doubt, low self esteem, non existent confidence is creeping in .....