Do you ever think about how your we've elected to go with someone else message affects the recipient? Here's the Elizabeth Kubler-Ross model as applied to interviewing:

Denial. Was it possible that there had been a mistake? Maybe a company had called my cell phone with an offer and Verizon didn't record the voicemail due to a technical failure. Or maybe the person calling to deliver the good news was dyslexic and dialed the wrong number and left an offer message on someone else's phone?

Anger. Then came the official denial emails, so tactfully written and personally addressed to "dear applicant." Hmph! Forget it, I don't want a crappy old job anyway. I'll just be a stay-at-home mom! Ha! I'll show them! They won't be able to pay me enough to take their jobs!

Bargaining. Although I'm not religious, I found myself attempting to communicate with God, much like the heroine in "Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret." God, if you just let me get an offer, any offer, I promise never to make fun of people again. Nor will I ever cut anyone off while driving. I'll floss every night and do 100 hours of community service.

Depression. Let's just say there were a lot of late night trips to Dominick's, where I stocked up on candy bars, cookies, and Cheetos. Then proceeded to scarf it all down while watching really bad TV, such as the E! True Hollywood Story on Carmen Electra and that "Glitter" movie starring Mariah Carey. I actually got kind of verklempt when her boyfriend in the movie got shot, just because I thought he was cute.

Acceptance. While talking to one of my friends who got a great offer, I realized that she had interviewed so much better than I had and clearly deserved that offer. My answers, which I thought were concise, were actually half-assed. I really should have gone into more detail and woven more depth into my responses.


www.chibus.com/media/storage/paper408/news/2004/02/29/Humor/The-Sta...">Thanks to Gloria Bae for the above