Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Change in the workplace and beyond

Photo from CNN.com


Yesterday afternoon, I went on a 2nd interview for a marketing position with a rapidly growing, private company in Manhattan. As I sat down with the extremely personable interviewer and got reacquainted over the usual small talk, he remarked that on Tuesday his staff would not be working. Instead there would be a group field trip to an Inauguration viewing party. Since I did not want to veer into an overtly political discussion (in my opinion, an absolute taboo during an interview no matter what the interviewer's beliefs are), I simply remarked "how nice" and steered the conversation back to the open position.

Since losing my job at a large public, multinational corporation last April, I've been fortunate enough to go on more interviews than most of my peers. However, most of the interviews were with smaller, growing companies which strike one as a complete throwback to the 90s dotcom era. The company I visited yesterday was no different but one can't help but believe that the opportunity to collectively view a historic event with your colleagues is a more meaningful perk than a foosball table in the breakroom (a frivolous diversion for a frivolous era).

Such a perk is not guaranteed across corporations, public or private, so I actually considerate myself fortunate to be unemployed today so I can afford the opportunity to watch the festivities on my own time. Tomorrow, the search resumes!
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