Hurry Up and Wait

Way back in March, J applied for a position with the City of Portland in their Research and Communications department. Because it was a completely online process, he got an email stating that his resume had been received and for weeks, no word. We both just assumed that he didn't qualify, or the job had been retracted (like another sweet position that he really wanted). Then yesterday, he got this weird piece of mail. I was groggy on the couch after a late-afternoon nap while watching him open the perforated form. He had a smirk on his face while reading it over and over again without saying anything. Impatiently, I asked him what it was and he just kept smiling. I thought for sure he had been called for jury duty again.

The perforated envelope's form is a hybrid between a high school report card and one of those junk mail statements that say, "YOU'VE JUST WON $85,000,000,000." It's sentiment is about as warm:

J, Congratulations! Your name has been placed on the equally ranked eligible list for Management Analyst (Research & Communication). Thirty-four (34) candidates were placed on the list, all with the rank of 1.00. All qualified candidates on an equally ranked list are eligible for appointment to a vacancy within the job classification. When you are being considered for an appointment, you may be contacted directly by the Bureau with the vacancy.

So many questions go unanswered. I guess to look on the bright side, he's still in the running and wasn't eliminated from the first round like last time. However, thirty-four (34) candidates? That seems like a lot to me. Out of all those equally-ranked eligible candidates with a score of 1.00, in reality he must be at least a 1.25 right? Who knows. I did find the Portland City Administrative Rules Manual and the equally eligible list is pretty standard. From that list they rank candidates for the interview process based on how suited they are for a particular job.

As my parents have reminded me frequently, job hunting is pretty much summed up by "hurry up and wait." Believe me, there's been a lot of waiting. This weekend with a copy of Resumes and Cover Letters for Dummies in hand, we'll put in a little more hurry time. There are several non-profits that would be a perfect fit for J, but they never post any jobs. So for this round, we're going unsolicited!