Retail Therapy

So today I needed a little retail therapy.  I haven’t bought myself anything nice in a little while and my wardrobe has needed a little sprucing up.  I had to run into Gucci to drop off a watch because the battery had died last year anyways.  Daisy and I hopped in the gogo-gadget car and headed on down to the shops.

Anthony at Gucci was helpful but a little too eager for me.  He kept going on and on about Daisy and her Goyard tote.  I just wanted to drop the damn watch off and be on my way.  I took a look at the current collection as well as the 2010 Cruise collection.  Nothing jumped out except for a tote, but I paid it and moved on.

Daisy and I ended up running into a shop for an hour and grabbing a stack of jeans.  I ended up choosing the pair above.  The True Religions fit me perfectly, but those Sevens will need to be shortened.  I am hoping they will get done by the weekend.  I’d like to wear them while in DC.  That’s right!  I will be there this weekend.  So look out for me!!!

 

Love ya!!

I’ll Take a Side of Rage. Super-Size It, Please!

 

This version of the video has me screaming.  I just can’t take it.  I am in tears!!

 

Enjoy, friends!

Keisha

Corporate Espionage

Doomsday was scheduled to take place on January 6, 2010. It was the agreed date that both parties would meet and decide if the marriage between contractor and employer had been successful. I had a feeling that I had wowed the department sufficiently and I had sealed the deal with a few changes that I implemented after talking to the most senior members of the department. Everyone was pleased with me and I had created quite a name for myself within the firm. Everyone had started to come to me with every little question or request. This means that they were confident about my work and my knowledge, even if I had only been there less than two months. You would hear things like “you saved the day”, “you’re perfect” and “you always fix everything”. I was certainly flattered by the accolades and good words.

In two more weeks, I should be getting word from HR to go over what the consensus was. Since it was Christmas week, I didn’t expect any movement so I wasn’t really expecting anything. I was still getting used to the firm’s culture and learning more about the group’s nuances. The firm was an absolute mess and it’s amazing that anything ever gets done because it’s so casual. The team members are wonderful and I had become close to my immediate group but that didn’t excuse the lack of organization and structure. The department would always be in a panic and scrambling at the last minute with every deadline. With my being so organized, I of course was not pleased….but at least I had income. I could either complain about this or use it to my advantage to implement change and refinement, which in turn would increase my popularity. I chose the latter.

On the afternoon of the day before Christmas Eve, I got a call from my contact in HR. She told me that she had some exciting news again and to come upstairs when I had a free moment. I hurriedly ran to the elevator and met her at her desk. She had a stack of papers and a huge smile on her face as she walked me over to an empty office. This clearly was the big moment. She began to go on about how she has heard nothing but great things about me and that the team wanted to extend an offer to me. She presented me with a formal offer letter and then went on to talk about the benefits package. There was tons of paperwork and propaganda to go through but I was patient and let her finish her portion. She said if I accepted the offer, it would go into effect the following Monday but if I needed to negotiate it would delay the hire date by a week pending the decision. When she was done, she asked me about how I felt about the offer. I told her that the offer was unacceptable as it stood. I was aware that I would be taking a considerable pay cut moving into Marketing and Public Relations, but their initial offer was unacceptable. She asked what number I had in mind, and I stated my minimum to remain with the firm. I told her that if the group would meet me at that amount, I would stay with the firm. We chatted a bit about the group and then she gave me a hug. She’s such a sweetie. She said as soon as she got word if the department could accept my counter as working with their budget, she would reach out to me.

To make a long story short, on Monday I was called up again and notified that my counteroffer was accepted. I would become a formal employee the following Monday and have orientation on Tuesday. I was so relieved. For some reason, my paychecks are larger than they were when I was in Investment Banking and I haven’t really determined why yet. It’s been so busy in my world and when I leave the office, it’s usually around 700pm and I am too tired to do much when I get home. The group still loves me and it’s clearly evident. The structure over who I support recently had to change, and people were fighting over me. I had done such a great job, that they didn’t want to give me up due to restructuring. These are all good signs. On the other side, due to my fast track of change I have gained one enemy who is feeling left out and jealous over my sudden success. She took her grievance to HR. Corporate office politics. How exciting.

Hello, Dolly!

So it’s been a minute…and so the fuck WHAT! It’s my blog!

Anywho, I’ve missed you all and I appreciate the personal emails from those who were concerned and wondering where the fuck I was. It’s been a whirlwind last few months but the dust is starting to settle and life is moving on. Thanks for your patience and warm emails and calls. I really do appreciate it.

When we left off, I had been interviewing with BMO Capital Markets which is owned by Harris Bank. Harris Bank is one of the city’s most well-known institutions and they have their paws in so many areas of Chicago. The hiring agent for North America absolutely loved me and was very impressed with my resume and really worked hard to get me into the Capital Markets group. I came in to meet the good folks several times and eventually the position was filled by someone placed by the bank’s outsourced executive search firm. I was bummed since I did the work to bring my A-game and made sure I was polished enough to impress. This costs money, which I had to be very careful with. I was living on my savings and these funds are certainly not without their ends.

Three weeks later, she gave me a call and said there was a position that was being creating in Chicago and she thought I would be perfect for it. The position was only held by two others; one in Toronto and the other in New York. I would be the Chicago counterpart and it was an exciting opportunity. There was no set job description for the position so it would be up to the person hired to basically go in, see what needed to be done and develop a plan to put every in order. I left the meeting excited and feeling hopeful. Two weeks passed and I heard nothing. My recruiter finally gave me a call and relayed the news that someone internally was used to fill the position. I was pissed. Just PISSED!!

Around the same time, I had a phone interview with one of the country’s largest and most well-known Public Relations firms. My background is in banking, so PR is almost totally foreign to me. I worked for Foote, Cone and Belding when I first moved back to Chicago but I never really gave the industry much thought. I loved Investment Banking and Capital Markets but I figured what the hell. Money is money, and who was I to be picky in these dark, troubled, economic, desperate times.

A month went by and no word from the PR firm. I actually forgot about it and just moved on thinking they filled the position or wasn’t interested. It wasn’t any sweat off my back. But then one day I received an email from the PR firm letting me know that the head of the Risk & Reputation group wanted to meet with me. I was totally stoked. The next week, after I got back into Chicago, I came in to meet with them. It went well, but I couldn’t really figure them out. They seemed to like me, but you never really know cuz folks are just real fake.

A week later, my contact in HR called and let me know that the group decided to go in a different direction and not hire anyone. Can we say bummed? Again? This was beginning to take a toll on my morale and I was thinking that maybe I should just do what I planned to and just not work for another year. I could just travel and shop and take it easy. I couldn’t take another let down. I didn’t want to have my spirit broken nor did I want to have my time and money wasted.

Another week passed and their HR department gave me a call and left a message. I was sitting on pins and needles but I returned the call. What could she possibly have to say to me? After a brief chit-chat about how the group loved me, she went on to say that they put a few bugs in the ear of the heads of the Health department. She let me know that the team wanted to bring me in as soon as possible. I agreed to come in the next day and meet a few members of the group. I needed to get my shit together and prepare for last minute meetings and get materials together.

The next day I showed up promptly at the agreed times and wowed the group. I went in and everyone was so excited to see me. They all said they heard so many great things about me and that I came highly recommended. I certainly was flattered by all of this excitement as I walked through the department. I felt like Barbra Streisand. I met with six vice presidents and was there the entire afternoon. It was exhausting beyond belief. Everyone seemed to love me and I was relieved. Again, you never really know because we all put on our smiles for these interviews, so I didn’t want to get my hopes all high.

The next day I received another call from HR and was told that the team absolutely loved me and wanted me to come in to meet a few more people. Seven to be exact. They also wanted to know if I would be able to stay longer to go through some testing. I told them I would be more than happy to come back in but I was flying out the next evening to DC and would have to come in on Monday, when I returned to Chicago. She said she’s go back to the group and try to get this scheduled. Just before 500pm she called and asked if there was any way I could come in on Friday because the team was going to be traveling the following Monday. She was practically begging, so I obliged. It was time to cram again and get the prep work done for the next battery of interviews.

The next morning, I came in at 900am and ran into the Executive Vice President of the group. We had a cute chat in the elevator and she instructed me to wait in the reception area and she’d come and grab me shortly. I was nervous because I was a few minutes late and she’d know because I was meeting with her first again. She’s the highest level person in the group and I would be working under her. Bad bad BAD!! After a few minutes, she returned and we went into her office to chat. She was very candid about her feelings towards me and informed me that she wanted me in this position. I was flattered beyond belief. She coached me and made sure that I brought up certain perspectives, experiences and used a few keywords that would catch the team’s ears. She also let me know that certain team members were concerned that I would not support the entire team because my background is mostly comprised of supporting high-level executives. When I interview, I can come off as being a bit too polished and almost pretentious because of my resume, way of dress and my very proper demeanor. I ensured her that I would have no problem dealing with any of the team members based on level or position.

I met with the other team members and was testing by noon. They offered to bring in lunch for me while I tested, but I gracefully declined because I wanted to focus on the test wholly. I had a plane to catch that evening and I still wasn’t packed completely. I went over my allotted time for the testing, but I’m a perfectionist and that’s just who I am. I said my goodbyes and gave my thanks and left the building. I caught a taxi home and peeled off the monkey-suit so I could finish packing.

Just as I was getting ready to leave my apartment, my phone rang. I recognized the number as being from the PR firm and hit the ANSWER button. My HR contact excitedly went through the pleasantries and said she had some news that she hoped I would be excited about. I almost choked on my Certs and knew an offer was going to come. YES!!! She said the entire group was enamored with me and wanted to make me an offer to come on board as an Associate. I was sooo elated! All of this hard work and patience had finally paid off. We went over the offer and I countered the offer for a larger sum. She said she would get back to me after contacting the department but she would have an answer by Monday sometime. She congratulated me and I beamed. To my amazement, she called back ten minutes later to let me know that the group accepted my counter. She also asked if I could start on Tuesday, pending my acceptance. WOW!! I couldn’t believe my ears. I was now employed. She went on to say that my contract would be revaluated in two months after the team accessed my development and the financials would again be adjusted, as would a promotion of sorts. I accepted everything and told her exactly how happy I was.

I was excited and terrified because this was new territory for me. I hoped I could meet their expectations. This weekend I would party and celebrate with my DC madams and celebrate this new chapter in my life. On November 10^th I would be walking into that building as an employee…with income. SUCCESS!!

The Best Day