I am not sure how many of you I told, but I took a promotional examination last August for my Department. I place third on a list of twelve applicants. (Not too shabby for the first try) It was really one of those "I'll take the exam just to gain the experience of the test" kinda of deals. When I placed third and it looked like I had a real shot of getting promoted, I discovered I really WANTED to promote. The two above me on the list were promoted in September leaving me the new number one guy on the list. Unfortunately, the list was good for only six months. (The Chief had the option to extend the list for six months, but failed to notify the City of his intent to do so in a timely fashion so the list expired and I "died" on top of the list.) Well as it turns out, the #1 guy that got promoted has left the department to move out of state, creating an opening. Nice, but he left a few months too late for me to slide into his spot.
Now I have two reactions I consider normal. I could cry in my beer about how unfair life is and blame everyone else for the pain and misery this has caused me in my career. ("If I were you Yots, I would file a grievance." was but one piece of "advise" I received from a colleague) Instead I have chosen the higher road and will simply retest and should have no excuse for not coming out numero uno right?
So far, there are about eight people who have said that they plan on testing. The testing seems pretty straight forward from what they have told us. Many of my colleagues ask if I have been studying. My response is that I have been studying for the past seventeen years that I have been with the department. Of course I am brushing up on policies and case law, but lets face facts, if I don't have the maturity and have not gained the experience to prepare me to be a Sergeant, no amount of studying in the next two weeks will really help. I mean REALLY make me a better candidate, right? Or should I devote the next two weeks to hard core studying, putting all of my cases aside as well as my family? I am not trying to be lazy, I am just a firm believer that cramming your mind with mounds of information that you are only going to retain on the short term does not make you a better person for the job. If I can not regurgitate the information asked of me based on my experience and past practice, then I do not deserve to be promoted.
That was the attitude I had during the last test, and I think it paid off well. I think I was more relaxed then most of the others because I did not stress myself out with trying to remember things I already know. The test is June 21st and I will keep you posted on how it turns out. If anyone has suggestions, comments or ideas, please let me know.
Wow I really rambled on didn't I? Sorry about that.
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3 comments:
Greg -
FWIW, i had somewhat a similar situation in the mid-90's when i was interning and going through grad school. Forgive me as I take a turn rambling so bear with me...
After my first season as the season intern in '95, one of the assistants left for another NFL team. At the time, my boss told me the GM at the time wouldn't even let him interview me for some "demographic" reasons. In addition, I was just finishing my 1st year of grad school and my first part timme season with the team so was still pretty green so possibly not the best fit. However, it was for the "#3" position, which was more of the entry level spot. I was disappointed to say the least, but there was little I could do about it at that point. They moved forward and hired someone for the position who had less NFL experience than I. Ironically, the other (#2 guy) asst. at the time left about 2 months later to take a head athletic trainer position with another pro team. This position is basically the position I have now, so I knew I was not in the mix for that job. Essentially, Lindsy lost both of his assistants in a matter of 3 months and replaced them with two outsiders who hadn't worked for him very much. It was a very frustrating time and people were saying many of the same things you are probably hearing right now.
The main benefit of this situation, however, is that now we had a staff w/ 2 brand new full-timers and the players knew me and trusted me more than them at that time and vice-versa. That presented an opportunity to return as Linds needed to have someone around who kind of knew the ropes and could help with training camp and the transition. Like you, i could have been embittered and told people to eff - off so to speak, but instead, i took advantage of the opportunity, basically helped show the two new guys in a sense how to do their jobs and had a great year and a critically valuable year of experience to add to my resume and job knowledge. It went unsaid, but I strongly believe to this day, that all three of the full timers appreciated how i handled the situation, and I know that is why Linds has always felt a sense of loyalty to me. This was demonstrated when he helped get me my job at Cal. I wouldn't have had that opportunity and several of subsequent ones if not for my old boss and mentor.
As it turns out, the #3 guy left in '99 to take a head job in the NBA, but guess who they called to interview? In fact, he and i had kept in touch and he called me ahead of time to let me know he might be moving on and to get my materials ready and to give Lindsy a call in a few days (after he made his decision public). Long story short, I ended up coming back in week 3 of that season and so far things have worked out.
An ironic footnote: that year the year long intern (my old position) felt he should have had a better opportunity for the job and when he didn't get it, kind of went in the tank and was pretty s*&tty to me and the rest of the staff. He was pretty bitter annd let it show and affect his work and relationships. He took the road i was able to avoid and perhaps not surprisingly is now out of the profession, I believe.
Again, sorry this is so long, but i guess the moral of the story is that even when it seems like you are getting screwed, how you handle those situations and conduct yourself through those difficult times truly demonstrate the type of character you have - we like to say everyone can be a great guy when things are going well, but can the same be said through times of apparent adversity... It may seem like a door has closed but if you continue to do the things you are doing, those doors will open again, and the next time they do you will be able to have even more appreciation for it and remain more focused on the things you realize are important to you. As you said in your post, you kind of took the test on a whim and over time you realized the Sergeant position was something you found you were cut out for annd really wanted. Sometimes it takes coming up a little short to help crystalize all that. Sorry this was so full of cliches, but hopefully it gives you another point of view. Give me a call or email me directly if you want to talk about it more. Good Luck!
JT
BTW Greg -
Congratulations on your tests! i didn't even mention that part...I would "casually" review some things for the test, but "go with what got me there..." for an interview though, I'd have an organnizational plan of how i'd run things if given the opportunity. I've done that in case i interview for a head job somewhere. I don't know if it crosses over into your field, but...
Well, I don't have any job experience to draw on for advice, so instead I'll just say congratulations on doing so well the first time around. And here's to reaching No. 1 next time! Good luck!
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