I have been looking for jobs in about last 4 months since I graduated in Dec last year. Lots of things happened, both happy and unhappy thing among them. Now I am waiting for the result of my last opportunity. If negative, I most likely go back to China. So today I wanna write something about my story in last 4 months.

Why today? because I was happened to be a fitting mood for writing. In last four months, I was very rushed and focusing in learning knowledges and preparing for interviews. After finished the interview with Tencent, now everything need to do is waiting. And it is very fortunate that I am in a very positive, or happy status, at most of time. Negative energy first came from the job at Pitt.

job at Pitt

On Dec 2013, weeks before graduating, coming back from the sadness of breaking up, I re-gain the idea of finding a job in the state and sent an email to a professor I collaborated in the second semester. He used to express the willingness to employ me as stuff or researcher at the end of that co-working by telling me to contact him when leaving Pittsburgh. Couple of minutes after my email was sent, he reply me with positive attitude, which made me very delighted. When people ask about doing after graduate, I once made everyone (include myself) believe that I will work as a stuff in Pitt. However, thing was getting worse by delaying again and again. First professor told he needed weeks to get back from Prague. After back, he needed weeks to clear up his remaining works. After that, he needed to weeks to wait for meeting schedule with those higher person in charge of employment. And then meet was re-schedule two times. I was totally disappointed at that time. I express my disappointment but still keep pushing. At last, it end up with the professor not replying my email. I feel like abandoned.

Start late

During the contact with the professor, I naively believe that I was sure to get the job, so essentially I did not try to find other jobs. After messing up for nearly one and half months, I started my real job hunting. I picked up my CV and sent to as many as I can. (lately found it just far from enough). At the beginning I pinned most of targets to Silicon Valley. Among them are most big companies and few startups. At the same time, I also apply for some local tech company at Pittsburgh, including GE healthcare and some on Linkedin. BTW, I never get any real interview from Linkedin. Linkedin looks so ugly and low taste, but everyone finding jobs need to use it. So I cannot help but hate it very much. Ok, that’s enough. With weeks of waiting, I continually receive rejection email and no response. Someday at library, etlds ask me if I wanna apply for Branding Brand, a local startup building mobile app and web, which also is my last opportunity here in the state.

Story of Branding Brand

The story of BB is also kinda long. I apply for the job very early and did have been contacted by hr. I was appointed for a phone interview for a front-end development position. I was very excited at that moment, because it is the first interview after months waiting. I made a very hardcore preparation for a week by going through a every question on the front end interview question github repo. And of course, the interview went very well. However, the hr told me that they are in a “hiring freeze”. I guess because they wanna sync with the pitt career fair. So I wait for another three week for that job fair. And bad thing happened, hr told me that the front end position was probably filled. I then ask for another position, web development, which turns out still hiring. So I was appointed for another phone interview a week later. (oh, why not just onsite…) Phone passed and a week later finally onsite interview. Onsite is good but the manager is not available. Another week passed, and another onsite scheduled… Finally onsite was finally done and it was already April 3. Then it is now that I am waiting for the final offer.

Little episode of Qualaris

During the BB interview, I also took another company’s interview. It is a very starting startup at Pittsburgh Forbes Ave named Qualaris and only four people, two developer, one research guy and one business guy. They are doing healthcare with web app. I meet this company on the official website onf Ember.js. There is a meet-up link to Pittsburgh’s meet-up of Ember.js. I found one of the developer of the company. Then I check their website and they are looking for front-end developer. I applied for it and get a phone interview in weeks, which is beyond my expectation. I was doing not bad in the phone interview. Then weeks later a onsite interview with two developer. I consider myself a already qualified web developer. So their question cannot beat me in most case. Plus I have prepared for the interview for several weeks. So the tech interview was also good. Finally I met their two non-tech guys a week later. Their question are more focused on behavior questions. This make me not as good as those questions, but I am not bad at express myself. After all I am apply for a tech position and I met some problems and had experiences during project development. So I never out of words. Everything went well but the problem comes from them. They prefer me to make a internship first at summer, then decide to give a full offer. Well that is a little hard for me to accept. The contact is still on hold. I guess we are both not in a hurry.

Now what

My last day of the OPT three-month window is April 23. I just had the interview with Tencent yesterday. It result kinda okay and they are waiting me to take next onsite in Shenzhen when I come back to China. So it is pretty simple. If I get the offer from BB, I stay. If not, go back to China and start a another new plan.