the big news

sometimes good things come to you when you are not expecting it. this happened to me a few weeks ago, when i received a call from a human resources rep at a major magazine publisher months after applying for a job there. i was a little shocked, but tried to keep my cool. yes, i was still interested. yes, i would come in for an interview. and that was the beginning of a whirlwind two weeks that ended in a job offer for me on monday afternoon.

lets just call it my comeback tour.

shall we rewind a bit? several months ago, i wrote a post commemorating my 15 month anniversary at my current job. the timing was notable because i had worked at forbes for exactly 15 months, and it meant i was now working for a company for the longest stretch of time i had ever worked for a company in my life. at the time, i said i was in no hurry to leave, and i meant it. but just a few weeks later, things changed a little at the company, and i started to think that it would be best for my career if i started to reevaluate my options.

this urge to leave may have been a result of the restlessness i've noticed in myself coming to the surface. maybe other parts of my life were not satisfying me in the way i needed them to. but whatever the reason, i became very unhappy at work. i started applying to jobs in about mid-february, only picking positions that i knew would stimulate me creatively and propel my career as a reporter forward. in other words, i only applied for jobs at big companies or publications in areas that i wanted to cover, such as celebrity gossip, entertainment, tv and fashion.

i had very little success, with one exception. right as i started my job search, i applied to be a new york-based writer for an online celebrity gossip blog. the job, the company, the publication, everything, was perfect. it was my dream job. but after getting through several rounds of the interview process -- which lasted more than 2 months -- they decided to hire someone with more experience. i was sad, but not disheartened. i continued to apply to good jobs...and that was when i found this one.

the opening was for a reporter for a menswear trade publication. i had heard of the magazine before and knew someone who worked there. i applied, but then i got caught up in other things in my life and forgot to do anything more to further my application along. a couple of weeks after that i was promoted and i wrote off my original app. i haven't applied for any other jobs since then. none have really caught my eye, and i figured i should stick around a little to make the senior reporter thing worthwhile.

but that call from hr changed everything. in preparation for my interview, i went out and bought a new suit that fit me (my old one was too big). i bought a slew of mens' fashion mags and beefed up on my mens designer knowledge, getting ready for a host of questions i was never asked.

ultimately, my experience and abilities were what sealed the deal. for the first time in my life, i feel like all my hard work -- from college through today -- has paid off. i went into my first interview with hr and talked about the work i do everyday, the things i had covered, the approach i use. i walked out of the office knowing i had nailed it. and i basically had a second interview lined up, too.

days later, i met with the editors at the magazine who would serve as my bosses. by the next day, hr was ringing up my references, and a job offer was not far behind that.

on tuesday, i gave my current boss my two week notice, which essentially is a three week notice because i'm on vacation this week. i start my new job on august 18.

besides the fact that i am now employed by one of the biggest names in the magazine publishing in the world, here is the best part of my job, the title: market editor - independent retail.

other than that, i will be doing essentially the same job i do now, although i will probably be writing longer stories more often, and i'll be covering the mens fashion industry as opposed to the various aspects of the law, finance, healthcare and energy.

the next few weeks are going to be difficult for me, as i wrap up my work at my current job, say goodbye to good friends and colleagues, and start out with something completely new and different. i owe a lot to my current bosses, who believed in me and took a chance and hired me when no one else would. it is thanks to their help and guidance that i was able to get this new job at all. i wouldn't be leaving at all if i didn't think it was the absolute best thing to do for me and my future.

i'm certain that this move will be the one i need to launch my career in magazines. i'm excited to be covering the fashion world, attending trade shows and writing about companies that i find interesting.

this summer has been all about new things and experiences for me, and this is just another chapter in my life that is coming to a close in summer 08. i can't wait to see what happens when i turn the page.