It was another frustrating day at job search. Mark, one of my networking contacts, promised to put in a good word to the Operations Manager for a new position. The news Mark had for me today was not good. He told me that a candidate had been selected and there would be no additional openings for the position I wanted. One more for the negative cookie jar, I thought. As it was Friday, I felt it was best to continue the job search on Monday and turn my attention to fixing the clock hanging on the living room wall. I thought it was secure, but I wanted to make sure it was flush against the wall. That was my big mistake. As I put my head against the wall for a better look, the clock fell and hit me on the head, narrowly missing my right eye. The sound that the clock’s impact made must have been loud, as my daughter came to my aid to see if I was alright. I was amazed to be conscious, but my head hurt. I could feel a lump forming on right side of my head. The cut on my right forehead was not serious, so I decided to take two Ibuprofen for the pain. Generally, taking one works for a headache, however taking two makes me sleepy. Within a half hour I thought a nap might be a pretty good idea.

The next thing I knew, I was in my car, driving east on the Southern State Parkway. I had just finished an interview in Valley Stream and it did not go well. Something, however, didn’t seem right. I glanced at the dashboard, and it did not look like my Mazda, which I have owned for over a decade. Instead it resembled my1974 Dodge Dart. There was an 8 Track machine hastily connected to the dashboard; a credit card was holding the cartridge in place. The interior was not Mazda brown; it was dark green. Somehow, I was driving my Dodge Dart again! Why was I here? At that moment I glanced to the passenger seat where I kept my newspaper. The headline stated “US forces invade Grenada!” A picture of President Reagan was on the front page. This had to be a mistake! The date on the newspaper was October 25, 1983. What is going on here? Why did that date seem so familiar? I remembered that I had an interview in less than an hour in Melville. I should have plenty of time to make it there from Valley Stream.

About a mile up the road there was a five car collision. It effectively closed the Southern State Parkway and I found myself at a dead stop. I could not back up to the previous exit. Although the next exit was about a mile away, it would have made no difference if it were 50 miles away. I was stuck in the middle of a huge traffic jam with no way out, and if I did not make it to the interview by 5PM, I would lose the chance to get the job a a company that I had tried to get into for a long time. My anxiety grew as I watched people get out of their cars to see what was holding up traffic. What can I do? Almost instantaneously I looked a my watch again and it was already 5PM! As I struggled to wake myself from the dream, I remember thinking, “if I only had my cell phone; where is my GPS?”

I was glad to wake up again in 2009. I would like to say it was all a dream, but in fact it was not. In 1983 we were coming out of a recession and there were many good people out of work. I did have an interview in Melville at the time, and I was over an hour late, due to a massive accident on the Southern State Parkway. I had no way of contacting my perspective employer; After all, cell phones did not exist in 1983. Here is the reason why I am writing this article. Despite the fact that I was extremely late and the interviewer had left for the day, I did get the job. At this point you may be asking, how did I pull this off. Please read on.

I have always prided myself on thinking on my feet. My first attempt at networking into a position took place in 1983. Although the job was advertised in the newspaper, I had an inside contact. This individual was someone I had helped out a few years before. He was promoted to Supervisor and he needed to fill his former position. Although I was angry and upset about being late, I knew I had to make first contact the next day. I called early and offered a sincere apology for being late and mentioned the five-car collision. As the previous interview was at my convenience, I asked that a subsequent interview be made and the hiring manager’s convenience. I did not drag out the apology. Once I offered up the apology, I quickly moved on to talk about my experience, and why I would make the best candidate for the position. I put the previous day out of my mind. The hiring manager arranged a subsequent interview. I arrived early, and made a good impression. Several hours later I was given an offer, and I was back at work after spending three months on unemployment.

My key point here is, no matter how bad an interview goes, no matter what mistake you may have made in the past, and no matter whether or not you have made your best impression, never give up! You have the power to turn a bad situation around. I did it back in 1983 and I am working hard to do the same in 2009.

While I worked at that position in the 1980’s, I met someone who liked to hunt deer on the weekends. While I am not a fan of hunting, I remember saying something one Friday back in the 1980’s that would stick with me to this day, and would serve as my unique ending to my writings:

Good Hunting!

-By Howard K. Young, Contributing Writer & Member of The 405 Club.

View all of Howard’s posts here.