My Mountain Top

This post is for my husband. My darling husband, who I love dearly, has been looking for a promotion for over a year and a half now.  About two years ago he was displaced from his job at American Express. Up to that point he had been a shooting star, his ambition and hard work had earned him regular raises and promotions and we felt that the sky was the limit.

Fortunately he was able to find a new job within the company quickly so he never had to accept severance or even go a single day without work.  We were lucky. No, we were blessed.  The job that he accepted was a slight demotion.  The job wasn't as prestigious but Kevin figured that it was only a momentary set back, he waited out the holiday season and then began searching for another promotion.  We were sure it would come quickly.

Well, it hasn't come quickly.  Our story isn't unique, many people are struggling in this economy. And many people are worse off than us. For almost two years now Kevin has gone to interview after interview sometimes making it so close to being hired only to be told that they really liked him but ultimately decided to go with someone with more experience.  He hasn't let that stop him, he went back to school and has almost completed his Master's degree in Business Administration.  He volunteered for a six sigma project at American Express, in his free time (unpaid separate from his work).  He pinpointed a problem and orchestrated a project to correct it that saved the company hundreds of thousands of dollars to this point and will continue to save the company money for years in the future.  He did all this to build his resume and increase his competitive edge in this shaky economy.

Just yesterday he came home with more bad news.  After two interviews and a month of waiting to hear back, he was declined for another position.  The reason? They chose someone with more experience.  My heart aches for him and to be honest my optimistic nature is crumbling.  When will his hard work be recognized?   When will his ambition pay off?  I wanted to shake the hiring manager and say, "You are missing out! He IS the best candidate for this position!" I wanted to stand on a mountain top and shout his credentials so that the right person would hear and take their opportunity to grab him.  I know I'm not the most neutral person to ask but in my opinion the person who takes a risk and hires Kevin will be doing their business a service.  I understand that experience seems like a safe bet, but his potential is limitless, the things he is capable of are great.  His enthusiasm and potential outshines experience every day of the week!

I don't have a mountain top.  I don't think yelling in the wilderness would be a very effective method anyway.  But I do have this blog. I recognize that my audience is limited but I am hoping that someone within the influence of this blog will be able to help.  Maybe it will just help me to feel like I can do something more than offer him a few consoling words and hug.

If you know someone, anyone that is looking for an intelligent, motivated young professional let us know!  If you know about any networking opportunities, let us know!  If you don't have any suggestions, then I just ask you to add us to your prayers.  Pray that we will be able to be patient.  Pray that we will be able to smile despite our challenges.  And pray that we will someday (when the time is right) be rewarded with the opportunity that we seek.  Oh.....and pray that Kevin doesn't get his feathers too ruffled when he sees that I wrote this blog entry:)