Norman got on the bus for his commute to work and headed toward his usual seat. A folded newspaper was sitting there, and he wondered if that was someone's way of claiming it. After noticing that everyone else had a seat, he picked it up and sat down.
Norman looked down at the newspaper, which was open to the classifieds section. He was instantly drawn to an ad written in Garamond, his favorite font. The position was very similar to his current job and promoted casual Friday, in addition to being a pet friendly office. The ad concluded with an invitation to e-mail a resume for consideration. "This could be a good opportunity for both Normans," Norman thought to himself, chuckling.
For the rest of the day, thoughts of this new job crept into Norman's mind. He wondered how their break room was laid out and whether the grey sneakers he purchased several months earlier would be too casual for casual Friday. After debating the pros and cons for twenty minutes, he decided to apply when he got home. Norman worked diligently for the rest of the day, not wanting to waste company time.
That evening, Norman opened his email, entered the address from the ad, wrote a short blurb about why he was interested, and uploaded his resume. After staring at the screen for several minutes and deliberating, Norman pressed “Send” and felt a rush of adrenaline shoot through his body. Norman declined to tell Norman about the pet friendly office, not wanting to potentially set him up for disappointment.
A week passed with no response. “I’m sure there are plenty of excellent, qualified candidates. I probably applied too late,” Norman told himself.
Three days later, Norman opened his email and saw the single unopened message in his inbox, a response from his initial inquiry. Norman resisted reading the message preview, not wanting to ruin the surprise, and opened it.
“Dear Norman,” the message began. “We have reviewed your qualifications and believe you could be an excellent fit with us. Please call xxx-xxx-xxxx to set up an interview if you are still interested in the position.”
Initial feelings of excitement were immediately followed by questions of practicality. How would Norman’s boss replace him? Would his coworkers feel betrayed by him leaving? Would Norman get along with the other pets?
Norman printed the message and hung it on his refrigerator in the top-center, a location reserved for only the most special items.
“The grass always looks greener on the other side, but that doesn’t mean it is,” Norman reminded himself as he climbed into bed for a well-deserved rest, finally ending a very intense week and a half.
Submitted October 22, 2015 at 10:17PM by trees0nly http://ift.tt/1KrdUP7 lifeofnorman
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