Hammerfall 2.0: What Is Old Is New

 One of the interesting things that has happened now more than once in my nascent job hunt is the question "Have you considered going a Quality position?"

I do not suppose I should be surprised by this question - after all, if I were to view my curriculum vitae with a unjaundiced eye, I would clearly fixate on the almost 20 years of experience in Quality and much lesser times in other areas and think that this would be a logical step - after all, it is not like anyone is looking at that year I did 30 years about as an adjunct faculty member and thinking "Have you ever reconsidered a career in teaching because once upon a time, you did it?"

Initially of course, the question felt a bit out of place.  I have not been applying for Quality positions.  It is not something I have indicated in any of the conversations that I have had.  And yet, I suspect if I just opened myself up to apply for such positions, I would likely see an increase in the amount of contacts.

To be fair, a job is a job, in this economy more than ever (and more importantly, benefits are benefits).  So how much of this is my own pride?

After all, I am cognizant of the fact that while in my mind there is only forward progress in careers, in point of fact there is no such thing in the real world.  If I am truly honest with myself, I have been "back" to the same sort of job multiple times (sometimes even after I thought I had left it completely).   And I am also sure with individuals that have many years of experience in Project Management, my paltry few years almost seem like an experiment in career placement - and let us not kid ourselves that someone over 50 starting a new field can seem an awful lot like an experiment instead of a guaranteed success.

The one issue - it has come up already - is explaining the change.

This is the gap, the chink in my armor. If I only use the language in the review that precipitated the change, it looks a lot like "I am not at all good for the job".  That, as you might suspect, is probably not the best way for me to start out an interview.  At the same time, one has to be in some ways honest about something, lest the inconsistency become a red flag during the follow on interviews and references.

I have tried to split the difference, by acknowledging the change in positions (true) but also noting it was due to a philosophy change (also true).  I am not sure how well that will hold up, but it seems the most logical course:  it has the benefit of honesty, it is consistent with the career narrative, and would explain why a Quality position might again be a path forward (in this case, with the polishing of a Project Management course of work).

I am working to manage my own emotions in this - after all, it does indeed seem like in some manner a retrograde step, or a settling.  I keep trying to remind myself that this is not my ultimate end; it is something I will hopefully do until I find the next step (this, I need to be a great deal more active about).

Follow Up:  The initiation of this post were two potential phone screens.  For one I have the job description, the other was suddenly canceled at literally the last minute.  So perhaps this path is no better.