The cardinals have returned to my backyard for a few brief days. The impending summer heat has not arrived yet, but it’s there, lingering like a forgotten thought that jumps into your head at an inopportune time.
I’m standing on my deck with my younger daughter watching her look at the birds. It reminds me of the time her sister saw and felt the rain for the first time. It’s funny how you never forget their first reactions.
I’ve been wanting to write about first impressions/first reactions/social awareness for some time now, the topic has been eluding me, but lingering in my head like the summer heat that’s just around the corner.
Social and situational awareness are things that I struggle with almost daily. See I never want to be labeled as “too desperate” or my personal favorite of “trying too hard”. For instance, I find myself walking silently with my colleagues to lunch, not wanting to fill the brief walk with inane chatter. I craft my responses and emails carefully to other colleagues (partly b/c they can all be recalled by a FOIA request, but that’s another story). At times I think about what I should say and more often what I shouldn’t say.
I also think as recruiters we’ve forgotten what it’s like to be nervous on an interview, since that’s our trade. We’re constantly on the phone or asking people questions. It’s become commonplace and the fear , well the fear is not there anymore.
This one’s gonna bug me for a while, and that’s a good thing, because when I’m wrestling with a thought (or in this case a half thought) then I’m gonna work hard towards a resolution.
Right after I figure out if that’s a male or female cardinal on the tree branch.
