When it rains, It’s wet

Since I’ve gotten my faculties together, about a year now. (hat tip to Dr. Jeremy Crosby and Haus of Clarity). The vitamins along with the associated therapy have afforded me the confidence to attempt to get back into the business start-up game.

I happened upon an opportunity that I had actually been dreaming about. COO/VP at a startup that needed exactly what I had to offer, and I mean to the letter. Hell of a coincidence/synchronicity, if you believe in that sort of thing. I submitted a custom resume/cover letter, as one must. Here’s the note I received after submitting my material:

Dear R,

Thank you for applying for the COO/VP of Operations position for XXXXX via Ladders. We will be reviewing your resume shortly. If you are selected to move forward in the interview process, you will receive an email invite for a phone interview within the next 3 weeks. In the meantime, we are asking all applicants to answer the following questions:

1. How would you rate your knowledge in Profit and Loss? (My answers)
   Mastery
   Proficient
   A little bit
   None
2. Have you played in integral role in a company in any of these areas (check all that apply):
   X E-commerce
   X Sales
   X Distribution
   None of the above
3. How small was the smallest company you have ever worked for (# of employees and revenue)? 3-employees $1.2m
4. How many years’ experience do you have with consumer products? 24 years
5. What are your salary requirements (please include a range for your base as well as a range for total compensation)? (Redacted)

As per usual I performed the due diligence on the company complete with memorizing employee names and positions. The more prep work I completed the more confident I became. Part of the information I submitted was my linkedin.com profile address, a common practice, and like clockwork a recruiter viewed my profile the next day.

Time passed, about 3 weeks, with no word. I thought WTF? So I emailed the recruiter to see if the position had been filled or closed. Below is the very non-committal reply:

Good afternoon Scott,

We are in the final stages of the interviewing process for this position. Thank you for reaching out. Having been through the job search process many times, I can fully appreciate both the exhilaration and exhaustion the search evokes. I extend to you my warmest wishes for great success.

Success my ass! I rechecked the materials I’d sent and re-read my LinkedIn profile for possible mistakes. That’s when I noticed my reference to this blog Struggle Street. Oh fucking no, The words “Depression/PTSD” on the first page, front and center. Say it isn’t so, a mental health disqualification from the job.

My life has pretty much been an open book since I started this blog (cathartic you know). It had never occurred to me that it could bite me in the ass. I was being naïve.

I’m slowly coming to terms with this, but it hasn’t been easy. You might be wondering how I knew it was the dreaded mental health stigma that shut this opportunity down?

I know “When it rains, it’s wet”.

Takeaway: Nothing is in the bag until it is.

Do well, be well,

S