PEPSI

This whole Pepsi situation has been rolling around in the back of my mind since the first e-mail I got from Lisa Frazier about the position on June 29th! I immediately e-mailed heronce I got to Paris because jobs like these dont come around all the time!! After speaking with her on the phone, I finally (literally it took me a week) figured out how to formally apply for the job online & made a profile/uploaded my résumé/applied for the Associate Specialist in the Graphics Commercialization Dept! I remember her telling me it takes some time for the résumé & application to get through HR, so I was thinking somewhere around the 3 week range.

I kept waiting...



and waiting...








and waiting...

then I got to thinking, "did I apply correcly? OMG what if I didn't submit it correctly?"So I freaked out & looked through my profile & all the Pepsi Job setting on my account & felt so good when I saw the confirmation again! Right after I did that, I e-mailed Lisa like Mom & Dad told me & she replied by saying that HR had received my résumé & would be contacting me shortly!!! ahhhh!!!!!!!!! The squeaky wheel gets the grease!

FINALLY 5.5-6 WEEKS AFTER THE FIRST INITIAL INTERVIEW I HEARD BACK!!!!!!!!!!! What perfect timing! I had JUST prayed about it in small group after bible study & had just gotten back to Paris from having a wonderful weekend in Paris!! I had to give the lady who e-mailed me my availability for this week & next week & not just for one, but 3 interviews!! I thought for sure the interviews would be early next week, but they were scheduled to take place in 48 hours!!! AH! Now everything is moving so quickly!! Last time I had to call them & even though my phone had €25 worth of minutes, it ran out after talking for only 20 minutes. So, factoring in 3 interviews that were 45 minutes each...BANK BREAKER! I freaked out & emailed Allie & explained to her how costly it is for me to make international phone calls & suggested skype, but she said NO & then informed me that they would be calling me this time! PHEW! I had spent like an hour at work trying to get an online # for skype & then bought skype credit & all that worrying was for nothing!

I spent all day Thursday at work googling Pepsi facts/stats/awards/stock info so I would be super prepared for the biggest interviews of my life. If this goes well, I could be employed! That would be SO nice to not have to go on the job search when I get back home! ...besides, its not like I have any better offers going on right now!! I searched encouraging bible verses & wrote them down & read over them/prayed ALL DAY LONG!!!! I wasn't even worried or nervous about this interview because I know it is in God's hands & if He wants me to have this job, then it will work out & if not, then something better will come along.

I KNOCKED THE INTERVIEW OUT OF THE PARK! I was on the phone from 7:30-10:45 except for about 30 minutes! I talked to Lisa (who interviewed me last time), Marty (her boss who was on vacation in Miami & took the time to interview me) & Kelly from HR. alllll day yesterday I was googling Pepsi news & facts & stuff so I could spat some of that off casually during the interview. They all were SO nice & very easy to talk to & I wasnt nervous or scared at all. The job is DOPE! Working in the Graphics dept & meeting with the Marketing & Art Director almost daily, not to mention LOTS OF TRAVELING!! They go all over, but mainly DC, Baltimore, Perry GA, Shirah SC, Tampa, Colorado & a little place you might have heard of called NAPA VALLEY CALIFORNIA!!! They also do international trips...Lisa is about to go to Belgium & Switzerland & a girl who works under her (which is where I would be working) got to go to the Caribbean!!! HELLO!! Then there are wonderful benefits, relocation compensation & they hook you up with a real estate agent to help you find an apt when you get here! Apparently White Plains, NY is a cool town close by & they suggested living there (IF i get the job ofcourse) because Somers, NY is really la-de-da/fancy/expensive...Martha freaking Stuart lives there for crying out loud! But they have a mentor program where you get matched with someone who is 2 levels above you & helps you prepare for "going to the next level" & there is even a farmers market at the facility on Tuesday! The work environment is fast paced & they said youre NEVER sitting at your desk for long which I like because thats all I do right now & it starts to wear on ya after a while! Salary is going to be discussed at the next interview & I told them that I know the cost of living is high & that I didn't feel comfortable accepting a job if I couldnt fully support myself. They said all that is taken into account when determining the salary.

SO I hear back next week as to whether I get to move on in this process! The next thing would be meeting them at their facility in NY! I asked lisa how many people they were interviewing & she said a few, but not a lot. SO THAT MAKES ME CHANCES BETTER! However, like mom said, I'm not competing with anyone but myself! After talking with Marty the boss, I feel 100 percent totally capable of doing this job & am definitely qualified! It puts my heart at rest that I understood everything he was talking about & the fact that they are the ones who sought me out. And I had really good comments from the experience I have had in the industry to add onto what they were saying :)

And as if it couldnt get any better, there is a guy who played on Dad's football team at Clemson who works there & there is a really strong Clemson Alumni group!!! Pepsi was named one of "the most ethical companies in the world" & one of "the best places to start a career" so im hoping & praying that everything works out!