Dell

I love blogging. I love it because it causes me to think about my family and whenever I am having a rough or tough time, not that I am right now, I just get so full of hope thinking about them.

Today at Dell things were a wash, I had one good interview, one okay one, and one that I had already interviewed with the lady once before. So yea the only thing left to do now is wait. By the end of the month I should have heard back from both jobs to see what they think. I am curious to find out what is going on.

Today I read a talk by President Monson about gratitude. It made me think about my life, especially about the way I acted today. Today I felt really put out by the fact that I have had so many interviews this week and one didn't go exactly how I dreamed it was suppose to go. I was upset with myself, and especially upset with the interviewer. I realize now it was the Lord telling me that I need to be more grateful for everything.

"My brothers and sisters, to express gratitude is gracious and honorable, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live with gratitude ever in our hearts is to touch heaven." - President Monson

I really enjoyed this quote. I love it actually. I need to be grateful and humble. I felt bad this morning because I had been comparing this job to Disney a lot and it was unfair to Dell. I need to be more grateful for everything I have in my life.

Interviews

Sorry to all my faithful blog readers. I know I haven't posted yet and this week has been a pretty exciting week. Let's recap to date.

Sunday night at 11 PM Gini dropped me off at the airport, I took a red-eye to Atlanta and then onto Orlando. It was totally weird. I hate flying red-eyes. Anyways, while we are taxi-ing I make chit chat with the lady next to me. She is flying home to North Carolina from a writer's convention in San Francisco.

Me: What is your book about?

Her: Angels among us, but not your nice angels these are kinda scary ones.

Me: What made you want to write about that?

Her: I had a pretty supernatural childhood

Me: What did you live in a haunted house or something?

Her: My parents were exorcists.

Me: Okay

Yea so I quizzed her about that for a while got some good stories then went to sleep. I got to Disney and had the time of my life. I love Disneyworld and even if I don't get a job there I will probably go back. We are at a reception party meeting and greeting when who shows up? That is right Mickey Mouse! With a professional photographer. I run to the front of the line. I got a sweet picture with him, I have it in a frame they gave all the interviewers and I show it off whenever I get a chance. It is driving Gini nuts. Well during the meet and greet a guy comes up to me and says Eric tell me about bow hunting elk. My jaw hits the floor. I have had that as a personal item on my resume since who knows when and he is the first one to bring it up. He lets me gush and I talk about how much fun it is, how hard it is, and how it is more mental than anything. Then for dinner what do they serve? Elk, so he brings it up to the table of 12 that I am at and I go through again about killing elk. I am in 7th heaven. I grabbed the menu to prove to Gini that hunting does pay off.

So then the interviews were nuts, sprinkled with some of the best food and happiest times of my life and I am back home Tuesday night. I don't want to bore people....

I left this morning for Austin to interview with Dell in the morning I am really looking forward to it also. I am lucky to have so many great companies that are giving me a chance to interview with them. I am happy and safe. Things couldn't be better. I will let you all know what happens.

If by chance I see you around in the next two weeks at any family function, be sure that I will have my Mickey Mouse picture with me. Basically it is the biggest accomplishment of my life.

Good Times

So things have been going awesome, super busy but awesome. Between this week and next, I have two 3-5 page papers due, 4 tests, a 2 page case study, other various assignments, and more volleyball than I know what to do with. PS Go Bengals. Anyways, I have been uber busy but the job offer from Navistar has been consistently on my mind. On Tuesday Elder Costa of the Seventy came and spoke on campus. He talked about leaving the harbor of safety and enjoying the voyage of life outside of Utah. I felt so strongly that I need to look at jobs outside of Utah and I felt really good about Navistar. That night Gini and I were talking about me taking the job at Navistar, I felt good about it and really like the offer. I told her I was probably going to call them tomorrow (today) and commit. She told me to wait a little bit and go to the temple first. I was kinda surprised but I agreed and so I put it off. I planned on going either Thursday or this weekend. Well tonight something amazing happened.

Gini and I were sitting at my house just chatting when my phone rang, I didn't recognize the number but I answered anyways. I hear a familiar voice on the phone say hey Eric how is it going this is Sam. Sam was a BYU alum that I interviewed with last Friday from Disney. In their park and recreation department. I know such a hard job. The conversation proceeded thus:

Me: Sam how are you?

Sam: I am doing great how are you?

Me: Crazy with school but good now that I am not sick anymore, (he told me during the interview he would call and let me know either yes or no)

Sam: Hey we want to have you out to Orlando on the 15th and 16th for second round interviews Me (in my mind): What the fetch, are you kidding me? I thought you were calling to tell me thanks but no thanks

Me (from my mouth): Whoa that would be awesome, lets do it.

Sam: Here is the information

Gini (in her mind): I hope he gets a job with Disney so I get in free to Disneyland

Gini (in her mouth): Congrats Eric

So we both are kinda surprised and we start talking about what to do with Navistar and Disney now knocking on my door. When my phone rings again I see it is an 800 number and I was like hrm I guess Sam is calling me back. I answer

Me: Hello

Man: Is this Eric Phillips?

Me: Yes

Man: Hi my name is Stuart, I am with Dell

Me: (looking incredibly shocked) Hey Stuart how are you?

Stu: We want to have you out for interviews on the 18th and 19th

Me: Done, what do I have to do

Stu: I'll email you

Me: Stu great talking to you talk to you soon

These conversations were a little more full and exciting than this but I just shortened it up for you. When I got off the phone with Dell I looked at Gini and she was all smiles, which is probably what I was. It was so nuts. Then she screamed and ran into my arms, it was magical. So we are both just shocked because in a fifteen minute time window, I got two invites for second round interviews.

So that week is going to be nuts, Monday and Tuesday in Florida; Thursday and Friday in Texas. Good thing I worked at Savage this last summer and this trip is cake.

So it just got me thinking about how blessed I am. I wanted to find a job outside Utah to start my career and I have been blessed with some wonderful opportunities to do just that. I think of all the kids from the Marriott School who have no job offers, let alone no second round interviews and it just floors me that I have one offer already and two second round interviews coming up. In the words of one of my blog inspirators, I am seriously so blessed.

So my living options for next year just grew, from Chicago based, to now include Orlando, FL; Austin, TX; Anaheim, CA; and Burbank, CA. Life is really good for me right now. I can't express in words how grateful I am for the many blessings God has given me in my life right now. I am shocked that of so many wonderful candidates I have been selected for the processes I have been chosen for. I don't think it is anything I have done, I really owe it all to God for these great opportunities.

I'll keep you updated.

Five months

So Thursday was five months since Gini and I had gone out on our very first date. I wouldn't have known this if she hadn't reminded me about it. So for our 5 month anniversary we went to Corn Belly's.

This is us in an oversized chair. It was a lot of fun. I have enjoyed the past 5 months immensely.

So I went through the interview process. It was a lot easier than I ever expected. Last year when I wanted to be an investment banker and I really geared up for those interviews makes these interviews a little bit easier. So I flew home, I got home and was walking through the airport writing an email to the people at Navistar thanking them. I sent one off and immediately got a call back from them. They said they wanted to offer me a job to start in June. I was shocked, considering 2 weeks ago I first heard about this opportunity. So now I have to decide what I am going to do.

Love you all.

Chicago

Today I made the biggest mistake of my life, there is no going back from this. I flew first class.

Now that I have your attention, I will explain. So with my last trip to Canada I got a status with Delta. This morning I show up at the airport all excited because I get to board in zone 2, early boarding. I meet up with a nice girl from Westminister College to travel to Chicago together. We both are interviewing for the same job. Well I am sitting there and the attendant says, passenger Phillips check in at the gate. I go up and bam first class ticket. So I was like shaking and I didn't tell my travel buddy that I got to go first class. Anyways, I get up and go on the plane and she was like uhhh what? Well I sit down in first class on the same row as the Dean for the accounting school at BYU. He looks at me and says, what are you doing here. I coolly respond, I always fly first class. So I didn't mind the fact our plane was two hours late. I enjoyed basically the all I could eat food in first class and the real glasses, no plastic cups. But yea I will never look at coach the same.

I got the Chicago and settled in my hotel in Lisle. They had the meet and greet tonight and I was really excited. I was the only BYU student, there was an alum who left early but he showed me the ropes for a little bit. It was interesting to be at a recruiting event where they served liquor.

tomorrow is a big day and I am off to bed.

Meet Virginia....or Gini.

Pictures as I promised

I was lucky enough to work in California this summer when Gini and her family were there on vacation. They took me to the beach and I saw in the ocean for the first time in my life. It was a great trip. Thanks Savage.

This is after the day at the beach during the same trip to Newport. After a sweet 24th of July swimming in Newton and a day at the beach, I was red.

Gini came up and visited me after my deer hunt. I wanted to put a picture up of my buck but I doubt that would have gone over really well. I love Newton. I love the first picture also.

Gini and I went to Strawberry Days rodeo. It wasn't as good as the Draper Days rodeo but it was up there ;)

Gini's little sister plays volleyball at Idaho State, basically she is a big deal. We usually travel up there for her home games. It is so much fun. I am learning so much about volleyball.

Gini and I went for a midnight chair ride at Sundance, there was a full moon out and so BYU let every zoobie out for the weekend it seemed like. We got there right before the line got crazy long.

The best thing, I don't think I can narrow it down to one, is the fact she loves baseball. She bought me this polo even though she absolutely hates the Yankees.

So here is an update into my life family. I wanted to let you all know what I have been doing and why I have been missing family dinners.

This week has been awesome. On Monday we had a guest speaker, he is my professor's son and just retired at age 30 from Google. Before he left he was in charge of Google's Asia arm. Loaded is spelled very similar to his name. He came in and talked to our class regarding careers. He graduated from London School of Economics (THE top economics school in the world). It was different because you could tell he had fallen away from the gospel. It was sad, a girl asked about having time for a family during a career and he scoffed at her. Anyways, it got to me. It got me nervous and sad about my career. I haven't had much success comparative to my friends who are interviewing all over right now. I was fine with it until this talk. I got kind of worried and as soon as those worries manifested themselves I got a job interview.

I got an email last week for an interview with International Trucks, Navistar is the actual name but International is the public name, the interview never got setup so I followed up. I got an email Tuesday morning for a Wednesday phone interview. I was very excited. I got to the phone interview and nailed it. I feel I did better than I had done in any interview before. At the end I asked him why BYU and their recruiting process. He told me they usually only interview BigX schools, but the new VP of Finance for the company is a BYU alum. The BYU alum was suppose to do the BYU stuff but his schedule changed and he couldn't but they already committed to the school to interview X amount of students. Right now I am thinking ohh great so I am just a formality. Well thanks for the practice. He told me he would call me the next day to let me know what was up. I got a call this morning. Of 150 applicants, I am one of 30 selected for 2nd rounds in Chicago next week. So Thursday morning I fly again. I hope I go Delta and I get to use my new Elite status to board early.

I am excited for this job interview and the opportunity. I am grateful for the answer to my prayer for an interview. This just showed me how much the Lord loves me. I don't know if I will take the job, I don't know if I will get the job but I asked God for this opportunity and He gave it to me. I wanted it more to have something to tell my classmates when they are talking about interviews and I don't feel like a loser. God is so loving though He will let me do this. That simple, ask and you really shall receive.

Until next time.

Update

So this past Sunday we had a going away party for my awesome little sister. She is moving to Virginia to take a high-profile job with a large corporation. Translation? She's a big deal and I love her.

As I was there visiting with my cousin, she asked why I don't blog anymore. I was like really? You read my blog? Combine this with my mother pleading to know what is going on in my life and I am back.

I moved to Orem, best decision of my BYU career. There was one time this summer when I went to visit my old house in downtown Provo, and while I was driving through Provo I was like I am never living here again. I got a house with four other guys, a little bit of a change from the Frat House I lived in last year of 16 guys but I am not complaining. We got a fixer-upper and did a number on it. I have my own room, complete with desk from my mom and new mattress for my birthday. I couldn't be happier.

School is in full swing, or at least that is what they tell me. I honestly feel like I went down a grade, like I am a TA in a class after last year. It is harder than I ever imagined because since I am not being challenged I spend most of my class periods day dreaming, hence me blogging instead of learning about six sigma. I spend most of my nights though studying about this stuff and teaching it to myself at my own pace because the classes go too slow.

I got a job on campus that I love, I am a receptionist. If you ever attended BYU you are laughing right now, it is like being a male nurse. Not a lot of men in my profession. I love it though because I enjoy listening to these girls dish about EVERYTHING.

Life is good. I am loving my classes, even if they bore me but I am dying to go back to work. I just want a real job and to be gaining experience. I will wait my turn and just keep applying and working things out. Last week I had an interview with Lockheed Martin, it was a good confidence boost but also helped me realize I need to work on my stories a little bit more. We'll see what happens. I still am looking forward to interviewing with Savage again. I loved the company and would love to go back to them.

I am going to post a bunch of pictures within a week. Just to update everyone. Just stay with me.