My Drama

This month is flying by. I am at work so I don't have any pictures but I have some news.

I MIGHT GET A DISPATCH JOB!

Well...I think I have it. I applied with Canyon County dispatch way back in March. Canyon County called me just about the time I arrived home from dropping off my application that same day and said that they wanted me to come in and sit with them to see if I liked their center.

I went in the following day (back in March) and met the Captain and the Dispatch Supervisor. I tried not to get my hopes up because I was so disappointed about what happened at Ada County. To this day, I don't know what happened at Ada. They won't tell me why they decided not to hire me. ANYWAY, when I left the dispatch center I was told I would be hearing from them in a few days....two weeks go by...

I finally call them and the Captain tells me that they are going to open testing in May. There was no way I could wait until May to get a job. So I put my resume out there and applied just about everywhere. I was hired at Norco through a temp agency and have been working there since. Meanwhile, Canyon County got their hiring process set up and called me to begin testing.

When I tested I found out that they had just over 64 applicants but that I was put on top of the pile because of my previous experience.

After the testing I got a call back for an interview and I ACED IT (yeah, the test and the interview)

It was a panel interview. 5 people on the other side of the table from me. 1 LT, 1 officer and 3 dispatchers. They use the officers to intimidate but that trick doesn't work on me anymore. 8 questions and I had them laughing from the moment I walked in the room. Even the LT was laughing and he tried not to laugh in the beginning of the interview.

After the panel interview I was selected to move forward. Next step...

a polygraph test.

Now all I know is that whatever happened at Ada County had to do with the polygraph test, its the only thing we had done.

So I had a pre polygraph interview at Canyon County where I got to know the polygraph er. He was the sweetest man ever. He answered every question that he asked me with his own answers about himself. I know more about him now then he knows about me. He gave me a huge packet to fill out for polygraph info and a 24 page personal history packet that asks about everything you ever did and everyone you ever knew. Some of you may have gotten calls :)

Then it was time for the polygraph and I needed to decide (and had decided) that it didn't matter to Canyon County that I had applied to Ada County and I didn't need to tell them.

Here is why...

I am not a bad person!

I have never done anything bad in my life!

That Jerk at Ada county was not going to ruin my possibility of getting this job too!

So I filled out my application and in the box that asked if I had ever had a polygraph test I put NO.

Then I talked to Sarah who said that it might be a bad idea.

I didn't listen. I believed I was right and it was because I was sure that polygraph tests were fake. They get you to spill the beans about whatever you can think of that you did wrong. Then they tell you that they will find out if you don't tell them. Now I didn't believe it and they weren't going to ruin me.

They asked me things at Ada like "have you ever stolen from a co- worker? Tell me anything that comes to your mind...ANYTHING" so I said well, when I worked at eBay my co worker Miel lent me her Madonna CD and I still have it. It was an accident but I still have it and that is what came to mind. His response was...can you still locate her? Is there any way to track her down and give her back the CD?

IT WAS 7 YEARS AGO! No, no way to do it.

Another question...Do you love your husband?

Yes.

How would you describe your relationship?

He is my best friend!

How would HE describe your relationship?

He would say the same thing. (I say with a tear)

I am sorry I said, I don't know why I am crying, maybe pregnancy hormones...

His response was a curt, "Yeah...we will call it pregnancy hormones..." Then he makes a note on his paper.

Needless to say, I didn't want to bring the experience up to Canyon County.

Then I got a call from my brother John. He asked how the pre polygraph interview went and I told him. Then I told him that I didn't plan on telling them I applied at Ada earlier. He told me that was a bad idea. He reminded me that I should tell them and as long as I told Canyon the whole story they would understand. I still wasn't so sure.

I said a lot of prayers about what to do and still decided to not tell them about it.

The day of the polygraph I sat at work all day sweating. I started to get so nervous about this test that I could barely stand myself.

That's when I realized after stewing about this, especially that day, that I needed to tell the truth. Ryan agreed.

When I got to the test the interviewer asked me if anything had changed since the last interview and I said Yes. Then it all came out.

I told him everything that had happened. The polygrapoh, the sleepless nights that I had for a month as I went over every question in that polygraph.

I told him the questions I was asked

I talked about the guilt that I felt for not getting the job, how I felt that I let my family down.

I told him everything.

When I finished he told me that it was a good idea to tell him because he definitely would have detected that I wasn't telling the truth and my anxiety might have made me fail this test. He then explained how HIS test would work and let me tell you, it was NOTHING like the test I had taken at Ada County, in fact it was half as long. At Ada County the interview took over 3 hours.

ANYWAY, long story even longer, I passed my polygraph test.

After the test my interviewer said that having 27 years experience he felt confident telling me that there is no reason I should not have been hired by Ada County and that most likely what happened was that HR told the interviewer to fail me.

WHAT A RELIEF! He said it was unethical, but that he has known that to happen. He then asked me to give him permission to go to Ada County and view the report on my polygraph there because he was so curious about what was written. He was giddy about it! He told me that he was going to go there and brag about how they missed a good one and Canyon County got me! What a sweetheart!

***

Well, at this point they are doing my background and calling everyone that I know. In fact, yesterday while I was at Norco my supervisor got a call. They weren't supposed to call her.

I got a call into her office and she said "uh Whitney, something has come up. I got a call from Canyon county about a job you applied for..."

The beans were spilled so I told her that I actually applied in March but that she hadn't heard about it because if they didn't hire me, I still needed this job.

She was so kind. She told me that she would have done the same thing in my shoes. She told me that she thinks I am a great worker and that I need to do what's best for my family. Then, she called Canyon County back and gave me a glowing recommendation... AND THEN she emailed me and told me everything that he said.

She told me that he talked to all of my previous employers and had gotten good reports from everyone. The detective said that he talked to my previous boss, LT Lougee who said he would love to hire me back and the background detective said that wasn't possible because they would be hiring me. She (my boss) told me all of this!

Well, that's where we are. They are calling everyone I know. Here at Norco, they think I got the job. They told me that if I don't get hired they would be happy because they want to keep me but that I have a job either way.

Its really exciting to think that I might be dispatching again and although I have made a lot of friends here at Norco, I have to confess that I need a little more excitement in my life!!

SO that's been it for me lately. My stress.

Thank you everyone for all of your support and for all of your prayers. They have been a HUGE part of this blessing for us! If you will please keep up the prayers, I haven't been offered the job yet...

Thanks!