Thank you

It really meant a lot to read the comments from you all. The situation is rough, not getting the job, but seeing your support really meant a lot. I hadn't told many people about the interview, in case I didn't get it, so I haven't really been able to vent.

When I first got into work, I went in with a heavy heart, and a worry that I wasn't going to make it through the day without being a basket case. I put my head down, and worked hard on sale preparations, and focused on getting things done.

A few hours after I started work, I made the Starbucks run for my two supervisors and myself. (Our store's structure is one store manager, two assistant managers and three supervisors. So they have some authority over me, and I respect them as my bosses, but we're all around the same age, so we can talk pretty comfortably on the same level.) When I got back, one of them pulled me into the conference room to talk about what happened.

I teared up initially, and told him that it was tough to not get the job. As we talked, he told me how impressed he was by my resiliency and the fact that I wasn't angry or sad, or letting it show if I was. He told me that each of the managers would probably do the same thing, and everyone was kind of watching me to see what happened next. They had talked about how my attitude can influence a good chunk of the store. He came to me as my boss but also as someone sort of on the same level, and reminded me that when people in the store think of the management team, they think of me on the same tier as them.

I'll be sitting down with my store manager tomorrow and I'm going to take some time tonight to write some questions for him that I want answered. Primarily, now that I've picked my path for corporate, what does he think? Am I a good fit? Second, what steps can I take to help that process? Third, what challenges can I be given at the store level to keep my interest and my enthusiasm if this process continues to take awhile?

There was also an implication brought up to me that my friend was selected not only for her own merits but due to some internal politics. I'm not sure how I feel about it, and I don't know who really to talk about it.

I fell a little out of my habit of working out, but I will be starting again tomorrow. I already ate dinner, and I didn't sleep well the last few nights, so I am going to relax tonight.