Times are tough. Money is tight. Yes, I have a job. But somehow, my paychecks keep sifting out of my bank account ever so effortlessly. Add to that eight months of unemployment and unexpected car repairs and I should have a brown paper bag to my mouth to calm my panicked breathing.
Well, tomorrow it's time to sell myself. For a job.
I'm going on a job interview and the nerves have already set in. While I was unemployed, I went on several interviews, many of which went on for a few rounds and ended without an offer. It was frustrating, nerve-wracking and time consuming. At my current job, I've played a role in many unsuccessful attempts to hire the firm an office manager/administrative assistant. Having been on both sides of the desk with interviews, I can honestly say the entire process needs an overhaul.
Since I've been at my job (a mere four months), they've hired and fired three people for that position and had four temps filling the gaps in between. What that tells me? Umm, no comment. But some of what it tells me is that no matter how many times you interview someone, or how many people you interview, you still won't really know what they're like until they've worked in that position for a couple of weeks. That said, I have no idea why some HR departments require elaborate screening and multiple interviews before selecting a candidate.
At the job I most recently held where I was laid off (jerks), they had the most ridiculously useless time suck of an interview process. I recall coming in three times. First to meet with my immediate supervisor. Next to meet with him again and the HR woman (think offspring of Satan and Jabba the Hutt...wait wouldn't that be Ursula from The Little Mermaid? Yes. OK, where was I). And lastly, to take a timed writing test and meet with the president of the association.
Oh, and I almost forgot. I had to take an online myers-briggs type test that ate up an hour or more of my life that I'll never get back. Still bitter. It was one of those personality tests that asks the same type of questions in each section but in a different way. I recall answering them all differently, which must've suggested I was at least bi-polar, if not a complete nut job.
Regardless, they hired me. I was excited...for a few months. Then as time waned on, I started to realize that the people working there could not be more different, personality-wise and sanity-wise, than a "normal" girl like me. I thought the point of that personality screening test was to assess whether the candidate was a good fit for the job demands and a good match with the rest of the employees. If so, then why was I working next to a vocally-militant anarchist? And, since when did talking to oneself at length become "in?" I could go on, but I digress.
Tomorrow is going to be tough. For one because I get ridiculously nervous in these situations. It's weird to have to brag about achievements and boast in a way to market myself as the best candidate for this position. That's just not my "thing." And, because I don't know what it will take to convince the interviewers to hire me. I hope I can improvise well enough and come up with some money answers on the spot.
But with my inanely selective memory, I might as well blow off the interview. Why is it that as hard as I try to prepare for this (which so far has consisted of printing my resume, posting pictures on Facebook and blogging), all that comes to mind is useless info that I've gleaned along the way. Maybe they'll ask me how to cream corn. I could DEF talk about that. Did you know there is no cream involved in creaming corn? I know! Craziness.
Sigh...time to continue preparing.
