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Job hunting: Nightmare haunting many
2006-09-06 09:12:29
By Pascalina Reuben
It’s about time I talked about this. I have been holding it up for ages now.
I kept saying, ’You know what? I am going to write about this,’ at the end of the day I let it go but, today is the day.
I am going to tell all about it, because it has gotten me up to my neck. And I know I represent a lot of people out there. It’s not about me alone.
Job hunting, job interviews, feedback’ Let’ go!
Recently, a friend of mine was called for a job interview at one of the top Banks in town. She thought, ’I must have this job.’
She went ahead and did a lot of research and reading, she practiced her job interview FAQ with a friend and she felt she was ready to conquer the world! She even memorized the Bank’ mission statement, just incase!
She dressed to impress. She got at the Bank on time. She and the other interviewees sat at the lounge waiting for another interviewee to arrive. Time was running she thought, ’how come we are waiting for this person?’
The person came in 45 minutes late ’ it was a lady and gosh was she a blabbermouth. The first candidate was called in; the HR personnel announced, ’Only one person will get this post’.
My friend and the lady remained waiting for their turn. The lady started to narrate about how she and the HR personnel were related and that she did not have a clue of what the job was about. But guess what? After all the interviews were done, she ’ the chatterbox, got the job.
I found it very unprofessional of them ’ first, they waited for an interviewee (never heard of such a thing in my life), then she was given the job while she did not have a clue of what it was about!
Before I tell you about my experience, this is who I am; a professional creative writer, an excellent communicator and a natural psychoanalyst ’ it is a forte that I have. While at the job interviews I psychoanalyze the interviewers.
Communication is a two way thing. Both verbal and non-verbal communication.
At an interview with a certain telecommunication company I reckoned that the interviewer cut me off as soon as she got the answer she was looking for.
She was not a good listener. An interviewer at a marketing and communications company was galloping coffee and munching biscuits while interviewing me ’ what a nuisance!
At a leading soft drink company, the person who interviewed me was charcoal dark skinned wearing blonde hair. What if I went with my dreadlocks hanging untidily? First impression is a two way thing, for crying out loud!
I did/ do my job interviews professionally but tell you what, of all the job interviews I did with the above and other companies/ organizations which I did not mention about’ I have not been given any feedback whatsoever by the employers/ interviewers, as we speak! And I did these interviews between two to six months ago, believe that!
My point of view is that; nowadays, almost always, companies and organisations advertise these jobs and conduct interviews as a formality ’ they do it for the sake of it. What I have figured is that; they have the people for the positions advertised in the first place ’ be it a relative, friend, colleague or former schoolmate.
My question is why would you advertise these jobs while you have the people to fill these positions?
Do the top people in these organizations or companies know about this, that the candidates are already earmarked by the insiders and camouflaged by phony interviews?
If yes, why waste resources in adverts? And for those of us who do not have godfathers anywhere ’ should we stay jobless?
Lastly, to all of you interviewers; you can not interview a person once and for a few minutes and get to know their competency. Correct me if I am wrong!.
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