The beginning of November was pretty fun for me, not only was I going to see my favourite band in concert (Backstreet Boys – please keep your comments to yourself) but I had a few interviews lined up within the first couple of weeks.
The first was an interview with an Insurance company who were looking for Graduates that they could fast-track to become Team Leaders within a couple of years, perfect. This was exactly the kind of thing that I was after, let’s call this Company L (wow, I’m getting through the alphabet pretty quickly). I also had an interview with Company I again but this time it was for a different department, but still an Administrative role. It was just my luck that these two interviews were a day after each other, leaving me with little time to recoup in between.
Company L was up first, the interview was pretty relaxed and involved me just talking around three areas; 1) My previous work experience, 2) My University experience and, 3) My interest and activities. I found this pretty simple to do and the interviewer asked me questions around each one which weren’t too painful. The interviewer did however tell me they had reservations about me; they weren’t sure whether people would warm to me (seriously, they make it sound like I’m some kind of cold-hearted bitch!) and that I was to individually driven – this was the second time that someone had said that to me and I’m starting to question why.... Anyways, as the interview was coming to a close the interviewer said that they wanted me back for a second interview and I would hear in the next couple of days when it would be. So not a total disaster...
The next day I had my interview with Company I (again) and this one went a lot better than the first. I felt that I had a rapor with the interviewer and I answered the questions with ease. Although I felt that this interview had gone well, going on my previous record of interviews that had ‘gone well’, I wasn’t keeping my hopes up.
The next couple of weeks were quiet and I didn’t hear anything from Company L or I. It was in these quiet periods that I found it really hard to stay positive and become motivated to do anything. I tried to get up at a reasonable time in the mornings (9am at the latest) but then found myself starting to question why I bothered getting up early when I had nothing to actually do with my day. I had no money (£86 every two weeks didn’t get me far) and all my friends were at work during the day, it left me feeling very low and my self-esteem wasn’t exactly being boasted either. I can understand how people turn to alcohol and narcotics in order to escape the crappy world that they are living in, no one will give you a chance and you start to take it very personally which can only lead to a downward spiral..
Company L did finally invite me to attend a second interview for the following week, I accepted and was told that I would get an email to confirm and a link to some online tests I had to complete, I could hardly contain my excitement (note sarcastic tone, not to the interview but to ANOTHER round of tests!) The weekend had gone by and I still hadn’t had the confirmation email when the interview was in two days, this wasn’t putting Company L in a great light. They finally emailed me a link to complete an online test, it was more of a personality test so it wasn’t as bad as I was expecting.
When I arrived for the interview I had to complete more tests (Company L were slowly going down in my books) but again, they weren’t too hard and were the easiest I had completed by a mile. I then had to go and wait to be called in for the interview. I hadn’t been told a lot about the structure of this interview or who would be interviewing me which made me feel a little uncomfortable before it had even started. Turns out the interview was with the person I had before and his manager. This guy was your typical manager who had lost touch with reality, he had a thick Scottish accent and the worse teeth I had ever seen (I’m sure for the money that he was making he could easily afford to get them fixed, but for some reason decided not to..), he started off by asking me about my previous interview and how I thought it had gone etc which was easier enough to answer but it all went downhill from then. As I said before, the role was a fast-track for Team Leaders of the future and all the questions were around my experience of being a leader, which to be honest, were slim to none. All I can say is the interview was a complete disaster, my answers were rubbish as I had no experience to go on, the Scottish interviewer just kept pushing and pushing and half way through the interview they requested a break and told me to go back down to the waiting area. At this point I was so close to just walking out and not going back for the second half but unfortunately, I have been brought up properly and walking out on interviews just wasn’t good manners. The second half of the interview was no better than the first and I left there knowing that I didn’t have a cat in hells chance of getting the job. The thing that got me the most was that they were advertising for Graduates, who by definition will not have a lot of work experience and all the questions were around experience – go figure! Another thing that doesn’t sit well with me is that they both lied to me face. At the end of the interview I asked if they had any reservations about me (I have been told to do this as when they tell you their reservations, you can defend yourself straight away and try to change their mind, or something along those lines anyway..) they said that they ‘weren’t mind readers and didn’t know what the other was thinking’, um hello you just made me go and sit by myself for fifteen minutes what were you doing, discussing good dentists in the area?!
I know I must sound bitter but I was starting to get pretty fed up with the bull that would come out of the people’s mouths, if you don’t think I’m right for the job just be honest and say so! Looks like Christmas is not going to be filled with laughter and joy for me the way my job hunt is going.
Thursday, 1 April 2010
Monday, 7 December 2009
This Is No Fun Anymore
It all went quiet for me again after being rejected from Company H and there seemed to be a pattern emerging for me. One week I would have at least one or two interviews followed by a week of rejections, only for the next week to have more interviews again. I was starting to get very bored and de-motivated by this and wanted to break the cycle by actually getting a job!
In between applying for jobs, I mostly spent my time watching trashy daytime television (mainly American chat shows) and doing chores for my Mum which included but was not limited to, cleaning, ironing and taking the dog for a walk. As much as I enjoy these activities (ahem) I would rather be spending my time pursuing my career like everyone else.
As per my job pattern, I ended up with a week of three consecutive days of interviews, each for completely different roles. The first with Company I to be an Administrator, the second with Company J to be a Trainee Manager and the third with Company K (a well-known department store) to be a Sales Assistant – it was going to be a hectic week!
Luckily for me I knew someone on the inside of Company I who gave me some good hints and tips as to what to expect for the interview so when I arrived I was feeling positive. The interview consisted of your usual interview questions but after I’d finished answering a question, the interviewer would pause, then say, ‘okay’ really slowly and then carry on with the next question. It was a little off-putting and made me doubt whether I was answering the question well enough. It was also the first interview where I would start to answer a question then forget what the question was and have to re-ask it! It did make me wonder was I was rambling on about to forget the question though… It ended with the usual, ‘we are hoping to make our decision next week so you should hear then’ line and off I went.
Next up, Company J. This was a telephone interview which allowed me to have my notes in front of me to check in case I forgot anything and they actually rung on time rather then me sat there staring at my phone to ring, which is usually what happens. I was expecting the first couple of questions to be around what I knew about the company but no, the interviewer went straight in at the deep end and all the notes that I had made were irrelevant especially as the interview was only twenty minutes long. This didn’t fill me with too much hope but you never know, maybe he could tell from my voice that I was obviously amazing and didn’t need to hear anymore... or something along those lines!!
The week ended with Company K and even though the role was to be a Sales Assistant I had to have a telephone interview first and then attend an assessment day. I wasn’t too sure what to expect but when I turned up I was easily the oldest person there, I was not amused. The ‘assessment day’ consisted of an ice-breaker, a group exercise and an interview. In the group exercise we were given a scenario about working on the shop floor and we had to discuss between us how we would tackle this problem, we then had to read it out to the rest of the group. Well I say ‘read’ loosely as most people read it in a monotonous voice, not looking up and ignoring all types of grammar, I hate to sound snobbish but the majority of people there were your stereotypical Sales Assistant and I really shouldn’t have been there. The interview again was interesting as one of the first things that the interviewer said to me was, ‘don’t worry if you don’t have much work experience, try to use examples from school or outside of school to help you answer the questions’, I really don’t think that I look sixteen so the interviewer was clearly used to interviewing a certain type of person…
Although I had had a jammed packed week of interviews leading me to think that maybe things were starting to look up, I knew from my previous record that the probability of me getting any one of these jobs was slim. True to form I was rejected from all three and Company I and J gave me pretty much the same reason – if the person they had offered the job to hadn’t accepted, I would have been offered it!! I cannot begin to tell you how frustrating that is to hear but that’s life I guess. Company K was unfortunate as the store where I had the ‘assessment day’ was too far for me to travel and it wouldn’t have been worth it so I asked to be moved to a store closer to where I lived, but this couldn’t be done so I had to turn it down. To be honest I was pretty relieved about Company K as I really didn’t want to work in retail but we are in a recession and I know that there are people worse off then me.
It is now the beginning of November and I really never thought that I would still be without a job; fingers crossed I have a job by 2010…
In between applying for jobs, I mostly spent my time watching trashy daytime television (mainly American chat shows) and doing chores for my Mum which included but was not limited to, cleaning, ironing and taking the dog for a walk. As much as I enjoy these activities (ahem) I would rather be spending my time pursuing my career like everyone else.
As per my job pattern, I ended up with a week of three consecutive days of interviews, each for completely different roles. The first with Company I to be an Administrator, the second with Company J to be a Trainee Manager and the third with Company K (a well-known department store) to be a Sales Assistant – it was going to be a hectic week!
Luckily for me I knew someone on the inside of Company I who gave me some good hints and tips as to what to expect for the interview so when I arrived I was feeling positive. The interview consisted of your usual interview questions but after I’d finished answering a question, the interviewer would pause, then say, ‘okay’ really slowly and then carry on with the next question. It was a little off-putting and made me doubt whether I was answering the question well enough. It was also the first interview where I would start to answer a question then forget what the question was and have to re-ask it! It did make me wonder was I was rambling on about to forget the question though… It ended with the usual, ‘we are hoping to make our decision next week so you should hear then’ line and off I went.
Next up, Company J. This was a telephone interview which allowed me to have my notes in front of me to check in case I forgot anything and they actually rung on time rather then me sat there staring at my phone to ring, which is usually what happens. I was expecting the first couple of questions to be around what I knew about the company but no, the interviewer went straight in at the deep end and all the notes that I had made were irrelevant especially as the interview was only twenty minutes long. This didn’t fill me with too much hope but you never know, maybe he could tell from my voice that I was obviously amazing and didn’t need to hear anymore... or something along those lines!!
The week ended with Company K and even though the role was to be a Sales Assistant I had to have a telephone interview first and then attend an assessment day. I wasn’t too sure what to expect but when I turned up I was easily the oldest person there, I was not amused. The ‘assessment day’ consisted of an ice-breaker, a group exercise and an interview. In the group exercise we were given a scenario about working on the shop floor and we had to discuss between us how we would tackle this problem, we then had to read it out to the rest of the group. Well I say ‘read’ loosely as most people read it in a monotonous voice, not looking up and ignoring all types of grammar, I hate to sound snobbish but the majority of people there were your stereotypical Sales Assistant and I really shouldn’t have been there. The interview again was interesting as one of the first things that the interviewer said to me was, ‘don’t worry if you don’t have much work experience, try to use examples from school or outside of school to help you answer the questions’, I really don’t think that I look sixteen so the interviewer was clearly used to interviewing a certain type of person…
Although I had had a jammed packed week of interviews leading me to think that maybe things were starting to look up, I knew from my previous record that the probability of me getting any one of these jobs was slim. True to form I was rejected from all three and Company I and J gave me pretty much the same reason – if the person they had offered the job to hadn’t accepted, I would have been offered it!! I cannot begin to tell you how frustrating that is to hear but that’s life I guess. Company K was unfortunate as the store where I had the ‘assessment day’ was too far for me to travel and it wouldn’t have been worth it so I asked to be moved to a store closer to where I lived, but this couldn’t be done so I had to turn it down. To be honest I was pretty relieved about Company K as I really didn’t want to work in retail but we are in a recession and I know that there are people worse off then me.
It is now the beginning of November and I really never thought that I would still be without a job; fingers crossed I have a job by 2010…
Sunday, 6 December 2009
The One That Really Hurt
October brings a fresh start and I decide that I should apply for anything and everything just so I can get a job!
My first port of call for this new approach was the local paper, it had quite a few administrative jobs in there and I send my CV to a couple of them. I hear from one pretty quickly and am invited to an interview; I will call this one Company G. I arrive ten minutes early (as I usually do in order to take a moment to focus and so that I appear enthusiastic) and as I am signing in I notice that quite a few people have already been in today to see the same person that I am seeing, interesting… During the interview I am told that they have had two hundred applications for this job and they are trying to see everyone for a twenty minute interview (all the names now make sense) and then invite a few back for a second, more in-depth interview. I personally can’t see how they can decide anything from a twenty minute interview, especially as during mine the interviewer spends most of his time reading my CV out loud to himself and not asking me any questions. I am told that I will hear within two weeks but I don’t hold out much hope. I was right not to as it’s now December and I have yet to hear anything so again, I imagine it’s a ‘No’.
It all goes a bit quiet for me the next couple of days but I decide to apply for a job at the company where I did my Placement (Company H) in the hope that as I have already worked there, it will be an advantage. The role is to be a Pricing Analyst, not something that I have any experience in but I give it a go. I apply for the job in the morning and by the afternoon I have had a call to say that they would like me to complete some online numeric and verbal reasoning tests (again with the sodding tests!!). I don’t understand why I have to do them as I have already worked there for a year, plus my friends who have gone back to work there didn’t have to do them. I decide to stop complaining and just do the tests in the hope that it won’t affect my chances at getting the job. The following day Company H call me and arrange an interview (maybe I’m not as bad at those tests as I thought, eh?) for two days time. Company H seem pretty keen to get me in as soon as possible which fills me with a false sense of positivity, particularly when the person that I spoke to on the phone said that they always like to have former Placement Students back.
I am really nervous about this interview as I had such a good time there during my Placement year and would love to go back. Plus, I feel that because I have already worked there, they will expect me to know a lot more about Company H etc. During the interview I don’t even get asked what I know about Company H and they just head straight into the hardcore questions. When I left the interview I was a little unsure as to whether it went well but I had done all that I could and if it was meant to be, it was meant to be. A week later I find out that it’s not meant to be, I am completely crushed. I just about hold it together during the rejection phone call but as soon as I hung up, the floodgates opened and I found it hard to stop. After all the rejections that I had had, this one was the hardest to take. Why did everyone else seem to be getting jobs and not me?!
I now knew that I couldn’t get a job in a company where I had worked, where I hadn’t worked and in an area where I had experience and where I didn’t have experience, go me!! I was also getting fed up of people telling me to, ‘hang in there’ and that ‘the right job will come along’ as from where I was standing, the future wasn’t looking so great.
My first port of call for this new approach was the local paper, it had quite a few administrative jobs in there and I send my CV to a couple of them. I hear from one pretty quickly and am invited to an interview; I will call this one Company G. I arrive ten minutes early (as I usually do in order to take a moment to focus and so that I appear enthusiastic) and as I am signing in I notice that quite a few people have already been in today to see the same person that I am seeing, interesting… During the interview I am told that they have had two hundred applications for this job and they are trying to see everyone for a twenty minute interview (all the names now make sense) and then invite a few back for a second, more in-depth interview. I personally can’t see how they can decide anything from a twenty minute interview, especially as during mine the interviewer spends most of his time reading my CV out loud to himself and not asking me any questions. I am told that I will hear within two weeks but I don’t hold out much hope. I was right not to as it’s now December and I have yet to hear anything so again, I imagine it’s a ‘No’.
It all goes a bit quiet for me the next couple of days but I decide to apply for a job at the company where I did my Placement (Company H) in the hope that as I have already worked there, it will be an advantage. The role is to be a Pricing Analyst, not something that I have any experience in but I give it a go. I apply for the job in the morning and by the afternoon I have had a call to say that they would like me to complete some online numeric and verbal reasoning tests (again with the sodding tests!!). I don’t understand why I have to do them as I have already worked there for a year, plus my friends who have gone back to work there didn’t have to do them. I decide to stop complaining and just do the tests in the hope that it won’t affect my chances at getting the job. The following day Company H call me and arrange an interview (maybe I’m not as bad at those tests as I thought, eh?) for two days time. Company H seem pretty keen to get me in as soon as possible which fills me with a false sense of positivity, particularly when the person that I spoke to on the phone said that they always like to have former Placement Students back.
I am really nervous about this interview as I had such a good time there during my Placement year and would love to go back. Plus, I feel that because I have already worked there, they will expect me to know a lot more about Company H etc. During the interview I don’t even get asked what I know about Company H and they just head straight into the hardcore questions. When I left the interview I was a little unsure as to whether it went well but I had done all that I could and if it was meant to be, it was meant to be. A week later I find out that it’s not meant to be, I am completely crushed. I just about hold it together during the rejection phone call but as soon as I hung up, the floodgates opened and I found it hard to stop. After all the rejections that I had had, this one was the hardest to take. Why did everyone else seem to be getting jobs and not me?!
I now knew that I couldn’t get a job in a company where I had worked, where I hadn’t worked and in an area where I had experience and where I didn’t have experience, go me!! I was also getting fed up of people telling me to, ‘hang in there’ and that ‘the right job will come along’ as from where I was standing, the future wasn’t looking so great.
Older & Wiser
Having thoroughly enjoyed my Birthday weekend, Monday arrives all too soon and I am back to spending my days applying for job, after job, after job…
I was waiting to hear from Company B with regards to the interview that I had with them last week and when I do they offer me the job. I know I should be ecstatic but I’m really not, it only leaves me with two days to move down to Basingstoke and I’m starting to doubt whether I really want this job. The manager who I speak to is also becoming quite pushy with me and this only serves to put me off even more. After much thought, I decide that this job isn’t right for and turn it down. At least I know that I can actually get a job I guess but getting the one that I want is still proving tough.
Company D (the one that was really keen on me) has yet to contact me with regards to a second interview and when I ring up I never get through to the person I want to speak to due to them being ‘tied up in an important meeting’, which I’m sure is the case! I decide to leave it for the week and wait for them to ring me but Friday comes and goes without so much of a missed call. I ring again on Monday morning to be told that the person who I have been dealing with is now on holiday for the week, I assume at this point that I haven’t got the job and add it to my ever growing pile of rejections.
In the meantime, I have had a call from Company F about a role as a Bid Manager; I already have experience in this area due to working as a Bid Team Support Executive for a year as part of my Degree, so I decide to arrange an interview. After looking at the job description, I know that I can do this job and am feeling rather positive on my way to the interview. The interview goes really well and I am told that I should hear by the beginning of next week but as always, companies do whatever they want and I get an email through to say that they have had late applications through and I will find out by the following week. Whatever happened to having closing dates on applications?!
Whilst waiting around for Company F to get back to me, Company D finally gets in contact. It’s not the person that I had the previous interview with but their manager, and I pretty much have to go through all the same questions that I had been asked the first time round again over the phone. Once I had answered all the questions we arranged a face-to-face interview for the following week. Again the interview seems to go okay and I am told that they have a couple more people to interview and I should hear by the end of the week. That was September, we are now in December and I still haven’t heard anything so I’m assuming it’s a ‘No’.
I’d had enough of waiting around for Company F so I email the contact that I have there to find out whether they had made a decision yet or not, surprise surprise they had made a decision and it wasn’t me. They decided to recruit internally but they were really impressed with me and if the situation had been different, I would have gotten the job! That annoys me more then anything knowing that I was so close to getting it, I’d rather be told that I was absolutely rubbish and there was no way they would employ me!
I’m going to end this entry with a rant; I am sick and tired of companies making up their own rules when it comes to interviews and recruitment. If you say you are going to get back to someone by a certain day, then you should! It’s not fair to keep people in the dark especially when they have made the effort to fill out long application forms and attend interviews, it’s just common decency. Okay, end of rant, bring on the next couple of weeks of application forms, interviews and rejections…
I was waiting to hear from Company B with regards to the interview that I had with them last week and when I do they offer me the job. I know I should be ecstatic but I’m really not, it only leaves me with two days to move down to Basingstoke and I’m starting to doubt whether I really want this job. The manager who I speak to is also becoming quite pushy with me and this only serves to put me off even more. After much thought, I decide that this job isn’t right for and turn it down. At least I know that I can actually get a job I guess but getting the one that I want is still proving tough.
Company D (the one that was really keen on me) has yet to contact me with regards to a second interview and when I ring up I never get through to the person I want to speak to due to them being ‘tied up in an important meeting’, which I’m sure is the case! I decide to leave it for the week and wait for them to ring me but Friday comes and goes without so much of a missed call. I ring again on Monday morning to be told that the person who I have been dealing with is now on holiday for the week, I assume at this point that I haven’t got the job and add it to my ever growing pile of rejections.
In the meantime, I have had a call from Company F about a role as a Bid Manager; I already have experience in this area due to working as a Bid Team Support Executive for a year as part of my Degree, so I decide to arrange an interview. After looking at the job description, I know that I can do this job and am feeling rather positive on my way to the interview. The interview goes really well and I am told that I should hear by the beginning of next week but as always, companies do whatever they want and I get an email through to say that they have had late applications through and I will find out by the following week. Whatever happened to having closing dates on applications?!
Whilst waiting around for Company F to get back to me, Company D finally gets in contact. It’s not the person that I had the previous interview with but their manager, and I pretty much have to go through all the same questions that I had been asked the first time round again over the phone. Once I had answered all the questions we arranged a face-to-face interview for the following week. Again the interview seems to go okay and I am told that they have a couple more people to interview and I should hear by the end of the week. That was September, we are now in December and I still haven’t heard anything so I’m assuming it’s a ‘No’.
I’d had enough of waiting around for Company F so I email the contact that I have there to find out whether they had made a decision yet or not, surprise surprise they had made a decision and it wasn’t me. They decided to recruit internally but they were really impressed with me and if the situation had been different, I would have gotten the job! That annoys me more then anything knowing that I was so close to getting it, I’d rather be told that I was absolutely rubbish and there was no way they would employ me!
I’m going to end this entry with a rant; I am sick and tired of companies making up their own rules when it comes to interviews and recruitment. If you say you are going to get back to someone by a certain day, then you should! It’s not fair to keep people in the dark especially when they have made the effort to fill out long application forms and attend interviews, it’s just common decency. Okay, end of rant, bring on the next couple of weeks of application forms, interviews and rejections…
Tuesday, 17 November 2009
Back By Popular Demand!
The date is the 8th September and a good day for me to say the least as I end up with three interviews lined up by the end of it!
Firstly, I receive a call from Company B (see previous post on my attempts at becoming a Recruitment Consultant) who I was previously rejected from, to say that they now had the budget for an extra Graduate and if I was still interested, then they wanted to invite me down for an informal interview. I had put becoming a recruitment consultant to the back of my mind after all the rejections, but I had nothing else in the pipe line so decided to say yes and the interview was scheduled for the next day (9th September).
My second call is from a company in Swindon (I'll use my imagination and call them... Company D!) and the role is for Graduates who are interested in a career in Sales. Again, I'm not too sure why I applied for this role in Sales but it would definitely equip me with invaluable skills that would come in handy throughout my career. The phone call is also a brief interview (the one thing I like about phone interviews, I can do them in my pajamas!!) and I am then invited to a face-to-face interview for two days time (10th September). I agree and am told that it will be a formal, competency based interview and I am to bring with me my passport and two pieces of coursework that highlight what I can bring to the company. I hadn't been asked that before but luckily for me I still had all my university work on my laptop so all I had to do was print off a couple that would show off my skills.
The third call is from another recruitment consultancy (lets call them Company D) who I had given my CV to through a friend of a friend as I knew that someone was leaving. The person that I speak too is pretty keen and the only day left that I can do is Friday 11th, however, he tells me that if the interview goes well, then he would like me to meet his manager who will be in the office on Friday so is it possible for me to come in on Thursday? I tell him that I already have an interview arranged for that day at 12.30pm but I could come in first thing (this is meant to highlight how enthusiastic I am, or something along those lines). So, the interview is arranged for 9am on Thursday 10th September.
By this point I can't believe how popular I am?! But I also know that the next two days are going to involve two 6am starts (before everyone starts shouting at the screen, 'I get up at 6am EVERY day', those of us who are unemployed don't!) and be pretty full on. So to summarise, I have an interview with Company B on the 9th, and interviews with Company D and E on the 10th. I do my usual preparation and keep everything crossed that one of these interviews will lead to a job!
Wednesday arrives and I'm not too nervous about Company B as I know that it is going to be a pretty informal interview, plus I'm not too fussed about getting the job. During the interview I find out that the start date is the 21st September and that the other person that they are going to interview is going to be on the 14th, which if I was successful, would leave me with less then a week to find somewhere to live and move down to Basingstoke. This is my main issue which I express as the other Graduates have had three weeks to suss out the area and find somewhere to live and I will have about three days. Anyways, I'm there for just over an hour and leave feeling not too bothered about whether I am successful or not.
Thursday is here and I am dreading it! I attend my first interview at 9am with Company D and it seems to go well. The person who interviews me does a lot of the talking which is my kind of interview AND he tells me that he is very keen. This is a great start to the day so I head off to my second interview with a smile on my face, little did I know that by the end of the day I would be in tears...
I don't have that long to get to Company E and I arrive just in the nick if time. I head to reception and explain that I am there for an interview to be told that the person who is interviewing me is running a few minutes late. Half an hour later the person who is due to interview me turns up and we commence the interview, however he doesn't even have my CV printed off and has to keep checking his laptop which keeps going into hibernation. I let this slide and as I mentioned earlier, I was told that this interview would be a formal, competency based interview and to bring along two pieces of coursework to highlight my skills for the role. This is mind the questions that I was asked didn't exactly test my competency skills, I was asked questions such as, 'Do you have any siblings?', to which I answer yes and that I was the youngest, I am them asked, 'Does that mean you are spoilt because you are the youngest?' WTF?! If someone could please explain to me what this has to do with being a Sales person I would greatly appreciate it. And I'm sure you've also probably guessed by now that I wasn't asked to present my coursework to the interviewer either!! I then have to complete a test, which out of all the tests I've done, this one was p*ss easy and I felt kinda insulted that I had to do it! I then had ANOTHER interview this time with one of the Directors. I will describe her for you: middle aged but dressing like she was about twenty i.e. long, fake blonde hair, fake boobs and the longest fake nails I have ever seen!!! Not really what you would expect a director to look like lets be honest. Shes pretty hard-faced firing the questions at me like there's no tomorrow, I think I do pretty well with keeping my cool and being a pro at interviews now(!), I can tell that she is trying to get a reaction out of me. I don't rise to it and she then goes on to say something that completely shocked me, 'Your voice is wrong for sales because it goes down at the end of each sentence making you come across too laid-back.' I was speechless. All I can say is, 'okay'. How can someones voice be wrong?! She also has the great pleasure in telling me that, 'I've been in sales since I was fourteen years old and when I walked into Company E I saw a mess and when I came in the next day I saw an opportunity!' Seriously, this women was a your steroetypical Businesswomen, i.e. a Bitch, and someone that I definately didn't want to be like! Finally the interview ends and as soon as I step outside the building I burst into tears!! I have never had anyone make such a personal comment in an interview situation before, add to the fact that I had had two interviews within twenty-four hours, I was done.
Least to say I didn't get that job either and when I received the feedback I mentioned to the women who had told me that the interview was going to be formal that it really wasn't and all she could say was, 'well, that's how we like to do it here'. If that's 'how you like to do it', don't tell me that it's going to be the complete opposite, stupid...
I was all interviewed out, and looking forward to the weekend more then ever as it was my Birthday, bring on the celebrations!!
Firstly, I receive a call from Company B (see previous post on my attempts at becoming a Recruitment Consultant) who I was previously rejected from, to say that they now had the budget for an extra Graduate and if I was still interested, then they wanted to invite me down for an informal interview. I had put becoming a recruitment consultant to the back of my mind after all the rejections, but I had nothing else in the pipe line so decided to say yes and the interview was scheduled for the next day (9th September).
My second call is from a company in Swindon (I'll use my imagination and call them... Company D!) and the role is for Graduates who are interested in a career in Sales. Again, I'm not too sure why I applied for this role in Sales but it would definitely equip me with invaluable skills that would come in handy throughout my career. The phone call is also a brief interview (the one thing I like about phone interviews, I can do them in my pajamas!!) and I am then invited to a face-to-face interview for two days time (10th September). I agree and am told that it will be a formal, competency based interview and I am to bring with me my passport and two pieces of coursework that highlight what I can bring to the company. I hadn't been asked that before but luckily for me I still had all my university work on my laptop so all I had to do was print off a couple that would show off my skills.
The third call is from another recruitment consultancy (lets call them Company D) who I had given my CV to through a friend of a friend as I knew that someone was leaving. The person that I speak too is pretty keen and the only day left that I can do is Friday 11th, however, he tells me that if the interview goes well, then he would like me to meet his manager who will be in the office on Friday so is it possible for me to come in on Thursday? I tell him that I already have an interview arranged for that day at 12.30pm but I could come in first thing (this is meant to highlight how enthusiastic I am, or something along those lines). So, the interview is arranged for 9am on Thursday 10th September.
By this point I can't believe how popular I am?! But I also know that the next two days are going to involve two 6am starts (before everyone starts shouting at the screen, 'I get up at 6am EVERY day', those of us who are unemployed don't!) and be pretty full on. So to summarise, I have an interview with Company B on the 9th, and interviews with Company D and E on the 10th. I do my usual preparation and keep everything crossed that one of these interviews will lead to a job!
Wednesday arrives and I'm not too nervous about Company B as I know that it is going to be a pretty informal interview, plus I'm not too fussed about getting the job. During the interview I find out that the start date is the 21st September and that the other person that they are going to interview is going to be on the 14th, which if I was successful, would leave me with less then a week to find somewhere to live and move down to Basingstoke. This is my main issue which I express as the other Graduates have had three weeks to suss out the area and find somewhere to live and I will have about three days. Anyways, I'm there for just over an hour and leave feeling not too bothered about whether I am successful or not.
Thursday is here and I am dreading it! I attend my first interview at 9am with Company D and it seems to go well. The person who interviews me does a lot of the talking which is my kind of interview AND he tells me that he is very keen. This is a great start to the day so I head off to my second interview with a smile on my face, little did I know that by the end of the day I would be in tears...
I don't have that long to get to Company E and I arrive just in the nick if time. I head to reception and explain that I am there for an interview to be told that the person who is interviewing me is running a few minutes late. Half an hour later the person who is due to interview me turns up and we commence the interview, however he doesn't even have my CV printed off and has to keep checking his laptop which keeps going into hibernation. I let this slide and as I mentioned earlier, I was told that this interview would be a formal, competency based interview and to bring along two pieces of coursework to highlight my skills for the role. This is mind the questions that I was asked didn't exactly test my competency skills, I was asked questions such as, 'Do you have any siblings?', to which I answer yes and that I was the youngest, I am them asked, 'Does that mean you are spoilt because you are the youngest?' WTF?! If someone could please explain to me what this has to do with being a Sales person I would greatly appreciate it. And I'm sure you've also probably guessed by now that I wasn't asked to present my coursework to the interviewer either!! I then have to complete a test, which out of all the tests I've done, this one was p*ss easy and I felt kinda insulted that I had to do it! I then had ANOTHER interview this time with one of the Directors. I will describe her for you: middle aged but dressing like she was about twenty i.e. long, fake blonde hair, fake boobs and the longest fake nails I have ever seen!!! Not really what you would expect a director to look like lets be honest. Shes pretty hard-faced firing the questions at me like there's no tomorrow, I think I do pretty well with keeping my cool and being a pro at interviews now(!), I can tell that she is trying to get a reaction out of me. I don't rise to it and she then goes on to say something that completely shocked me, 'Your voice is wrong for sales because it goes down at the end of each sentence making you come across too laid-back.' I was speechless. All I can say is, 'okay'. How can someones voice be wrong?! She also has the great pleasure in telling me that, 'I've been in sales since I was fourteen years old and when I walked into Company E I saw a mess and when I came in the next day I saw an opportunity!' Seriously, this women was a your steroetypical Businesswomen, i.e. a Bitch, and someone that I definately didn't want to be like! Finally the interview ends and as soon as I step outside the building I burst into tears!! I have never had anyone make such a personal comment in an interview situation before, add to the fact that I had had two interviews within twenty-four hours, I was done.
Least to say I didn't get that job either and when I received the feedback I mentioned to the women who had told me that the interview was going to be formal that it really wasn't and all she could say was, 'well, that's how we like to do it here'. If that's 'how you like to do it', don't tell me that it's going to be the complete opposite, stupid...
I was all interviewed out, and looking forward to the weekend more then ever as it was my Birthday, bring on the celebrations!!
It's All So Quiet..
I am now entering the last week of August and if I was asked in an interview to, 'describe in three words the past two weeks', I would say: dull, boring and tedious. I have heard zilch from anyone, I have applied to so many jobs I can't remember half of them (which can cause an issue when a company rings me and asks, a) why I applied for the role? or b) what do I know about the company?!) This has not done a lot of good for my confidence or motivation, especially as the majority of my friends have now found employment.
To further add to my frustrations I had no money. This lead me to take the leap into a world that is usually occupied by people who you see on The Jeremy Kyle Show, that's right I signed on to claim my Job Seekers Allowance! I really did not want to have to do this and never in a million years did I think that I would be in the situation where I needed to. Nevertheless, beggars can't be choosers and all that so upon my first visit I told myself that any preconceived notions that I had would be forgotten. So, I walk in dressed smart/casual to be greeted at the reception desk by someone who didn't even speak but just looked me up and down like I was a piece of crap stuck to the bottom of his shoe (he obviously hadn't left his preconceived notions at the door) and gestured for me to take a seat. I take a seat and I am surrounded by, you guessed it, people wearing tracksuit bottoms, trainers, Burberry caps and pretty much look like they have spent last night getting high and/or drunk. To say I feel overdressed and out of place is an understatement. I have my first meeting and the women that I deal with is nice enough but does speak to me in a rather patronising way, that said it was pretty painless and I wouldn't have to go there again for another two weeks.
Having had my first experience of going into a Job Centre I start to think that if it wasn't for the City Banker's (feel free to change the 'B' in Banker's to a 'W') and their greed, I wouldn't be in this situation. Maybe leaving school at sixteen to become a Beauty Therapist was a good idea..
To further add to my frustrations I had no money. This lead me to take the leap into a world that is usually occupied by people who you see on The Jeremy Kyle Show, that's right I signed on to claim my Job Seekers Allowance! I really did not want to have to do this and never in a million years did I think that I would be in the situation where I needed to. Nevertheless, beggars can't be choosers and all that so upon my first visit I told myself that any preconceived notions that I had would be forgotten. So, I walk in dressed smart/casual to be greeted at the reception desk by someone who didn't even speak but just looked me up and down like I was a piece of crap stuck to the bottom of his shoe (he obviously hadn't left his preconceived notions at the door) and gestured for me to take a seat. I take a seat and I am surrounded by, you guessed it, people wearing tracksuit bottoms, trainers, Burberry caps and pretty much look like they have spent last night getting high and/or drunk. To say I feel overdressed and out of place is an understatement. I have my first meeting and the women that I deal with is nice enough but does speak to me in a rather patronising way, that said it was pretty painless and I wouldn't have to go there again for another two weeks.
Having had my first experience of going into a Job Centre I start to think that if it wasn't for the City Banker's (feel free to change the 'B' in Banker's to a 'W') and their greed, I wouldn't be in this situation. Maybe leaving school at sixteen to become a Beauty Therapist was a good idea..
Wednesday, 11 November 2009
Recruitment Consultant?!
I arrive back from my well deserved break to the States at the beginning of August and to my surprise I have two voicemails from different companies asking me to call them back with regards to my applications. This is great news, so with much excitement I ring them both back and arrange a phone interview with one, and confirm my attendance to an assessment day for the other (I'm a little unsure as to whether I am allowed to mention company names or not, so to be safe I will call them Company A and Company B). At this stage in my adventure, I had applied to a lot of recruitment consultancy roles, looking back I'm not sure why but there were a lot of jobs out there in that area...
The phone interview with Company A is two days later (5th August) so without further ado, I head feet first into preparing for it. This mainly involves researching the company, the job role, anticipating any questions they might ask such as; why have you applied for the role? Why should we pick you over other Graduates...etc. (I must also mention that at this point I was still pretty fixated with getting a job on a Graduate Scheme and both Company A and B are such schemes). The phone interview goes well and at the end of it I get asked to complete the next stage which involves me ringing a nominated member of the company and explaining to them why I would be good at the role, I was not impressed with this. What is it with Companies wanting to make the recruitment process as long as possible?! However, I complete the next stage and to my surprise, I am asked to attend an assessment centre in a couple of weeks time, things are starting to look up!
So, I now have two assessment days lined up: Company A on the 13th August and Company B on the 18th August, I can't believe my luck! I was still applying for other jobs as nothing was guaranteed and I end up with a third company being interested in me! Company C are another recruitment consultancy company and I attend an interview on the 11th August, I always have a number of questions that I ask during an interview and one is, 'what are the next stages in the recruitment process?', Company C tell me that in total there are four stages in the process, FOUR?! What the hell, I'm applying to be a recruitment consultant not some kind of secret agent! However, I am invited back there and then to the next stage: another interview three days later on the 14th August.
My assessment day for Company A (13th August) is in London which involves me being up and raring to go at 5am in order to get there on time as the day starts at 10am. There are six other applicants attending, all with different work experience and university degrees to myself. We have to undertake a number of tasks throughout the day, some by ourselves and some group ones, and finally an interview with one of the assessors at the end. The day doesn't go fantastically, not helped by the arrogant Director whos sat there swearing and generally being up his own arse, I pretty much know that I haven't got the job. Ever the optimist, I know that I still have Company B and C on the cards and all I can do is take what I have learnt from Company A and move on.
August 14th and my second interview with Company C arrives, this interview is with a more senior person then before and a little more formal too. I also have the great pleasure of taking part in a role play, the logical thing would be to assume that as I am applying to be a recruitment consultant that it would be related to that, WRONG! I have to pretend that I am in Dragon's Den and I have fifteen minutes to make up my own company and create a business plan as I would be asking the 'Dragon's' (two recruitment consultants) for £100k in order to implement my business plan. Luckily for me I have a good imagination so I create my own dance company and make up some bull about needing the money to set up a second studio, however, unfortunately for me, finance is not my strong point and I hadn't fully thought through what I would need the money for... The exercise didn't go so well as I didn't get the money from the 'Dragon's' BUT I did handle their objections rather well if I do say so myself i.e. I was asked what are the names of my two biggest competitors, from somewhere Twinkle Toes and Twist and Shout pop into my brain, pretty good huh? After the interview I wasn't feeling too bad but unfortunately I was rejected and the reason why? Because I didn't have enough experience! What did they expect, they are advertising for a Graduate for starters plus they were able to see from my CV that I don't have any experience in that area. As always, I take what I have learnt from Company C and focus on my assessment day with Company B a few days later...
Little did I know that role plays were going to play such a big part in my assessment day with Company B, as that's all we did! I have to be in Basingstoke for 10am, so again I am up bright and early at 5am in order to get their on time (I always seem to be the one who has been up the earliest/travelled the furthest for these things, and this was no exception). There were ten applicants there (four hundred had applied!) including myself and straight away one makes themselves known mainly by talking the loudest and about themselves (it of course had nothing to do with the fact that they were from the Northeast..) I didn't let this phase me and in we all go to the assessment room. As I mentioned earlier, all we did was role plays, this time they did actually relate to being a recruitment consultant but we had so much time to prepare that I spent most of the day chatting to the other candidates. It was very hard to gage how the day had gone because each role play was done only in front of the assessors, so I couldn't see how I had done in comparison to the others. But as with my other interviews, I was rejected. The thought that I had got down to the final ten from four hundred made me feel pretty good so as always, I took what I could from Company B and moved on..
By now, I was starting to think that maybe recruitment consultancy wasn't for me due to all the rejections, so I decided to expand my horizons and start applying for any job going!
The phone interview with Company A is two days later (5th August) so without further ado, I head feet first into preparing for it. This mainly involves researching the company, the job role, anticipating any questions they might ask such as; why have you applied for the role? Why should we pick you over other Graduates...etc. (I must also mention that at this point I was still pretty fixated with getting a job on a Graduate Scheme and both Company A and B are such schemes). The phone interview goes well and at the end of it I get asked to complete the next stage which involves me ringing a nominated member of the company and explaining to them why I would be good at the role, I was not impressed with this. What is it with Companies wanting to make the recruitment process as long as possible?! However, I complete the next stage and to my surprise, I am asked to attend an assessment centre in a couple of weeks time, things are starting to look up!
So, I now have two assessment days lined up: Company A on the 13th August and Company B on the 18th August, I can't believe my luck! I was still applying for other jobs as nothing was guaranteed and I end up with a third company being interested in me! Company C are another recruitment consultancy company and I attend an interview on the 11th August, I always have a number of questions that I ask during an interview and one is, 'what are the next stages in the recruitment process?', Company C tell me that in total there are four stages in the process, FOUR?! What the hell, I'm applying to be a recruitment consultant not some kind of secret agent! However, I am invited back there and then to the next stage: another interview three days later on the 14th August.
My assessment day for Company A (13th August) is in London which involves me being up and raring to go at 5am in order to get there on time as the day starts at 10am. There are six other applicants attending, all with different work experience and university degrees to myself. We have to undertake a number of tasks throughout the day, some by ourselves and some group ones, and finally an interview with one of the assessors at the end. The day doesn't go fantastically, not helped by the arrogant Director whos sat there swearing and generally being up his own arse, I pretty much know that I haven't got the job. Ever the optimist, I know that I still have Company B and C on the cards and all I can do is take what I have learnt from Company A and move on.
August 14th and my second interview with Company C arrives, this interview is with a more senior person then before and a little more formal too. I also have the great pleasure of taking part in a role play, the logical thing would be to assume that as I am applying to be a recruitment consultant that it would be related to that, WRONG! I have to pretend that I am in Dragon's Den and I have fifteen minutes to make up my own company and create a business plan as I would be asking the 'Dragon's' (two recruitment consultants) for £100k in order to implement my business plan. Luckily for me I have a good imagination so I create my own dance company and make up some bull about needing the money to set up a second studio, however, unfortunately for me, finance is not my strong point and I hadn't fully thought through what I would need the money for... The exercise didn't go so well as I didn't get the money from the 'Dragon's' BUT I did handle their objections rather well if I do say so myself i.e. I was asked what are the names of my two biggest competitors, from somewhere Twinkle Toes and Twist and Shout pop into my brain, pretty good huh? After the interview I wasn't feeling too bad but unfortunately I was rejected and the reason why? Because I didn't have enough experience! What did they expect, they are advertising for a Graduate for starters plus they were able to see from my CV that I don't have any experience in that area. As always, I take what I have learnt from Company C and focus on my assessment day with Company B a few days later...
Little did I know that role plays were going to play such a big part in my assessment day with Company B, as that's all we did! I have to be in Basingstoke for 10am, so again I am up bright and early at 5am in order to get their on time (I always seem to be the one who has been up the earliest/travelled the furthest for these things, and this was no exception). There were ten applicants there (four hundred had applied!) including myself and straight away one makes themselves known mainly by talking the loudest and about themselves (it of course had nothing to do with the fact that they were from the Northeast..) I didn't let this phase me and in we all go to the assessment room. As I mentioned earlier, all we did was role plays, this time they did actually relate to being a recruitment consultant but we had so much time to prepare that I spent most of the day chatting to the other candidates. It was very hard to gage how the day had gone because each role play was done only in front of the assessors, so I couldn't see how I had done in comparison to the others. But as with my other interviews, I was rejected. The thought that I had got down to the final ten from four hundred made me feel pretty good so as always, I took what I could from Company B and moved on..
By now, I was starting to think that maybe recruitment consultancy wasn't for me due to all the rejections, so I decided to expand my horizons and start applying for any job going!
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