Unfortunately, it manifested itself as the most humiliating, condescending, and fruitless three hours I've ever spent trying to sell myself to a company.
Where to begin...2 weeks ago, I applied for a job on Monday, and got an email on Tuesday asking me to interview for 3 hours on Wednesday. Because of the quick turn-around time and the lengthy process ahead, I felt confident walking in. Unfortunately, I didn't have much time to prepare for the interview (just the one afternoon), but I did what I could. The position is for a Managing Editor for a trade association (let's leave the actual name out, shall we), so I made sure to have a handle on the publications I was to be in charge of, as well as reviewing a few basic underpinnings of the trade.
Enter, Wednesday morning. First I meet with the HR woman, who is a gem. She seems impressed. I feel good. One down, three to go.
Then, she takes me to Deb, who doesn't even look up when I enter the room, nor does she shake my hand. All good signs of what's to come.
I would categorize the next 45 minutes in the dungeon with Deb as the complete and methodical destruction of my self-esteem. She interrupted the majority of my answers with the comment "Everybody says/knows that...what else?" Other popular responses included:
"That directly conflicts what you just said."
"Everyone says strategic, what exactly are you talking about?"
"We don't hire people so they can learn, we want to know what you can bring to the company."
"I'm concerned about the fact that you seem to believe the industry is doing exactly the opposite of what it's doing."
(That humdinger came after she asked me what my strategy would be for making their print publications more relevant, and when I gave her an answer, she said she was shocked that I would try to drive people to print instead of to the web. Okay Deb, sorry, I didn't realize it was an option for you to ask trick questions.)
Finally, once all hope for me getting the job had been completely decimated, she asked what I knew about marketing. Oh you know, that little ole INDUSTRY. I'm not sure how to answer a question like that. I mean, what do you know about history? What about science?
So I just put the nail in the coffin by saying that I could tell her about Product, Placement, Price, and Promotion, and she naturally responded with: "Everyone knows about the 4 Ps, what else?"
End scene.
Where to begin...2 weeks ago, I applied for a job on Monday, and got an email on Tuesday asking me to interview for 3 hours on Wednesday. Because of the quick turn-around time and the lengthy process ahead, I felt confident walking in. Unfortunately, I didn't have much time to prepare for the interview (just the one afternoon), but I did what I could. The position is for a Managing Editor for a trade association (let's leave the actual name out, shall we), so I made sure to have a handle on the publications I was to be in charge of, as well as reviewing a few basic underpinnings of the trade.
Enter, Wednesday morning. First I meet with the HR woman, who is a gem. She seems impressed. I feel good. One down, three to go.
Then, she takes me to Deb, who doesn't even look up when I enter the room, nor does she shake my hand. All good signs of what's to come.
I would categorize the next 45 minutes in the dungeon with Deb as the complete and methodical destruction of my self-esteem. She interrupted the majority of my answers with the comment "Everybody says/knows that...what else?" Other popular responses included:
"That directly conflicts what you just said."
"Everyone says strategic, what exactly are you talking about?"
"We don't hire people so they can learn, we want to know what you can bring to the company."
"I'm concerned about the fact that you seem to believe the industry is doing exactly the opposite of what it's doing."
(That humdinger came after she asked me what my strategy would be for making their print publications more relevant, and when I gave her an answer, she said she was shocked that I would try to drive people to print instead of to the web. Okay Deb, sorry, I didn't realize it was an option for you to ask trick questions.)
Finally, once all hope for me getting the job had been completely decimated, she asked what I knew about marketing. Oh you know, that little ole INDUSTRY. I'm not sure how to answer a question like that. I mean, what do you know about history? What about science?
So I just put the nail in the coffin by saying that I could tell her about Product, Placement, Price, and Promotion, and she naturally responded with: "Everyone knows about the 4 Ps, what else?"
End scene.
After the annihilation of my soul, I still had to meet with two other women. Both were so kind, and one told me that Deb tears everyone to shreds, but seeing as how Deb would be my direct manager and only on-staff colleague, it really didn't make me feel any better. I spent the afternoon shell-shocked and had a good healthy cry that night because I couldn't stand the thought of having to work with someone like that every day, and I hoped they didn't offer me the position because I didn't want to have to turn down a perfectly well-paying job out of principle.
But life wouldn't be as easy if we never had to make choices, would it? So, on Monday morning, I'll be going back into the firey pit with Deb and three other woman for a second grueling three-hour round of interviews. I have no idea why they called me back or what she could possibly have left to ask me, so I assume she'll spend the time munching on the leftovers of my emotional carcass. And no self-respecting unemployed person can turn that down!
3 comments:
Tim McGraw once said, "What don't kill us makes us strong..Carry on."
Yep. Good ole Tim. Chock full o advice.
Good luck! Don't let Deb tear you down. Show her what you know, don't let her intimidate you, and at the end of the day, show her why you're the best!
deb's a bia*
do you have a snarky comment for tomorrow? something like, "Oh Deb! I'm so glad you liked me so much to ask me back. I could really feel the chemistry between us last time too."
good luck!!
i CANNOT wait to hear about round 2!
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