Hi, I'm Misty. You may remember me from such threads as "Step Away From the Tip Jar" and "Health Nuts Drive Me Bananas." I'm here today to talk about how much job interviews SUCK. Last August I moved back to the U.S.A. after spending four years teaching English in Japan. FYI, I was an administrative assistant for several years before I went abroad, and I'm looking to get back in the game. I thought my experience in Japan would grab the attention of employers and land me a job quickly; as it turns out, I was only half right.
On Monday I had an interview for an admin position at a veterinary clinic. The woman who interviewed me flipped through my resume, asked me a few questions about what Japan was like, explained the job details, and then asked me if I had any questions. It took less than five minutes. I asked her a few questions, and then talked about my job experience in greater detail. Basically, I interviewed myself; either this woman had no idea how to conduct an interview, or she had made up her mind before the interview even began. Sure enough, I got an email from her saying 'thanks for your time, but we're going with someone with industry experience.'
I am an Administrative Assistant. The job description is identical no matter what the industry is (believe me, I know). BUT in today's job market, employers will hold out until they find someone who has 20 years of experience, knows every computer system that has ever existed, speaks five languages fluently, and craps blueberry muffins every morning.
This is just the latest in a string of lousy interviews. I had an interview with a recruiter who, after being told that I worked at a frozen yogurt shop part-time, exclaimed, "Oh, how nice!" in a high-pitched voice and a big smile, the kind one does when they're trying really hard to hide their disgust. The interview itself lasted about 5 minutes, and she barely looked up from her paperwork. To get to and from her office cost me $20 and over 2 hours round trip. Gee, that was money well spent
Sadly, she's not even the worst interview I've had. One guy called me up for a phone interview, and we spent the first few minutes talking about Japan; he and his wife had been on vacation in Tokyo when the tsunami hit, and he was curious to know about my experience during that time. Then he went on to explain the job and talk about the owners/founders, and what they were looking for.
Then he said: "They won't consider hiring anyone who doesn't live in New York. Do you understand that?"
I live in Connecticut. It says so on my resume. From our conversation I know that this guy knew that before he called me. So WHY did he call me? Because he wanted to chat with someone about Japan; on that pretense alone he was willing to make me jump through all sorts of hoops knowing full well I would never get the job. The word to describe this particular ahole hasn't been invented yet.
Anyway, thanks for reading. I just needed to vent. Feel free to do the same.
On Monday I had an interview for an admin position at a veterinary clinic. The woman who interviewed me flipped through my resume, asked me a few questions about what Japan was like, explained the job details, and then asked me if I had any questions. It took less than five minutes. I asked her a few questions, and then talked about my job experience in greater detail. Basically, I interviewed myself; either this woman had no idea how to conduct an interview, or she had made up her mind before the interview even began. Sure enough, I got an email from her saying 'thanks for your time, but we're going with someone with industry experience.'
I am an Administrative Assistant. The job description is identical no matter what the industry is (believe me, I know). BUT in today's job market, employers will hold out until they find someone who has 20 years of experience, knows every computer system that has ever existed, speaks five languages fluently, and craps blueberry muffins every morning.
This is just the latest in a string of lousy interviews. I had an interview with a recruiter who, after being told that I worked at a frozen yogurt shop part-time, exclaimed, "Oh, how nice!" in a high-pitched voice and a big smile, the kind one does when they're trying really hard to hide their disgust. The interview itself lasted about 5 minutes, and she barely looked up from her paperwork. To get to and from her office cost me $20 and over 2 hours round trip. Gee, that was money well spent
Sadly, she's not even the worst interview I've had. One guy called me up for a phone interview, and we spent the first few minutes talking about Japan; he and his wife had been on vacation in Tokyo when the tsunami hit, and he was curious to know about my experience during that time. Then he went on to explain the job and talk about the owners/founders, and what they were looking for.
Then he said: "They won't consider hiring anyone who doesn't live in New York. Do you understand that?"
I live in Connecticut. It says so on my resume. From our conversation I know that this guy knew that before he called me. So WHY did he call me? Because he wanted to chat with someone about Japan; on that pretense alone he was willing to make me jump through all sorts of hoops knowing full well I would never get the job. The word to describe this particular ahole hasn't been invented yet.
Anyway, thanks for reading. I just needed to vent. Feel free to do the same.
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