A Friends Job Interview Story

A friend of mine told me this heartwarming story of her latest interview…

I interviewed with a major semi-national company that was hiring for a project management positions. I was qualified with over ten years experience. I read their website, news clippings and talked to an acquaintance who worked there two years prior to get a feel for the lay of the land.

The interviewer was a middle-aged man with very dark hair, and we seemed to hit it off. The interview took about one hour. Less than that and it generally means, there’s no interest. More than that… I don’t know what that means, except perhaps I was more interesting than his next scheduled meeting.

I asked deep and thought provoking questions, showing that I had a great interest in the position as well as the company at large. He stared intently at me. I stared back. I felt me made a connection, or we were both just daydreaming.

So after an hour, he thanked me for coming in. We got up and started for the door, when he said, “So, I originally asked to see you last Friday, but you had a conflict in your schedule. Is that right?”

“Yes, I did, and I appreciate that you had the time to talk to me today,” I said with a warm, yet not smarmy smile, thinking--- Wow, what an odd question. If he was pissed for the blow off, why did he want to see me at all? Actually, my conflict was a lunch date that I really didn’t want to change. And yes, it was worth it.

He smiled oddly, raised his eyebrow and said I’d be hearing from them. Yeah, I nailed it!

So I bugged my agency and waited to hear. Then out of the blue a female friend of mine called to say she just started a new job… at the major semi-national company. I asked her when she accepted the position and she said it was last Friday. I asked what she’d be doing, and she said she’d be managing the (same project I just interviewed for) project.

“Are they looking for any more project managers?” I asked.

“No, I got the only position. Boy do I feel lucky!” she bubbled.

I congratulated her and wished her the very best. She will do very well because she is an excellent PM……

So now the questions is, why put him through the hoops? Why even bother interviewing her if another already started? Was she being punished for not being available at a two hour notice? In my estimation, that’s just tough shit!

I make it a rule that I need at least a one-day notice, because if a company can’t do that, then they don’t give a crap about their employees and it would never work out anyway.

I’m trying to put this all on to perspective, I keep wondering: WTF was that all about?