me at the plane for my first hong kong trip! (25 months ago)
'will take similar picture later! hehe
alas-dos ng umaga. malamang manahimik muna ako ng mga ilang araw. wala akong internet access sa pilipinas. balikan ko 'to kung meron ng pagkakataon.
to finish off my story..
closing interview. because of what happened to the situational interview, i was a bit hesitant to continue my application. i said that if there's another phone interview, i would decline…but since i learned it's a "closing interview", i guess this would be quick, just tell me the result and offer. but oh boy, i was ever wrong!! absolutely wrong! when the first question i was asked from the supposedly "closing" interview was "where did you graduate and what course?" i was upset already. at that time i had the hint that this is another round of their non-senselessness..but nevertheless, i answered her. when the succeeding questions were like, "how do you ensure your unit testing?" "what cobol do you use?" i was baffled. was this a closing interview or a technical interview part deux? then she asked me if i know anybody from accenture, i named 2 or 3 people. then when she told me about their expansive location in manila, i mentioned to her that those people i know are from their cyber**** office, she replied like " i don't know them, we are like 10K people working here so that's impossible." my gulay, anak ng tinapa. then why ask me about their names in the first place!! this happened right after she explained that "if you are a person who's really concerned about the working location, then i suggest do not work for *********." if her last statement were true, then they should have tell this information to every single applicants in their very first phone call! so that they don't mess around and waste other people's time in their ridiculous and totally futile interviews!
then we talked about the trainings, she mentioned that i'm obligated to get all their trainings that they throw at me irregardless if there is additional bond or contract. which i politely asked why is that the case? she then told me that "because we do not pay for people who just sit down and do nothing". i told her that if i would be in such situation, can they just assign me to something else that doesn't require trainings? (as i hate bonds) but she really insisted in her reasoning that they don't pay people who sit down. (apparently, they do pay for senior managers who bitch around.)
it ended without them offering. that's how their closing interview is.
you are wasted.
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now these are my simple tips for employers.
0) if you say it's a 30-minute call. make sure it'll last 30 minutes. may be less. but not more.
1) if you say closing interview, do not ask silly questions like "where did you graduate?"
2) intelligent questions will be answered by intelligent answers. your idiotic queries will be answered by silence. you're lucky if you get a sigh.
3) though i love the performing arts and drama, please, i'm not an actor, don't make me act.
obviously as i sounded here, i emailed them the night after the closing interview and call off my application.
too bad i'm not gonna have their free iced teas in the mornings and afternoons. too good i'm not in the chance of replacing tiger woods in their ads.
not the palahniuk book. this a rant, a long rant about my application encounter with a renowned international outsourcing company. well, like everyone else i've been looking for greener pastures recently. not that i super enthusiastically and fervently wanted to dump my present job. i guess it's more for the sake of seeking further opportunities. if none found, then no big deal. i'm still lucky and blessed to have a job waiting for me once i can get back in the philippines.
so here goes, let me tell you more about this experience. everytime i tell people that i'm applying for this company, they all turn sour and remorsefully oppose, (saying i'm just wasting my time)…save for 2 or 3 people i know working inside that company. so out of intrigue, i continued my application. ain't gonna hurt i guess. worst case is i won't get accepted. just like with all other applications, it started with a resume. to cut this thing short, just submitted my resume, got a reply, some phone calls, scheduled some interviews (which btw turned out superb example of idiocracy).
HR interview was the first. nothing major here. just the norm questions. the only bad thing is i had to stand for about an hour over the phone as i don't want to attend the call at my place where people could here me talking.
Technical interview. ok this one is not too bad, but not to good either. i found some questions, let just say, dense/unintelligent enough to provide any possible answer. okay this is really hard to defend but no less than once that i got myself in a situation that i can't provide the answer not because i don't know the answer but more of the stupidity in nature of the query. paradoxically formulated questions.
Situational interview. this is the minor bang. i couldn't imagine how good an actor i became. i would have to answer the questions in first person…instant acting class, as in drama style, reenactment complete with my oration with her acting as my manager. i was asked precisely about the different situations i've had before including the time, day, how i talked to my manager, my manager's reply, my reply to my manager's reply. the reply of my manager to my reply to my manager's reply, etc, ad infinitum. one of the case she kept on asking, "and after that what did you do?" <me answer> "and after that?" <me answer> "and after that?" <me answer>, "and then after that?" me answered, "i went home because it's late already and i'll continue my work tomorrow. another one is she asked "so how did you wrote it? where?" me answered, "on paper, i wrote it on paper". and a lot lot more i just don't have the luxurious time of enumerating them all. now don't get me all wrong here. i didn't answered blatantly until i felt this is all wasted time. she keep on asking me questions again and again, simply rephrasing her originaly question. i kept on saying "just like i mentioned earlier…". now this was another hour and a half of time that they could never return.
Closing interview. this is the major bang. let me finish this tomorrow. i'm all sleepy now. hehe
