If you haven’t read Part 1: “The Beginning” go check it out.
As I was saying, I was panicking again about my future but out of nowhere I was flooded with interviews, what I didn’t know at the time was that it was all going to end horribly.
I know what you’re thinking, “Oh Darius it could have been that bad.”. No, trust me when I tell you, they were literally awful and it was not my fault. I have no idea if this was karma for things I’ve done in my past or just the most unprofessional professionals ever. Whatever it was I learned a valuable life lesson. (More on that life lesson later)
Wait is it me or do life lessons always seem to come at the most inopportune time? Seriously, could they come when I’m not in need? May a Tuesday a year from now. Just saying!
During this period I had about 6 interviews, 5 ended in some form of rejection and 1 ended with this weird unofficial offer, but the all were awful. I could tell you all 6 stories but that would be a novel, so I’m going to tell you the stories of the 2 of the worst/awkward interviews.
*All the names have been changed to protect the company and myself from any legal troubles.*
Ray Ray
Obviously the company isn’t really named Ray Ray but I refuse to get sued. (They are kind of a big deal)
It all started with an interview request email. Like most college grads, I jumped at the opportunity to have an interview with a large company.
Maybe I should state that I’m an avid iPhone user and conduct most of my business from my phone. I love having access to my emails any and everywhere. So if someone were to send me an email I would check it on my phone before I check it on my desktop. Back to the story…
I followed the instructions listed in the email and like a good little boy and gave one to the HR reps a call to schedule an interview time. This is where everything got weird.
I called the HR rep and she immediately starts the interview. The email said call to schedule a time, I guess now was the time. This would have been fine any other time but like I said, I’m an avid iPhone user, so when I read the email and called I was driving to Sam’s Club. Not the best time to have job interview, but like a trooper I continued on with the interview, a very awkward interview.
I don’t know if she was new or just crazy but after each interview question she would tell me little facts about herself. It felt like a speed date. For example, she asked if I were willing to travel more than 80% of the time. I replied yes, and she goes into this story about how her ex use to travel a lot for work and how it eventually ruined their relationship. Then she goes into more details about how he recently got married to his ex, blah, blah, and blah.
I’m not even joking this lady had a life fact for every question, even the one about my name.
These random facts about her life went on for about 45 minutes. The interview finally ended and I was selected for the second round of interviews.
Let make a very long story, short. The second round of interviews were a set of test I had to take online and while taking them the site crashed. I had to call tech support and take the test again. The tests combined were about 2 hours long. I eventually finished the tests and received a call from Ms. “Life Fact”. She explained how none of my answers registered and that the position had been filled a week prior to my first interview. Something she just found out.
So apparently I had to listen to 45 minutes of information about her life and take 2 hours worth of tests, just to be told that the position had been filled a week prior to my interview.
The Hub
The Hub has to be the worst interview experience I have ever had. If you know me, you probably have heard bits and pieces of this story.
Like the “Ray Ray” interview it all started with an email. Unlike the “Ray Ray” interview, we schedule a interview time via the email. I thought everything was on the up and up till interview day.
We schedule my interview for 10am CST. 10:05am rolls by and still no call. 10:10am rolls by still no call. By this point I’m convinced I have the wrong time written down then I remember she said, that if she doesn’t call by 10:20am to just call her. 10:20am rolls around and I immediately call her. She answers and says, “Oh I totally forgot, can I call you back.”
Yeah, so this was the beginning of the end. An hour later, I get a text from her say, “I haven’t forgot about U.”
Wait did I just get a text from a potential employer and did she just use “U”?
Confused, I just reply back “LOL…Okay”. Smooth, I know.
Fast-forward 2 hours later, I get a call from her and we have the most down to Earth conversation. It was like talking to a classmate. She tells me about the company, ask me a few questions about my life and that was it. The next thing I know we were setting up and interview for a second interview. A red flag in most people’s book, but I’m new to this job interview thing.
This was a sales position and I was going to do a mock sales presentation over the phone, using a script from the company. Now she told me after our first interview, she was going to send me the script. Obviously I didn’t believe her, thank God I didn’t. 2 days passed and I still haven’t received a script.
I sent her 3 emails saying, “I need the script”. All of my emails, got no reply. The day of the second interview rolls around and she is on time with the call. I explain how she never sent the script. She apologizes, and tells me she will send it now and we can do the interview tomorrow.
So tomorrow rolls around and she doesn’t call at our schedule time but she calls 4 hours early and leaves a voicemail. Go figure!
Voicemail: “Hey, we had an interview schedule today and you didn’t answer. What’s going on? Call me back ASAP”
After hearing this, I was done. I immediately sent her an email, declining her chance at a second interview. I then receive a super long email from her, apologizing fro everything. At the end of the email, she asked why I declined, which in my mind gave me the permission to rip her apart.
Maybe 10 minutes after my “you’re an awful interviewer” email, I received an email from her with a job offer.
Wait what? Did I just tell an interviewer, she was awful and unprofessional and receive an job offer? NO WAY!!
The offer was for a position in the new New York office at the end of February, and I had till Feb. 28 to accept or decline.
It’s February 10th and I still haven’t accepted or declined or replied to her email.
The End and Pain
Like I stated earlier, during this period I had about 6 interviews, 5 ended in some form of rejection but 1 ended with this weird unofficial offer. I learned one thing from those rejections and that’s that rejection is painful. Even though they were awful but getting told “no, we do not want you” hurts.
Pain: “Localized physical suffering associated with bodily disorder (as a disease or an injury) or acute mental or emotional distress or suffering” via M-W
I’m not talking about physical pain, like you burnt your mouth on a hot pocket but in the metal sense. You know, the type of pain that makes you want to stop wearing glasses in 5th grade because people made fun of you. That type of pain that demotivates you or lowers you self-esteem.
The glasses thing didn’t happen to me but a friend. I got teased for wearing polo shirts in 3rd grade. Seriously now everyone wears them. -____-
I don’t care whether it’s from a proscriptive employer, or that hot girl/boy in your class, or a family member, rejection is painful. Even the smallest rejections are painful. For example have you ever been unbelievably thirsty & you see a vending machine with your favorite cold drink? You’re excited because know that all it takes is a dollar and your quest for hydration will be over and you put you dollar bill into the machine & it rejects it. You instantly feel crushed but you don’t stop, you continue to endure the pain of that rejection. Eventually you give & walk away hurt & upset.
Probably the best example I have ever wrote, but it holds true. Rejection = Pain.
Pain will make you want to stop, just give up. I was once watching a YouTube video of motivational speaker Eric Thomas, who gives this excellent speech about PAIN.
Pain is temporary. It may last for a minute, or an hour, or a day or even a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however it will last forever. ~ Eric Thomas
That’s it till next time!!