To me the point of a CV is to state your case on exactly
what you’ve done that might add value to you character and you education and
work experience etc., in order for a prospecting company to evaluate you and
see if you might fit the vacancy they have, and that you are a worthy candidate
to come for an interview before they make their decision, right? Apparently
not.
And the idea of an agent is to have your CV on hand, and
send your profile as a decent candidate to a searching company, as you fall
within the guidelines that they have specified? Also apparently not.
I have been for a couple of job interviews in my life, but
this was my first cross-examination.
Here is how the story of my interview from hell unfolds:
I arrived 20 early, as I usually do, and to be more than
punctual. The Interviewer walks through the door 2 min before the scheduled
time, with a Lady-friend on his arm, greets me and asks me to give him 5 min.
Sure, no problem, I say. Upon which he turns and walks to the bar where
Lady-friend is waiting, he orders a bottle of wine, 2 glasses and ice-bucket,
pays, and off to the room they go.
About 10 min later he emerges from the corridor, grabs one
of the welcome drinks packed out in the reception, shots it down and walks my
way.
(By this time I was not sure if I should get myself a drink
as well; make a comment; or just pretend that this is a normal way for an
interview to start. I decided on the latter.)
Interviewer inquires if I have a copy of my résumé, to which
I reply that unfortunately I do not, as I have been told more than once by my
agent that I do not need to bring anything along, and I know for a fact that my
résumé has been emailed to him a week before, as well as the previous day. He
looks at me with an “are you joking?” face. I respond that I am sure I have the
copy sent to him on my email in my phone and can look for that. He says no,
hands me a stack of paper and asks me to complete this while he goes to fetch
his tablet in order to get my résumé on his email.
I start writing the book in front of me – which has
questions that has been answered on my CV already in full. But I write whilst
I’m waiting for him.
Toward the end of the short novel I’m writing for The Interviewer, he returns, taking another quick shot of welcome drink – this is a good 10 – 15min later.
I’m left wondering if he does not have a swig of wine with Lady-friend that he has left all alone in the room to wait.
The Interviewer sits down and open my CV on his tablet, and starts reading through it, for a good 10min, it was very clear to see that he did not even glance through my CV before this very moment. He then goes on to tell me that almost everything in the short novel I just had to write is actually already in my CV. Now, this I am fully aware of, and so would he have been had he even glanced at it once in his room whilst likely having a glass of wine with Lady-friend.
I ask whether completing the book is still necessary as all the info
required is on my CV? He responds yes, it is needed. So I carry on writing. By
page 8 he start fidgeting, and my handwriting turns to crab-scrolls as I do
speed writing. I realise that now the questions are no longer directed at me,
my previous work or any qualifications or experience – this is now solidly
based on the suppliers I currently and previously dealt with – what the factory
names are, contact details, products they supplied, minimum amount of units and
average cost; as well as the customers I currently supply as well as in the
past – names, brand, contact details prices, units provided per month and the
value of these orders.
In other words – this is now pure espionage.
Don’t you just hate
it when you go to an innocent job interview, which turns out to be an interrogation?
And not even about your own skillset or duties or previous
jobs – but about the different companies your companies work with, including
names and contact details of those people?
How well do I know the buyers? Were we ever on friendly
terms, to such an extent that I still see any of them now, or am in contact
with them?
It seems to me as though The Interviewer was purely out to
get info so he could possible expand his business to those companies through
the buyers.
The Interviewer further went on to inform me that my asking price
is too high, even though I showed him my current cost to company. He then asked
if salary was negotiable? I said no.
At the end of it all I left feeling violated and confused,
and just plain pissed as The Interviewer did not interview me at all, and was only interested in my contacts.
Better luck next time I suppose - as no interview can be worse than this...
