I had an unexpected phone interview today. I’ve never really been unemployed before…. I left high school and went to work for the Govt, and then every job I’ve wanted, I just walked into, so I’ve not had a lot of experience with the job hunting/interviewing thing. But in the last month or so, I’ve decided I dont really like the current methods of the recruitment companies. The way the recruitment industry thins out the crowd is a pain in the proverbial butt.
First you have to spend half an hour impressing them on the phone…. and you can hear the consultant rapidly typing away, trying to capture what you’re saying, which you know is damn near impossible, and I’m fairly confident half the time they can’t SPELL the words I am using, so no doubt if anyone went over those notes that they’d make much sense.
Then they get you to come in for a preliminary interview, which consists of perhaps some testing on basic computer literacy, (Which of the following is an input device – A) printer B) monitor C) mouse D) disk drive), an aptitude test (If Jane is on a train traveling at 60 mph….), a typing test (with a text guaranteed to put you to sleep), and maybe a phone role play (Welcome to – insert fictitious company name here – this is Borys, how may I help you?) and the group assessment. 😐
This is the bit where they sit you around with a bunch of strangers and watch how you interact with the group when given a bullshit task… like deciding what sort of people should be eliminated from entering the bunker with limited spaces when the world is going to end. Fucking fun! And the whole thing ends up wasting 4-5 hours of your life (unpaid) and very likely for a job you’re lukewarm about wanting in the first place. And that is before you reach the panel interview where you’re traditionally expected to sit and blow sunshine up your own arse. 😐
I hate job hunting. I know the easier route would be to go sign up with an agency and say – find me a job… but the prospect of working for an agency and then maybe having to swap and change roles all the time doesn’t really appeal either. Sigh… maybe I should take Unc’s advice of some ten years ago and just get a job where I sit at home in my tracksuit and talk dirty on the phone all day… 🙂
