Today I was the support person for my young office mate in a meeting with HR. I didn't expect it to go well and it did not.
Only an hour and a half later I was interviewed for the position which will replace my job (ie, my role plus an extra 15 hours a week) Given that I had been supporting my colleague I was offered a re-scheduled interview but I wanted to get it over with and I made the right call on that. Any mistakes I made today, I would have made tomorrow but now it's done and I can forget about it.
I realised that I don't speak "corporate". Well actually, I knew I didn't speak corporate but I didnt know just how often it manifests. "Tell us about a time you developed a relationship in order to achieve a business outcome?" I meandered around the topic and later realised that what they were asking is effectively "have you ever made a client or a sale?". I'm confident that my answer was ok but boy, it took me a while to get there!
It was my first ever interview by a panel and it was an hour long. I was happy with it but I'm a bit drained now. Was it the interview or just the day? I won't ever really know.
After all of that I went to see my very ill friend in her nursing home, I had promised to bring Lucy one time and Lucy is about to go away to live in Deniliquin (600km) so it was a matter of seizing the day. A few months ago our front fence was broken and I was going to the hospital to pick up my friend R. I took Lucy with me to avoid accidents of the escapee variety and the pup took an immediate like to R, who returned the affection. It's been a sweet little love story and while she has a fabulous attitude, there isn't a lot of joy in R's life so I often get leaky eyes to think of it.
Tomorrow I will have a house inspection / meet & greet to become a greyhound foster mum. That's a story all of it's own which I will tell eventually. At the same time that I am assessed by "Homeward Bound Hounds" Briony will be packing a trailer full of her hastily acquired worldly goods. The forecast temperature is 40C. Challenging is an understatement.
And on Friday we will set off to the "Deni" abode, I take great pleasure in saying Lucy will be a Deni Dog. Small things, small minds and all that.........
I"m rapidly falling behind commenting on blogs but I try to say something now and again to let you know I'm reading.
Stay tuned!
Having been on the other side of interview processes for years, I can sympathise with your ordeal. I do however hope that you will get a job offer.
ReplyDeleteI always stay tuned to your blog posts.
I think I did ok so we will see what happens.
DeleteIt's always good to have you here!
Arrggh.... corporate speak. No, I don't speak that language either. I hope you have recovered now.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with all the busy-ness!
Sx
Thanks Ms Scarlet! short bursts of busy-ness are ok but i may need a holiday after ;)
DeleteVery, very busy.
ReplyDeleteMy youngest brother told me of the most vicious interview question he was ever asked. At the end of the hour long interview he was hit with one final question: What are our names, and positions? I failed (but did get the job).
I hope all goes well and you take/make some time for yourself in all that.
You asked how we fared in the storms. We dodged that bullet though three family members have had their cars damaged.
that was a very cruel interview twist!
DeleteMy panel actually prompting me if I forgot part of a question so they were quite generous.
I suppose in the context of this summer, damaged cars are not too bad but it's still a huge inconvenience. I'm glad you're o k
I've always thought a panel is a brutal way to interview a person. The odds are stacked psychologically by the imbalance in numbers. My husband has been on both sides of a panel interview and he is not keen on either one. As for corporate speak, when he is interviewing he much prefers just to talk to the applicant. He may ask about things on their resume, but the kind of question you mentioned seems to be made for people who don't know how to get the information in other ways. I hope you get the job offer; it sounds like you will be even more busy if that happens! The increased pay is definitely a good thing, though. Will it be difficult to foster dogs with the new schedule?
ReplyDeleteYour friend will miss her dog but hopefully Lucy will be in a good home and that will be of some comfort to her. I wasn't quite sure from your post, but is Lucy going to be living with R?
I have had those chatty interviews, too and probably prefer them.
DeleteMy hope with fostering is to give Harry some company because otherwise he will have to be alone for extended periods. After having Cyclone Lucy around, another lazy greyhound should (in theory) be a doddle
Lucy is my daughter Briony's dog and she will be moving away with her. I probably didn't explain that too well!
Well NOW it makes perfect sense, when I go back and read it! lol
DeleteI felt as though I had done badly at an interview because I didn't do corporate speak but I still got the job. Hopefully they will make a choice based on substance instead of nonsense!! Hope it's a good outcome for you.
ReplyDeleteThanks Dr Michelle! I hope so, too. We will see
DeleteI cannot imagine you not getting the job since you are doing most of it already. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteThanks Linda! It's a bit of a wait to find out
DeleteYou are always so busy and that's good. "Corporate speak" is why I'm a self employed dj. :D
ReplyDeleteyou must be better at self employment than i was!
DeleteI became adept at corporate speak in my working life out of necessity (contracts) and always found it idiotic, apples and oranges, at the end of the day, blah blah.
ReplyDeleteGood luck on both the job and the greyhound, a friend in Ireland rescues them and is such an activist on the topic.
XO
WWW
I think the Irish situation with dogs is possibly a lot worse than here and not only with greys. And let's not start on the spanish galgos!
DeleteYou are indeed a busy bee with lots of balls to juggle. I hope the interview panel recognises your worth and offers you the job. 15 hours extra is 15 hours more time away from any greyhounds you might be fostering. But you knew that anyway.
ReplyDeletewell the idea was to give Harry some company but yes, I haven't heard back from the rescue group and I might be best to leave it that way
Delete"Tell us about a time you developed a relationship in order to achieve a business outcome?"
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry but if people cannot use straightforward language to ask a question or make a statement then I'm not impressed. I've been involved in interviewing people for my entire career and there is nothing worse that an interviewer trying to look smart to an interviewee. If you want to know something then just ask in an unambiguous way. If you want to confuse or look a prat obfuscate. That was a superb example of appearing a prat.
That's only my opinion of course.
Graham,
DeleteMore than once I wandered all over the subject then stumbled onto what they wanted.
I'm torn between thinking it was a way of getting lots of incidental information and just thinking it was weird.
I'm reassured that you don't like it, though!
I worked in HR for 20 years and HATED corporate speak! In fact we once acquired a Cuban head of HR who was REALLY into the jargon. Sadly (for him) he issued his first "policy statement" to our organization on 1 April and so many people sent me emails saying "ha, ha, he's got a great sense of humour", because nobody could understand a word he had written!
ReplyDelete