The other day, I was sitting in the front passenger seat of a taxi when "Macarena" by Los del Rio started playing. It was like being hit in the head with a giant club of nostalgia. It is associated with strong memories of the time we got our first CD player and I made sure it was played several times a day, much to the annoyance of everyone else at home. This song came out nearly TWENTY years ago and "the macarena" has gained status as a popular dance move to this day. Not only that, it sits at #5 on Billboard's All Time Top 100.
Recently, my mother - using my father's account - had done a critical check on my Facebook profile and had a suggestion for me (well, there were other comments too);
"Change that display picture to something nicer and age appropriate, will you, something where you look like you actually combed your hair? You look like a school child." [OH-Kay mom, that picture will be staying longer than intended now.]
Parents are now 'friends' with their children on Facebook. This new reality is a major advantage for parents, mostly overly-attached mothers whose children live far away from their grasps. They can now stalk whereabouts, analyse thought processes, scrutinize actions, review friendships, judge photos, and form opinions and comment on nearly everything related to their children whose lives are pretty much open books on Facebook. For me, I prefer they keep up that way than me having to actually update them personally.
Recently, my mother - using my father's account - had done a critical check on my Facebook profile and had a suggestion for me (well, there were other comments too);
"Change that display picture to something nicer and age appropriate, will you, something where you look like you actually combed your hair? You look like a school child." [OH-Kay mom, that picture will be staying longer than intended now.]
Parents are now 'friends' with their children on Facebook. This new reality is a major advantage for parents, mostly overly-attached mothers whose children live far away from their grasps. They can now stalk whereabouts, analyse thought processes, scrutinize actions, review friendships, judge photos, and form opinions and comment on nearly everything related to their children whose lives are pretty much open books on Facebook. For me, I prefer they keep up that way than me having to actually update them personally.
Another interview today. Damn, I feel like I am getting better at this. With each passing one, I feel a little less nervous and more confident of playing the cards of the "Interview Game". That is not to say I wasn't nervous at all, but it wasn't anything my latest power anthem (below) could not cure.
After taking a very scenic ride in the bus, I arrived just a little earlier than 9am for my interview [Sheesh, that was pretty early for one]. In my opinion, it went well. I didn't stumble on or utter anything stupid like I tend to do a lot when I am nervous. Even though my heels were killing my feet, I left quite satisfied at having performed averagely well. In this game, it does not suffice to put your best effort to look professionally acceptable, or be confident and pleasant, or communicate clearly, or appear interested through body language that is in sync with what is said, or ask a ton of questions, or market your strengths and abilities while cleverly masking any weaknesses or even observe the interviewer's body language to see what ticks them and adjust the tone of the responses accordingly. The last move of the game is to send a "Thank You" note to your interviewer to show appreciation for the interview opportunity, sell your strengths a little more [Shuri was selling strengths such as ability to learn quickly, adapt and being detail-oriented during the interview] and express interest to work for them. This is compulsory.
When this was sent, I realised to my horror, that my email contained an attachment that I didn't attach. This was a map of the building that one of my previous interviewers had sent with a lovely red arrow pointing to interview area. As the situation become clearer, I realised this happened because I used the same email thread I used for my previous interviewer to modify my "Thank You" response to this interviewer. Of course, irrelevant correspondence was safely removed, but I missed removing that map. [Good job, Shu. This manager will be completely at ease knowing that you'll be sending wrong attachments to customers and forgetting to check your emails properly before you send them out].
So my final move (extended) read as follows:
Dear Ms Doe,
After taking a very scenic ride in the bus, I arrived just a little earlier than 9am for my interview [Sheesh, that was pretty early for one]. In my opinion, it went well. I didn't stumble on or utter anything stupid like I tend to do a lot when I am nervous. Even though my heels were killing my feet, I left quite satisfied at having performed averagely well. In this game, it does not suffice to put your best effort to look professionally acceptable, or be confident and pleasant, or communicate clearly, or appear interested through body language that is in sync with what is said, or ask a ton of questions, or market your strengths and abilities while cleverly masking any weaknesses or even observe the interviewer's body language to see what ticks them and adjust the tone of the responses accordingly. The last move of the game is to send a "Thank You" note to your interviewer to show appreciation for the interview opportunity, sell your strengths a little more [Shuri was selling strengths such as ability to learn quickly, adapt and being detail-oriented during the interview] and express interest to work for them. This is compulsory.
When this was sent, I realised to my horror, that my email contained an attachment that I didn't attach. This was a map of the building that one of my previous interviewers had sent with a lovely red arrow pointing to interview area. As the situation become clearer, I realised this happened because I used the same email thread I used for my previous interviewer to modify my "Thank You" response to this interviewer. Of course, irrelevant correspondence was safely removed, but I missed removing that map. [Good job, Shu. This manager will be completely at ease knowing that you'll be sending wrong attachments to customers and forgetting to check your emails properly before you send them out].
So my final move (extended) read as follows:
Dear Ms Doe,
My apologies for the unintended attachment, kindly ignore it.
Have a good evening.
Regards,
Shuri
In light of today's turn of events, the award for the "World's Dumbest Interviewee" for shooting herself in the foot AND possibly losing the job opportunity goes to.... none other than.... *drum roll*.... SHURI.
[Afternote: No surprises, I didn't get the job!]
Have a good evening.
Regards,
Shuri
In light of today's turn of events, the award for the "World's Dumbest Interviewee" for shooting herself in the foot AND possibly losing the job opportunity goes to.... none other than.... *drum roll*.... SHURI.
[Afternote: No surprises, I didn't get the job!]
No comments:
Post a Comment