Job interviews: not always a foot in the door

Category: Opinion

After a month spent clearing my head and trying to come to terms with the fact that I was now part of the unemployed (it sounds more like an affliction), I decided to get back on the horse and seek out job interviews. For anyone who is searching for a job again, you know what I am talking about. It takes effort to prepare yourself mentally and physically for interviews. Add in the need to rework your resume to focus on the skills that employers are looking for now, and it can be a grueling time.

Most jobs provide an opportunity to build relationships that you can call on in case of emergency.  My unemployment is such an emergency.  I called on my employed friends, hoping something positive would come from it.  Unfortunately, I was wrong.  Oh, there were the occasional lunches with ex-coworkers, where I showed them my latest reworked resume and asked for any job leads.  And in the few weeks after my unemployment, I felt hopeful that all this networking would turn into a new position.

But I quickly realized that the professional world is a busy one that has little time to deal with the unemployed. I know I sound negative and pessimistic, but, honestly, this was a dark time for me.  As it is for many without jobs.  It’s the month or so after you’ve been let go and it dawns on you that another position may not be right around the corner.  At that point, panic begins to take over.

I can only say I must have been in a state of panic around the time I was put in touch with a liquor company that apparently had a marketing position open.  Naturally, I began picturing myself behind a big oak desk, writing marketing-type reports and taking marketing-type calls.  I talked to the company’s Director of Marketing and got an interview for that same day. Before I hung up, though, she asked me to bring a photo.  I thought it was strange but, really, I was too excited that this job could be the one to end my unemployment.

So, just as I was taught in school, I went to the company’s Web site and devoured all the information.  I wanted to be on fire when I walked through the doors.  A few hours later, dressed in my best serious attire, I grabbed my resume folder, cover letter, reference letters, photo, and hit the road.  I should have known something was up when the company address was an extravagant home on the outskirts of Austin.

I walked in to a group interview, something I had never experienced before.  The Director of Marketing was dressed as if she had been running errands all day hoping to not see anyone she knew. This wasn’t exactly what I had expected, but I kept my head up and my confidence high.

The Director of Marketing instructed me to sit down at the table, a kitchen table. Four other girls were sitting at the table, also waiting to be interviewed. How should I put this?  I was a tad-bit over-dressed. One girl at the end of the table could not have been older than 18, and the girl sitting across from me looked like she was ready to hit 6th Street.

The group interview was just awkward. At the end, there were contracts for each of us to fill out and turn in.  The first page was fairly standard, but the second page was just weird.  It asked for my weight, height, hair color, eye color and cup size – yes you read that right.  I quickly added everything together and realized that I wasn’t interviewing for a marketing position that came with an oak desk.  I was interviewing to be a promo girl that goes to bars asking if you want a free Coors Light.  Not exactly my dream job.

I left without looking back, after first filling out the form (hey, I’m desperate). While this was one of my most unique job interviews, it wasn’t a complete waste of time.  I know how much beer girls make and what the job entails, so if you’re interested in learning the ins and outs, just ask.  After that interview it was back to the drawing board for me.

Follow me on Twitter @LaurenMPhillips.

Tags: Economy, Gen Y, Jobs, Unemployment