Last week I had a job interview in Arapaho. Clancy noticed that they were hiring a position in my general field. She doesn’t know a whole lot about what my field is except that it’s computer-related. Looking over the job, it’s basically an entry-level desktop support position. A little below my pay-grade… except that it pays quite well. Maybe a little less or possibly quite a bit more than I left Mindstorm making, in fact. So I decided to apply.
Then… nothing. I was a little puzzled not even to receive a call back. I sent them an email again letting them know I was in Arapaho and eligible for interviews if they were interested. Partially I wrote them to tell them that, but partially I wrote just in case my application fell through the cracks. I got a call and an email that day. Apparently, I left a bum phone number on the application.
Just in case there was an interview, I brought down varying degrees of interviewing attire: a suit, a colored dress shirt, slacks, and sufficiently uncomfortable dress shoes. I overlooked something pretty crucial, though: my suit doesn’t fit. It fit, more-or-less, forty pounds ago. Back then, the suit was a bit too big and the pants a bit too small, but it was close enough. Not so much now. So I had to figure out whether it was better to wear a suit that didn’t fit or a shirt and tie that did. After seeking counsel, I decided on the latter. Fortuitously, I had a shirt that fit perfectly. I had previously overlooked it because it has been too small since heaven knows when, but now it’s just about right. This is a particularly good thing since the other shirts are a mish-mash or white, gray, and yellow.
I’ve resolved to do some shopping.
The interview went pretty well. Their main concern seemed to be that I was drastically overqualified for the position. That didn’t bother me, though the lack of advancement opportunities did a bit. I could be the lowest man on the totem pole for quite some time. But it’s still a job and it’s in my field and it’s in town and it pays reasonably well. Except out of charity, I can’t justify not making an offer.
It’s funny how you get asked variations of the same questions over and over on interviews and can still fail to properly rehearse the answers. In this case I was asked about some big mistake I made and what I did to make it right. After an unduly long pause, I came up with a big mistake I made early in my career (which I could attribute to my youth) and a trivial mistake more made at my last job.
It sounds like they have quite a few applicants and they may well decide to go with someone a bit younger that they won’t worry about being bored. And honestly, I might prefer that they do that. It’s an odd sort of feeling that if I take this job I am really taking it away from someone else. Someone that may need the money more. We don’t need the money that badly. The tax men themselves say so since income taxes on my earnings will approach 40%. The hard-arse right-winger in me says that I would rather get paid less or not work than have Uncle Sam (and Uncle Buckaroo) take so much of what I make. The squishy liberal in me has odd ethical hesitation about taking a job that someone else needs more. Enough to turn down the job? That seems extraordinarily unlikely. But enough to whine about it on this site.
There were two rounds of interviews. Everyone there knew who my wife was. I suspect that helps, but I don’t know how much. Not sure when I’ll be hearing back.
I definitely understand about the clothing issue. The insurance company for which I now work is well-known in the industry for the way it has resisted the business casual trend, and of course it’s necessary to dress well while out on sales calls. After working in a business casual environment for so many years I was down to just one jacket and one pair of dress pants. Needless to say it’s now been necessary to scramble around to buy more clothing. It doesn’t help that suits are expensive.
Comment by Peter — February 4, 2010 @ 9:30 am
I wish more companies would resist the business casual trend. Not suits, necessarily, but at least nice slacks and preferably dress shirts.
Comment by trumwill — February 4, 2010 @ 1:21 pm
It seems weird to expect someone to wear something to an interview that’s different than what they’d wear everyday on the job. Then again, doctors probably don’t wear scrubs to interview … but how often do most non-suit-wearing workers have to wear a suit? In the old days, everyone had suits for Sunday church, but now church is casual.
Comment by Sheila Tone — February 4, 2010 @ 8:34 pm
Ah yes, interview attire. Several weeks ago, on Christmas Eve of all days, I had an interview with an insurance company. Or what I thought was going to be an interview. Forgive me if I mentioned this here already, it might have been at Siggy’s or Sub Chat or here, can’t remember. In any event, it was a company that specializes in selling cheap life insurance to senior citizens, you may have seen its ads on TV. When I called to schedule the interview, the receptionist told me to be sure to wear business attire.
When I got to the “interview,” it actually turned out to be a cattle call with at least 20 to 25 people shoehorned into a too-small conference room. There was no interviewing of any sort. The 45-minute session consisted entirely of a way too slick manager giving us a pitch about all the fabulous money he made and how we could make even more! What he did not mention, though I found it out later, is that to become an agent (translation: telephone pitchman) for this company one has to pay hundreds of dollars for training.
In any event, the admonition to wear business attire made no sense. There was no interviewing of any sort. How the place was to choose among the applicants is a mystery … though I was not one of the ones chosen. Fortunately, no doubt.
Comment by Peter — February 4, 2010 @ 10:35 pm
I had to learn how to tie a necktie from youtube. That was back in May, when I graduated. I also had to buy a pair of slacks, a pair of dress shoes, a business shirt and a new belt for that affair. (My pants were so long that I had to hike them up over my bellybutton like an old man. Thankfully the robe covered it.)
The only thing I’ve worn from that ensemble since is the belt.
Honestly, this makes me think that about 90% of being in management has to do with looks.
Comment by kirk — February 4, 2010 @ 11:11 pm
I was working in the corporate world when the “business casual” trend took root — it was in the early 90s. It was specifically adopted because it was a “benefit” for employees that didn’t cost anything, at a time when many other benefits were being taken away from them due to outsourcing etc. Senior management argued straight up that it was good for employees because they’d save money on dry cleaning and clothing bills, at the same time they were cutting medical benefits or 401K contributions. I’m amazed at how quickly employees fell in line for this “benefit.”
Comment by Maria the Lurker — February 8, 2010 @ 2:35 pm