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(Photo supplied by author)<\/em><\/p>\n Job interviews are like first dates \u2014 good first impressions count, The pressure of the actual interview process is Maria in Vancouver has become such a polished However, Maria totally understands no matter how <\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t (Photo supplied by author)<\/em><\/p>\n Three Little Birds (Don\u2019t Worry About a Thing)!<\/b> Maria\u2019s agent sent her to an interview with a CEO of a private equity firm. The CEO\u2019s office was at the prestigious Marine building \u2014 Vancouver\u2019s world-renowned heritage building with its art deco inspired architecture. It\u2019s famous for its brass revolving door. The interview went extremely well and Maria was 99% sure she\u2019s got the job. The CEO suggested they continue the interview at lunch next door, the Nightingale restaurant. When coming out of the Marine building, the CEO walked ahead of Maria. Mid-turn, the whole revolving door stopped with a click. The CEO was able to get out. Maria, unfortunately, got stuck in the revolving door! She can\u2019t seem to get out. She kept pushing. The CEO had to call security. Finally, security came and asked Maria if she was okay. D-uh. Maria nodded and tried to remain calm. Even though crazy thoughts filled her mind: \u201cDear God, please don\u2019t let me die inside a revolving door, in front of strangers!\u201d, and \u201cDear God, please don\u2019t let me pee in front of my future boss!\u201d Maria was holding her pee when she got stuck in the revolving door. Meanwhile, passersby ogled and looked at Maria as if she were some exotic animal trapped inside a glass cage. To top it off, Maria is claustrophobic! To take her mind off wanting to pee, Maria started singing Bob Marley\u2019s \u201cThree Little Birds (Don\u2019t Worry About a Thing)! It took security 15 minutes to fix the revolving door and let Maria out. It was the longest 15 minutes of her life! On a more positive note, Maria got the job. It turned out the CEO was a huge fan of Bob Marley! Moral of the experience:<\/b> Stay calm even under a crisis. Staying calm in the midst of a chaos is a superpower!<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t (Photo supplied by author)<\/em><\/p>\n Panel interview nightmare.<\/b> Don\u2019t you just loathe panel job interviews? Maria\u2019s agent matched her with a top pharmaceutical company to handle and manage their contracts and patents databases. Maria already had two successful interviews with the HR Department and the CEO of the pharmaceutical company. They invited Maria for a final interview \u2014 a panel interview. On the day of the interview, Maria faced a panel of seven interviewers. The interview turned out to be a long 1.5 hours of tough questions that sounded more like interrogations. Nevertheless, Maria aced the panel interview. She was confident, articulate, and poised. Just as she thought the panel interview was over, one of the interviewers asked her a final question: \u201cIf you were to have a special superpower, what would it be and why?\u201d Without batting an eyelash, Maria replied: \u201cI would have the superpower of making you all disappear from this room right now!\u201d Maria gasped! That didn\u2019t sound right. Maria elaborated: \u201cWell, I am just watching out for your wellness. We\u2019ve been in this room for nearly two hours. I\u2019m sure you\u2019re all wanting to go and have your favourite happy hour cocktails. It\u2019s half past five, it\u2019s ah… uhm… wine o\u2019clock time! Yay! But then again, if you\u2019re all enjoying this panel interview as much as I am, ah, I would use my superpower to bring you back again to this room?\u201d The CEO smized and ended the interview. The next day, Maria received an offer from the pharmaceutical company! The HR Director told Maria: \u201cWe nearly did not hire you because your answers were almost too perfect! But when you answered the superpower question, we thanked the universe that you\u2019re normal after all!\u201d Moral of the experience: <\/b>Just be yourself. There is nothing rare, nor more beautiful, than a woman being unapologetically herself, comfortable in her perfect imperfection. After all, imperfections are perfections to a beautiful perspective.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t (Photo supplied by author)<\/em><\/p>\n Ooopps, Maria did it again!<\/b> Maria went for another panel interview for a non-profit organization. She applied for a high-level position and the competition was fierce. On the appointed day and hour, Maria arrived at the interview right on time. She shook everyone\u2019s hands with confidence. Maria sat down and began with her elevator pitch. When Maria finished speaking, the panel of five interviewers sat in silence. One of them finally spoke, \u201cYour experience and qualifications are most ideal for a senior executive assistant to our CEO. However, this interview is actually for a Chief Financial Officer.\u201d Oops. As it turned out, Maria got off the elevator at the wrong floor! Needless to say, she didn\u2019t get the job. Moral of the experience:<\/b> Always have presence of mind. Double check the location of your interview!<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t (Photo supplied by author)<\/em><\/p>\n A most memorable exit.<\/b> One of Maria\u2019s most memorable job interviews was with a CEO of a mining company. Maria gave the perfect answers to all the questions. The interview lasted for about 55 minutes. Maria shook the CEO\u2019s hand, while maintaining effective eye contact. Maria said goodbye and turned to walk out \u2014 straight into the glass door! Ouch. Maria felt dizzy and crashed head-first into a heap of filing boxes. In an instant, papers went flying everywhere! Suffice to say, Maria didn\u2019t get the job. The CEO found her too much of a liability. Moral of the experience:<\/b> It takes real skills to choke on air, fall up stairs, and trip completely over nothing. Sometimes, no matter how perfect you are \u2014 nature intervenes and screw things up for you! And there\u2019s nothing much you can do but laugh about it.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t (Photo supplied by author)<\/i><\/p>\n An intimate interview.<\/b> Maria\u2019s agent set her up for an interview with the SVP of a construction company. During the latter half of the interview, the SVP asked Maria questions such as: \u201cWhat are your interests and hobbies?\u201d, \u201cWhat\u2019s your favourite restaurant?\u201d, \u201cWhat is the first thing you noticed about me?\u201d, \u201cHow many past partners have you had?\u201d, \u201cAre you available this Friday evening?\u201d What started out as a legitimate job interview ended up as an intimate and more personal interview. The SVP ended up wanting to date her! Maria immediately called her agent and withdrew her job application. Moral of the experience:<\/b> Never ever mix business with pleasure. It never works! It will only complicate your office life and your personal life, leading to conflicts in both.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t (Photo supplied by author)<\/em><\/p>\n Panda eyes<\/b>. Maria went for a job interview at a tech company. Since the office was close to her home, she decided to walk to the office location. On the way there, it started to rain heavily. Maria forgot to bring her umbrella! In Vancouver, you never leave your home without an umbrella. Maria was drenched. She arrived at her interview rocking a wet look. The interview itself went relatively smooth and again, she aced the questions. When the interview was over, Maria went to the loo. As she washed her hands, she glanced at the mirror and shrieked, \u201cMon Dieu!\u201d Her mascara was smeared, and her eyes looked like panda eyes! It\u2019s not even Halloween! Maria didn\u2019t get the job. Moral of the experience:<\/b> Always be prepared. Never leave your home without a brolly, especially if you live in Vancouver. Take the time to check yourself first in the mirror before your interviews. And yes, invest on a good waterproof mascara!<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t (Photo supplied by author)<\/em><\/p>\n Wrong shoes!<\/b> Maria\u2019s agent scheduled her a job interview right after a long weekend. On the day itself, Maria\u2019s alarm didn\u2019t ring. Maria found herself getting ready in haste! She has half an hour to get to her interview. It took her 15 minutes to get ready and another 15 minutes to arrive at her interview. Whew. Maria managed to be on time. The job interview was for a high-level position at an architectural company. It was another panel interview and Maria sat across four architects. As always, Maria did well during the interview \u2014 she answered all questions with poised and confidence. As she stood up, one of the female architects praised her, \u201cI love your fashion sense. Are those the latest from Ferragamo?\u201d Maria looked down at her shoes and was mortified. Her left shoe was black, and her right shoe was red! Maria did get the job \u2014 it turned out \u2014 they loved her bold fashion taste and colour coordination. Moral of the experience:<\/b> Don\u2019t let your agent schedule an interview after the long weekend. Hang overs and interviews don\u2019t mix well.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t (Photo supplied by author)<\/em><\/p>\n Buttons has expensive taste.<\/b> One time, Maria arrived way too early for an interview. The Lady CEO was still out for lunch. Eventually, the receptionist took her to the Lady CEO\u2019s office. The receptionist also told Maria that the Lady CEO is on her way. Inside the office, Maria found herself playing with the boss\u2019 pooch. Maria loves dogs! As she waited, Maria accidentally kicked off her right shoe. Suddenly, the pooch grabbed her shoe by its mouth! Oh no, not her Ferragamo Gancini pump! Maria ended up wrestling with the pooch \u2014 to get her shoe off its\u2019 mouth. Maria was angry at the pooch, \u201cGive me back my shoe, you mutt! Do you know how many overtimes I had to do to be able to afford this shoe? Give it back to me now, you ugly mutt!\u201d Unbeknownst to Maria, the Lady CEO had been watching the whole spectacle. The Lady CEO called her pooch, \u201cCome here, Buttons!\u201d The pooch dropped Maria\u2019s shoe and ran towards its owner. Maria blushed, \u201cYour dog is so adorable, I enjoyed playing with her! Don\u2019t worry about my shoe; my shoe is simply fine!\u201d Maria never heard back from the Lady CEO. Moral of the experience:<\/b> Be punctual, but not too early for your interviews. Arriving 15 to 20 minutes before your scheduled interview is acceptable. Any more than that, and you may be sending the wrong message or worse, end up wrestling with your future boss\u2019 pet!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t (Photo supplied by author)<\/em><\/p>\n Interviewee down!<\/b> During one of Maria\u2019s job interviews, the hiring manager cracked a joke. Maria laughed out loud! As she laughed, Maria leaned back in her chair when it tipped over. Maria was exposed in a most uncomfortable position! It\u2019s a good thing, she was wearing knickers that day. Eventually, Maria picked herself up, straightened her hair and her suit. Maria told the hiring manager, \u201cLol, your joke was so hilarious, I literally flipped over my chair! Shall we continue with the interview?\u201d The hiring manager gave the job to Maria. It must\u2019ve been the Victoria\u2019s Secret underwear that sealed the deal. Moral of the experience:<\/b> You can always turn an unfortunate incident into a winning moment. There are no circumstances, however unfortunate, that clever people do not extract some advantage from.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The moral of this article:<\/b> In most cases, the best strategy you could have in a job interview is to be your natural self. Just be honest because the worst thing that can happen is that you won’t get the job and will spend the rest of your life foraging for food in the forest and may end up seeking shelter underneath the awning of a strip club that has gone out of business. So yes, be yourself by all means, but don\u2019t forget to be smart and to come prepared for an interview! After all, life is a one big balancing act.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" (Photo supplied by author) Job interviews are like first dates \u2014 good first impressions count, awkwardness can occur, and outcomes …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":274222,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-274219","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-lifestyle","mauthors-matte-laurel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/274219","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=274219"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/274219\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":274356,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/274219\/revisions\/274356"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/274222"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=274219"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=274219"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=274219"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nawkwardness can occur, and outcomes are unpredictable. There\u2019s no doubt about
\nit: job interviews can be nerve-wracking. Going for a job interview can be one
\nof the most stressful events in our lives. It can either make or break our
\ncareer paths and yes, our bank accounts.<\/p>\n
\nboth painful and real, from the struggle of finding the winning outfit that
\nscreams: \u201cHire me, I\u2019m the best one for this job!\u201d to remaining calm and
\ncomposed as you try your best to give the correct answers to the
\ninterviewer(s). On top of these, the agony of having to wait for the call back
\nis also enough to spike up your anxiety attacks.<\/p>\n
\nprofessional when it came to job interviews. She knows the art of power
\ndressing and the importance of it. She works with a top head-hunter or agent
\nwho matches her with the right employers. Maria carefully examines each job
\ndescription. She performs a thorough research on the company, its culture, and
\nthe role itself. Maria also has a list of thoughtful questions she may want to
\nask for her interviewer(s). Maria has perfected her elevator pitch on
\ndescribing herself, her qualifications, and her experiences. She\u2019s also perfected
\nthe answers to common questions such as: \u201cWhy do you want to work here?, \u201cWhat
\nare your strengths and weaknesses?\u201d, and \u201cWhat interests you about this role?\u201d In
\naddition, Maria has practiced her speaking voice and proper body language.<\/p>\n
\nwell you prepare for a job interview, sometimes due to recklessness, plain
\nstupidity, and mostly nerves, a job interview can go horribly wrong in most
\nhilarious ways. In the spirit of being like-minded human beings, Maria has
\nagreed to share her own \u201cjob interviews gone wrong\u201d experiences.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/rgsafds.jpg\")
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