Listen to Your Inner Voice
Today, I went on an interview for a new job, my first in over 20 years. I had been the vice president of sales and marketing for a technology company that was sold. Now I’m looking for something new. I thought I’d share my experience and save someone else sometime after hearing my story. I need to talk about the inner voices that were speaking to me throughout the process, that maybe I should have paid more attention to.
On a Sunday afternoon, I was on one of those job websites that list jobs and makes it extremely easy to apply. The first mistake, if it is a one-click application, it is probably not the best job out there. I came across a position as a marketing manager, not far from my home, easy commute. There was a little information about working with a growing company, great working environment, and great team. I thought, heck why not, I can do this. I clicked that One Click
Inner voice “Wow, they must really be trying to find someone for this job to be working on Sunday”. Here is what it said: “Dear Catherine, Thank you for your interest in [Company Name]! Our Management team has reviewed your qualifications and we were very impressed. Our hiring team would like to sit down with you in person to discuss the possibility of employment. We are conducting in-person interviews at our office MONDAY DECEMBER 11th at the following times. Looking forward to speaking with you soon Catherine! Skipping the closing to protect the innocent or not so innocent.
Regular Voice: “Oh my goodness, this is great, they are very impressed with me, I can’t wait this could be the best job evah” I send an email to set up my appointment time. I then receive this email: “Dear Catherine, As we discussed, you are going to be sitting down and meeting personally with one of our hiring managers. The initial interview will last about 30 minutes. You are scheduled for 12/11/2017 10:30 AM. Just a reminder, please bring in a printed copy of your resume and make sure to dress in professional business attire.”
Inner Voice: What? “Make sure to dress in professional business attire”. Really? If they need to add that to their emails, wow! I’m feeling kind of insulted, what kind of person do they think I am? They said they read my resume, my last position included the title Vice President. Hmmm, maybe this isn’t the job I think it is. Regular Voice: But it is late on a Sunday night, and this is my first interview in 20 years, so maybe things are different now. Let me sleep on it.
The next morning, I receive another email from them 2 hours before my interview: “Dear Catherine, As we discussed, you are going to be sitting down and meeting personally with one of our hiring managers. The initial interview will last about 30 minutes. You are scheduled for 12/11/2017 10:30 AM. Just a reminder, please bring in a printed copy of your resume and make sure to dress in professional business attire.”
Inner voice: Do they think I am a moron? I am going do a Google search for this company. I enter the company’s name, and NOTHING comes up. They are a marketing company, and in Google search, “Nothing” comes up. Hmmm, maybe they are not who they say they are. I go to their website that was in the email. It was a one-page website, talking about a new up and coming company.
Inner Voice: I was a marketing guru at my last job, so now I am wondering what kind of marketing company only has one page on their website. Again, I ignore all of these warnings. Regular Voice: “Oh it is a new company, and they need a marketing manager, so I am going to have lots to do at this new position and when I’m done with their website, they are going to “LOVE” me.”
Off I go, for my appointment. Oh wait, pit stop, I had to go to Office Depot to get copies of my resume. I wanted it to be especially professional, so I had it printed in color, and on nice grey heavy paper. Thirty copies cost me a little more than $45.00. Did I tell you this was the first job interview that I had been on in 20 years?
I arrive at my appointment. The company is on a side road, up above a Chinese food restaurant. The door has the name of a dentist office on it, not the name of the company I’m meeting. ALARMS are going off like crazy in my head! Inner Voice: Turn around and get back in your car and drive away quickly. Regular Voice: No, No, it is a new company, there are plenty of companies that start off small, they just need help, and I am just the one to do it. Go up those stairs. Really? Are you going to go up those stairs? Yes, I am. Don’t judge a book by its cover. Go! Go! 
I go up the stairs, into a waiting area that has 3 chairs, a TV, and a reception desk, with no one sitting at the desk. I sit down, music is blaring from the radio on the reception desk. A gentleman pops his head out and asks if he can help me. I tell him that I am there for a job interview. He asks, “For which company”?
Inner voice: [I’m going to keep this clean] Damn this is a freaking staffing agency, and there is no marketing manager position, I have been duped! When I say I am here for the marketing manager’s job at [Company Name]. He then hands me a clipboard with a piece of paper that wants my name address and phone number. And asks me to fill out the piece of paper. I say “but all this information is on my resume (that I just paid $45 to print in color and on pretty paper), why do you need me to write it again on this piece of paper? He says “Because I asked you to”.
Inner voice: “Crap, crap, crap, why didn’t I just listen to myself when myself knew this was a scam.” I am so angry with me at this point. Now, most people would have gotten up and walked away, well I am not most people. I filled out the piece of paper and waited to be called.
A very thin, very red-lipped, very high heeled, very young woman came out to invite me in for the interview. She proceeded to tell me that this was an entry level sales position, which was commission only but had the possibility of making six figures. I stood up and said, “I do not want a sales job that is not what was advertised. She said well you are a little overqualified for the position, to begin with. I said, “Then why did you request that I come in for an interview?” She said “HR probably wasn’t paying attention to the resume and just sent the email. I am sure that you won’t have a problem finding a job. I got up and left.
Note to Self – sometimes that inner voice knows more about you than you think, go with it!
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