Very Well, Then…

I won’t get into details about how I scored an interview today because, as you will read in this post, it will be completely irrelevant.

At any rate, I was called for a phone interview by a place I visited the last weekend. I was to be interviewed between the hours of 2 pm and 4 pm which I was definitely prepared for. I made sure that my phone was by my side, that Ann picked up Anthony from school so that I wouldn’t miss the call, and also informed my buddy/boss that I would be late for work tonight. (I am currently working part-time at his restaurant.)

So at 2 pm I anticipated the call even though chances of them calling at that exact time were pretty slim. But I waited.

Then 2 pm turned into 3 pm, then 3:30. I usually leave for the job around 3:30 so as to avoid traffic. Before I knew it, the clock read 3:50 and I was ready to get on the freeway for the 30-mile trek to this restaurant. I made it clear that my time between 2 and 4 pm was dedicated to taking the call and I was by my phone the whole time, not using it for anything else.

I got to work around 4:40 or so, not bad considering the traffic I had to deal with. During the entire drive I had my earpiece in my ear just in case I got the call. And if this post is any indication of how things went, you can safely guess that I didn’t get it.

Well, at least not when they said I would.

My phone rang at 4:48. It was them. I answered and spoke to the Sales Manager who told me the interview would last around 10-15 minutes. No problem, I thought. I was ready for this – even 48 minutes later.

We spoke about my past, where I stand currently, why I was interested in the position, what I look for in a company. When it was all said and done, he let me know that “there are a lot of applications we have to go through, so you should expect to hear from us within a couple of days.” I thanked him for his time.

Here’s where it gets funny.

Remember the time I said they called? Here’s a screencap from my phone with the exact information.

So they made me wait 48 minutes longer for them to call which I guess is understandable if they are calling a lot of people. The guy was apologetic about it but I don’t think it was sincere.

With the interview over, I decided I’d go and check my email. And there was in all its glory!

I figured meh, another denial letter. I should be used to them by now since those are all I’ve gotten since June. I guess I wasn’t cut out to be a car salesman.

But wait. Did you notice something? Look at the time of the email. Here’s a quick breakdown.

• Time of call: 4:48 pm, 48 minutes past the timeframe discussed
• Time of email: 4:42 pm, 6 minutes before the interview

You know, it’s a good thing I didn’t check my email before I got the call because I would have either had a lot to say about it or have a totally different mindset during the interview.

It’s reassuring to know that a) these people suck at time management and b) had already made up their minds that I’m not worthy of joining their team.

All in all I found it pretty darn amusing and I’m not disappointed at all by their decision. I’m not sure I want to work for this place if they can’t tell time and I’m keeping this rejection letter since there’s a funny story behind it.

Oh, and remember my previous post? We got our taxes done today and everything is going as planned. Ann has it all figured out down to the penny. Amazing!

Things are finally turning around despite my gloom and doom a few posts ago. They will only get better. I have a feeling.