Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Interviewsssssssss
2:07 AM
I've got so much things to blog bout but laziness got the better of me usually. This is going to be a damm long post. Went for Citibank interview this afternoon. It's actually a job that I'm not particularly interested in and having faking sick twice few weeks back, they still called me up last week to go down for an interview. I've no idea how to and am a bit pai sei to reject and decided to go down. The interviewer is freaking sissy. Are sissies & bald head correlated in anyway? Look at famous artiste hairstylist David Gan. lol. Bald & Sissy as well. Whatever, that's not the main issue here. Oh and have I mentioned he was damm nasty? Not to me of course but to a new girl (I presume) who came in to seek advice on certain customer's issue while I was filling up the application form. He's super sarcastic to her saying stuff like 'Is it in your notes? Have you read through your notes?', 'So, have you answered my question?', 'Didn't read through your notes and you dare to come and ask me'. Though I was quite taken aback by his attitude, I wasn't even a tad scare off by him despite the fact that he's my interviewer. Perhaps I didn't really give a hoot about the interview. Think the girl's quite poor thing and I was a lil angry with him for the girl. First question he asked me "u're from marketing so why not find a marketing job?". Told him I did my internship at a market research fim so would like to try out others. And he said 'try?' I knew he's a tough nut to crack at that instant. But yea I rebutted him. I realised I do have my ways to deal with sarcastic people and I'm preety good at it. Think cos I'm one myself especially if the person pissed me off with his/her attitude. Sarcasm is potent. Citi's reply was rocket fast, called me at 5pm later in the day and offered me the job and their training starts next monday. If only Bank of Tokyo & Bunkering (aka the oil trading job) are that efficient as well. Bunkering... HA! I've got loads to complain. Lemme finish this first. After a round of analysis with stu, I've decided to call them up tmr to kindly decline the offer. It's really not sth I'm looking for. The only reason why I would accept it is cos the remuneration is preety alright. Thanks dear for discussing with me. Appreciate it.
Yep and now to the bunkering. Finally, bunkering called me last week to inform me that the review of the profile test was done and I'd to go down (YET AGAIN - 5th time!) to review the profile test tgt with their senior traders and MD. I was thinking it's just a profile test what's there to review about? And when I went, I understood what the reviewing was all about! My goshhhhh.... it's the most detailed personality profile test I've ever seen!!!! Boom! One thick report of the profile test in front of me, reminds me of the numerous NBS project reports that I'd submitted in school last time. It's called the FACET test. Friends, be on high alert if any company is using that to pry into your personality. It's freakishly highly accurate.
Argh! The whole session lasted for yet another 1.5 hr!!!!! In fact, I find it much tougher than the 1.5hr of interview by the MD the last time! Gruelling and definitely not a good experience because this time I felt like I'm defending myself throughout the whole 1.5hr!!!! In an interview, you have the upper hand to control how you want to portray yourself. Not that you are necessarily faking an identity or personality but more of controlling what you want to reveal and what you prefer not to in order gain yourself an advantage. BUTTTTTTT! With a freaking accurate and detailed personality report right in front of you and your interviewers, you just feel that you've lost it all. Suddenly everything becomes extremely transparent. It's an insecure feeling as if your line of defence is totally lost and you are exposed right to the core, right to the very DNA in your body.
The analysis was categorised into five aspects. And the result for 2 aspects of me skewed towards either ends of the scale. One of which was WILL he told me. Initially I thought WILL as in determination and I was very surprised that it says I've low will because on this point... i'm very preety sure of myself that I'm an extremely determined person. My close friends know it and I know it. My determination can be scarily strong. Even if I know sth might not work out the way I want it to be, I'll still never give up trying. However, as it turns out, the WILL aspect was subdivided into more categories of personality (see how detailed it is!!!) and what it was referring to was I'm easily influenced by people's opinion. MY GOD! When I heard it, I screamed SHIT silently. Oxymorons. haha. EXPOSED #1 - Easily influenced by other's opinions and swayed by others. Wohoo, smart FACET! Even though they were just 2 aspects of the 5 that skewed towards the ends of the scale, these 2 are enuff to not land me in the job cos I feel that they are the critical ones. On my EXPOSED #1, he asked me 'so if people speculate about oil prices and how it will flactuate you will be taken in easily?' Well done FACET. I rebutted that I do admit that I listen to lots of people's opinion b4 I come to a conclusion, however, that does not equate to believing whatever people says. Can't really recall what else I've said and I'm too lazy to go into detail as well. That will take me the whole night.
EXPOSED #2 - I appear to be optimistic but pple who know me well knows that I'm in fact quite pessimistic/Emotional/Get anxious b4 a big event. Kudos FACET! Regarding the optimism & pessimism issue, that's freaking true I admit. I'm in fact quite pessimistic. lol. To put it nicely, I feel that I'm trying to prepare myself for the worse but ya.. if u want to say it it's actually pessimistic. But its really true that I always think things in the worse possible scenario in order not to get hit too hard by bad news. Get anxious b4 big event? Who wouldn't? I don't know why but I was a bit angry when I heard that. haha. So I tried to tell him that ya I do get anxious however I can hide it well. (and that's the important thing isn't it). People won't know that I'm anxious even if I am. I rem my prj grp mate used to ask me b4 one presentation, u looked very calm (cos she was kinda anxious that time) but truth is I was having truckload of butterflies in my stomach. This point I could defend myself confidently cos it's the truth. But.. on the pessimism part I just surrendered. argh.
There's a lot more other points he brought up but I can't rem and I'm seriously too lazy to list them all out. Can u see how tough the whole session was. AND to think that the HR told me that it's not another interview but just a review of the profile test. Ya, review of the profile test no doubt BUT it seems more like another round of interview (5th round to be exact) and this time round it wasn't me describing myself but them telling me who I am with the FACET on their hands. How easy can that get?!! Grrrrr. It really feels uneasy talking about your weaknesses. See what I mean, I can control what weakness I want to point out to them in a normal interview cos I have ways of shaping those weaknesses to strengths but not when all my REAL weaknesses that I do not plan to reveal is out in the open!! Not a gd feeling really.
I'm having a love-hate relationship with FACET. While I loathe it to the core for revealing me in the interview, I'm extremely amazed by its accuracy and truth at the same time. I even had the urge to ask for a photocopy of the profile test for keepsake. LOL. It's interesting.
Right now I'm very confused. Situation is this.
i) I've verbally accepted UOB's offer & is supposed to go down to sign the contract this Friday, 11th July. I'm preety neutral abt this job actually. No special likings, no particular disklikes. One thing for sure - I don't like the long working hours. Weekends burnt totally most of the times.
ii) Citibank offered today and I'm supposed to give a reply by tmr. I'm totally NOT interested in the job. The reason for accepting is the alright remuneration and perhaps.. it's Citibank? lol.
iii) Bunkering replied last week for review of profile test and said that they will get back to me latest this Friday. Used to be interested in this job, however, after the gruelling session I'm having second thoughts. Nothing personal against the MD/traders who reviewed the profile test with me but am just wondering if I'm suitable for it actually. Cos truth to be told, it's a very aggressive industry.
iv) Bank of Tokyo haven't replied. Bohoo. Cw's friend who went 4 days b4 us got a call last Thurs. Called them up last Friday to check on the status they said still in the midst of shortlisting and might even get call this week. Today no call so called them up again cos I was still thinking of taking up Citi's offer. And she still told me in the midst and latest next week reply. If not selected she should have told me right since I called twice already? So I guess all's not lost? I'm interested in this one and is hoping that the efficient one is them instead of Citi.
Will be rejecting Citi most prob tmr. UOB's fate depends on BOT and Bunkering. Argh. Can they be more efficient to make things simpler. Frustrating.
*prays*