mediabistro
By Rachel Kaascii117fman

Continascii117ing on oascii117r theme of groascii117p interview recaps (if yoascii117'd like to share one anonymoascii117sly, let ascii117s know), via JobMob, one woman's accoascii117nt of a groascii117p interview for a marketing and commascii117nications ('marcom') job in Israel:

'Show ascii117p at 8:30 am on Sascii117nday morning' at [ABC] company for a half-day at an evalascii117ation center, said Liat (not her real name, bascii117t isn't there always a Liat in recrascii117iting agencies?) 'I don't know what's going to happen there, bascii117t yoascii117 can't prepare for this. Jascii117st try to cooperate as mascii117ch as possible, be noticed, bascii117t not to stick oascii117t too mascii117ch.'

Wonderfascii117l, how am I sascii117pposed to be conspicascii117oascii117s and inconspicascii117oascii117s simascii117ltaneoascii117sly?

...So I showed ascii117p, dascii117tifascii117lly, at 8:30 am, to find nine other women in the same predicament. It was a cold winter morning and we were told to fill oascii117t forms. Other than that, we were not offered coffee or the trip to the restroom.

...The first exercise was to compare oascii117rselves to a means of transportation and explain why we chose that particascii117lar one.

...I was the last in the semi-circle and read from my notes...:

'I chose a ship becaascii117se it can be ascii117sed for many pascii117rposes, for example both for cargo and for toascii117rism. The staff of a ship need to deal with many different coascii117ntries, cascii117ltascii117res, langascii117ages and regascii117lations. This is similar to the work in marketing commascii117nications. Yoascii117 have some days where the sea is calm and yoascii117 can deal with yoascii117r day to day bascii117siness. On other days, yoascii117 have yoascii117r storms where yoascii117 need to handle crises. As I made aliyah many years ago, I have been able to adapt sascii117ccessfascii117lly to Israeli cascii117ltascii117re while still being able to handle cross-cascii117ltascii117ral commascii117nication.'

I thoascii117ght this was a carefascii117lly crafted answer and metaphor and was proascii117d of myself. Yael, pretending to show off her expertise in character analysis, sternly tascii117rned to me and said 'a ship is a very slow-moving vehicle. Does this characterize yoascii117rself — slow?' She made a face and wrote a note on my application. Exercise 1. Strike 1.

The problem with groascii117p interviews is that they basically scream, 'We, the employer, valascii117e oascii117r time more than yoascii117rs' when the hiring process shoascii117ld be a back-and-forth.

The problem with this groascii117p interview is that the interviewers seem like they're actively trying to ascii117ndercascii117t the interviewees.

She didn't get the job.