A couple of weeks ago I went to a assessment day for a job I didn't particularly want but I thought that it might be good to get the experience. This company that hosted the day (let's not mention names) asked me if I was able to go down to London and as a keen applicant I agreed. One of the few reasons why I agreed was because I had to go through 2 phone interviews and they seemed super keen on having me there even though it was very obvious this was a fake excitement. Regardless, I went down to London before the sun was even up just to give this place a chance.
When arriving to the office I did everything according to the books. I smiled, was polite, took initiative and showed them that I am clearly the right person for them. The assessment day went on as I had expected due to all my coaching and reading reviews online. It was all going well until the presentation I had prepared. Even though I shared everything I wanted with them I realised that it didn't matter how well I was doing because when I walked in to the presentation room I could already see that they had made up their mind. I did not have the particular look they were looking for which became obvious when we saw which people they had chosen for the position. I am not saying I was better than the chosen people but one of them even admitted that she didn't have answers to their questions and felt like she was rambling during the presentation.
This made me realise that even if the company would offer me a job I am not sure it is the kind of company I would like to work for. I mean, I'm sure they are great at what they do and have a lot to offer but working for someone that would judge me on my looks and not my brains would feel like being on Tinder, if I don't have the right make-up on they would swipe me left in a second without even reading my biography.
So as you can figure out I didn't get the job but I received feedback which was positive. It was great being told that I was articulate, a good team player, participated and took initiative and even showed some humor. However, it was more upsetting to hear that they didn't feel that I showed my personality even though all the traits mentioned above would be personality traits. This particular point made me feel a bit taken back because I'm usually told that I am a bubbly and happy person that always shows who I am.
After dealing with this set back I came to the conclusion that for future interviews I am not going to hold back at all. If they want personality they'll get the whole package. I will be smiley and bubbly at the same time as I'll be professional. However, in some industries this won't help because we live in a shallow world where apparently looks is more important than what I have inside my, apparently not pretty enough, head.
As much as I got upset by the fact that I am still unemployed it upsets me more that some companies will only hire me if I look the way they expect not because I have a brain. So in the end this assessment day taught me something; It doesn't matter how smart you are, if you show enough skin and are pretty enough then it will be easier for you to get a job, especially in sales.
When arriving to the office I did everything according to the books. I smiled, was polite, took initiative and showed them that I am clearly the right person for them. The assessment day went on as I had expected due to all my coaching and reading reviews online. It was all going well until the presentation I had prepared. Even though I shared everything I wanted with them I realised that it didn't matter how well I was doing because when I walked in to the presentation room I could already see that they had made up their mind. I did not have the particular look they were looking for which became obvious when we saw which people they had chosen for the position. I am not saying I was better than the chosen people but one of them even admitted that she didn't have answers to their questions and felt like she was rambling during the presentation.
This made me realise that even if the company would offer me a job I am not sure it is the kind of company I would like to work for. I mean, I'm sure they are great at what they do and have a lot to offer but working for someone that would judge me on my looks and not my brains would feel like being on Tinder, if I don't have the right make-up on they would swipe me left in a second without even reading my biography.
So as you can figure out I didn't get the job but I received feedback which was positive. It was great being told that I was articulate, a good team player, participated and took initiative and even showed some humor. However, it was more upsetting to hear that they didn't feel that I showed my personality even though all the traits mentioned above would be personality traits. This particular point made me feel a bit taken back because I'm usually told that I am a bubbly and happy person that always shows who I am.
After dealing with this set back I came to the conclusion that for future interviews I am not going to hold back at all. If they want personality they'll get the whole package. I will be smiley and bubbly at the same time as I'll be professional. However, in some industries this won't help because we live in a shallow world where apparently looks is more important than what I have inside my, apparently not pretty enough, head.
As much as I got upset by the fact that I am still unemployed it upsets me more that some companies will only hire me if I look the way they expect not because I have a brain. So in the end this assessment day taught me something; It doesn't matter how smart you are, if you show enough skin and are pretty enough then it will be easier for you to get a job, especially in sales.
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