Monday, March 12, 2007

How low can I get?

It's been more then a year now, the struggle to find a decent job. After I lost my job in september 2005 it wasn't a good situation in the market to find a job in sales again. The few jobs that were around were not interesting at all. Besides of that I lost a lot of my confidence. It's not easy get from one reorganisation into another. It also made my resume look bad. Every job interview I am questioned about those short term jobs I had. It's not my fault but hey, how to explain that to a new employer? In common they think there is something fishy about this guy. What they don't see is that I have the flexibility and all the strength to get back on my feet every time. So the year that's now behind me was a year of finding myself again and getting the trust that it will work out. But the truth is that it's seems almost impossible. I was doing fine with my latest job interview, I made my assessment very well, high score on experience, intellect, personality and commercial skills. I am getting into the third round, and then the shit hits the fan. For some unkown reason my former employer made a negative image of me. We agreed that I could also use him as a reference and therefor also named him in my resume, if I would had performed so badly as he says I did, why would I be so stupid to use him in my resume? I was totally in shock and taken by suprise. Besides of the short term jobs that I had for the last 5 years I now was facing a negative image. Of course they only asked this paticular last person about my history at this firm where I only worked for 9 months. They didn't made the effort to ask the other companies where I worked longer. So I was pictured as a liar and it felt I had no credibility at all. This whole weekend I was feeling like someone hit me with a hammer. For a year I am struggling to survive from wellfare money to temporary low paid jobs, just to find something serious again. So this nice former employer just ruins my future with his negative reference. The thing at the end is that as a jobseeker I have no credibility, an employer has it all. In regard to profession I am a serious person, I developed my skills and I have the benefit that I did many different things in my life. And when I am in an interview I want to show this all, but most important I don't like acting, I mean faking. These days they expect the acting part. I should be overflowing from enthousiasm for a new job. I am damn enthousiastic, but just like I am, seriously and without all the show and acting. That's just not me. But that's how it is, it's not good enough anymore. I score high on all the tests, people see me as charming, skilled and intelligent, I am just not a damn actor that praises the stars from heaven for a new job. My approach is as always serious. Maybe I just didn't find the right company and the right people. Today I will get the result from the interview, my premination is not that good. I just have to wait and see.....

6 comments:

Zeekat said...

I keep my fingers crossed for you dear, and so hope that it will all work out today. It will be such a disappointment for you to get a negative feedback on this last job interview, all the effort, time and money that went into it.I wonder, could a employer be so blind to follow that one negative feedback on your jobskills, while your scores are so high on the assessment. When they do, they are so so blind to see and I find it far from professional. To take one individual persons opinion and base there results on that. I wonder why

Zeekat said...

they let you go through an assessment in the first place, it's then useless. They could base there opinion on one phonecall they made, like they did now. It makes me so angry coz I know what you went throuhg these last year to get the spirit back. And now you have, you get treated like this. I can't believe this. I keep my fingers crossed today and pray for the best.

Karin xxx

Zeekat said...

by the way:

vind de nieuwe layout wel lekker, je kop past nu veel beter bij de lay-out van de pagina. Maar de tekst kleur van je blogs mag wel iets donkerder of lichter want het is nu wat slecht leesbaar. Heb je überhaupt nog wat geslapen vannacht? Nou kan me voorstellen dat je niet slaapt met al dit gedoe.

Bobby D. said...

Interviews are very stressful, because you are expected to act, and be ultra alert / fake! That is always expected.

Years ago I did very well on one interview, and I was certain I had the job. Someone on the inside told me I had been passed by because although I was perfect for the job, I was too young--but they hired someone 7 years younger than I was!

I guess they never even looked at the dates on my resume!. So I learned then that interviews are crazy. After that interview, I went into others with a more carefree attitude. I didn't want to appear anxious so I would calm myself down by thinking I didn't want the job. I asked them a lot of questions about what they could do for me, and I got that job.
In Europe do they expect you to stay at one job or in one profession for a long time? A Scandinavian friend told me that Americans are known for changing careers and she viewed that as craziness.

Something good will come up for you--if this much goodness and energy comes across in a blog, then in person you must be a very charming and bright individual.

Anonymous said...

i guess in this soceity you judt have to act to survive
thats the part that i dont like either
but thats just the way the world goes around
you can act
as long as you stay true to yourself
and to th ppl that is closed to you
then its fine

im sorry to hear the interview thing
but have faith in yourself like i have in you
im always for you
and your chance is right there at the corner waiting...



i love you Pieter

xxxxxxxxx

Anonymous said...

Sure u will find an even more suitable job in time.
And, if not:
Create one ureself!