Be Not Deceived
I stopped a taxi that drove me all the way to the company premises where the interview was to be carried out. I was there just in time before arrangement of tables and chairs were made, and so not to feel idle and lazy I gave a hand in doing so, giving and taking as and when the fixtures were required. Nobody seemed to know who I was, some probably conjecturing if I was a newly employed or not. Knowing what was going through their minds, I pretended not to realize a thing about their curiosity.
I hang around till it was really time for the show. I took my time to spy around and welcome myself into the environment since nobody dared asked me anything. I was there where some other co-interviewees who were also shortlisted for the interview arrived about half an hour or so later. I waited till every one was ready when I walked to join them for the panel to call on for our individual turns. First it was a very smartly dressed young lady of the age of 21 thereabout....few minutes later she came out holding a water jar with mixed facial expression of both smile and grimace; that everybody could hardly tell which one dominated the other but from the look of thing I could say she was in her best.
Alrighty! Sitting next to me was a very ill-manner lady (excuse me to say ladies) who, from head to the toe, looked miserably dressed like those toy in Disney Land. She painted her face with all kinds colors that her real skin tone disappeared and made her looking like the toy she created out of herself. She got this gum in her mouth that she couldn't care less who it disgusted as and when she chew on it out loud.
People after people and coming out as they did, some with regular expressions to the most depressed of them as they went away. It was come now this toyish of a girl's turn and she quickly put away all of that stuffs and put on her well-behaved face and character on and off she went in for her turn. I sank my face in my hands and told myself '...So help me, God.' We were two people left or so because sitting away from me, right behind me, was a man in his early 40's who from the look of things was also there for the interview of some sort....He may be there for other things, I couldn't tell....how do I care, for as long as I serve my time and be gone.
About two minutes later after our painter lady went in, we could hear laughter on the panel and one could tell they got something interesting going on in there. well, it must have been their day, who knows and I couldn't care a 'fuss' about it.. ' I will be off and out of here soon as I get mine done', I thought to myself. I looked back at the man and he raised his shoulders as to say 'I have no ideas what'. Then off he went to the room when he was called and he came out few minutes later with the girl. The girl left in very high spirit but the man went back to where he was seated and then my heart began to pounce against my chest so hard that I could hear screams in my head telling me ' This is it, boy!!!!!'. I walked up to the coffee machine and did what people normally do when they go there and I poured myself a little of the content which is usually not my kind of thing. I tried very hard to hold is still but I couldn't help shaking and started sweating in my hands, eventually. I took a deep breath twice and then starting to calm my nerves when I was called. It was as though a newly designed robo-rocket had been launched. I couldn't feel my legs when I was walking to the door but I managed to get there and I held the door, pushed it open. There I was, inside with the panel looking at me feeling puzzled and dazed by their stern gazes toward my direction. I couldn't tell if it was about the manner I dressed in or it was normal way of looking at their interviewees.
One thing that I always got that keeps me going is the fact that we all eat, pee, squat and all and so thus makes us all equal and one, no matter our background, race, color, culture, sex or the city &c. Whether I washed my face upward that morning or not, what mattered was that I was in the building and had to do what I had to do and get my heel out one after the other.
So mustering the residual courage that these few words gave me, I held back and walked toward and stood where I could see everybody. I appeared uninterested at first for I knew that they were designed to put you down and make you look ridiculous. Trust me however, I was meant for every of their bullets and so I stood looking stout in my mind's eyes. I greeted and the lady sitting from my right was about to greet me back when the gentleman sitting next to him sprung up with 'So you were the gentleman that sent in your application without a C.V. huh?' and all burst out laughing.The rest went thus:
Lady: How may we be of help to you, Mr Oscar Oz?'
Marc: I hope this an interview based on the job vacancy your company advertised in the TruImage Mag. This is why I'm here so.....
1st gent: You must be there one your friend said came late, I guess 1st gent.
Marc: Probably, yes i guess.
2nd gent: wow, how courteous of you to respond.
Marc: Thank you. I was actually brought by my oldma, may God rest her soul.
Lady: Aww, sorry for your loss.
The other two guy made a comment that got me already boiling inside and I got a shred of nerve left to explode like a pipe bomb. I could hear them ask several questions later when I said; 'Ok, everybody just stop talking!' to their surprise.
Marc: Yes I said shut up and let's get this thing done with. The fact that you get your job here already does not give you the effrontery to ridicule others looking for the same opportunity. You (pointing to either of the two guys) should know death is not something I should be ashamed of and I was not even here for it. It was the passing onto the world beyond of someone so dear to me more than the reason we are all here today. All you can do for the good of us is to keep your comments in your thin skulls. Now here is the thing should your oldma never told you about it. We all are here today so we can find some other hands to replace the ones already here so we can move this community of an environment forward to achieve its goals and objectives. You think sitting here and wasting precious time is what you were employed and being paid for? ( I could feel a showdown right behind me but I had to let out all I had inside before I could think of something else). The best you could all do is try and see who among us is qualified to fit into the shoes we are here for. Oh, you must have been thinking that we all got nothing doing and so you can just toy with our emotions and then wave us sideways and go tell your director none of us is fit and hence move a motion for another search for innocent unsuspecting individuals to pry on. Look, I don't believe in interviews and so this is actually the first time kinds of you two especially would see my face around this buildings. Standing here as I am, I don't know if I may be the one you looking for and I am convinced that I am not cos after saying what I have here, you will be thrilled to employ such a person. I don't know what it is that you people do or what the objectives of this establishment are and so I came here thinking you would spell them out just so I would glance through and see what I can do as an individual to push it a bit and by putting these bits and pieces together from every hand you got, we are all getting somewhere. Not this, God dammit!! Look, honestly, how many of you know how to operate that equipment sitting right in front of you there? Well you may think you know but trust me, when I give it back to you after two minutes on it, you would throw it away and buy a new one thinking it's spoilt. Most of you just have it for having it sakes and create the impression that you are the only people who are fit and qualified for this types of jobs. I tell you what, with the type of expertise that I have here, I can promise that the future of all these machines y'all have here in this building is secure. The world is already gone digital and this is the world I was made of without a doubt. Yes, I never attached a CV because I didn't have the time to sit down and write all of these on a piece of paper and what do you do with them, anyways? How many of you believe in all that we write on those sheets and how many of that are we able to do when we get the jobs? Or do you just ask for them to add to your paper waste garbage or you sell them out to paper companies for cash...well that would be a nice way to start business and if that is the case I would like to go back home and bring you all my books. In fact, I'm out of here and I don't have all day to waste.
I left the room, walked up to the coffee stand and poured myself some more for the road. I walked out and saw the man still sitting there and now looking at me for God-knows-what.....I just walked past him and wished him good luck. He called out to me and said ' Mr young man, please wait a minute'. I turned trying to calm my nerves and then he came near me and tapped me at the shoulder and said 'it's alright my son. Everything you feel in here', pointing at the direction of his heart. 'There came a time,' he continued, 'when I thought of not doing this interviews as most of the people who come here all lied on their papers and contribute 'nara' to the total output of the company by the end of the day. Most case scenarios are those time when we have to spend extra cash in educating most of these employees as to how best we need the job done.' He smiled and said ' My boy, to tell you the truth I have no idea how to operate these computers all because I have no time to myself or should I say I have nobody to have time to me to walk me through it. I get nervous every time I go near that thing but all our outputs are heading into those small boxes which need to be opened one way or the other to get those information out for our customers....
From his speech I could tell he was the director and the CEO of the said company so I used the time he was talking to suppress the heat boiling within me. I told him that I was heading home to get something to eat because I came in here when the cleaners were just arriving to start their work. 'Oh you must be starving then,' he said. In my mind I said 'I'm ravishing'. LOL. He offered to take me to dinner but I turned him down with all respect even though he said he needed to make me an offer to be his personal assistance as regards computer and gadgets but I told him that what I know about computers are very scary and he laughed and said 'Well, you can just leave me at the basics and keep the scary parts to yourself, hahaha'. I looked at him and smile and told him I would come check on him from time to time should need me. He took my number and I left in a taxi which he told the driver not to charge me but should return and take the money from him. We became best of friends and he stopped holding interviews in his company ever since. All thanks to the coffee I took before the interview. It makes me miserable that is I why I don't like coffee especially black. I prefer my iced tea to all things in the little tea cups!Should interviews be encouraged for job placements? What is your say???? Leave comment and rate this, please. Thanks for your time. BLESS!!!!
What a life...
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