Have you ever gone for an interview & wanted to ask questions but either you were too nervous or anxiety stricken that the words just got stuck in your throat? Your mouth would open & you would have all the confidence in the world until it was shoved way back down inside you?
Too often do we let moments of expression pass.
I was talking to my Mother last night while cleaning up my kitchen after dinner & she started reminiscing on the days when she worked in downtown Houston in the 70’s for an accounting firm. We were talking about the interview process & how she was hired not on her skill sets but on her looks. If you know my Mother or knew my her back in her early years she was a nice mixture of Jacqueline Smith meets Sally Fields. A real eye catcher. She mentioned trying to get her foot in the door at this company when she first moved to Houston & she had to start somewhere, so she decided to interview for a company as a typist. She went on to tell me that she wasn’t by any means at that time frame, the best nor the fastest at the machine she would be required to use. Never-the-less she interviewed for the role. Well she was called in for a second interview & she was shocked at the call back due to her lack of key skills. She stated she was being brought in because she was one of the best. My Mother being incredibly honest, almost to a fault stated point blank to the VP of the company, “With all due respect Sir, I am by far one of the slowest typists that did that test last week. I think we both know I am here based on my features.” She said he stopped & just stared at her a bit puzzled at her candor & then said, “Actually you are correct in that assumption.” Before he could speak another word, she asked, “What are the job requirements?” He started rattling off what seemed like Administrative Assistant or Personal Assistant job duties & when he finished the list she responded with, “Again, with all due respect, why do I have to get your coffee & call your wife for you when the role is for Typist? Can you not do those things for yourself or hire for those roles separately? I am here to learn & grow.”
They ended that interview process & she stated a week or so went by when she got a call that she got the job. She was astounded & taken a back but thought to herself, something had to have intrigued them. So on the first day when she went in & the VP greeted her, her honestly leading the way, she stated, “Might I ask why you hired me?” He smiled & looked at her & stated, “You were honest, you were transparent. You stated what you wanted & what you didn’t. I admire that in employees & people in general.”
So the moral of the story is…..speak up for yourself. Tell your truths, ask the questions because that honestly might be the difference between getting what you want & not.
Believe it or not, my Mother said that they became good friends & she had a high level of respect for him. Any time she didn’t feel at ease with a duty or another employee making her feel uncomfortable she said he always made time to address the situation.
