Wednesday, August 10, 2011

#41: To the Corporate Planet and Back

Hi friends! I have to apologize for being invisible lately. I went through a hormonal phase (probably post-partum crazies) and a job application phase. You see, I started submitting my resume 2 months ago for a few marketing positions. I submitted a copy to an international company but initially got rejected. Apparently my resume was too creative for their taste so I had consulted with friends and they were gracious enough to lend me some tips on how to make my resume more "corporate and professional." I resubmitted my resume for their active file and proceeded to forget about it and move on. My husband and I started submitting auditions for voice-over jobs (which I do on the side by the way.)


Two months later, I received a call saying that I am invited for an interview the next day. Being a freelancer for most of my professional life, I panicked that I have to be able to put on the corporate persona in half a day after your mind has given up on the idea for the time being. I have to be yanked out of my tree-hugging, breast-feeding self and be the savvy, sharp, ass-kicking, tailored-suited version of me which I have kept in the closet for about two years now.


Interview day. I filled out an application form, wrote essays and answered an exam that gave my brain a good shock of ice water. Imagine, I was asked to give a recommendation about which country in Europe will be a good place for a certain economic super-power to make a cross-boarder investment in. And then make a pitch about how their company will be a great partner in this investment. I am aware that for some of you this may be peanuts but I come from a background of writing poems, about the silly and profound insights I happen to find in some corner of my mind, about food and eating. So this was violent alien territory. Geez. 


Okay control tower, we have to make an emergency emotional shutdown. Over. We need to direct all power to Anne's brain. There is some major neural process that we need to support there. Over. Yep, controlling palpitation now. Easy girl, easy...


God is good and very gracious to me. After 2 hours, I looked at my written exam. There is a point when you know you have given it your best shot, when you know that you have to make yourself stop nit-picking and just let go. I smiled and knew that was it, chuckling inside knowing that I nailed this one. After the preliminary interview with the HR associate, to my surprise, I was continuously endorsed by one team member to another. I stayed there the whole day, talking in English, convincing them I will be good for the job. By the time I am done with the 5th interviewer, I was dazed with exhaustion! What do you know? I was informed that there should have been a 6th interviewer from Europe but they were not able to schedule it properly so I had to go back the next day. Thank God. My talking was getting a bit slurred already.


I'd like to continue my story but my daughter is tugging my pants now and asking me to help her look for her green crayon. I will continue my story in the next entry, okay?

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