The Awkward Job Interview

Hello fair readers,

I'm not sure if this practice is reserved for those looking to work in the clothing retail industry, but the awkward job interview certainly seems to be the norm. When I worked for a few brief weeks at a clothing retailer in Edmonton, my interview was not conducted in the privacy of someone's office. It was conducted on a bench in the middle of a mall. In public.

Already the pressures associated with a job interview can be enough for a cool-headed person to question their abilities and usefulness. To put this exercise in public sphere just seems cruel. Anyone can hear the questions and answers. All of a sudden your job interview becomes a performance piece. In a way, this is a good way to judge whether a potential employee can deal with serving customers and keeping a cool head when presented with challenging issues (though nobody is saving the world selling jeans to hippy high school kids). However, considering you may not want your resume to be a public document for all to see, judge, and in this case, hear, the public one-on-one interview just seems out of place to me.

I bring this up because in the course of my shopping trip yesterday (got some great winter boots that should outlast these slushy Toronto winters I hear so much about), I was privy to one of these public interviews. As I sat waiting for a friend in the dressing room, a grade 11 girl who lived 45 minutes away by public transit, was interviewing to become a sales associate. Already the fact that I know her grade and, by association, expected age, how far away she lived and that she takes public transit, makes me cringe for the violation of privacy. I then heard the expected question "Why do you think you'd be a good person to hire?" (Not my wording, but the same question is asked in many iterations in job interviews everywhere).

And so ensued the cliche answers: "I feel I can really bring the company up and contribute well to the company atmosphere. I'm a bubbly, optimistic person and I work well with people. I have a great fashion sense. I'm reliable... blah blah blah.

The answers vary slightly from job to job, but there seem to the key buzzwords and phrases that we all use. It's just odd to hear them coming from someone else as you eavesdrop (not a hard thing to do when you're sitting less than 2 feet from interviewer and interviewee) on an interview.

Anyway, dear readers. I wonder if you've ever been subject to these public interviews (group interviews don't count). I have. It's not a fun experience to be judged by outsiders and an interviewer at the same time.

Hope you all have a good weekend. I'm off again to the St. Lawrence Market on Saturday (weather and sleep permitting).

Cheers,
Cait