Well one day a few weeks ago, I just suddenly felt this intense desire to return to work, so I went on to the jobs board and did a search and up came this great-sounding job as an Executive Officer, so I started to do the application. It was due that day, like in a few hours! Ouch ... so I had no time to race to mum's house and grab my old applications. My CV was pretty much up-to-date - I just had to whip up the selection criteria. So that took a bit of memory ... I mean recalling what I did in the eight years I worked in Government before I quit my job, went to bible college for two years and then travelling overseas for two years! Lol
So i'm part-way through my application and I hear this commotion outside. I run outside and there's blood everywhere because Rex has attacked the pet reptile that has lived in the garden for 20 years! He's in Rex's mouth hanging and bleeding and so I tell Rex off, lock the boys inside with me and leave the poor reptile outside and text Viola to come home ASAP. How crazy .... that's int he middle of my application! Well somehow, I got it done and emailed it in.... but later looked at it and realised how crap it was. I left out so many important details and had a few typos. Not pretty, that's for sure. It really is a miracle I got an interview.
So anyway, I was going to do a few more applications, but for some strange reason I couldn't do them. They were all short-term positions elsewhere. All I could manage to do was this application for a permanent level 6 job. How bizarre, it wasn't like I really wanted anything permanent! However, as I started to prepare for the interview, I started dreaming about buying a little apartment somewhere and it's like old dreams were resurrected. So then I started preparing harder.
Two weeks later, I got a phone call to say I was short-listed for an interview and the lady wouldn't tell me how many were short-listed, just that they had been very selective. I think they probably interviewed half a dozen. Mine was an afternoon interview one week later exactly.
So then that made me a bit nervous, but I managed to shake off my nerves, despite them coming back to attack me many times! So then I studied long and hard every day up to the interview.
My goodness, what a HARD interview. There were no hand-shakes, no friendly warm-up questions, not many smiles and the room was so tense. The three panel members were all immaculate well-groomed blondes. They seemed very lifeless and felt stressed to be with. I felt a bit tense in their presence. They were so serious. I asked if they minded me drinking the water and they were like "sure, it's for you" and I said with a big smile: "it's not recycled, is it?" and they said "no" and I said "it's just because I did a microbiology degree, so I'm a bit sensitive about sharing drinks" ... none of them laughed. All so serious! Oh well, moving on :-) haha
So then the first question was nasty. It was a complex problem scenario that I had to resolve using my verbal, interpersonal and negotiation skills. Yikes. What a mean way to start an interview. Then proceeded nine more questions. The second question asked me to discuss a recent written report or policy I had done. Errrrm, well given I have not done any written reports in such a long time, I told them I unfortunately couldn't do that, but I did have a less recent report to describe. I didn't tell them it was from eight years ago, though they could easily find that out from looking at my CV!!! The last question was also nasty and threw me a bit, but something intelligent-sounding seemed to come out of my mouth. Far out.
So then Geoff started asking me all about the missions work I did overseas and my travels. He seemed really fascinated. I enjoyed telling him. He also gave me a second chance with the first question I struggled with. He asked me if there was anything I would like to add from my work experience to demonstrate I had the skills they were after. Boy did I have a lot to say! lol I whipped out my pole-to-piller example and then talked about people who rang up and complained about underground power and how I sold the benefits to them, by pointing out the fact that they were only paying a fraction of the cost for underground power and that the benefits far outweighed any negatives. I told them even I was convinced by the end of my time there about how wonderful underground power was. I got a half smile from the professor on the panel.
I asked a couple of questions at the end and then gave them my pre-planned summary statement. I really do think I could do this job well. I know it would be intense, but I know I could do it. I think God has prepared me to do it. I left with a pounding headache, that dissipated after I did a bible study with Yoona and prayed in tongues for an hour. So I think someone on the panel was feeling like that and I picked it up :-( These people so obviously were not Spirit-filled. When I left, they closed me out of the room and no one walked me out. I actually got in the lift and the lady in the lift asked me what floor I was after and I told her ground floor, and she goes "we are on ground floor" ... oh, silly me :-) In my walking around, I lost my bearings.
Simon said last night that Joel Osteen talked about a job he went to where there were executives on the panel and they told him the other applicants all had better skills and experience, but they just felt to give the job to him and didn't know why. He said that was favor. Oh, I like the sound of it! Yeah man, bring it on. Well at the prayer meeting yesterday, I had Ps Anne tell me she was praying for me at 1:30pm and I know that I was also covered in prayer by Brisa, Tri, John, Lill, Hannah, Silke, Ps Judy, Yoona and my mum! Amazing. With that prayer coverage, how can I not have special favor to get the job :-)
I have no idea when I find out. Hopefully later, rather than sooner. I need time to complete my studies.
TODAY is settlement day!!! Settlement is booked for 2.00pm. I am so excited.
