Job-hunting in a bureaucracy
There’s nothing like a day spent with the machine to make you feel like an ignorant useless tool. I spent yesterday interviewing at a professional staffing company that (if they can place me) could pay me more than I’m earning now, and help me get more Web experience.
Unfortunately, the whole interview process (which only took a very reasonable 5 hours of my day) was a complete disaster. First they wanted me to take an hour long PageMaker test on an old version of PageMaker (i.e. none of the shortcuts I knew actually worked) The program proceeded to act completely buggy and crash on me repeatedly. After a point they finally told me I could take my next test while they fixed the program.
I had already been there over 2 hours at this point, and was beginning to wonder how many more tests they wanted me to take. Then there was the nagging voice in the back of my head reminding me that the meter on my car was ticking.
Nevertheless, I dived into their next test, a poorly written [is there any other kind?] grammar/style test. Between general confusion over the test questions, the frustration over the PageMaker fiasco, highly subjective questions and the looming fear of an encroaching parking ticket, I can say with some degree of certainty that I looked about as competent as Mr. George “is our children learning” Bush on that particular test.
Finally, having completed the test, I ran back to my car to learn that I had missed the Meter Maid (Man? … Groom?) by less than 5 minutes…but at least Bethesda tickets are not D.C. $100 parking tickets…
So sullen, distraught, slightly damp (it was raining out) and entirely frustrated, I finally got to have my interview. I have to say it went pretty well, considering I refrained from launching into a heated rant concerning the companies shortfalls, the absurdity of standard writing/grammar/style tests and the interviewer’s questionable parentage and breeding habits…
When the interview was over they graciously allowed me to finish the PageMaker test, which lead to a whole new world of frustrations. See the test was a layout test designed to bu done on a MAC with Quark, In Design or PageMaker, and it asked me to do at leas tone function that (as far as I know) is NOT possible with PageMaker 6…it is possible with Quark and In-Design I’m fairly certain…but not PageMaker…at least as far as I know…and I’ve been searching for a way to do it…
oi and veh
Stupid job hunt.
The end result of all this rigmarole you ask? They’ll call me when they have some placement for me…maybe…
Unfortunately, the whole interview process (which only took a very reasonable 5 hours of my day) was a complete disaster. First they wanted me to take an hour long PageMaker test on an old version of PageMaker (i.e. none of the shortcuts I knew actually worked) The program proceeded to act completely buggy and crash on me repeatedly. After a point they finally told me I could take my next test while they fixed the program.
I had already been there over 2 hours at this point, and was beginning to wonder how many more tests they wanted me to take. Then there was the nagging voice in the back of my head reminding me that the meter on my car was ticking.
Nevertheless, I dived into their next test, a poorly written [is there any other kind?] grammar/style test. Between general confusion over the test questions, the frustration over the PageMaker fiasco, highly subjective questions and the looming fear of an encroaching parking ticket, I can say with some degree of certainty that I looked about as competent as Mr. George “is our children learning” Bush on that particular test.
Finally, having completed the test, I ran back to my car to learn that I had missed the Meter Maid (Man? … Groom?) by less than 5 minutes…but at least Bethesda tickets are not D.C. $100 parking tickets…
So sullen, distraught, slightly damp (it was raining out) and entirely frustrated, I finally got to have my interview. I have to say it went pretty well, considering I refrained from launching into a heated rant concerning the companies shortfalls, the absurdity of standard writing/grammar/style tests and the interviewer’s questionable parentage and breeding habits…
When the interview was over they graciously allowed me to finish the PageMaker test, which lead to a whole new world of frustrations. See the test was a layout test designed to bu done on a MAC with Quark, In Design or PageMaker, and it asked me to do at leas tone function that (as far as I know) is NOT possible with PageMaker 6…it is possible with Quark and In-Design I’m fairly certain…but not PageMaker…at least as far as I know…and I’ve been searching for a way to do it…
oi and veh
Stupid job hunt.
The end result of all this rigmarole you ask? They’ll call me when they have some placement for me…maybe…