Looking For A Job Is Like Going On A Blind Date!
By: Marybeth Nave

If you submit your resume to a company or register in an online job portal, you will eventually receive a text that says something like:

“Hi this is Rocky from The Company, please come for interview this Friday at 3pm in The Company.”

If you go on a blind date, a message from the other party would sound something like:

Hi Mich! I’m James, the friend of your friend. Meet you 6pm this Saturday in Dampa, Farmers Market. I’m wearing a pink tie.”

This is called the Set-Up Stage. You agree on a time, place and date to meet.  

When you first walk into the interview room, the interviewer checks out:

Your outfit: How would you feel if you represented a highly respected office and the
jobseeker applying for Marketing Officer is wearing a collared top, shorts and tsinelas?

Dress appropriately. If you want the part, look the part.

Your communication skills: Answer questions in the same language used by the interviewer. If you are applying as a Call Center Agent, do not ask if you can speak in Filipino.

Your attitude: Be prim, proper and polite. Most importantly, just be yourself.

When you first walk into the restaurant, your date checks out:

Your outfit: How would you feel if you were a sport fanatic and your blind date decided to wear a sparkling top, a skirt, and high heels on your agreed wall climbing date?  Your outfit depends on the venue and planned activities.

Your communication skills: It is important that you are able to relate to each other when you talk about different topics.

Your attitude: It is best to simply be yourself. It feels great to be accepted for who you really are.

During the First Meeting Stage, first impressions last. Make sure you leave a good one.  

After getting to know each other better, you move on to the last stage, which is called The Verdict, and may lead to one of two endings.

Verdict 1: Tragic Ending…
This is the end of the road for the jobseeker. This particular type of interview is called a Hit or Miss Job Interview.  While searching for a job, this is the type of Verdict you want to minimize or avoid.
 
As for Mich and James, there will be no movie date to follow. 

Verdict  2: To Be Continued…
Rocky, the interviewer, thinks the jobseeker has potential and says, “Please come back on this date for an examination.”

Similarly, during the blind date, James asks Mich, “Let’s watch a movie naman next time.”
Mich replies, “As long as we watch in Rockwell, and sagot mo!”

In these two scenarios, both parties will be seeing each other again.

In job hunting, it is important to find a job you CAN and WANT to apply for.

You have to have the necessary qualifications to be considered for the job and you should be interested in doing what the job requires you to do – even its most frustrating parts!