The past 2 days had been a mad spin of interviews and surprises. Everything still feels a bit surreal to me. There are so many stories to tell I think I gotta split them into sections to avoid confusion.
SIA Interview on Sunday - 10 June 2007
Shyan gave me a ride to Concorde Hotel for my 1010 hour appointment. I hated it cos we had an argument when we left the house. What a great start to my interview! He was grumpy because he played computer games till the wee hours of the morning with his friends and had to wake up early to send me out. I wanted to get there by myself initially but he suggested giving a ride to me. Oh well, I was lazy to take the bus anyway, so I asked him for a ride in the end. But why must he give it to me with a black face since he suggested it himself? Sometimes I really feel like throwing a punch into his face!
Fortunately, the unpleasant drama in the morning took a turn and things began to look up. When I reached there, the girls attending the 10.10 am appointment were already lining up to register. It was so unlike the first and second time I was there - it used to take an hour to just wait til your turn, i.e. if your appointment is 9.30am, you will only be registered at 10.30am. Then wait for another 5 minutes to get your measurements done and another 5 before you are ushered to the interview room.
Anyway, it was pretty swift this time. By 10.30am, me and the other 9 girls were already in the interview room and began introducing ourselves one by one. 5 outta 10 girls in my group were selected. We proceeded to a counter to get our certificates verified and waited another 10 minutes for the kebaya fitting test. I was eliminated during that round in my last attempt. Thus, I was a bit nervous about my posture.
I walked as naturally as I could and tried to slow my paces. Then we were whisked outside to wait for the results once more. 6 of us went in for the test and ALL of us passed! What a joy!
Then we waited ultra-long for the one-to-one interview. It seems that the longer you wait, the more nervous you'll become! To make matters worse, the male middle-aged interviewer did not look friendly at all! He looked austere and strict, to be precise.
Finally, it was my turn and I went in with a blank mind. The interviewer tried to lighten the mood with small talks and I did my part as well by joking that my name sounded like teddy bear. It seemed to work because he gave an amused chuckle.
Why do you want to make a sudden career switch? What is good customer service to you? How much do you know about being a cabin crew? What do you know about our new airbus? When you encounter a problem, how do you solve it (very general)? When you are working in a team, are you always in the leader or follower position? Which position do you prefer? How long do you plan to fly?
Those were the questions I was asked during the 1-to-1. Luckily I could answer all of it reasonably. Phew!
When the interviewer finally jot down my name on the sorta like permit allowing me to proceed to the next round, I breathed a sigh of relief and actually couldn't really make out what he was saying at the time! Thank God he didn't fail me after all!
I had a break of 2 hours until the water confidence test so I swung around to McD for a bite. I was starving because I had forgo my brekkie. Never have much of an appetite too early in the morning. I returned to the hotel at 3.30pm. They gave everyone a life jacket regardless of your swimming abilities. We went into the pool 5 by 5. The guys went first.
After getting outta the pool, you'd be required walk in a straight line toward the interviewers to allow them to observe your posture. You have to held out your hands when you reach them to be examined for any visible scars. Finally, you turn around to check for any flaws on your back and walk back to the first position you started with.
We all waited in the meeting room once again after the test. The result was read to us shortly after. The final interview will be held 2 weeks later and they will give us further notice for that.
By the way, a few girls from the Emirates interview also turned up for this one. Really, the more you attend these interviews, the more familiar those faces become! Most of them made it through the water confidence test too.
After I got home, Kathryn informed me she had received the rejection email from Emirates. After I finished all my chores at home, I went to the cyber cafe to check my email with a thumping heart. Thankfully, I did not get it at all. But I was still scared and decided to keep on checking.
Junior Copywriter Interview - 11 June 2007
The next day, I took an MC from my job in order to attend the eCosway interview. I wouldn't had been there if the guys from Paprika had called me last week. Since they didn't call, I thought maybe it was a goner and pushed it outta my mind.
The interview with eCosway was a half-hearted one. I wished for it to end as soon as possible so I could go home and rest.
* * * * * * *
I noticed a missed call on my cell from Andrew (Paprika) on my way back and called him back immediately.
It seemed they had decided to take me in after all. On top of that, they'll buy me out for 1 month outta my 2 months notice so I could join them sooner. But as always, there are T&C attached. I was required to stay with the company for at least a year. Upon hearing this, I was thinking, "What if I'm accepted by Emirates? How am I gonna get myself outta this?!?" So I calmly asked him what is the compensation scheme if I breach the contract. He said I would be required to pay them 2 months worth of my salary then. But I'm still not sure about that though.
They were gonna mail me an offer letter first. I advised them to send by normal mail instead of registered since there won't be anyone at home to receive it during office hours. Moreover, it will buy me some time while waiting for EK's reply. They will only prepare the contract after I have accepted their offer. I certainly hope all these will take up a lot of time before I sign the contract because hell, I still didn't know EK's result!
The Surprise...
With a heavy heart, I took a nap beside Shyan. Yeah he MC again because he played computer games with his buddies again till 3am the night before so he couldn't get up for work. And he even cold-shouldered me for asking him to come home early! The nerve!
Don't get me wrong though. He's usually a great guy. He loves me more than I love him and almost always takes great care of me. But sometimes I really don't understand why he does the things he does!
So anyway, I woke up bleary eyed when my cellphone rang. No number was indicated on the screen. I thought it was my sister calling from Hong Kong and answered the phone.
A pleasant and slightly accented male voice came from the other end. He said something more for a while before I could make sense of what he was talking about. It seemed he was calling from Emirates. Ok. Wait. Emirates? Emirates! EMIRATES!!!
Finally, he said, "Actually, I'm calling to inform you that you've been selected for our final....(I couldn't catch what he was saying). He went on to elaborate the details to me and told me to expect an email with all the instructions and relevant documents attached. He even gave me a joining date!
I asked him for his contact details in case of any queries and he ended the conversation by wishing me good luck for my medical. It was pleasant talking to him because he sounded to be smiling constantly! But I had to strain a bit to make out what he was saying through his middle-eastern accent. It was all good though.
* * * * * * *
Now I'm still waiting for the email to proceed with the medical checkup. Please please let me have it soon cos I'm really running outta time with all the stuff chasing after my back! I'm truly thanking God for all these great opportunities but I also need a sign for me to sort them out.
Sincerely praying for your help and guidance, God.
Amen.
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