Interview with a banshee

I guess if you go to enough job interviews, you're bound to meet some strange people.

I went to my hundredth interview today (nah..not really; I've stopped counting after 80). Going to an interview is scary enough, yes? Trying to scram all the information on the company and great answers into your head. Well, imagine coming to an interview not knowing anything about the company cos you can't find any information in Google, and not knowing even who send you the email (whether it's a he or she) as the person did not even have the courtesy to tell you his/her name.

Actually, I did find some things about the company that can't help me with the interview: an abandoned website, a website on a free platform, another useless website, a blog entry saying how horrible the company is, and an MOM article mentioning salary payment problem. WHOA.. should I still go to the interview? Do I really want to join this company?

Well, I'm desperate and it doesn't feel right refusing a job interview invitation. Besides, the company has great location in International Plaza, Tanjong Pagar. On level 24, no less. So to International Plaza level 24 I went this morning.

I arrived 9.55 am, 5 minutes earlier that asked. But 10 seconds before me, there's another guy just stepped into the office. I saw the guy rang the bell and stepped into the office before I realise it's the same office I need to get into. So I reached the door as it was closing. I had to ring the bell again. The secretary (let's just call her the secretary) asked me to sit down and went to tell the boss. As I sat down, I heard the boss scolded the secretary "DID YOU OPEN THE DOOR?" That's when I figured the boss is a female.
Secretary: *assumed nod here*
Boss: "THEN WHY DID THE DOORBELL KEEP RINGING?"
*secretary explaining the situation*
Boss: "I CAN'T HEAR YOU WHEN YOU MUMBLING LIKE THAT".

There are a few things that are wrong here. First, I can hear the secretary talking from the seating area near the front door (like 5-6 m away from the boss' office) and the boss can't? Second, do you have to scold your employee 10 am in a Monday morning? Third, the boss scheduled another meeting at the same time as my interview timing? I don't appreciate that.

What I appreciate even less? The guy was allowed to meet her first. Probably he's bringing business while I'm only bringing a potential employee *sarcasm sign*. And so I wasted about 30-40 minutes waiting for my turn.

When I finally met the boss, she did not so much introduce herself nor offer a handshake nor ask me to sit down. Just went to the questions straight away. All the while I was answering, she's doing something with her phone and PC. Ok, multitasking busy businesswoman, I get it. But the total turn-off was when I asked her "May I know how many team members in this office?" She's looking at me as if she doesn't understand the question. So I said, "Um, employees?" Then she snapped me, "What does it have to do with anything?!" What does it have to do with anything? Well, let's see, I want to know about the company I will work for; how many colleagues I will work with. MOM will want to know if the company has enough quota for SPass. So what does it have to do with anything? Nothing, just everything.
I was so shocked I managed only to say, "Well, I'm curious about your company." She cut me off again, "Well, I'm curious about YOU, so tell me about YOURSELF." GREAT human relations.

The interview lasted literally 5 minutes with the boss implying she doesn't have any other questions until I send her my portfolio (articles I wrote).

While I was walking out of the office, I remember I don't even know her name. So as the secretary approached me, I ask her whether there is any namecard I can have. The secretary went back to her office, asking the same thing.. and she just looked at her secretary with this killing look. I was stepping inside the office again, to answer for anything myself, but the secretary turn around and said "Sorry, so sorry.." along with a gesture escorting me outside. Then I said "None, then?" but she just keeps saying "Sorry, sorry." Wth?

Funnily, I feel better about myself after I talk to her. I am a better person than her, after all. At least I have basic human interaction skills, and I try my best at any time to make people good about themselves.

I wonder why these kind of people can have their own company? How? Well, assuming it's her company. I can't know, I don't have her namecard.

I don't usually mention names in my blog to protect both the guilty or the innocent. But in the spirit to protect all the innocent job-seekers out there, please take note (if you haven't figured it out from the links yet) the company is
Formula 1 Furniche Pte Ltd
If working for a female with strong personalities suits you, you can send your resume to wsheraton@gmail.com.

Update:

I promise the boss that I will send her my portfolio. So I did along with an email telling her that I'm not interested in joining the company anymore. I still tried to be as polite as possible:

I got the name of the boss "Ms. Shalini K. Sharma"  after further searching old files in Google. Then this is what I got. I assume I wasn't communicating with the boss, then, as the email was signed as 'Jim':

I was so upset I sent her back:

I should've just addressed "Dear Jim/Sharlini/whoever the hell this is". If they replied with anymore rudeness, I swear I'm suing someone.