Well, that sucked
Ever since hubby, the kids, and I moved to a more rural location, I've been trying to get a job with the only State agency located within 20 miles of our little town. It's been about 4 years, and still no luck. So, every morning, I face a one-plus hour commute, driving 40 miles just to get to the train station that will take me to my job.
Yesterday, I had about the worst interview I've ever had.
It started when I received notification of the interview last week. In the letter, they informed me I would have an "Excel exercise". Yay. Now, I know how to use Excel. At least, the basics of it. However, with this "exercise", I figured they were going to test me on the one thing I have absolutely NO idea how to do. Pivot tables.
So, I spent all freaking weekend looking up tutorials on pivot tables. I had the basics down, and figured I could at least get some kind of SOMETHING going.
I get to the interview half an hour early. I wait. I read the job description. Seems rather detailed, but I figure I can do what they're asking. I go in to do the exercise. There is a laptop set up in a quiet room. On the laptop is this humongous spreadsheet. I'm talking 1300 rows of data, about 15 columns wide. And, naturally, they ask me to do a pivot table. But, before that, I have to add a few rows and format some information.
The first row, no problem. The second row . . . problem. I can't figure out how to get the information in there that they want. Oh, well. No one said it had to be perfect. I move on to the pivot table.
The first one I tried went nowhere. I got one row and one column of data. Not what they were asking. So, I deleted that one, and tried again. Second time, still no luck. I deleted the second one, and tried a third time. THIS time, I actually am able to figure out how to get at least some type of table. Granted, it has absolutely NO information in it that was supposed to be there. So, I fuss with it for a bit.
Then, the worst thing that could happen happens. Up popped an Exception Error. You know the kind you get with Microsoft programs. The one that says there's been an error, and the program has to shut down. You can't save it. You can't do anything. It's just . . . gone.
I go to tell the receptionist that I broke the computer. At this point, I have about 5 minutes left of my "exercise". We try to pull the original spreadsheet back up, only to have it tell us that it's locked for editing. Great. The girl very sweetly tells me that there IS an interview set up for me, and that if I want to try to come back after the interview to re-do the exercise, that will be okay.
I looked dead at her and laughed. I informed her I couldn't even do the exercise to begin with. I'm not putting myself through more of the same. Besides, I have a job I need to get to.
So, I go into the interview. I swear, these women looked at me as if I had grown a third eyeball. It was like, "Chick, you can't even do a portion of what the job entails. Why the hell are you even here?" I get through the interview as best as I could. But I felt like a complete moron. It was as if we were all thinking there is no way in Hell I'm going to get the job. I know it. They know it. We're only going through the motions. I could see on their faces, they didn't want me within 100 miles of their office.
I don't ever want to go for another interview again as long as I live.
Yesterday, I had about the worst interview I've ever had.
It started when I received notification of the interview last week. In the letter, they informed me I would have an "Excel exercise". Yay. Now, I know how to use Excel. At least, the basics of it. However, with this "exercise", I figured they were going to test me on the one thing I have absolutely NO idea how to do. Pivot tables.
So, I spent all freaking weekend looking up tutorials on pivot tables. I had the basics down, and figured I could at least get some kind of SOMETHING going.
I get to the interview half an hour early. I wait. I read the job description. Seems rather detailed, but I figure I can do what they're asking. I go in to do the exercise. There is a laptop set up in a quiet room. On the laptop is this humongous spreadsheet. I'm talking 1300 rows of data, about 15 columns wide. And, naturally, they ask me to do a pivot table. But, before that, I have to add a few rows and format some information.
The first row, no problem. The second row . . . problem. I can't figure out how to get the information in there that they want. Oh, well. No one said it had to be perfect. I move on to the pivot table.
The first one I tried went nowhere. I got one row and one column of data. Not what they were asking. So, I deleted that one, and tried again. Second time, still no luck. I deleted the second one, and tried a third time. THIS time, I actually am able to figure out how to get at least some type of table. Granted, it has absolutely NO information in it that was supposed to be there. So, I fuss with it for a bit.
Then, the worst thing that could happen happens. Up popped an Exception Error. You know the kind you get with Microsoft programs. The one that says there's been an error, and the program has to shut down. You can't save it. You can't do anything. It's just . . . gone.
I go to tell the receptionist that I broke the computer. At this point, I have about 5 minutes left of my "exercise". We try to pull the original spreadsheet back up, only to have it tell us that it's locked for editing. Great. The girl very sweetly tells me that there IS an interview set up for me, and that if I want to try to come back after the interview to re-do the exercise, that will be okay.
I looked dead at her and laughed. I informed her I couldn't even do the exercise to begin with. I'm not putting myself through more of the same. Besides, I have a job I need to get to.
So, I go into the interview. I swear, these women looked at me as if I had grown a third eyeball. It was like, "Chick, you can't even do a portion of what the job entails. Why the hell are you even here?" I get through the interview as best as I could. But I felt like a complete moron. It was as if we were all thinking there is no way in Hell I'm going to get the job. I know it. They know it. We're only going through the motions. I could see on their faces, they didn't want me within 100 miles of their office.
I don't ever want to go for another interview again as long as I live.
posted by Callie | 3/25/2008 08:47:00 AM
6 Comments:
$10 says you get the job.
Not a snowball's chance in hell.
Even if they offered, I wouldn't take it. I didn't like them. :-P
Sorry to hear about the interview. Those suck, when you get excited about them and they turn out like that.
Great, you just made my summer plans seem completely shitty. I figure I had better have a very good grasp of Excel for any sort of career advancement. Since I cannot afford any summer classes at the ridculously priced university I am attending, I figured I would spend a hundred dollars on some manuals and teach myself Excel. I have several great resources at my disposal, in my father and a friend who will be migrating back to St. Lou in a few months and he is an EXPERT.
I'm sorry Larry!
Most of Excel is very easy. For some reason, the pivot tables just make my brain explode. I'm sure with a good manual, there should be no problem getting the hang of it.
I'm sorry but when I took Excel in school, Pivotal tables were a breeze for me..trouble is I never use them anymore...Practice Practice Practice...lov ya!
No doubt about it. Interviews suck. You are not alone tho. Everyone hates them.
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