A very fruitful week.

Does anyone like job interviews? I don't.

I have been an interviewee in my long career, and I think I would never be completely comfortable sitting on the other side of the table. I see how people squirm in their seats, stutter and fumble while groping for answers to the questions. But living in a foreign country and knowing I need a job to survive, I know I will be subjected to this ritual whether I like it or not.

Two Fridays ago, I walked in at a manufacturing plant to ask if they are accepting job applicants. I was given an application form which I filled out. I don't know what position is open so I simply say " production related work". I also left the salary space blank, for the same reason.

An hour after I got home, the phone rang and it was the HR personnel of the company. She asked if I could come on Tuesday for an interview. I didn't expect a response so soon, so I frantically drafted a resume and search about the company in the net. The more I learned about the company the more excited I became because I realized this is where I will be most comfortable. It is a food manufacturing plant and it is considered among the leader in the global food industry. And wonderfully enough, the company is looking for a lead supervisor in one of their production line.

But the days and hour leading to the interview can be very stressful because I fear of not answering a question quite right. So I prepared for it.

I wrote down what I think would be a job description of the position I am applying for. I reflected on my experiences and how they match up with the job description. I wrote down what skills I have that made me qualified for the position. I also jotted down personal qualities that will make me stand out in the position. I even considered a trait I have that may be a drawback in the position and how I had improved on this area.

Tuesday morning I was ready.

Resume, check.

Attire, check.

Confidence, check.

WHAT?!! There is a test? A math test and it is timed? There's problem solving here, lady! And I cannot proceed to the interview if I can not pass this??!

Darn.

Anyway, I passed the test. The interview took 2 hours because there were three managers who interviewed me separately. Ken could not believe I spent two hours inside the building because he said he saw about 5 Mexicans went in and out of the building in less than 5 minutes each.

The following day, the same HR personnel called me to asked if I could come on Friday for another interview with the plant manager. Now, this certainly gave me a good indication that I will probably land a job there.

So off I went again last Friday for another interview. It was the most pleasant interview I had. My experience with the first interview had given me a clear understanding on how to answer a potential question because when I look back at it, I wished I had answered some questions differently.

I left the office feeling fairly optimistic.

Today, I got another call.

The HR personnel asked me to come to the office to sign their offer sheet. NICE!