by all account, today turned out more perfect than i had expected. and surprising so cos i did not really prepare for the interview like i did the previous one. i guessed i went in without any expectations cos i had not thought i'd want to work for this company in the first place. it was not in my top priority list... so, in a large way they chose me and not i chose them. nonetheless, i decided to go for the interview to find out more. anyway, as it said, it turned out very well. you see, like the previous case, today's interview was also a chit chat session. it was something that happened as a result of the management company circulating my resume to the many companies in their network.
i arrived early. was ushered to the interviw room and told to fill up a job application form. was told the interwiewer would be late as he had not returned from a working lunch. so, after filling the form, i walked out to the foyer and that was when i chanced upon ex-serviceman. let's just call him uncle. uncle recognized me yet could not recall my name. uncle was, and still is, a very fatherly figure. when he was in service, he was part of my closely knit fraternity (vocation) and he would talk to me and mentor me whenever we meet in the course of work. we belonged to the old school thinkers who strongly believed in grooming our juniors well so that they could take over us when we leave. and as i was his junior in the fraternity, he took it upon himself to share his experiences with me whenever we meet (be it during professional or social interaction opportunities) although i had never worked under him. his reputation as a friendly and helpful person was indisputable. we were a little sad to see him leave service. i lost contact with him after that and it was so good to chance upon him again after 5 years! he has not changed a bit. i told him why i was there and he quickly brought me to the cafe and ran thru quite a bit of details with regards what to expect if i were to work for the company. it was such a coincidence that the person interviewing me was his direct boss. we managed to talk for a while before his boss/ my interwiewer appeared. and uncle introduced me to him. that was how the interwiew started.
the interview itself went smoothly. in fact, it went much better than i had expected cos what we spoke about was very similar to what i had done before. so, it was really more of a 2-way chat than an interview. and after some half hour of conversation, i asked what positions he had in mind for me and i was surprised to note that he had actually some options (3 to be exact) for me to think about. the went through them but told me to be ready to get my hands dirty and to slog for the first few years. we went on to talk about the renumeration package, which of course i could not give a good estimate becos what he suggested was totally different from what i had in mind - ie, training and learning-related. he suggested that i do my own research and talk to my friends before meeting again. that was how the interview ended. on a very positive and high note.
once i walked out, i called uncle again. and again, with a clearer indication of options, he shared further. and he went on to linked me up with one other person - a critical one whom i must talk to as he heads the set-up that i would work in eventually if i join them (one of the options). how lucky i was! it so happened that again, this person was one ex-serviceman who used to be my boss in 1991! anyway, uncle and i went on to chat in casual and we came to talk about another chap who is now one of the top management in this company. and just as we spoke of him, he appeared. now, how much more coincidental could that be. uncle left me to talk to this chap after that and that was where i learned a little more about the company culture. interesting right? but that was not all. i came home, made a call and had a good chat with the referral and he readily agreed to meet up so that he could share with me about the job!
and guess what, after all these very smooth and unexpected chanced meetings, referrals, and link-ups, i got a call from ntu asking me to go for an interview next week! wooooo... suddenly the stars seemed so aligned.
but wait, the only single problem i am faced now is - i really have my reservations about this company becos of the people, and the culture... and probably the boss. so how? so how? hmmm, shall put of any conclusions and decision-making for now. instead, will continue with my research, talk to more people and continue to prepare for the interview with ntu. and hopefully, next week, i can get more calls for interviews...
:-)
i arrived early. was ushered to the interviw room and told to fill up a job application form. was told the interwiewer would be late as he had not returned from a working lunch. so, after filling the form, i walked out to the foyer and that was when i chanced upon ex-serviceman. let's just call him uncle. uncle recognized me yet could not recall my name. uncle was, and still is, a very fatherly figure. when he was in service, he was part of my closely knit fraternity (vocation) and he would talk to me and mentor me whenever we meet in the course of work. we belonged to the old school thinkers who strongly believed in grooming our juniors well so that they could take over us when we leave. and as i was his junior in the fraternity, he took it upon himself to share his experiences with me whenever we meet (be it during professional or social interaction opportunities) although i had never worked under him. his reputation as a friendly and helpful person was indisputable. we were a little sad to see him leave service. i lost contact with him after that and it was so good to chance upon him again after 5 years! he has not changed a bit. i told him why i was there and he quickly brought me to the cafe and ran thru quite a bit of details with regards what to expect if i were to work for the company. it was such a coincidence that the person interviewing me was his direct boss. we managed to talk for a while before his boss/ my interwiewer appeared. and uncle introduced me to him. that was how the interwiew started.
the interview itself went smoothly. in fact, it went much better than i had expected cos what we spoke about was very similar to what i had done before. so, it was really more of a 2-way chat than an interview. and after some half hour of conversation, i asked what positions he had in mind for me and i was surprised to note that he had actually some options (3 to be exact) for me to think about. the went through them but told me to be ready to get my hands dirty and to slog for the first few years. we went on to talk about the renumeration package, which of course i could not give a good estimate becos what he suggested was totally different from what i had in mind - ie, training and learning-related. he suggested that i do my own research and talk to my friends before meeting again. that was how the interview ended. on a very positive and high note.
once i walked out, i called uncle again. and again, with a clearer indication of options, he shared further. and he went on to linked me up with one other person - a critical one whom i must talk to as he heads the set-up that i would work in eventually if i join them (one of the options). how lucky i was! it so happened that again, this person was one ex-serviceman who used to be my boss in 1991! anyway, uncle and i went on to chat in casual and we came to talk about another chap who is now one of the top management in this company. and just as we spoke of him, he appeared. now, how much more coincidental could that be. uncle left me to talk to this chap after that and that was where i learned a little more about the company culture. interesting right? but that was not all. i came home, made a call and had a good chat with the referral and he readily agreed to meet up so that he could share with me about the job!
and guess what, after all these very smooth and unexpected chanced meetings, referrals, and link-ups, i got a call from ntu asking me to go for an interview next week! wooooo... suddenly the stars seemed so aligned.
but wait, the only single problem i am faced now is - i really have my reservations about this company becos of the people, and the culture... and probably the boss. so how? so how? hmmm, shall put of any conclusions and decision-making for now. instead, will continue with my research, talk to more people and continue to prepare for the interview with ntu. and hopefully, next week, i can get more calls for interviews...
:-)
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