The Interview

I received an email from Citroen regarding a job application which I had sent out to them recently:

"Hi David

We refer to your job application for the position of Sales Consultant - Citroen.

Thank you for taking the time to attend the interview at our premise. After due consideration, we regret to inform that your credentials do not best match with our requirements.

We appreciate your keen interest in pursuing a career with ......"

From the looks of it nothing seemed to be incorrect, unless I realised that I did not attend any interview session with them at all. Most people might think different of it, but I saw an issue with it and replied to that particular department on this matter.

The issue was not because I was rejected, but due to the reason behind it. There is a great difference between your application being rejected via static examination of your resume submitted, and the company rejecting you after they have had a fruitful conversation with you.

The typical CV offers an overview of your previous job experiences and your probable potential. It renders a brief background about yourself to the would-be employers. On the contrary, an interview session is interactive. It visualizes your potential beyond words. It impresses dramatically. It is what you make out of it. It is a performance. It can be anything.

Now the interesting thing is, I was not given the opportunity to speak for myself. No one interviewed me. Thus, I am of the opinion that the company did not talk to me and therefore turned away my application based on what they had perceived on paper. This was the wrong fact which they stated in their reply to me. They claimed to have interviewed me and claimed my credentials, not up to their requirements.

I followed that up with an email reply regarding this matter and attempted to correct this aspect. I told them that I am not dismissing any future possibilities of working with them and therefore I would prefer a more truthful and appropriate account of this job application. They have to state that they rejected my application without even talking to me, or giving me a chance to speak.

Imagine the scenario where some guy from the management reaches for your file, reads it and go,"Oh, our guy has shortlisted him, spoken to him personally and found him unsuitable for the job." That would seriously murder any chances of you getting that job again in that department again, at least for a good few years.

Job-seekers should understand that regardless of all those perfect pictures about corporate interviewers or guru-fed instructions on how to capture that great job you have always wanted, it is not flawless.

Similarly, there are interviewers who don't take you seriously enough. They don't bother to reply, and adopt the "Treat your application as unsuccessfully if you don't receive our reply" policy just to ease off their morning workload of email maintenance. Some make you wait for half an hour before asking you irrelevant questions that have no significance on the job that you are applying for.

In all fairness, efforts were invested in our resume and we should ask for a fair deal.