Careerbuilder.com
First Interview
I was heading into late July when I made a big decision. Little did I know at the time, but that decision to apply to a position would lead me to my first real job and hopefully end the painful journey that had taken me up to this point. Lets gets started.
I was sitting at my desk downstairs half heartedly looking for jobs. I hadn't found much that day, and was getting discouraged. I was about to give up for the day and go running, and then my dad unexpectedly came home. He had been out on a business trip, and decided to get some more work done at home. His little home office was situated right next to mine, and as he came into the room I decided to go ahead and keep plugging away so he wouldn't get on my case.
I pulled up indeed.com and began my searches of sales, marketings, and managements. I was scrolling down the page when I saw an a job posting from a familiar company. Careerbuilder.com. I found it ironic, that I would apply to the same company where I had been spending most of my days looking for other jobs. It would make for a good joke if I got it right?
I clicked on the posting and reviewed the position. It was for an inside sales consultant position. They were looking for young people with high motivation, the energy and willingness to learn, and voila- it was an entry level position! Perfect. It seemed interesting, and actually something that I would enjoy. After all, I have had extensive experience over the past few months with Careerbuilder.com, monster.com, Atlantahotjobs.com, and many many other websites like theirs. I applied.
For some reason, I remember looking at the time on my computer when I applied. Maybe it was because I was hoping it was later than it was (i.e. closing time) in the business world, or maybe I was seeing how much more work I could get done before the day ran out (yeah, right). What I do recall is that the time was 3:10 PM.
I went back to my normal search when I was startled by a phone call. I looked down to see a random number calling me, and looked at the computer to see what time it was. It was 3:16 PM. Not sure of what phone number it was, I let my phone continue ringing until it went to voicemail. About half a minute later I get a message. Perfect.
The call was from a woman named Clary Moss. She was from Careerbuilder. Six minutes. She explained who she was in a hurry, asking me to call her back as soon as I can for an initial phone interview. Not wanting to have it in front of my dad, I went into my room, grabbed a pen and paper, and sat down to call her.
I dialed.
Clary picked up after about 1 ring, and after explaining who I was she got right into it. She was beginning her spiel when I noticed several things. First, she talked very, very quickly. Almost too fast to comprehend. Second, she wasn't on this phone call to chit chat. She was here to interview me, get what she needed, and get the hell out of there.
She began by explaining that she was "really on top of it today" and that she had received my application and wanted to talk to me. They were in the process of hiring for a new class at their new Norcross location and she wanted to interview people as quickly as they can. I told her OK, and asked her to explain the position a little better.
Her response could have taken about 10 to 15 minutes to explain thoroughly. She did it in about 5. I sat there almost silent as she raced through the position. It was an inside sales position in Norcross in which I would be selling the services and products of Careerbuilder.com, namely the job posting, the resume database, and the brand builder. I would be calling on customers in a geographic area over the phone, set appointments, and run meetings with them via phone and internet. Clary told me that the first few months "Are going to be really tough. You're going to want to quit, but it's worth it because once you get a client base then it will really just be account management. She mentioned that it would be heavy phone work, and that even though I would not want to pick up the phone at 3:00 in the afternoon each day, I would still have to.
As Clary was explaining all this to me, I was relatively silent over the phone. She spoke so quickly and answered most of the questions I had prepared while she was talking, and the most I could fit in was a grunt of approval, an "OK", or a "yeah, that makes sense, I understand." After about 15 minutes, Clary was what I thought in the middle of the conversation when she stopped abruptly.
"You don't seem interested in this."
I was clearly taken aback
""Excuse me?"
"It jsut seems like you don't seem very excited about this opportunity."
"No no I am, its just a lot of information to take in at the moment, sorry. I'm jsut trying to write down some of the information you're telling me."
"So do you want me to keep going?"
"Yes! Please, sorry, I am very interested."
Looking back, I'm surprised I reacted as well as I did. Truth be told I was mediocre about the position, and was overwhelmed by everything she was telling me. I was also surprised that she told, not asked me, that I wasn't interested in what she had to say.
Clary continued through her rant. The pay was a base salary of $25,000, which was actually broken down into 40 hours a week at $12.02/hr. The bonuses, she said, was the good part. New people coming on would expect to make from $40,000 to the $60,000 their first year, with almost unlimited growth after that. The benefits were outstanding, started almost immediately, and was apparently one of the better medical/dental/health programs available to new hires in this capacity.
The interview was coming to a slower pace now- I had asked some of the questions that I wanted to, and was getting a better feel for the position. Clary must have realized that I was more interested now that she light a fire under my sleeping ass, because she took the initiative.
"Well Steven, it sounds like you would be interested in this position, so would you be available to come in this Friday and interview at our office location?"
"Yes I would, absolutely!"
"Great. I'm going to send you some information about our company including a powerpoint slide with some of our history and an overview of our medical benefits for you. I'm also going to send you directions for you to get here. You shouldn't get lost. Do you have any questions?"
Almost before I could answer, she said great and hung up the phone, and I was left in a whirl of information and confusion. I had an interview, an opportunity, a chance. I went upstairs, feeling like I really accomplished something, and told my parents.
It was at this point in my job searching that my mom made helped me to understand why I may not be getting the responses that I was hoping for with a lot of these companies. After telling her of how Clary put me on the spot, she informed me that I needed to "act like you want the job and stop sounding disinterested." It was true. At this point I had gone on about 25 or so interview with about 20 different companies, and to be honest I was getting desensitized to the whole experience. Each interview was just that- another interview in the process. My mom told me to apply almost with reckless abandon, and as a result I was interviewing with a lot of companies that seemed alright. I knew that I probably wouldn't get my dream job right out of school, so I kept applying for jobs that seemed somewhat interesting.
The issue is that I had no real medium to go through to get solid interviews. I would apply online through the various websites, and I would get scarce call backs. On average, I would get a response from a company once from about every 20 to 25 companies I would apply for. These applications were not for far fetched positions either. I received a lot of emails from my mom with positions that required 5 to 10 years experience, and I tended to stay away from them. Clearly, just applying online wasn't cutting it.
Second Interview
So I was excited about my interview. It was something different, and it didn't seem like the JNL & Associates position. This one was different, it was account management, I would be working with companies, calling on clients, making a difference. My job now was to get ready for my interview.
I started by reviewing the information that Clary had sent me. It all seemed very impressive. Careerbuilder has been growing rapidly since 2004, when they made some strategic acquisitions and had shot ahead of Monster. The numbers spelled out a bright future for CB as I came to call it, and it made me want to be a part of the optimistic future. I gathered some numbers on the company Thursday night and tried to get a good nights rest.
Friday came, and after getting ready I embarked on my journey. I reached the building easily- it was an 80's style 6 story brick building nested among a leafy canopy and a double deck parking garage. I got in the elevator and went up to the second floor. I walk into the office and greet a yougn girl at the receptionists desk. To my right is a large conference room with about 5 people in it conferencing on a 50ish inch television. I sit down and an told to wait.
A few people come walking around, some in jeans, some in suits, and I watch the news as I continue to wait. I keep looking down at my notes, making sure I recall the necessary information- revenues, number of employees, year founded, etc. About 10 minutes after coming in the door opens and a guy in a suit enters. He puts out his hand.
His name is Bill. He's about 5'6", 5'7", thin, with reddish blond hair, generic colored eyes, and a scrunched up face. He gives me a firm handshake and tells me to follow him. He walks out the office door, across the hall and into a stairwell where we start walking up stairs. We walk and share small talk as we ascend. Bill was a nice guy. He spoke quickly, and in small, short bursts. His laughs were quick and rushed, and seemed very topical even for interviewing purposes.
We get to the 3rd floor and open the door. We walk into a big room with a mess of interconnected cubicles in the middle, with some offices lining the window views. The entire place is empty. We're one of the only ones up there, and I can hear the sounds of electricians working on the other side of the office. Bill leads me into what seems like an abandoned office and sits down behind the desk. he leans back in his chair, puts his hand on the back of his head, and looks at me.
"Well..well Steve lets, lets get started here," he says in his thickest Chicago accent. Thats not the only thing I notice.
We start the interview with him asking me some questions- What I've been doing since I graduated, what classes I took, etc.
"So, so Steven tell me this. Why did you apply with Careerbuilder?"
"Well, as I've said before, I've been looking for jobs now for a couple of months, and I was jsut trying to take advantage of any opportunity that came my way."
"Good good, but let me ask you this. What are you passionate about? What really drives you, what do you want to do?"
"Well, actually I interviewed with a company called Solar Energy Marketing, and I'm really interested in the environment and the opportunity available with solar energy. It's something that I've been interested in for a while now and at some point and I'd like to pursue it in the future."
Bill seemed happy with the response. I think he was just looking to see if I was passionate about something, regardless of whether it was Careerbuilder. Also, he probably wanted to see whether my head was up his ass or not. Apparently it wasn't just yet.
The interview continued with him asking me some scenario questions regarding the experiences I had in college regarding my classes, and whether I took leadership roles in them, etc. He asked if I ever stepped up in a situation, and I had my ready response. He asked a time in which I worked with others, and I had another quick, sharp reply. Things were going well, and after a while he ran out of questions and he asked if I had any.
I did. After telling my mom about the incident with Clary, she told me that I need to act like I wanted the job more. This meant that I needed to "man up" in a sense- to be more forthright about me wanting the job, making them think that I would take the job immediately. I had to be confident, ask more questions, appear poised and ready to get all the information, to interview THEM.
So I made my mind up to be a lot stronger in my interviews, to ask questions boldly and to assert my interest much more than I had previously. For this interview I had written down some more in depth questions, ones that touched on more than just a general over view of the job description. Here is a list of some questions I asked:
What's a typical day like?
Is there a mentoring/training process to get me going?
What type of benchmarks would I be held to over 3/6/9 months?
Whats the typical ramp up period for new hires?
Who would I directly report to?
What type of growth opportunities within the company are there?
Where does Careerbuilder want to be in 1 year? 5 years?
What are CB's largest competitors, and what steps are being taken to stay ahead of the competition?
I could tell I was asking strong questions, because I could see Bill actually working to come up with an answer. It was obvious he was impressed with my questions, and for the first time I felt like I had some real control over the situation. I was interviewing him just as much as he was interviewing me, and we could both feel it. My goal to be confident was working, and the conversation was relaxed and comfortable.
"Wow Steve I, I gotta tell ya I haven't talked this much about Careerbuilder in an interview before."
I beamed proudly.
"But let me ask you this. We've talked about the times you've taken a leadership role and performed. You obviously did well in college, and you've been involved in a lot of different things. This position deals a lot with rejection. I want to know if you can handle constant rejection. Whats something that you've failed at over the course of your life, and how did you respond to it. What made you keep going?"
I was momentarily stumped. I've been asked questions like this before, but not in the context of relating it to a sales position. I don't really fail at things. Especially not school, and not many other parts of my life. This isn't to say that I do everything perfectly, and that I come out on top all the time, but in most areas of my life I perform reasonably well. I could have given him an answer about me failing Accounting 202 (I didn't take the final exam because I had a flight to Europe. I told my teacher this and tried to reschedule, but she told me I couldn't take it at another time. I didn't go, and she failed me. I had a B going into the test. So the next semester, I took the entire class over again, with the same teacher.) but I didn't want to. Didn't fit as well.
Then I had an idea. A slow smile crept over my face as my answer started to formulate inside my head. It was perfect. Bill would never see it coming.
"Well, I'd have to say that I've failed at finding a job so far. I've been applying and interviewing to a lot of companies even before I graduated in May, and I've yet to find anything. It's been a couple of months now, and even though I haven't found anything yet, I still continue to search for jobs and interview, because I know its something that I have to do. I've had a lot of experience looking for jobs now, and I understand what it feels like to be in the job hunt, and I understand the issues associated with it. I might not enjoy it all the time, but I get up each day, put in the time, and know that if I keep plugging away something will come along at some point."
I finish, take in a breath and look across the desk. Bill looks at me, and leans back in his chair.
"Wow, that..thats a really good answer. I didn't expect that at all."
"Thanks. I thought you'd like that" We both laugh.
Bill squares up, looks down at my resume scribbled with incoherent notes, and looks up.
"Well good. Do you have any additional questions?"
I look down at my paper. I asked them all. "Nope," I say.
"Well, normally I like to take a weekend and think about the interview and what not. I make myself go over the interviews I have so I can make a good decision whether this is a good fit for both of us. If you don't have any questions, that will be it for today. I'm going to think it over this weekend, and I will give you a call on Monday either way. How does that sound?"
"Sounds good to me."
Bill makes a motion to stand up and we shake hands. I am feeling confident about this interview. I dominated it. I kicked ass. We walk out of the office, through the empty office, and down the emergency stairs. Once at the second level, we shake hands, and I go on my way. I hold myself until I'm outside before I give a solid fist pump. I hop in my car and head home, eagerly awaiting the phone call on Monday.
Monday comes, and so does my phone call. I notice immediately that it's Bill.
"Hello?"
"Steve? Hi its, its Bill how ya doing?"
"I'm good, how are you?"
"I'm good. Listen, I thought about our conversation we had on Friday, and I would like to go ahead and extend you an offer of employment for the IAG division."
"Great! Thank you very much. When would I start?"
"The position Starts on August 13 at 8:00 AM. I'll send you the offer letter sometime this week. I'll also need to have you let me know your decision by this Friday."
"Will that be the latest I can let you know?"
"Yeah, we're trying to get our class together and we need to know by that date."
"Ok, great. I'll let you know. Thanks again!"
I hung up the phone and was ecstatic. Finally! I found a position that seemed right. There were a lot of factors that made it seem like it would be for me. It was for inside sales, so I wouldn't have to travel around Atlanta (especially in rush hour traffic). Careerbuilder was just opening up the office in Norcross, so by coming on now I would get in on the ground floor and grow with the company. With the growth I was told CB was having, I would be eligible for some type of management position within a year or so, and the opportunities seemed unlimited. The commute was reasonable, the hours were 8-5 M-F, no weekends, and the dress business professional. It all seemed to fit, and I was excited. I spent the rest of the day basking glory.
That Week
When it rains, it pours, and it seemed as though things were all coming together for me at this point. I had just received an offer from Careerbuilder, had some successful interviews with Brinks Home Security, and was in contact with Equifax. I have a friend who works for Equifax, and she managed to drop my name to some of her superiors. There was a business consultant position available with Equifax, and through some connections I was scheduled to have an interview on that Tuesday. I wasn't exactly sure my course of action in regards to accepting or declining the CB offer or where the Equifax interview would lead. Nevertheless, I had to keep all my options open.
Tuesday came, and I received a call from a woman named Rachel Palomba. I was expecting her call, and the purpose of the call was an initial phone interview/phone screen. She wasn't an HR recruiter, she was part of a team that worked on projects. She was someone.
I picked up her call, and we chatted for a minute or so. Rapport building, very important. Soon afterwards we get into the interview- she asks me a series of questions regarding my experiences in school, my jobs, and my role in the fraternity. I tried to answer as best I could, making sure to tie my answers back to the position at hand.
The position seemed confusing at first, but I started to get a better understanding of what it was. Basically, Equifax provides credit services for a lot of companies, medium and big. They provide the user interface, so that a company, when selling something, can determine the credit risk of that individual person, and charge them accordingly. Equifax deals with all the messy equation and numbers, and implements the system and works with the company, consulting them on problems and isues over the course of a several months. It's a position that I could see myself enjoying.
At the current moment, I was enjoying my interview. I was doing well, and I heard positive grunts and approvals from the other end. What I said specifically, I couldn't tell you. What I can say is that the conversation had a good flow, and I wasn't wincing after each statement. I'm much better in person, and sometimes I come off the wrong way over the phone. Soon enough it came to the end of the interview.
"So what would be the next step from here?"
"Well, based on our conversation so far, I think you would be a great candidate. We would love to have you come in on Friday and interview with Jeff if you can."
Uh oh. Now I was in a situation. I had to give Careerbuilder an answer by Friday, and now I was scheduling a second interview with Equifax. I wasn't sure what to tell her, but I decided to just give her the truth."
"Ok, yeah I would love to. I just want to let you know that I am interviewing with some other companies, and have received an offer by one. I told them I would give them an answer by this Friday, just so you know."
"Yeah, I completely understand. I just want to get you in front of Jeff so you have a chance to speak with him. I'm going to send you some information regarding our benefit program and some more details about the position as well. If you have any questions, feel free to call me, but if it's alright with you lets plan on you coming at 1:00 on Friday. Does that work?"
"Yeah, that works for me. I'll see you then. Thanks again, bye!" and I hung up.
I was in a situation now. I had a deadline to adhere to on Friday, and now I had scheduled another interview, which may or may not necessarily result in an offer. I wasn't sure what to do, but I knew that I had options, which is always a good thing.
The next few days passed and the situation was constantly on my mind. I didn't know what I wanted to do about the Careerbuilder offer, and I was nervous about going in for an interview knowing that I would have to make a decision that same day. If I turned down the offer, I ran the risk of not getting an offer form Equifax and basically being shit out of luck. If I took the CB offer, my quest would finally be over, yet I would always be wondering whether I could have made a better decision, what could have been.
I compared the pros and cons a lot over those few days. I ran it over in my head, from the location to the commute to the people to the opportunity and to the job itself. Both had their good qualities, both had their bad. Careerbuilder was closer, i knew the people and atmosphere, I could get in on the ground floor, I had an offer. Equifax paid better, I had some good connections, and the job itself was very appealing. Both presented good opportunities.
I talked it over with my parents. My girlfriend. My sister. My cat, but he didn't seem to care. As Derek Zoolander said "I guess I've got a lot of things to ponder." Thursday afternoon was coming and I knew that I needed to make a decision. If I went in to the interview on Friday, I might be giving off the wrong impression to Equifax if I knew I was going to go with CB. I also knew that I wanted to have a decision in my mind sooner rather than later so I wouldn't be scrambling Friday afternoon. After a lot of thinking, I had made up my mind.
I was going with Careerbuilder. There were a lot of reasons for me making that decision, some of which I had mentioned above. The opportunity for growth seemed very strong with CB, as did the commute, job description, and culture. Also, I felt comfortable at Careerbuilder, and I had met enough people to see myself working there. I knew a few people from Equifax, but I hadn't actually met anyone other than my friend.
So it was done. I mentally accepted that Thursday afternoon, and decided not to wait any longer before making a decision. I knew that I needed to let the people at Equifax know that I won't be interviewing with them.
I called up Rachel and left a message on her voicemail thanking her for the opportunity to come interview, but that I had decided to go ahead and accept the job with Careerbuilder. Not wanting to leave it with a voicemail, I called Jeff, whom I was supposed to interview with on Friday. When he picked, up, I explained my situation as apologetically as I could, and much to my surprise, he completely understood. I tried to leave things on good terms, and I think I did.
Once I got off the phone, I sat down to think about what this meant. I HAD A JOB!!! I wouldn't have to worry about looking for jobs anymore. I had done it. It took me a long time, but my efforts had finally come to fruition. The last step was to call Bill back up and accept personally.
When I told my parents my decision, I was met with mixed emotions. I thought that they would be excited that I had finally found gainful employment, but they seemed angry and disappointed that I hadn't taken the opportunity to interview further with Equifax. They thought I was making a mistake, and every good things they had to say about Careerbuilder before seemed to be a negative now. I was infuriated. As long as I tried, I thought the end would be a grand celebration. Instead, it was disappointment and settlement. I was in a foul mood.
The next day I packed up my things. I had already made plans to go visit my girlfriend in Spartanburg, and I was still angry- at myself, at my parents, at the situation in general. I left, and any chance of calling Equifax back and rescheduling withered away like my gas tank as I headed up 85.
I reached Spartanburg early in the afternoon, knowing that I still had to call Bill. I found a quiet spot and gave Bill a call.
"He- Hello?
"Hey Bill its Steven. I told you I'd give you a decision about the offer by today."
"Oh yeah hey Steven hows it going?"
"It's going well, thanks." My heart was pumping for some reason.
"Well, I've thought it over, and I would be happy to accept the position."
"Great, thats good to hear. I think you're going to be a good addition to our team. Ya know it's going to be a lot of work, and I know we can work on your delivery and phone voice to ge tyou up and running."
"Oh, yeah, I'm looking forward to it." What the hell did he mean by that?
"Well your class will start August 13 at 8:00 AM. Come dressed business professional and be ready to work."
"Ok, sounds good! Thanks again, and I look forward to it!"
"Sounds good Steve, b-bye."
I hang up the phone, and let out a sigh of relief I had been holding ever since I started my search. I did it. I was employed. I was about to walk out of the room and tell my girlfriend, when I started thinking about what he said. Work on my delivery? Did I not have a good delivery? What was wrong with my voice? I went out to share the good news, with his words and several weeks before I knew what it all meant.
