Return of the Jury:
JUDGE: In the matter of Susan (the Plaintiff) vs. Gainful Employment (the Accused), what say ye?
JURY: In the matter of Susan vs. Gainful Employment, we the Jury find the accused NOT GUILTY.
JUDGE'S SENTENCE: This court therefore rules that the Accused is not guilty of either of the charges: namely, suitability for or compatibility with the Plaintiff. Further to this, the plaintiff has been ordered by this court to serve her time in the Unemployment penitentiary until this, or another court repeals this ruling.
… And so, that is how that went down... a less than impressive ruling if you ask me.
Ok., before I start ranting on and on about how blind justice really is, let the record show that with a little hind-sight, I am not entirely oblivious of the fact that part of my testimony and the overwhelming evidence unleashed by the Accused’s Counsel, may have provided the jury some of the rope they used to hang me... grrh!
Yes, that opportunity slipped through the cracks of justice. However, I am hesitant to share the “c’mon, you-should-have-known-better” lessons I learnt at ‘The Trial’ on this blog. Truth be told, that discussion would leave me with more than just a little measure of embarrassment. I would be running the risk of causing permanent and irrevocable damage to my person (kindly allow me to save my e-face). Still, I am the better for it.
I may not have gained the employment opportunity I was in hot pursuit of, but I sure did gain some invaluable lessons.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Monday, November 16, 2009
The Interview Finale
... the interview came,
the interview went ...
The oral interview was, to say the least, interesting. The entire Board (there were at least ten-pairs of eyes in the room) was present to interrogate, probe and analyse the stuff their prospective employee was made of.
There were the good cops, and the bad cops;
There were questions that offered me an opportunity to unleash my preparedness;
There were answers that left me thinking, "Silence would have earned me a higher score"
Still, I plodded on courageously!
The eternal optimist in me is sure the gig is mine.
We have so much potential together. We belong together... methinks!
The Committee of Experts looked sufficiently inspired. I expect that they shall make the right decision.
Gotta leave this noisy Cyber Cafe. I'm expecting a call... from you know whom...
Till the next time,
Adios!
the interview went ...
The oral interview was, to say the least, interesting. The entire Board (there were at least ten-pairs of eyes in the room) was present to interrogate, probe and analyse the stuff their prospective employee was made of.
There were the good cops, and the bad cops;
There were questions that offered me an opportunity to unleash my preparedness;
There were answers that left me thinking, "Silence would have earned me a higher score"
Still, I plodded on courageously!
The eternal optimist in me is sure the gig is mine.
We have so much potential together. We belong together... methinks!
The Committee of Experts looked sufficiently inspired. I expect that they shall make the right decision.
Gotta leave this noisy Cyber Cafe. I'm expecting a call... from you know whom...
Till the next time,
Adios!
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Post Interview Analysis
Jo! I have just received a killer licking; delivered unrelentingly after the one-hour job interview I have just emerged from. Jo, I have a pressing need to 'detox!"
It was a written interview. The question seemed a bit off, but thankfully, when my fingers hit the keyboard, I was pretty confident that although my brain was delivering the answers in dribs and drabs, I had given a pretty good account of myself... This feeling did not last long. No sooner had my feet carried me out of the building than my brain went into over-drive; delivering a deluge of what would clearly have been the more appropriate responses.
Jo, the self-flagellation (a brand of mob-(in)justice inflicted on self), that has happened between the interview room and the Cybercafe, where I am presently off-loading, has been massive.
Why do things seem clearer afterwards? the morning after? a divorce or separation later? a fight or argument later? an interview later? Grrh!
Enough of this whinning business. I still have a chance to redeem myself. The interview ain't over by a long shot. The oral component will take place over lunch on Thursday. I need to brace myself for that... upto & including working up an appetite. After today's performance that is going to be an uphill task!
It was a written interview. The question seemed a bit off, but thankfully, when my fingers hit the keyboard, I was pretty confident that although my brain was delivering the answers in dribs and drabs, I had given a pretty good account of myself... This feeling did not last long. No sooner had my feet carried me out of the building than my brain went into over-drive; delivering a deluge of what would clearly have been the more appropriate responses.
Jo, the self-flagellation (a brand of mob-(in)justice inflicted on self), that has happened between the interview room and the Cybercafe, where I am presently off-loading, has been massive.
Why do things seem clearer afterwards? the morning after? a divorce or separation later? a fight or argument later? an interview later? Grrh!
Enough of this whinning business. I still have a chance to redeem myself. The interview ain't over by a long shot. The oral component will take place over lunch on Thursday. I need to brace myself for that... upto & including working up an appetite. After today's performance that is going to be an uphill task!
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Sages, Small men and Standers-by.
Halleluya! Yesterday marked the end of my long walk to graduation... and what a journey this has been! As I walked down the aisle to pick up my graduation certificate, something in me leapt and screamed, “...it is finished!”
The crowning moment of the graduation ceremony was when a Wits alumnus, (with the presence of those filthy-rich and powerful matriarchs cast in the South American soaps. You know... the kind that run companies whose turnovers could run a small third-world economy and have change to spare...) took to the stage to deliver her low-toned speech. Anyway, by the time Maria Theresa Heinz-Kerry, (Head of the Heinz Endowments, a trust that has given over $57 million to charity)was done speaking, you could have heard a pin drop in the auditorium as she dropped gem after gem of her wisdom and experience, “as a fellow traveller in the journey of life”.
Jo, when I grow up I want to be her speech-writer!
She said two types of people made history in the world: the sages and the small men. The 'sages' are the Mandelas of this world (and other ordinary folk), who are persuaded by the power of their own convictions to stand for up for something. This lot is willing to put their lives on the line to see change in society. On the flip side, there are the 'small men' (still ordinary folk), who are driven by self-interest or at best, are perpetuators of the status quo at the expense of others.
Then, she pointed out that there is a third category of people. These pitiable souls are the 'by-standers', - regular folk, who, consumed by indifference and/or ignorance, watch as events unfold and do nothing. This sorry lot does not even make it on the pages of history.
In short, we have a choice as to which side of the divide we will stand.
By the time she was done speaking, I was panting... not so much from my earnest fast-tracked scribbling, but from the soul-searching gymnastics that were bringing to my full view the glaring gaps in my own life that need fixing, fast!
The crowning moment of the graduation ceremony was when a Wits alumnus, (with the presence of those filthy-rich and powerful matriarchs cast in the South American soaps. You know... the kind that run companies whose turnovers could run a small third-world economy and have change to spare...) took to the stage to deliver her low-toned speech. Anyway, by the time Maria Theresa Heinz-Kerry, (Head of the Heinz Endowments, a trust that has given over $57 million to charity)was done speaking, you could have heard a pin drop in the auditorium as she dropped gem after gem of her wisdom and experience, “as a fellow traveller in the journey of life”.
Jo, when I grow up I want to be her speech-writer!
She said two types of people made history in the world: the sages and the small men. The 'sages' are the Mandelas of this world (and other ordinary folk), who are persuaded by the power of their own convictions to stand for up for something. This lot is willing to put their lives on the line to see change in society. On the flip side, there are the 'small men' (still ordinary folk), who are driven by self-interest or at best, are perpetuators of the status quo at the expense of others.
Then, she pointed out that there is a third category of people. These pitiable souls are the 'by-standers', - regular folk, who, consumed by indifference and/or ignorance, watch as events unfold and do nothing. This sorry lot does not even make it on the pages of history.
In short, we have a choice as to which side of the divide we will stand.
By the time she was done speaking, I was panting... not so much from my earnest fast-tracked scribbling, but from the soul-searching gymnastics that were bringing to my full view the glaring gaps in my own life that need fixing, fast!
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Retracing my steps to the blogging-fold
I wandered off from the blissful world of blogging nearly three months ago, and like a repentant sinner, I have been up to loads of stuff and a little mischief too...
I never intended to deal my beloved blog a fatal blow or burn my blog-bridges through my on-again and off-again relationship with my blog. We are back... (until the next time, anyway). I am aware that this kind of behaviour can bring blog-traffic to a screeching halt, when you, my fellow blogee, in sheer frustration, decide to de-blog me from your blog-consciousness...
All this blog-talk is making me 'bloggy'... Over-compensating perhaps?
Anyway, let me bring you up to speed with what I have been up to:
a) I have put on a solid 10 pounds since my last blog post (I can still hear Beauty screaming in pure horror when she saw me after three months. She nearly shocked me into dieting...).
b) I have since finished my three-month internship at AICC, and been granted an extension until December, thankfully.
My spell away from the blog-hood has taken me on a serious learning curve.
Lesson learnt and worth sharing:
There is truth in the pidgin wisdom: “The world is go buy you the way you sell yourself” (sic!). Jo, people, there is this former staff member (pioneer WoWer), who left AICC to pursue his MBA in the U.K. Upon his return to S.A, Nkosi Ndlovu has become hot property, with some seriously attractive job offers throwing themselves at the brother.
Picture this: No sooner had the guy recovered from his jet-lag last week, than it was time to sign on the dotted line of a very lucrative contract the AICC had carefully drawn up for him.
Possible question: Are the Laws of Attraction (as in Rhonda Byrne's bestseller, The Secret) at work here or is it simply that the world loves a confident and skilled professional?
Is it perhaps that his qualifications now affect how the world sees him or does his education affect how he sees (and sells) himself, and therefore changing the way we see him?
Positive vibe: I have since come to the conclusion that there is a domino effect and relationship between how we see ourselves and how the world sees us. Yes, we can appreciate in value. If we change the lens through which we see ourselves, the world around us will follow suit... most probably.
I never intended to deal my beloved blog a fatal blow or burn my blog-bridges through my on-again and off-again relationship with my blog. We are back... (until the next time, anyway). I am aware that this kind of behaviour can bring blog-traffic to a screeching halt, when you, my fellow blogee, in sheer frustration, decide to de-blog me from your blog-consciousness...
All this blog-talk is making me 'bloggy'... Over-compensating perhaps?
Anyway, let me bring you up to speed with what I have been up to:
a) I have put on a solid 10 pounds since my last blog post (I can still hear Beauty screaming in pure horror when she saw me after three months. She nearly shocked me into dieting...).
b) I have since finished my three-month internship at AICC, and been granted an extension until December, thankfully.
My spell away from the blog-hood has taken me on a serious learning curve.
Lesson learnt and worth sharing:
There is truth in the pidgin wisdom: “The world is go buy you the way you sell yourself” (sic!). Jo, people, there is this former staff member (pioneer WoWer), who left AICC to pursue his MBA in the U.K. Upon his return to S.A, Nkosi Ndlovu has become hot property, with some seriously attractive job offers throwing themselves at the brother.
Picture this: No sooner had the guy recovered from his jet-lag last week, than it was time to sign on the dotted line of a very lucrative contract the AICC had carefully drawn up for him.
Possible question: Are the Laws of Attraction (as in Rhonda Byrne's bestseller, The Secret) at work here or is it simply that the world loves a confident and skilled professional?
Is it perhaps that his qualifications now affect how the world sees him or does his education affect how he sees (and sells) himself, and therefore changing the way we see him?
Positive vibe: I have since come to the conclusion that there is a domino effect and relationship between how we see ourselves and how the world sees us. Yes, we can appreciate in value. If we change the lens through which we see ourselves, the world around us will follow suit... most probably.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Skills-infested NGO environment
It has been a fortnight since my internship started, and what an incredible two weeks it has been! During this time, I have been assigned three main tasks, and these have called for some seriously out-of the box thinking and time management skills. One of the tasks required that I draft a proposal to the media. And so, I did. Many hours later, I presented my “labour-of-love" to my supervisor.
He worked his magic all over my original draft by re-wording and re-packaging it in sheer brilliance that when the final document finally emerged, it just blew me away. This episode reminds me that I still have a long way to go before I can get a handle on this skill.
Another thing that I have observed at AICC is the value of team work. When someone is handling a project and there are deadlines to beat, it is amazing the swiftness with which the staff rally around each other. Terms like ‘organisational fit’ and ‘team-player’ begin to make sense when you are part of a small outfit (less than 10 members of staff on board) like ours (did I say ours?).
But, it is not all desk work at the AICC (yup!) We had a two-day breather when we hosted a multi-stakeholder round table meeting (that is NGO-speak for you. I picked up another term as well, ‘beneficiation’). These people! Anyway, this event was held at the South African Human Rights Commission where I met a whole range of these NGO-types who are involved in tailoring a South African self-assessment tool on human rights for businesses. I actually got the opportunity to witness some high level brain-storming session in action... Yo, I tell you, there are some seriously brilliant minds out there.
Whether it is contagious or not, I am determined to catch (or learn) as many skills as I can from these skills-crammed individuals.
He worked his magic all over my original draft by re-wording and re-packaging it in sheer brilliance that when the final document finally emerged, it just blew me away. This episode reminds me that I still have a long way to go before I can get a handle on this skill.
Another thing that I have observed at AICC is the value of team work. When someone is handling a project and there are deadlines to beat, it is amazing the swiftness with which the staff rally around each other. Terms like ‘organisational fit’ and ‘team-player’ begin to make sense when you are part of a small outfit (less than 10 members of staff on board) like ours (did I say ours?).
But, it is not all desk work at the AICC (yup!) We had a two-day breather when we hosted a multi-stakeholder round table meeting (that is NGO-speak for you. I picked up another term as well, ‘beneficiation’). These people! Anyway, this event was held at the South African Human Rights Commission where I met a whole range of these NGO-types who are involved in tailoring a South African self-assessment tool on human rights for businesses. I actually got the opportunity to witness some high level brain-storming session in action... Yo, I tell you, there are some seriously brilliant minds out there.
Whether it is contagious or not, I am determined to catch (or learn) as many skills as I can from these skills-crammed individuals.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
My ship finally docks
When Paul Kapelus, CEO of the African Institute of Corporate Citizenship (AICC) made his presentation on mentorship at the Growing Tomorrow's Leaders workshop in June, he said that interns at his organisation were thrown to the deep-end of the business and they were expected to learn the ropes and swim to shore... quickly.
Fast Forward... 30 days later... and believe me, Paul meant business...
This week marks a new dawn in my career. The first day was a time of induction into the organisation. I spent a good chunk of my time hoping from desk to desk interacting with my colleagues and getting the low-down on the on-going projects. On the second day, I was assigned the task of drafting AICC’s Communication Policy along with a more seasoned colleague. I am still getting my head around this task.
In an organization this tight, there is no falling through the cracks!
Something else:
It is possible that I took to AICC like a duck to water because of its family-like bond (you should have seen the reception the 6-month old baby of a colleague got yesterday from the staff... yo! Did I mention our happy faces and merry chatting that fills the boardroom over lunch?) or perhaps it is because the AICC canoe is paddled by half-a-dozen Wits alumni... (mostly WoW-graduates, if I may add).
Something in my heart tells me that I am in the right place. The truth is, I have mixed feelings - a part of me is excited immensely and yet another is intimidated by the challenge ahead...
Fast Forward... 30 days later... and believe me, Paul meant business...
This week marks a new dawn in my career. The first day was a time of induction into the organisation. I spent a good chunk of my time hoping from desk to desk interacting with my colleagues and getting the low-down on the on-going projects. On the second day, I was assigned the task of drafting AICC’s Communication Policy along with a more seasoned colleague. I am still getting my head around this task.
In an organization this tight, there is no falling through the cracks!
Something else:
It is possible that I took to AICC like a duck to water because of its family-like bond (you should have seen the reception the 6-month old baby of a colleague got yesterday from the staff... yo! Did I mention our happy faces and merry chatting that fills the boardroom over lunch?) or perhaps it is because the AICC canoe is paddled by half-a-dozen Wits alumni... (mostly WoW-graduates, if I may add).
Something in my heart tells me that I am in the right place. The truth is, I have mixed feelings - a part of me is excited immensely and yet another is intimidated by the challenge ahead...
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