Job Story - The first interview

From time to time I will post about a previous work experience that I had. The experiences will be funny, sad, and anywhere in between. The jobs that I had ranged from the stereotypically horrible, to the stereotypically good. While the stereotypically horrible jobs lived up to their reputation, I’m afraid the stereotypically ones proved otherwise. The stories that I tell are true and have happened to me, or have been witnessed by me.

I think it’s only natural to start with my first interview experience, which happened to lead to my first job.

I had been looking for a job for quite sometime, I was in grade 11, and I had the urge to own every gadget known to man. The only way I could get my dream stereo system (costing well over $1000) was to get my self a job. A friend of mine’s sister was a manager at McDonald’s, and she offered me an interview.

I was taking a nap when the manager called to set up an interview time. I talked to her got some details on the location and we set up a time.

The evening of the interview, I looked through my closet looking for an appropriate shirt for the interview. My mom drove me to the restaurant, and when I entered, I proudly told one of the employees that I was there for an interview. The manager took a while to come out, and I thought to my self, “did she forget? Shouldn’t she be waiting for me in her office?” and then I calmed my self by thinking “Maybe she’s tidying up the office, before I get called in.”

The manager came out, and I was shocked to see the resemblance between her and her sister. She then said, “right this way..” pointing to the restaurant floor. I was confused. I thought maybe she wants to show me around my future workplace. But does she really think I have never been to McDonald’s before? After all, they all look the same. So I followed her to a nearby table, where she sat grabbed a pen and told me to take a seat. It was then that I realized that this was where my interview was to take place. I remember thinking to myself, what kind of place is this? Do they not have an office?

The interview started and I was surprised by the hard questions that were asked. Looking back on it, and after having tons of REAL interviews with respectable companies, the questions that I was asked that night were relatively tough. Let’s face it, flipping burgers, and taking Big Mac orders neither requires superior English skills, nor leadership abilities.

I was asked many questions including “what does customer satisfaction mean to you?”, “why did you choose McDonald’s?” The one question that really stumped me was a “situational question.” It’s one of those questions where they put you on the spot, to see how you would behave. Here’s the question, and my answer..

Manager: “While you’re cleaning the tables, you hear two teenagers complaining about their fries being cold. What do you do?”

Thought through Omar’s mind à Teenagers = Trouble therefore defend the honour of the company

Omar: “Since they’re teenagers and because I know how teenagers think, I would take their complaint as a way to get free food, which would cost the restaurant money. So I would probably continue cleaning the tables. .”

Manager, disappointed: “Actually we have a 100% satisfaction policy. Food doesn’t cost much, and customer satisfaction is everything. So you should go get them fries and say that you’re sorry.”

Omar to himself “you blew it you moron!... what? Say sorry?”

The interview continues, and I keep receiving bad vibes from the manager. I go home disappointed, only to learn 2 weeks later that I got the job.

Once I got the job stories became more interesting, to say the least. Future job stories will be filled with angry customers, angry managers, angry parents, urinating children, angry Omar, and once in a blue moon a satisfied customer.