The Life of a Job Seeker: Episode 7
Episode 7: The Job Invite
Alas! Kobi has absconded, Nadia and Femi thought to themselves. Three months had passed and Kobi was yet to return to Sokoto, neither had he sent any allowance to care for Nadia as agreed. His phone was often inaccessible, and when it did ring, he apologized and lamented about not having money to meet his basic necessities, let alone transferring money to them or travelling back to Sokoto.
His current dilemma made him realize how beautiful his life was when all he had to worry about was completing his youth service, getting a solid job, and becoming financially buoyant. He prayed hard not to be responsible for Nadia’s pregnancy, but still, he needed to prepare for the worse. However, returning to Sokoto to find a job was out of the question for him, because his numerous job applications while he was there didn’t yield any positive results.
Soon, he came across a job advert for the position of Chemical Engineer in a Water Treatment Plant. He submitted his application and luckily, he was invited for an interview.
The Interview
The opening was competitive as many other applicants showed up for the same interview. Finally, it was time for Kobi to see the HR. His interview was going smoothly until the Manager walked into the room. Surprisingly, the Manager was the former HR of the Engineering firm that offered him an employment prior to his youth service.
The Manager recognized Kobi immediately. Don’t tell me you are one of the applicants to our company, he said. Kobi responded, “I am Sir”, thinking the Manager would put in nice words for him. On the contrary, he ruined his chances; “Did you receive our congratulatory mail for a job after an interview with Nano Engineering Company last year or not? Kobi responded, Yes, I did. Amazed, the Manager asked; so after taking the time and resources to conduct a recruitment exercise with you, I sent you a congratulatory email and text message for a position in the company but you didn’t deem it fit to respond in acceptance or rejection of the offer, and yet you think we would to take you seriously here? Kobi tried to apologise for his reckless abandon and explain his reason for not showing up for the job back then, but the Manager and HR didn’t give him a listening ear. He was dismissed immediately.
Lesson 2: Ignoring an offer because you can’t take it is disrespectful. Workplace etiquette requires that you respond to a job offer promptly and professionally, whether you accept or decline the offer.
Moving on
Finding another formal job in his rural environment wasn’t feasible for him. As a result, he felt compelled to relocate to a more metropolitan region like Abuja to pursue professional employment. Yet, to do that, he would need money, and to get money, he would need a temporary job. He remembered his mother’s displeasure the last time he took a menial job and so he didn’t consider it an option. Since school was on holiday, he considered persuading some parents in his neighbourhood to enroll their kids in home tutorials with him for a fair amount.
He had barely done home tutorials for 3 weeks when he received another invitation for a job interview for the position of Quality Control Assistant in an oil company in Sokoto. Oh wow! Heaven is finally on my side, he proclaimed. He planned to; sneak into Sokoto the following day, lodge in a cheap hotel, and attend the interview. He intended to notify Nadia and Femi, only if the interview turned out successful, otherwise, to quietly return home to his tutorship.
Back to Sokoto
He accumulated about N7,000 for the tutorial he had done so far, and then loaned an additional N5,000 from Nathan and zoomed off to Sokoto. On getting to the interview venue, he was welcomed by a big surprise. He found Femi and Pregnant Nadia sitting at the entrance of the building. Since their eyes had locked, there was no way he could have dodged them. Dazzled, he inquired; “are you guys also here for the interview”. “No, we are here as your interviewer, they both retorted”. You had always claimed you had no money to return to Sokoto, so did you teleport here spiritually to attend our interview with you? At that point, it became obvious that the interview was a prank schemed by Nadia and Femi to lure him back to Sokoto since he refused to return on his own.
If you were in Kobi’s shoes, what would you do?
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