So today I had an interview. I wasn't that nervous, I guess because: 1) I am way overqualified for the job (which actually may mean I won't get it); 2) I have been through lots of interviews -- panel interviews, and bilingual interviews, and half-day interviews, and this was just a one-person interview; and 3) I only very recently started really looking for a job (like Monday), and right away I have had one interview and I have one recruiter interview coming up so I'm feeling all confident. Anyway, I think it went well. Mostly. At least, I sort of thought I did until I was recounting it to Bryan, and I remembered the "math" questions.
Now, I don't really mind math -- it was sort of fun in school -- and I figured, interview math, piece of cake. Which it was. Ahem. So........first she says, "What's 17 times 3?" OK, that was easy. "51," I say after I think for a second and, you know, take the extra moment to be sure. "That's right," she says. "OK, now, the customer's service costs $29.99 per month, and it's going to be pro-rated from the day he starts until the end of the month. His service starts on the morning of the 27th and it's a 30-day month. How much, approximately, will his bill be?" Next brilliant thing I do is count on my fingers, "27, 28, 29, 30." Mom, that's the reason we should never do it. Interviews. I smile sheepishly at her after I realize I've done this. She smiles indulgently. OK, moving on, I think. Don't get caught up with $29.99, she said approximately, so it's $30 -- that's easy, $30 times 4, $120. "One hundred twenty dollars," I say confidently. She looks at me uncertainly. "Um...his service is $29.99 per month," she says. "Oh! Yeah, yeah, sorry. Oh, I was thinking $29.99 per DAY," I explain. Whew, I guess that would be some really good service. OK...now I'm a little more nervous...so quickly I do the calculations in my head, so as to still be able to impress her. OK, 30 days in the month, 4 days left in the month, divide 30 by 4, you get 7 - well you get somewhere between 7 and 8. Whew, done. "Between 7 and 8," I say. She cocks her head at me. "How did you come up with that?" she says, sounding genuinely interested. Oh, she wants me to show my work, as it were, I think. No problem. "Well, because there are 30 days in the month, and 30 divided by 4is between seven and....." and down she breaks, as the saying goes.
I realize that my proration calculation is faulty in that it's missing a vital element -- the cost per day element. I was pretty much muddling about dividing the days by themselves, adding the days together, and you know, calculating the days. Hello, duh, FOUR is the answer, what could be easier? And why could I not have come up with that at first? Embarrassed now (finally), I say, "Oh!! Right. I'm sorry. Four days." And I smile at her, relieved that I have at long last come up with the correct answer and my smile is somewhat conspiratorial because now that I have provided it, she and I can be done with this silly little segment and get back to REAL questions. She smiles at me again. "Right. Four dollars," she says.
So.... like I say, I'm hoping my scores on other sections will pull me through.
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11 comments:
Anya, can you tell me how many legs a horse has? ;-)
Anya, can you tell me how many gs a horse has? ;-)
now I'm curious what the job was for! Glad I never had to do math for an interview. I'd STILL be out of a job. Oh, wait...I am!
I hate word problems. Now my daughter gets them all the time with her homework and I still phase out half way through the problem. Like this one: Nine large pipes will drain a pond in eight hours and six small pipes will drain **********the same pond in sixteen hours. How long will it take 3 large pipes and 5 small small pipes to drain the pond?
The **********represents my phase out point.
I’m much better at solving the one with the guy on the elevator that can only make it to the top floor when it rains. This is the type of questions they should be asking to show what a person is really made of.
Mamacita - Yes.:)
Blogball - ha! That makes me feel better. YES, exactly -- ask me why John and Mary are dead on the floor and there's water and broken glass! Now we're talkin'!
Jay Are, it was for a nonlegalish job but it sure would pay some bills while I get my license back(takes 4 months minimum) and get some current legal experience and stuff. It's a smallish but growing company that provides toll-free number services for companies -- I'd be doing a lot of things, quality assurance, making sure the people say the right stuff to the customers, communicating with the govt. regulatory agencies regarding phone service, filing certain things with all the states so we can sell telecom services...dealing wtih customer issues that escalated and the first levels couldn't solve...stuff like that. I shouldn't say I'm WAY overqualifed, but it pays less than anything I've done and she mentioned she was worried I wouldn't be happy there. I'd be happy with a paycheck I'll tell you that much.
Please tell me you won't be calling people and selling the service, and if you are talk to me first because I spent 16 minutes as a telemarketer and YOU DON'T WANT A PAYCHECK THAT BADLY. Trust me.
Sorry about the needing-to-get-the-license back issue. I have someone in my life that will never need it to hold a firehose and still we pay the couple hundred to keep it up, jic.
No, I wouldn't be one of the people who normally talks to the customers -- only if it escalates -- but no, they don't do telemarketing, I don't think, anyway. It's a specific product mostly for small businesses. Wow, 16 minutes? You lasted awhile!
License -- yeah, I say keep it up -- he worked hard enough to get it -- either active, or inactive -- because it's a pain to get back (and more expensive than five years of dues). I would never have resigned it, except for the circumstances. Under the circumstances, I would not have felt right or good doing anything but resigning it.
My fingers are crossed for you. Waiting is always the most difficult thing. Hope to see you up this way in the near future.
seems to me that the math question was easy to misunderstand especially in a hurry...when you are trying to impress the interviewer....I think that segment counted for little...and...that you will pass with flying colors due to your charming smile....
thanks gina! aw, shucks, thanks, schmooze. I think all you guys should be the ones interviewing me. I'd be IN! However, I DID get to the second round -- I'm supposed to meet the owner tomorrow (Thursday) for an interview with him. Before the interview, there will be two tasks -- one, a business letter to write, and two, a grammar test. Yay!!!! I am not going to be overconfident or take it lightly, as we saw how well that worked last time, but writing a letter and doing a grammar test are much more my thing, I must say. I'll keep you all posted. I like the vehicle of this blog to keep people posted on my job search -- it used to be that I hated talking about job searches and sort of I still do, but I don't mind posting about it. This way I don't have to tell everyone the same thing, especially if the news is not good. So. If you want updates, check here.
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