File Under Lessons Learned

So my headhunter sends me on yet another job interview, telling me that this is for a full-time direct hire position and I show up on time, in the appropriate suit and tie. Actually I was early but the important point is that I got there before the appointed time. I went to the reception desk, portfolio tucked under my arm, fresh copies of my resume and professional references inside.

I waited in the reception area of this large corporation and was first greeted by a courteous woman who introduced herself by telling me her name and that I wasn't on her calendar and she then asked "How can I help you" and before I could respond, the receptoinist explained that I was there to see her counterpart. She apologized for the confusion and quickly enough her counterpart came out and ushered me into her office.

I found myself being interviewed for a position, but not the full-time direct hire position I thought I was there for. It was for a temporary contract position that would only last for four months at best, and wasn't even full-time during that entire four month period. I was taken aback because this wasn't what I was there for and being an honest, upfront person, spoke up about the confusion. After the confusion was sorted out, the interviewer asked me if I was interested in the contract position and after I was assured of a few conditions that I needed to be met in order to be able to take on the contract job, would be met, I said I was interested, and the interview went on. I even felt it went well, as I expressed interest in the specifics of what needed to be done during the four month period.

Subsequently the headhunter tells me that the firm came back to him telling him that the interview went "negative". Well, damn. I find myself interviewing for a position that wasn't what it was supposed to be, for fewer hours and less money that it was supposed to be, completely catching me by surprise and they felt the interview went negative.

Now I've sent a card and a note of apology to the interviewer, apologizing for any negatives she may have experienced in our interview, because they certainly weren't intended. But when one considers just how much surprise there was in that morning's interview for me, she might have been a bit more accommodating to give me time to absorb the shock and try to determine if I was interested in the position.

Lessons learned. 1. When working with a headhunter, interviews may well contain surprises. Don't let them put you off of your game. 2. Keep that positive smile on your face in the interview room.