So my interview for 2pm today was set since Monday, so I was planning to get dressed just before heading out the door so that I wouldn't get all wrinkled. I was planning to leave the hotel at about 12:50pm. At 11:50am, I received a phone call from a placement agency who had received my resume for a job doing accounts payable at an online media advertising firm. I agreed to meet her before going to my interview. All I knew was that she was on Pitt Street... I thought it was around the corner. It ended up being a 15 minute walk. In high heels. At midday. It was hot. So I finally arrived and she took me right in, knowing that I had to be at an interview in North Sydney in under an hour and a half and I had to get to the train station, buy a ticket and get to North Sydney. She and I spoke for a while and she was very enthusiastic about getting me in to meet the client today. So we scheduled an informal interview for 4:30pm. I took off.
I started to try to find the Town Hall train station. I have used that station before, but it was last May and I couldn't quite remember how to get there. And I know my way around Wynyard station. So I decided instead to sprint down there and catch that train. By the time I got to Wynyard, there was sweat pouring from every orifice and I felt like my feet had punched through the soles of my heels and were getting sandpapered down on the concrete. Who invented high heels anyway?
Thankfully, I made it to North Sydney at 1:30pm. I stopped at a convenience store on my way to the 2pm interview and bought a Vitamin Water for $4.20. I was dying of thirst. Another blessing... the building where the interview was taking place was air conditioned and I had about 20 minutes before I needed to go up to the 15th floor. By the time I went up, all the sweat had dried. LOL! The interview went okay. I liked the two girls I would be working with. It was definitely a more conservative type of place. Here's one of the interview questions:
What is something that you have learned from your past experience that you will carry with you for the rest of your life?
REALLY?
The interview lasted 30 minutes. So they are supposed to let me know by Friday if they want me to continue with more interviews with the Group Financial Controller and also go in for psychometric testing. I think I had to do something like that at Eder.
So then I took the train back to Wynyard and over to Starbucks for a refreshment before my next interview. I had a Dark Mocha Frappuccino. Yum. So time for my interview at the online media advertising company. The company is located on King Street Wharf. Right on the water. What a view! I met with a couple of guys and we talked for over an hour and a half. There are about 20-25 employees here. Mostly mid-20s to mid-30s. They are looking for someone to do Accounts Payable using Microsoft Dynamics NAV. I think that's what got me in the door. Apparently not many companies use Microsoft Dynamics in Sydney and so not many people have experience using it. Now, they are using the internet version of the program, but it's essentially the same program I've been using at Eder for over 8 years. They've just had the program tweaked to suit their own company. I'm not sure, but I think they think I'm going to come in and solve all their problems with the program. I'll give it a go, as they say. One of the questions THEY had for me:
You've had so much experience. Why would you want what is basically an entry level position?
LOL! It's funny that they think I'm too experienced and no one else will even interview me because I haven't used their SPECIFIC software. Funny. You just have to laugh. I told them not to worry - I have no ambition to throw one of them over for a CEO position. They want me to interview with the accountant and with the general manager. It's still a waiting game, even though they want someone to start IMMEDIATELY.
So now I have an interview tomorrow morning for (get this) Recruitment Consultant Assistant. Here's a short blurb from the advert:
Healthcare Australia (HCA) is the leading healthcare recruitment solutions provider of nursing staff, aged care workers and medical specialist placements in Australia with operations in every state and territory.
An exciting opportunity has arisen within LML Medical Recruitment, our locum medical practitioner placement agency. The successful candidate will be responsible for working closely with one or more recruitment consultants and carrying out a wide range of tasks including:
- Booking doctors’ flights and/or car rental
- Liaising with hospitals to ensure accommodation is booked for doctors
- Coordinating doctor & hospital paperwork
- Creating and submitting doctors’ invoices; chasing up payments
- Updating, maintaining and circulating LML shift lists
- Updating in-house database
- Answering phones, handling doctor/hospital queries
REQUIREMENTS:
- Self-starter with excellent multi-tasking skills, attention to detail and ability to prioritise
- Ability to work as part of a team; good communication skills
- Professional and friendly telephone manner
- Excellent customer service ethic
- Good Microsoft Outlook, Excel and Word skills
When the woman called me today I was getting on the train, so I was having a bit of a time understanding what she was saying. She asked me why I would apply for this position when I had so much experience in bookkeeping. I told her the truth. That I didn't have experience in the accounting software that most companies were using and so I was finding it difficult to get past the resume stage. I also said that I thought I was a people person too, and so I was willing to branch out and try new things. So we'll see how that goes. Actually, I really liked the media company I interviewed at this afternoon. I'll keep everyone informed. Stay tuned for my next episode. :)
No comments:
Post a Comment