2 weeks ago I have been contacted by Julia, a Recruiter from London who said she followed my career and was waiting for the right project to contact me. A company was urgently looking for a freelancer, and even if the job wasn't really in my area, because I had a track record as a business developer she thought I would be perfect for the role. So I gave her permission to send me through for the position and sent her my CV.
Yesterday in the late evening she calls me back:
- Hi Bartolo, this is Julia, from the recruitment agency! You remember me?
- Hi Julia, sure, how are you?
- I'm fine, thanks for asking! And how are you?
- I'm good.
- You remember the freelance job I told you about?
- Yes, I remember.
- Yes, I sent your CV and... they didn't want you!!
It's hard to say why, as a no is a no, but Cheerful Julia put me in a good mood.
She reminds me of this old joke:
A man comes across an advert exposed on a recruitment agency where they are looking for a Senior Marketing Manager. The right candidate must be very experienced in marketing, be a team player and self starter, motivated, organized, computer literate and passionate about marketing. He decides to get in.
- Hello - he says to the clerk - I'm here for the Senior Marketing Manager position.
- Good, very, very well - says the other man - I assume you have a lot of experience as a Marketing Manager than...
- No, not really.
- Uhm, so maybe it would be better to put you through as a simple manager, if you have experience...
- I don't think so.
- Assistant?
- Uhm... no.
- Junior position! We have a lot of them, and you don't need experience! As long as you are a team player!
- Teams are not my cup of tea...
- Self starter?
- Definitely not!
- Motivated!
- Kind of lazy actually...
- Organized...
- Uh, absolutely not!!
- Computer literate?
- Never used a computer in my life.
- ...Passionate about marketing...?
- Uhm, I don't know...
- Sir, do you actually know what marketing is?
- No, I don't.
- Sir, uhm... may I ask you why you came here in the first place?
- Just to tell you I wasn't interested in that position.
