Interview at Moskof
“Thank you!” I thank the nice cab driver who just wished me luck on my interview. No time to dally, I hurry into the building, the word ‘Moskof’ bold on the building. As I get in, I am directed to where I will wait before the interview begins as I am early and I am not the only one to be interviewed for a position today. Soon more and more people join me in waiting, some of them are intimidating but I am confident that I am the right fit for the position I am going for, and that I will get the job— the motivational words I keep declaring to boost myself. Positivity only.
To get to work here would be a dream come true. I mean, this is Moskof one of the biggest companies in Canada, and this is their headquarters in Toronto where I get to work under the main bosses. Being one of the biggest companies, they have good pay and benefits for their staff. If I land this job, and I pray I do, my coming to Canada would no longer seem like a big mistake.
I am from Poland— my dad is, while my mom is of French-German descent— and before now I lived with my family in Poznan in Poland, a nice quiet life but I didn’t want that anymore, so I moved. I relocated to Canada and for eight months it was seeming like a mistake, until now that is, until Moskof read my application and emailed me for an interview. An interview for a position in the legal department.
“Attention, everyone!” A nice modestly dressed middle-aged woman standing before the waiting applicants announce loudly. All quiet down and pay attention.
“In less than five minutes, the interviews will commence in the order following the names on this list” she says, raising the list in her hand. “So, prepare yourselves and, goodluck!”
Four minutes later and the first name is called, a young man of average height looking overly nervous is called in for his interview. He comes out after a few minutes looking brighter than he went in, it seems his was favorable. I relax a bit. The next string of people after him don’t come out with bright countenances though and I feel the nerves rising.
“Miss Mercedes Brandysz!” The woman calls. I am next.
Standing up, I straighten my skirt and walk straight to her, she directs me down to the door where I will enter for my interview for the legal department.
As I get to the door, I take a deep breath and knock once, a voice from inside tells me to come in. I enter to meet two intimidatingly serious people, a greying man and a caramel skinned younger woman who looks to be in her late thirties, her eyes having more warmth than the man’s.
“Miss Mercedes Brandysz?” The man asks
“Yes sir” I reply
“Have a seat” he says without missing a beat.
“How are you Miss Brandysz?” The woman asks, “Or would you rather be called Mercedes?”
“Either is fine” I smile, neither of them smile in return as they look at me. “Mercedes is fine, ma’am”
“I see” she replies, “A beautiful name”
“Thank you, ma’am”
“Miss Mercedes,” the man begins drawing my attention to him, “You applied for the position of junior legal adviser, is that right?”
“Yes, sir” I reply
“You studied at Jagiellonian University?” He asks
“Yes, sir” I reply, “The program I studied was the Uniform Master’s Degree in Law and was awarded my Magister, Master of Laws degree at the end of the program”
“What was the primary language of instruction during your program?”
“Polish, sir”
“Are you fluent in English?”
“Yes, sir”
“Do you have any prior experience in the position of legal adviser or in a similar position?”
“Well, I… I.. I did have a—“
“Do you have any actual hands on experience in this position you are applying for at Moskof, or in a similar position?”
Honestly, I reply, “No, sir”
“So, you have no experience in this area?”
“Yes, sir” I wince inwardly, hoping this is not me writing myself off for the position.
The man writes down.
“It says in your resume that you concluded your degree nearly three years ago” the woman says, “Between then and now what experience have you gotten? Feel free to share whatever experience you may have, even though they are outside the legal field”
“Shortly after graduation, I filled the role of assistant to a lecturer, in the legal field, at the Adam Mickiewicsz University in Poland”
“And how long were you in this position?” The man asks
“Nearly, a year sir, precisely eleven months” I reply, the man writes
“Okay, and after that what next?” the woman asks
“After that, I began working with a private institution that teaches Polish language, helping people prepare for the official state certification exam” even as I speak I don’t see how this helps me in obtaining the job I seek here, I should have gotten more experience in the legal field, now I seem a bit over the place.
“That sounds wonderful,” the woman says, I smile a bit, “Working at such a place requires you to have some level of patience, composure and calm, I believe?”
Yes, I think “Yes, ma’am”
“How long did you work there and what did you do next?” The man asks
“I was with the private institution for a bit over nine months, sir, then afterwards I came to Canada”
“How long have you been here, what other experiences have you gotten?” He asks
“I have been here for about eight months, sir” I reply, “And during this months, I have worked at a fast food restaurant and served in the administrative sector of a distribution company”
“I see” he writes. “I take it you are legally able to work in Canada, no criminal records or anything of the sort we should know of?”
“None, sir. I am legally able to work here” I reply, I am a Canadian citizen by birth and have no criminal history anything of the sort that can vitiate my ability to work here.
“That’s good” the woman says, “Have you secured your NCA Certificate of Qualification, gained any additional certifications or diplomas in the legal field or similar field?”
“No, not exactly, ma’am, but I do have skills—“
The man raises his hand, silencing me, “No need recounting your skills, Miss Mercedes, your resume tells us all we need to know on that front”
“The time given for your interview was 11.00am, at what time did you get here?” The woman asks
“I got into the building by exactly 9.35am, ma’am” I reply, the woman nods, the man writes.
There is a beat of silence, and I begin to feel the interview has ended unsuccessfully, then the man asks, “How confident are you that you will be a good fit for the team at Moskof? On a scale of one to five rate yourself in terms of the value you believe you will bring to Moskof”
“I am very confident that I will be a great fit for the team here at Moskof, sir. And on a scale of one to five, I rate myself a five, sir”
The woman smiles at my reply, the man writes.
“Are you willing to learn?”
“Yes, sir”
“We usually refrain from asking the applicant why they think they are the right fit for the job during an interview, because you all think you are the right fit for the job and give nearly the same reply,” the woman says, “So, I will ask this instead, if you were the one conducting this interview would you consider someone with your exact qualifications and no proven field experience for this position?”
Hmm.
“So long as the said candidate is willing to learn, ready to adapt, promising, especially in the legal field, yes, I will consider them”
The woman nods.
“How old are you, Miss Mercedes?” The woman asks
“Twenty six years old, ma’am”
She and the man share a look then she nods. I have no idea what is going through their minds.
Oh God, please let me get this job.
“Miss Mercedes,” the man starts, I think it’s time for the verdict, “From what we see here, you graduated with honors, a first class, you also have the required skills and you passed our preliminary legal knowledge test, however you lack any actual experience in the position you are applying for or a similar one. You also do not have additional certifications that could supplement your first degree, and are not rightly qualified to give legal advice in this company as giving legal advice constitutes practicing law in Canada, and you are yet to navigate the required qualification process”
Sitting straighter, he continues, “Here at Moskof, we hire only the very best, Miss Mercedes, the very best and on that note, you do not meet our requirements for the position of junior legal adviser here. For you to qualify for such a position here, you need to go through the required qualification process, secure your NCA certificate of qualification, be admitted into a provincial Bar and have your Bar license, then also have at least a year of proven appropriate experience for that position”
His words are like a blow to me. I don’t have any of that, I am still so far away from being qualified for the job. Definitely, I didn’t get the job. My mood instantly drops, I am crashing inside.
“However,” the man continues, “You do have over two years of working experience, though not in the legal field, you are young and willing to learn, and,” he looks at the woman then back at me, “We find you promising. On this note, Moskof is willing to give you a chance. A job offer for the position of Office assistant in the legal department. It is a starting position from where you can learn and grow within the company”
Wait… what is happening? I still get a job here? My brain is slow to catch up with what my ears are hearing.
“Hope you live within reasonable distance, Miss Mercedes, because you are to always come to work on time. The terms of your employment, your duties and compensation will be relayed to you via email in your employment contract, that is if you accept our job offer” the man says, but I can barely catch up.
“If I accept…” I say slowly, “Yes, yes, I accept” I get an offer to work at Moskof, even if it was as a janitor I will accept, so long as there is opportunity to grow within the company. It is a start.
Both the man and the woman then standup, I follow.
“Then welcome to Moskof, Miss Mercedes” the woman smiles, “We are glad to have you as part of our legal team” she extends her hand to me in a shake
I shake her hand, happy, excited, “Thank you ma’am, I am extremely grateful for the privilege to work here. I will not disappoint”
“See that you don’t” she says seriously though smiling, “ And please call me Jenna”
“Thank you, Miss Jenna”
“Welcome to Moskof” the man says as he shakes my hand.
