Weird situations

(From a personal experience)

A WEIRD SITUATION.

She has applied for a job in a nationwide insurance company. She's been unemployed for almost a year and the unemployement benefit is getting close to its end. Time runs fast and her options are getting smaller.

Her daugthers already laugh and make jokes about her future job. "Mum you will be cold calling people's houses and asking them to buy the car insurance from X company". Ha, ha! Remember the recent Mapfre's TV ad? "Mapfre is like your mum. It will come whenever you need it to help you in any emergency situation. This is the service we offer you with our insurance".

Nevertheless, she gets into her smart suit ( quite discreet, after all she's over 40!) takes the train and makes the arrangements to get to the appointment on time. At the reception, she asks for the interviewer. She's directed to the call center office. She enters the room. Quite noisy - she thinks - she asks for the contact person at the first desk she sees. Having been interrupted by some phone calls, she's finally directed to the interviewer at the bottom of the room.

"Take your seat please" . The interviewer takes her CV from a pile and pretends to revise it. "So, what do you think about being an insurance agent?" "Mmmmm, very interesting your previous sales experience". "Well, the job is about......blah, blah(*)"

She looks around. On the next table another lady is seating in a nice suit in her same situation. She feels sorry for that lady and she completely feels out of place.

She asks some questions about the training provided and type of contract ( you know, you must prepare some questions for a job interview). "Well, the job is yours if you want it! ". "Thank you very much. Let me think about it and I will give you an answer in a couple of weeks".

She knows she will not call back. She's still puzzled by the fact that the job offer advertisement looked something serious. She sends a short sms to her best friend : "as bad as it gets!"

(*) Blah, blah was :

- No contract (a "contrato mercantil" once you have your first customer)

- No customer portfolio (you start with your friends and acquitances)"Well, why don't you call your friends from Majorca and offer them if they want an insurance?" "Why don't you ask your husband's private customers if they're interested?"

- No office, you work where and when you wish. Come to our central offices if you want to make some calls.

- "We will train you on a need basis ".If the customer wants a car insurance, we'll talk you about it. When you have your first home insurance, we'll walk you through it....

- No assigned geographic area . "You chose your own territory, deciding how much you want to drive and move around" - "This is ideal to combine your work with your family ! You choose when to call the customers"

She takes the train back home.

She thinks about her sweet daughters and how is she going to tell them that what they anticipated about the job....was the job itself!!!