HAPPY LEMON Job Interview Experience

During our CBTL initial interview at Greenhills, I met two girls who know a common person with me, they’re Shiney and Karen. When the interviewer asked us to just come back later for our interview, we checked out the Happy Lemon milk tea/coffee+milk+tea fusion place, which is owned by TV host/athlete/epic-World-Vision-sponsor Chris Tiu. I had a Cocoa + Milk Tea fusion something, and then we saw that they were hiring people, so the three of us passed some CVs. Got called a few days after (five days after, to be exact) for an interview at their Greenhills Branch. Showed up there at 11AM and remet Shiney and Karen.

Had to wait a few minutes (half an hour, I think) for the interview to begin, there was an employee meeting going on or something. And then the interview began, some guy was called in first. The store had glass panels, so we could see him being interviewed inside. He looked like he couldn’t care less while he was being interviewed. He was out of the door and the interview was finished in a very, very short moment. That’s a sign that we won’t be seeing him in the job.

Shiney and Karen were interviewed next, they took ages to finish, haha. That’s a good sign. They came out triumphant. They told me that the interviewer, Ms. Marielle, talked in gay lingo and was very straightforward and nice. Great. I came in  next. The questions asked of me were so basic. Just about me, my family, what your parents or siblings did for a living, whether you owned your place or rented it, just that, and then she told me to come tomorrow for training at 7AM. Then it was done and over in one-eight of the time she interviewed Shiney or Karen. Huh. She didn’t even really ask me anything. Well, that was easy.

Anyway, if you’re looking for a quick employment wherein you can start training ASAP, I suggest you pass a CV here. Training allowance is 250PHP/day and training lasts for 2 weeks.

System is still a bit fishy here, though, since they’re a new place. I was late for the training the next day and arrived at 9 AM damn EDSA traffic so the TL there just told me to come back tomorrow. I accepted it coolly and decided to just come back tomorrow.  But then I heard from Shiney and Karen that a guy actually came an hour later than me but was not asked to go home. Now THAT is just hitting below the belt and is unfair.

My mom later got angry and told me not to come the next day. Tut. Oh well. HAPPY LEMON texted me the same day though to ask if I was still interested. I was STILL interested (my mom just wasn’t) and they asked why I didn’t come to training today. I just said that I was late the previous day and asked to come back tomorrow but a guy showed up an hour later than me and was not, so I figured they had a problem with me.

After a few hours they texted back and told me to report tomorrow but call on a certain person first. I texted back and asked on who I should call and what was the number and who was it, and the person who texted back had the same number but was a different person. What is this. Did they just borrow some employee’s CP who had unlitext or something to my network to text me what in the world.

Cut them some slack. They’re new to the field and they need people, so pass a CV to them if you’re interested and if you probably won't have to travel three hours to the place like I do.

Yes, it’s minimum wage. If you have a question, please ask me. ;p

Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf Interview

I saw a job advertisement  for a Back-of-the-House/Pantry cook position for Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf at Jobstreet.ph, and saw that they had a ‘one-day recruitment caravan’ happening every Wednesday at their select branches from January up to February. So I decided to show up at their Greenhills branch last  and give it a shot. After all, it was an opening for my dream job, I’d stood three hours in a crowded bus just for it

I got there at 10 AM and waited with a few others and sat by their outdoor tables after I passed my CV and got an evaluation form with a few questions on it, which I answered like cakewalk. The questions are easy and personality-based rather than the usual abstract exams. While waiting, I found out that the people sitting with me at the table somehow knew someone I also knew—small world huh? The two girls beside me knew the reservations officer at the hotel I used to intern at. And the guy sitting across me kept looking at me, and then asked me if I ever worked at SM Fairview once. I did. Turns out he knew the manager of the resto there that I used to intern/part-time in, so he must’ve seen me there once.

Our table sat and waited around to be interviewed; I was only interviewed at around 1:30 PM! In fact I was asked to take a lunch break and just come back later for the interview. And then I was eventually interviewed. It was an OK experience, the interviewer was pleasant. She looked like the typical HR officer I run into in past interviews. Of course the typical questions are asked:

-What made you apply for work in our company? If the entire world were honest we would all say the need for money and a job but no, we come up with some made-up sugared answer.-What is your idea of good customer service?-What can you bring to the team aside from serving the customers well?-What are your plans five years from now?-What are your strengths? Weaknesses?
-Are you still single? Do you have a significant other/boyfriend? Why do you want to ask about my boyfriend how dare you

And other typical questions.

I had to remind the interviewer twice or thrice that I was NOT applying for the Barista position (in fact I found that I wasn't even qualified for it because I just saw their advert now and it said they needed a graduate of four-year HRM, I'm only an HRS graduate! So HRS graduates, you can try to push your luck, too). 

The first time I said it, she ignored it like she didn’t hear it and kept the talk like I was applying for Barista. I had to remind her again, at the end, that I was NOT applying for the Barista position and I had a mad love for kitchen work that my love for coffee has not yet surpassed. And then I was apparently overqualified for the position I wanted. Huh? How can I be overqualified? Your advert said you needed a vocational graduate for that position. I was exactly qualified. In hindsight, I am even underqualified to be a Barista. 

Overqualified is the euphemism they say when you are discriminated because you ‘look’ like you don’t fit in a job. This happened to me too in Fernandina Hotel. So tall and slim and kinda-pretty girls can’t work in the back of the house what madness is that

I passed and was given endorsement for final interview at their main office a day after. So it turns out the ‘one-day recruitment caravan’ is not truly a one-day thing, be warned.

I showed up in their office by the Eastwood area. It's at Unit 4, 108 E. Rodriguez Jr. Ave, Brgy. Bagumbayan, Libis, Quezon City. How in the world do you get there? Well, thankfully the Filipino Bum blog had a list of directions of how to here: http://filipinobum.blogspot.com/2010/09/my-coffee-bean-interview.html

Brought along two buddies so they could pass their CVs too. My appointment was 3PM but I was only interviewed past 4. And so companies shouldn’t be annoyed if their employees are late; they are setting great examples.

And then it turns out your ‘interview’ lasts only around two minutes.

Interviewer is the strict, older-woman kind. Asks questions quickly. Asks another one even if you haven’t finished your sentence yet. You can’t sell yourself much. Doesn’t even make eye contact. And then the debate of why I prefer Back-of-the-House duty resurfaces again. I got sick of the question and told her a blunt truth born out of an irritation that I probably should not have said, but I’m glad I said it. I can’t bear to be fake in interviews, how you supposedly sugar everything makes my head ache.

I was told that I’d be called within a week if I was considered for the position. If not, then not. Cool. Fine with me. If you hear this being said to you, this is the end. You should know it.

Anyway, got a few more job calls after that, so it’s not much of a loss, especially if they kept insisting on the Barista position which I wasn’t too enthralled by because they put up an ad calling for a back-of-the-house cook and then tell you in person that they aren’t looking for that anymore/slots are full. Absolutely reminds me of the Hotel interview I had when HR lied to me because I was also ‘overqualified’ to work in housekeeping.

Not discouraging anyone, if Barista’s your dream job, I’d say go for it, but be prepared to go back and forth a few times and wait a few hours.

Here's the link for their job advert:

http://www.jobstreet.com.ph/jobs/2012/2/t/80/3119210.htm?fr=21