Of architecture and grievances
So much for an enthusastic employment hunt. Bleah.
I had "anticipated" with dread, the "interview" with Company A for days: wondering about my future job situation with them, meeting clients etc. etc. I decided to give the company a "chance" to impress me with what they could offer me, and conversely, hoped they would give me a chance to prove my capabilities to them. I knew right from the beginning this would be a job title of a financial advisory representative (somewhere along that line), hence many similarities with an insurance agent. But I fooled myself thinking that since Company B is a rather established company, Company A, being its subsidiary, shouldn't be too bad. I genuinely looked forward to being able to "market" unit trusts, bonds, options, on top of the regular insurance policies to my prospective clients.
My appointment time was scheduled for 8.30 am on Wednesday and I was told it would last a day till 6pm. Dread! But I decided I had to go for it, just to "listen to things" because if I didn't, I might have missed out on possible opportunities. And I was still, on my way to the office, still hoping that there would be other positions other than positions of financial advisers available. All that thought came to nought though, as I was to find out.
Left my place at 7.30am, and I really, really felt good to be part of the working crowd, on board packed buses, seemingly on my way to "work". Besides, I was clad in true working class "gear" - smart shirt-pants-pointed heels combo.
I was not late. I hope I am slowly regaining my sense of direction. Hahaha. The moment I stepped into the building, I was greeted with a sense of awe.
The building looks different from any typical office building. It had won the Best Buildable Design Awards in 2003.
The plaza looked just magnificent! The place had a distinct European feel to it and I felt as if I was in Venice. It is getting harder to find such a building which can boast of its congruence with Singapore's growing commercialization and modernisation, while still preserving its historic image.
The lobby is another architectural wonder. A lady branch manager mentioned that the advisors often brought their clients here for meetings during our orientation tour. The feedback from clients have been very positive so far. The best gain from my trip to Company A is probably learning of such a place. A jazz band plays there every night, and prices are not exorbitant. The best of all, it boasts of possibly the world's tallest wine cellar. I was told there are "angels" who would "fly" up and down the cellar to get wines. I imagine that the sight must be real queer but fantastic!
Enough of that. We went to Gateway, another building where Company A had an office. This was where everything began. Saw a couple of familiar faces. Not surprising, considering Company A was appealing to all fresh graduates, irregardless of specializtion. We were split into groups and it was a diverse group. There was a guy from Engineering, a girl from Arts, and two of us from Business, Finance and Applied Economics.
Everything felt like an orientation program. Meaningful games were played, "sermons" were preached etc. But the niggling discomfort I had was the constant reiteration of this phrase: We are watching you. It seems that this whole program is being run a la Survivor, where people would be voted off at different sessions. There were spies around, from the very junior advisers right to the CEOs. So the message was to watch what you say and how you behave.
I hated that! I felt as if there were several hidden cameras tracking our every move. I am probably exaggerating, but I just felt it seemed like a horrible intrusion of my privacy! I was also in two minds; I was feeling so restless and tired from listening to all the "sermons" that I longed to go home. I wished for myself to be eliminated. On the other hand, it was embarrassing to be called home, especially at the first elimination. The way they handled this was so tactless. The MC/speaker read names from a sheet of paper and called them to go to meet a particular person. This is still OK. Why did the speaker have to tell the whole group that those people were eliminated??!! Was this a way to constantly keep us on our toes and to show the most accepted behavour? Pui!
Lunch time at 1pm. And surprise, surprise. There was a catered buffet. This was a kind gesture on their part, but I viewed it differently. I decided they were using this to win our hearts and prevent us from leaving while we went out for lunch. I apologize for thinking that way, because they totally spoilt my plans! I was thinking of leaving during the lunch hour. This would kill two birds with one stone. I could leave but not face the embarrassment of elimination. Of course, this was not to be.
More preaching and group discussions and one last elimination round was to follow after lunch. High flying advisers shared their testimonials. There was a guy who gave up his promising career with the army because of office politics to join Company A. He has only been in the job for a year and 3 months and he earned $600,000 last year. But how many people can achieve such a feat? There was a common theme among the testimonials that were shared. They tugged at our heartstrings with talk of not gaining acceptance and understanding from parents initially, being from a poor family, wanting to prove others wrong.
But I was particularly incensed with the last speaker. He questioned our attitude and said frankly that out of the over 40 people here, probably only 5 would make it. Why is he making it sound like the company is investing "millions" in us and we should try to show more initiative? I didn't apply for Company A, mind you. They sent a letter to me, requesting my attendance. And, if we were ever going to take time to consider or ask our parents if we were offered a chance to join the company, it only means we are not interested. How true is this? One guy in his testimonial mentioned he agreed to take up the job even before consulting his parents. I can't do this even if I have a lot of passion and interest for the job. This isn't about being indecisive or lack of interest. This is the basic respect for people who are depending on you to support them after devoting selflessly to your own development.
I was totally pissed off, although I must applaud all the speakers for their ability to make you feel bad for leaving such an "engaging and informative discussion". They would say things like (not the exact words),
"This is going to last past 6pm, so people with appointments, I will give you time to SMS or phone your friends or family to postpone the appointments. You may leave too, depending on how serious you view this event."
The last phrase is the killer jolt. Who would leave in such a situation? If one person leaves, everyone can see him. It is just like the elimination thing. Why shame people in front of everyone?
The speaker finally ended and I was not prepared for the next shock that was to come. Our group leaders started bringing some formalities like talking about the perks of the job (again!) before moving to their main objective (motive). We had to register for the qualification exams to get our licence before we could be considered for another round of selection. The fees came to over $200 and we had to pay on the spot.
I was feeling very uncomfortable about the fees and I am so proud of myself about voicing my doubts right on the spot. I did not succumb to the pressure or the "coercing" from the team leader. I told him frankly that this position was not my ideal career and I needed time to speak to my parents and consider.
His face turned all solemn and "black" and told me my words gave the impression that the company was desperate (yes, he actually said this) to hire me. I had the exact feelings but obviously I did not want to incur his wrath anymore!
(not the exact words) "This is the only chance and if you do not take it, it is too bad. We probably won't call you again. But if we can't become colleagues, you could become my client. Feel free to call me...." How typical! I heard from another girl he asked her to introduce her friends to him to join the company.
Makes me wonder if there is a quota each adviser has to fulfil in bringing in new people....
Long, long entry, but heck, at least I finally managed to air my grievances!
I had "anticipated" with dread, the "interview" with Company A for days: wondering about my future job situation with them, meeting clients etc. etc. I decided to give the company a "chance" to impress me with what they could offer me, and conversely, hoped they would give me a chance to prove my capabilities to them. I knew right from the beginning this would be a job title of a financial advisory representative (somewhere along that line), hence many similarities with an insurance agent. But I fooled myself thinking that since Company B is a rather established company, Company A, being its subsidiary, shouldn't be too bad. I genuinely looked forward to being able to "market" unit trusts, bonds, options, on top of the regular insurance policies to my prospective clients.
My appointment time was scheduled for 8.30 am on Wednesday and I was told it would last a day till 6pm. Dread! But I decided I had to go for it, just to "listen to things" because if I didn't, I might have missed out on possible opportunities. And I was still, on my way to the office, still hoping that there would be other positions other than positions of financial advisers available. All that thought came to nought though, as I was to find out.
Left my place at 7.30am, and I really, really felt good to be part of the working crowd, on board packed buses, seemingly on my way to "work". Besides, I was clad in true working class "gear" - smart shirt-pants-pointed heels combo.
I was not late. I hope I am slowly regaining my sense of direction. Hahaha. The moment I stepped into the building, I was greeted with a sense of awe.
The building looks different from any typical office building. It had won the Best Buildable Design Awards in 2003.
The plaza looked just magnificent! The place had a distinct European feel to it and I felt as if I was in Venice. It is getting harder to find such a building which can boast of its congruence with Singapore's growing commercialization and modernisation, while still preserving its historic image.
The lobby is another architectural wonder. A lady branch manager mentioned that the advisors often brought their clients here for meetings during our orientation tour. The feedback from clients have been very positive so far. The best gain from my trip to Company A is probably learning of such a place. A jazz band plays there every night, and prices are not exorbitant. The best of all, it boasts of possibly the world's tallest wine cellar. I was told there are "angels" who would "fly" up and down the cellar to get wines. I imagine that the sight must be real queer but fantastic!
Enough of that. We went to Gateway, another building where Company A had an office. This was where everything began. Saw a couple of familiar faces. Not surprising, considering Company A was appealing to all fresh graduates, irregardless of specializtion. We were split into groups and it was a diverse group. There was a guy from Engineering, a girl from Arts, and two of us from Business, Finance and Applied Economics.
Everything felt like an orientation program. Meaningful games were played, "sermons" were preached etc. But the niggling discomfort I had was the constant reiteration of this phrase: We are watching you. It seems that this whole program is being run a la Survivor, where people would be voted off at different sessions. There were spies around, from the very junior advisers right to the CEOs. So the message was to watch what you say and how you behave.
I hated that! I felt as if there were several hidden cameras tracking our every move. I am probably exaggerating, but I just felt it seemed like a horrible intrusion of my privacy! I was also in two minds; I was feeling so restless and tired from listening to all the "sermons" that I longed to go home. I wished for myself to be eliminated. On the other hand, it was embarrassing to be called home, especially at the first elimination. The way they handled this was so tactless. The MC/speaker read names from a sheet of paper and called them to go to meet a particular person. This is still OK. Why did the speaker have to tell the whole group that those people were eliminated??!! Was this a way to constantly keep us on our toes and to show the most accepted behavour? Pui!
Lunch time at 1pm. And surprise, surprise. There was a catered buffet. This was a kind gesture on their part, but I viewed it differently. I decided they were using this to win our hearts and prevent us from leaving while we went out for lunch. I apologize for thinking that way, because they totally spoilt my plans! I was thinking of leaving during the lunch hour. This would kill two birds with one stone. I could leave but not face the embarrassment of elimination. Of course, this was not to be.
More preaching and group discussions and one last elimination round was to follow after lunch. High flying advisers shared their testimonials. There was a guy who gave up his promising career with the army because of office politics to join Company A. He has only been in the job for a year and 3 months and he earned $600,000 last year. But how many people can achieve such a feat? There was a common theme among the testimonials that were shared. They tugged at our heartstrings with talk of not gaining acceptance and understanding from parents initially, being from a poor family, wanting to prove others wrong.
But I was particularly incensed with the last speaker. He questioned our attitude and said frankly that out of the over 40 people here, probably only 5 would make it. Why is he making it sound like the company is investing "millions" in us and we should try to show more initiative? I didn't apply for Company A, mind you. They sent a letter to me, requesting my attendance. And, if we were ever going to take time to consider or ask our parents if we were offered a chance to join the company, it only means we are not interested. How true is this? One guy in his testimonial mentioned he agreed to take up the job even before consulting his parents. I can't do this even if I have a lot of passion and interest for the job. This isn't about being indecisive or lack of interest. This is the basic respect for people who are depending on you to support them after devoting selflessly to your own development.
I was totally pissed off, although I must applaud all the speakers for their ability to make you feel bad for leaving such an "engaging and informative discussion". They would say things like (not the exact words),
"This is going to last past 6pm, so people with appointments, I will give you time to SMS or phone your friends or family to postpone the appointments. You may leave too, depending on how serious you view this event."
The last phrase is the killer jolt. Who would leave in such a situation? If one person leaves, everyone can see him. It is just like the elimination thing. Why shame people in front of everyone?
The speaker finally ended and I was not prepared for the next shock that was to come. Our group leaders started bringing some formalities like talking about the perks of the job (again!) before moving to their main objective (motive). We had to register for the qualification exams to get our licence before we could be considered for another round of selection. The fees came to over $200 and we had to pay on the spot.
I was feeling very uncomfortable about the fees and I am so proud of myself about voicing my doubts right on the spot. I did not succumb to the pressure or the "coercing" from the team leader. I told him frankly that this position was not my ideal career and I needed time to speak to my parents and consider.
His face turned all solemn and "black" and told me my words gave the impression that the company was desperate (yes, he actually said this) to hire me. I had the exact feelings but obviously I did not want to incur his wrath anymore!
(not the exact words) "This is the only chance and if you do not take it, it is too bad. We probably won't call you again. But if we can't become colleagues, you could become my client. Feel free to call me...." How typical! I heard from another girl he asked her to introduce her friends to him to join the company.
Makes me wonder if there is a quota each adviser has to fulfil in bringing in new people....
Long, long entry, but heck, at least I finally managed to air my grievances!
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