BabyGirl Was Called for Another Job Interview
I guess the retailers are gearing up for spring/summer because I don’t remember having this many opportunities at fifteen. The first job is in the bag, I just need to get her work permit from school before she can start. But this one is the job she really wants, and to be honest, I prefer it as well. It’s closer to our home, so she can still get to work without relying on me all the time. During the summer, I will appreciate that small convenience.
Anyhoo, the manager called around 7pm and conducted what I would consider a phone interview. She asked a few standard questions but some were kind of…umm…weird.
- How would you handle a difficult customer?
- Do you consider yourself an outgoing person?
- How would your friends describe you?
then…
- Do you have any piercings? *huh*
- Describe your hairstyle? *blink*
- Does it have any color in it? *blank stare*
- Can you pronounce the word “ask?” *dead*
Ok, I admit. I shouldn’t have been eavesdropping, but I almost DIED with the last question. I was laughing so hard, I had to leave the room. WTF is THAT one about? LOL! I guess BabyGirl answered them well. After the Q&A, she asked what days BabyGirl could work – she was happy to hear Sat/Sun – and began explaining the required duties. Then she invited BabyGirl for a face to face interview later this week. And the most interesting thing of all?
This little part time gig pays $8.00/hour!!
*faint*
Man, my first gig only paid $4.25. Lawd I’m telling my age, but since when did KIDS command 8 bucks? Even more surprising, minimum wage in Virginia is $5.85 – that’s $2.15 cheaper! I told BabyGirl if they’re paying that much above minimum wage, they will expect her to clean toilets, wash walls, and scrub floors too. HA HA HA
She didn’t think it was funny.
*ahem*
Oh well.
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Im assuming they asked the ‘ask’ question to see if she spoke ebonics as opposed to proper English
So if you mispronounce it, you get axed from consideration.
Oooooooooooooooooh. Duh! That never dawned on me. HA HA
I guess BG pronounced it correctly then. I’ll have to ASK her to say it again just so I can hear it. I’m almost positive she says it correctly. I have a cousin who says AX all the time and it irritates the hell out of me. I want to punch her in the throat and make her sound out a single K fifty times. LOL How could I forget it?
The thought of an employer asking that question is still funny though! LOL
The questions are a less obvious way of being bias. There is a certain “look” that the employer requires. In lieu of blatantly discriminating against her ~ which is illegal ~ they will “ask” certain questions. I am sure if your daughter’s hair was let’s say burgundy and blonde, it would not matter how well spoken she was ~ she probably would not get a 2nd interview.
Wow! I can’t believe some of those questions. You have to wonder if they are even allowed to ask things like that? Weird!
HAHAHAAAA Well I think they are doing that to make sure EVERYTHING is ok. The grammar is easy.. :) why waste your time having them come in if they can’t talk properly? :)
Go head babygirl.. I guess I was spoiled.. my first job paid me $7.41 *summer job* then my coop position paid $8.47 I remember like it was yesterday LOL all of my other friends were getting $5 and I got the higher amount.. MY MOMMA TAUGHT ME HOW TO TYPE ;) lol
well i must be showing my age too because my first job only paid $4.75 an hour! At a movie theater, which involved smelling like popcorn 24-7! ugh!
I’m either older than you are starting working earlier than you. My first gig paid $3.35 an hour.
Then again I grew up in New Orleans, dirty south !!!!
I must be the same age as moneymonk because my first “real” job at McDonald’s paid $3.35, too! I worked at an ice cream stand before that and made the “seasonal” $2.25. Wow great memories there!
I’m with you MONEYMONK because minimum wage when I was a teenager was also $3.35 and I’m from California. We BOTH showing our ages. LOL.
Yeah those question seem less then ethical. Didn’t Abecrombie and Fitch get sued for stuff like that and Hooters too I believe. Maybe some managers are in need of HR training on what is and isn’t “ethical”. Glad she’s getting $8.00 an hour tho, I didn’t make that much money until I was in college.
Most employers tend to shy away from facial piercings, not very “professional.” I’m not allowed to have my nose stud showing while I’m working, as well as having to cover up my tattoos. I find it a bit ridiculous for the nose stud, as it doesn’t seem to bother anyone and I get more weird looks with it covered up versus when it’s exposed. It’s much less painful to cover it up with a bit of band aid then taking it out every time I go to work… I’ve even been told my single ear cartilage piercing may not be part of my dress code, but I’ve never been yelled at for that one before.
I believe the hair question has to do with dresscode. Retailers vary in their dresscode with places like Victoria Secrets and Macys requiring the black. However, a place like Old Navy jeans and t-shirt are ok. However, there are other nuiances such as piercings and hats, and the cellphone clipped to your hip that is not allowed.
$8.00 an hour is a great starting point for a state with a low minimum wage. Babygirl is getting a great headstart.
Do I get a prize for answer the WTF question, “Why did “she” ask if you can pronounce the word “ask” – I know why, at least, adopting the point of view of someone trying to see if you… had a tongue piercing. A person with a pierced tongue would likely (without previous practice) pronounce “ask” as “athsk” due to the displacement of the tongue from the upper palate.
Do I get a prize?
Monk & Aly…I’m right there with you…first gig paid 3.35 and I thought I was rolling in dough LOL
Assuming it’s a retail position that interacts with customers, I think the “How would you handle a difficult customer” question is a good one. Lots of crazy customers out there, and stores need people who know how to deal with someone yelling at them.
I used to work at Disneyland and t here’s a dress code that’s 25 pages long, full of details like only one earring in each ear, only one ring on each hand (wedding band/engagement ring combos excepted), no earring bigger than a quarter, etc. No facial hair, no polo shirts, no denim of any kind. The list goes on and on.
wow. she’ll be making more an hour than I do. I only make 7.55…and i’ve been there over a year. Still irritates me to this day, if I didn’t love my job so much, I would’ve been gone a long time ago.
I definitely get where she was going with the questions, but I am surprised that the interviewer would be allowed to ask such questions on a phone interview. I would never think of asking those questions. Many companies do have dress codes which regulate “pink hair” and facial piercings.
I live in Lorain County, OH – apparently the tattoo and piercing capital of the world – so retail companies and call centers (where employees aren’t seen) are not quite as strict. Some of our schools are more restrictive. A kindergartener just got kicked out of school for wearing a Mohawk. (http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=4352092)
A tongue stud does NOT make you screw up words. Take it from one who knows. The “ask” ask was geared at checking one’s education and upbrining. And though I like to think of myself as a fairly modern gal, I have lately been bothered by local city employees various facial piercings. Or stretched earlobes. Ugh! Yeah, yeah, ohhh, you’re so original and avant garde, aren’t you. You got that done at a store that provides the same service for thousands of your friends, right? I thought as much.
And employers can ask about a variety of things that aren’t illegal and wouldn’t constitute illegal discrimination. Job hiring is all about discriminating – one candidate over all the rest, right? Just a few things have no place in the decision making. But I think proper conversational skills, a lack of facial hardware, and reasonably colored hair are all fine.