I attended the most disorganized interview I’ve ever experienced in my working life last week. It was for a receptionist position at a medical spa, where they specialize in cosmetic procedures. I was excited about the prospect of a professional reception position because that’s the first step towards the career that I eventually want!
I arrived at the specified time, 9:00 AM. No one was there. The lights in the office were off, no one picked up the phone, and it was clear that no one was inside. I stuck around for a few minutes and then left, figuring that the doctor, who would be interviewing me, had just made a scheduling mistake. Half an hour later, she calls me asking where I am…. I told her that I had shown up at 9:00, that I waited and that no one was there. She then got oddly defensive and said that she was just a few minutes late, and that I should’ve waited outside. Weird. But it was a small enough mistake, I just rescheduled the interview for later in the day.
I came back for the “interview”…. Which included the doctor telling me to clean the bathroom and take out all of the office trash, in a really odd and passive way. Then she had me shadow the current receptionist, and I got the opportunity to ask her if she enjoyed working there. She peered down the hall, looked back at me and said “Don’t speak too loudly. The doctor hears everything.” She then proceeded to tell me about why she was leaving that job. She told me she was severely underpaid for being an esthetician AND receptionist. She told me that the laser that the doctor uses has been discontinued by the manufacturer, and that patients have been burned with it. I was completely shocked, and very glad I got the chance to speak to the person I’d be replacing.
The doctor finally sat down in her office, and I got the distinct impression that I would be leading this interview. She didn’t ask me a single standard interview question- I had to fill the awkward silence myself by just guessing what information would be helpful to her.
At this point, I knew that something was off. Red flags were coming up for me all over the place. I tried my best to suppress these doubts because I really needed this job.
Then she told me I would really benefit from a little Botox around my mouth and in between my brows.
I was truly taken aback. For a moment, I didn’t respond, and then she continued by saying that I would receive free cosmetic procedures if I signed on. I had no idea what to say, so I just said “Yeah, that sounds great,” in a weak disposition. I’m 24 years old and my skin is almost flawless, if I do say so myself. I understand that her job is to convince people that they need cosmetic procedures, but I found it really inappropriate that she felt the need to do that to an applicant.
We finished our odd little interview and I left feeling dejected and confused. It was clear that she liked me for the job, and I wanted the job, but I could not imagine working under someone with so little situational awareness.
I ended up not taking it, and was offered a better job not even a week later! Always trust your gut, folks.