Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Terrible Day Thanks to MAC Job Fair


So...last week there was a MAC Cosmetics job fair at the MAC store on Lincoln Road in Miami Beach. I had received an email about it and it seemed like it was heaven-sent. I have been really diving into the makeup scene and I live in Miami Beach just a few blocks from this store. It would be perfect as a freelance position.

I showed up and signed in and waited to be called. A Regional Recruiter came out and...well, it wasn't a great experience. I generally don't have a hard time relating to people but she was just not warming up. Her facial expressions showed she was less than impressed with my story and dreams and I kept feeling like the interview was more like a test. At the end, she invited me to go back the following day for the makeup test. I told her I couldn't go during the day because I work full time. She assured me we would find a time that worked best for me. She went to find the invitation sheet and showed me all the different times I can do the makeup test up to 4:00PM. I told her I can't make it to those times since I'll be at work.

She asked, "you can't even leave early to make it to the 4:00?"
I said "No, because I work until 5:30/6:00."

Though I had already made her aware of the fact that I had rearranged my schedule in order to be there that day, she showed no interest in meeting me halfway in order to help me make things possible without jeopardizing my current job. At that moment, I realized that this is the sort of thing I need to not ignore. No matter how disappointed I felt that this wasn't the perfect job (as I thought it would be), I need to consider things like this a red flag. Otherwise, later down the line, I'll find myself in a job that I'm very unhappy in because of the way they treat employees and I'll be saying "They even showed me signs at the interview." At that point, I just said I couldn't make it the following day and walked back to my car (where I found an $18 parking ticket - yay!)

To my surprise, I received a phone call this past Sunday from the same Regional Recruiter inviting me back to do another job fair interview today (Wednesday) - but this time it would take place in Hollywood. I emailed the recruiter yesterday to make sure it wasn't pointless to go today if I knew I would again, not be available to do the makeup test the following day. She assured me it wasn't pointless and that I just need to take samples of my work. The ones I showed her last time will do.

Today, I got dressed, did my makeup and started the 1 hour drive through traffic to Hollywood. I paid $8 for parking and walked in. When I saw her, she first told the employee I was walking in with that I had already gone to the job fair last week and I had done the talk interview already - no need for me to do it again.

Then she asked me "Can you do the makeup test tomorrow?"
I told her I couldn't.
"At all?" she asked.
"No. Like not even if it was after-work hours," I told her.
She says, "Oh, that was the whole point of today - to schedule your makeup test."

SERIOUSLY!? You couldn't have, oh I don't know, done that OVER THE PHONE?!

She says, "Well then I guess we'll just be in touch to arrange something for another time."

I was too stunned to say anything at the moment but I wish I could go back.
All I was able to say was, "It WAS you that I was emailing back and forth with yesterday, right?"
She opened her eyes wide and nodded her head.

I was also concerned about really throwing out any possibility of being hired after all the trouble, and time I had already spent. I decided as I walked out that I really DON'T care about throwing out that possibility because I don't want this job. This lady has been playing games and making me waste my time.

How are you going to make me get ready, drive from South Beach to Hollywood during rush hour traffic and pay for parking so we can just "schedule a good time for me to do the makeup test"? Either you are totally inconsiderate and unfair or you have absolutely no common sense. Not sure which of the two I'd rather be.

Thanks so much for wasting my time, my money and my hope on this joke of a job fair you're having just for fun.



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