Talking to myself

So the other day I was having lunch with colleagues when someone mentioned a name I had never heard before.

"Who's that??" I asked.

"New girl. Sits in front of you."

"Huh? There's a new girl who sits in front of me???"

Ah well, there was a time when every time a new editor joined, she would be taken around the whole office and introduced to everyone in every department. Now, with the peak season and the corporate restructuring (read head-hunting by competitors) and high stress-resulting-in-high-turnover situation, no one bothers anymore. People come and go all the time. A person is worth knowing only if he/she stays for six months and more.

Kinda sad but true.

So we were joking about how HR must be so confused about who's gone and who's not, when I suddenly had a wicked thought.

"What if I send my resume to HR to apply for an editorial position in my own team? Do you think they would find anything odd with the application?" I suggested.

My colleagues laughed.

"I'm sure they won't even notice it! I'm sure they will put me down for an interview, perhaps with myself!"

And I wondered, what if it really happened. If I were really scheduled to be interviewed by myself.

Now how would that go?

So I decided to write a post about the hypothetical interview that I'd be conducting. With myself.

Legend:
Sayesha interviewer - Sayesha_er
Sayesha interviewee - Sayesha_ee

Sayesha_er takes a look at Sayesha_ee's resume. It looks very similar to her own. She doesn't like this fact. "Let's see what this one's made of. I'll tear her apart with my questions. Let's see how she handles them. That's the true test of whether she's worthy of being in my team."

Sayesha_er - Hi, I'm Sayesha. Senior editor.

Sayesha_ee - Oh wow! I'm Sayesha too.

Sayesha_er - (sarcastically) Oh! Now what are the odds of that happening??
(Thought bubble - Don't hire her don't hire her! You don't like people who have the same name as you, remember?)

Sayesha_ee - *Polite smile*

Sayesha_er - So tell me a bit about yourself.

Sayesha_ee - Well, I work in a publishing company. Children's books. And oh, I also work on a Science magazine for children.

Sayesha_er - Wow, that's great! We have a Science magazine for children too!

Sayesha_ee - Great.

Sayesha_er - So tell me Sayesha, why do you want to quit your present job?

Sayesha_ee - Well, the workload is a lot, the pay's not that great, it's very stressful, and people leave all the time. How is it like here?

Sayesha_er - Well, the workload is as much as you would expect in a book publishing environment. The pay's not that great either, but the satisfaction of seeing your name on the books and the magazine, more than makes up for it. The level of stress is high, but you also learn how to manage it. People will leave all the time, but if it's the work you're in love with, you'll do fine.

Sayesha_ee - Hmmm... So I'll be reporting to you?

Sayesha_er - Yeah.

Sayesha_ee - What is your working style like?

Sayesha_er - My working style? Hmmm... okay... I'll expect you to learn things very fast. The learning curve is incredibly steep and you will have to pick up skills very fast. I will be there to guide you all along, and I have an incredible amount of patience with new editors. But after I've taught it all, there won't be any excuse for poor work. I will expect independence and responsibility. Creativity and initiative is not a bonus, it's a must. And oh, punctuality. As I always say, don't let work life affect your personal life, and don't let your personal life affect your work life. Go home on time, but report to work on time too.

Sayesha_ee - (Thought bubble: Whoa! This one sounds like a khadoos boss. Very high expectations.) How long have you been here?

Sayesha_er - About three years.

Sayesha_ee - Three years??? Wow, that's a long time for this field.

Sayesha_er - Oh yeah, you're familiar with the trend. Yeah, it's a long time.

Sayesha_ee - Yes, the average shelf life of an editor is about a year. You must have had a lot of friends who left the company. Doesn't it depress you?

Sayesha_er - (Thought bubble: Hmmm... this is a sharp one. I must be diplomatic.) Errr... initially it does, but you get used to it...

Sayesha_ee - But don't you feel that by getting used to people leaving every now and then, you're losing your emotional side? Don't you miss the fact that you don't miss them anymore?

Sayesha_er - Errr... hmmmm....

Sayesha_ee - So what keeps you going?

Sayesha_er - (Thought bubble - Ah! I can answer this one!) The nature of the work. The fact that your work is out there in a tangible form. That someone out there is actually utilising your work. The fact that you can point it out to your friends when you're in a bookstore or a 7-11. Pride.

Sayesha_ee - (Thought bubble - Hmmm... sounds too idealistic for my own good) But what is the career growth like? I heard that there is not much scope?

Sayesha_er - Of course there is! I joined three years ago as an assistant editor. I've had three promotions since. Isn't that career growth?

Sayesha_ee - But what's next for you?

Sayesha_er - What's next..? Hmm... I'm happy here. I love the work. This job stands for a lot of the struggle I went thru. I guess that's why I'm here without really thinking about what's next...

Sayesha_ee - Do you ever feel that you've settled down so well in your comfort zone doing something you're good at, that you're not willing to look at other opportunities you may be better at?

Sayesha_er - Hmmm...

Sayesha_ee - What do you have to say about the recent buying over of your company's GM by the competitor?

Sayesha_er - (Thought bubble: Hmmm... time to be diplomatic again.) Well, that's part of the game.

Sayesha_ee - And rumour is that your publisher is next. If she wants to head-hunt you over, would you go?

Sayesha_er - Hmmm... hmmm.... good question. I don't know... I deeply admire my publisher and have learnt a lot from her. It would be a big loss when... I mean if... she really goes. But how will I be able to work for books that my books have been competing against... how will I live without my magazine...

Sayesha_er is lost in thought and does not notice Sayesha_ee slip away from the interview room quietly.

Sayesha_ee - (Thought bubble: Mission accomplished. I got her thinking.)