Wednesday, February 01, 2006

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.)



39 comments:

Anonymous said...

someones being contemplating work and comfort zones ... :P

Sahil said...

hey Sayesha,

its always good to think about mixing things up when u're in your comfort zone... but that doesn't mean if u have a good thing going, u need to change it just coz u are becoming comfortable.

but yeah. think away. keep options open. life ka kohin bharosa nahin...

ps - lagta hai sabh ko chakma deydiya.. everyone expects u to blog 10:00pm + so that's why i'm ur first regular :)

Raj said...

I agree with Sahil.

Keep your options open.

Nice post.

If i were to interview myself, it would end with er hating ee and vice versa :)

Suds said...

Nice post... Post shows the dilema within ur self. I guess it is there in everyone. hmmm Enjoy...

Priya said...

hahahhahah ROTFL..
where do u get these weird ideas????? but they;re funny so we'll tolerate them ;)

..p..

Rays Of Sun said...

Fir aoongee:)
P.S:- Am at my cousins place where I cant access internet often..isliye outta touch!

The Girl Who Sold The World said...

when I suddenly had a wicked thought.
Hahaha...YOU and wicked thoughts are the best possible match...cricket match nahin...match waala match. :P
And what a hilarious post! I also talk to myself all the time. :D (Sign of a great mind at work...hehe)
So, in the end, the interviwee ended up becoming the interviewer? Hahaha.
Mission accomplished. I got her thinking
lmao!!! Bechari...kitna bada dhoka hua! :P

Anonymous said...

woooh, great one there. for soul-searching and taking the mickey on HR in the same fell swoop. someone's brandishing her multi-tasking chops!

Unknown said...

LOL....Looks like its ultimately 'Sayesha' who has the last laugh! :)

virdi said...

10th......

:-)

V...

virdi said...

One word for Sayesha_ee... Kameenee... sorry sorry... but thats what came in my mind... :-E

My word verification was "XKKYRU" looks like "Ask K.K. why are you (here)??"

V..

Ajay said...

hehe weird aaaa
nice post LOL

Anonymous said...

VERY creative, and thought provoking :).
Sash, you should become a director of a movie :). The way you visualize things..is great.

PS: The application thought was amazing! lol :-).

Anil.kumar03@gmail.com said...

this is called khichri, interviewer became interviewee and vice-versa.

funny but had a deep message for the individual in Q
Its not easy to change and neither it is necessary to change, but one
must never be satisfied, else the life looses its ambition and target
and goes boing.

-ATG

Siddhu said...

Commenting on ur previous post, actually!!

Actually, just two words. JUST LOVE IT! :D

Sayesha said...

#Anon,
Yes, someone is. And someone's also wondering why someone's not disclosing his/her identity. :)

#Sahil,
//but that doesn't mean if u have a good thing going, u need to change it just coz u are becoming comfortable.

I think work/career is a thing where you need a fire going... if you settle down too deep in your chair, you wake up one fine day and wonder what you did to yourself. So as long as you have the fire, stay, but the moment the fire starts dying out, or you find yourself questioning why you are where you are, it's time to unbuckle the seat belt.

//but yeah. think away. keep options open.

Yeah, I will... these days I have a lot on my thinking plate... will sort that out first and then get thinking on this one :)

// lagta hai sabh ko chakma deydiya..

Hahaha! Sahil, you're so funny! I haven't heard the term 'chakma de diya' in years!!! :D

//everyone expects u to blog 10:00pm + so that's why i'm ur first regular

Hahaha! So you're the first regular because of the boring Statistics lecture! :D

#Raj,
Thanks :)

//If i were to interview myself, it would end with er hating ee and vice versa

Haha! I don't think Sayesha_er and Sayesha_ee like each other very much either. One stands for tradition, loyalty, resilience, while the other stands for energy, dynamism and revolution.

#Suds,
Yes, this dilemma within myself surfaces now and then...

#Priya,
Weird ideas? Sheesh, this is supposed to be a serious post yaar, why are you ROTFLing, girl?? :O

#ROS,
Achha no wonder! Mere email ka koi jawaab nahin. Jaldi waapas aa! :)

#The Girl,
Thanks thanks! :P

//So, in the end, the interviwee ended up becoming the interviewer?

Precisely :)

#Kel Tamashek,
Good to see you're still lurking around at Sayeshaz. And thanks :)

#Vik H,
Hmmm... I wonder if either of the Sayeshas is really laughing here...

#Virdi,
You dawg! Giving me gaalis and all?? :O

//looks like "Ask K.K. why are you (here)??"

Hahahaha! I should ask you that "Kutte kameene, why are you here??" Hahahaha! :D

#Ajay,
New at Sayeshaz? Welcome and thanks! :)

#Harshi,
Thanks, girl. I really should carry out the application thing, eh? ;)

#Anil the Great,
Welcome to Sayeshaz! :)
I agree. Can't be too satisfied and laid-back about status quo, otherwise there's nothing to look forward to :)

#Siddhu,
My goodness, Siddhu! Where have you been?? Long time, dude! Busy eh?
ps: Thanks! :D

Eclectic Blogger said...

hmm.. 17th

Anonymous said...

Anaemia ki mareej, take life easy. Jyada bhaag daud mat kar. Job change kar ya na kar, mere ko shak hai tu to apni waat hi lagayegi..tu to nursery ke bachon ko abcd bhi padhayegi to paseena baha degi bevkoofon ki tarah. tere blog se pata chal jata hai tu perfectionist type ki element hai(har comma,full-stop,exclaimation sahi jagah pe thoons rakhe hain). Bindaas reh..

ps: Tune apne first job wali company ke CEO ko chapaat kyun nahin mara?

Tinku

Sayesha said...

#Eclectic,
Profound comment... either you liked the post so much that you had nothing to say... or you hated it so much that you had nothing to say :)

#Tinku,
Arre yeh anaemia ki mareez hai na, aur bhi bahut sari beemariyon ki mareez hai... the most prominent one being BLISS (Bhaago! Life Is So Short!) disorder. One day we're just gonna drop dead, and we don't know what is in store for us after that. What we do know is what is out here for us. Now. Which is why I want to avoid the "Arre hum toh baithey reh gaye!" attitude. I want to make sure that when my dropping-dead moment (which I think will arrive faster than I think it will) happens, I can happily look back at my life and say "Well done, Sayesha! You couldn't have possibly done better!" :)

Chalega? :)

//Tune apne first job wali company ke CEO ko chapaat kyun nahin mara?

What? Slap him? And pollute my pretty hands? Whatever would Virdi say??!! :O

virdi said...

Sayesha no need to make your hands dirty... ;-)

V..

Sayesha said...

#Virdi,
Haan yeh shubh kaam toh tere haathon se hona chahiye! Ja laga usko ek chapaat jisne teri Sayesha ke khoobsurat haathon se forklift operate karwaya! Go take revenge! Be a man! :D

Shriedhar said...

!!!!!!????????????

me too thinking ..?????!!!!!!:P

Anonymous said...

//(which I think will arrive faster than I think it will)

What is it that makes you think that you will die early? This isn't the first time I heard this from you, not even the second.

Teri typing speed kya hai? Tere ko mails aati hain kya comments ki? Tune Virdee ka comment ek minute mein padh ke reply bhi thok diya!

Tinku

Sayesha said...

#Shreedhar,
Good luck with the thinking man. Hope you stay sane, unlike me! :O

#Tinku mere pyaare Tinku,
Tension mat le na... Sayesha itni jaldi bhi nahin tapakne wali hai, kya? :P

//Tere ko mails aati hain kya comments ki?

Aati hain buddhu! Sare comments mere gmail mein aake baithte hain. Tabhi toh I say, start your own blog, tujhe toh kuchh bhi maloom nahin! :D

//Tune Virdee ka comment ek minute mein padh ke reply bhi thok diya!

Haha! Mera lunchtime tha yaar... I checked mail, and saw his comment, so replied immediately :)

Ravi said...

Sayesha_ee - (Thought bubble: Mission accomplished. I got her thinking.)
And Sayesh_ee got me thinking too. Here I was happily enzoying life, caring two hoots about whatever my other voice used to say. Now my mind is working hyperactively trying to figure out problems of my life which are way beyond my tiny brain's ability. :(

The Individualist said...

Beautiful post. Been a while since I found one. Glad I stopped by. And by the way, that's an enchanting photo that you have there. As for the post, made for a very intriguing read. And when I was running through 'laugh lines', I knew I had found somebody worth stopping by often. Funny, interesting and addictive. :> Keep up the good work.

Pujya said...

dont u think that sayesha_ee took over sayesha_er?? looks like ee was taking the interview and er was answering...!!
and u dont sound khadoos yaar, i mean that would be very harsh of anyone to call u khadoos, u sound perfectly proffesional

Prakash said...

HI
after long time...
very good innovative post nice one...
Keep it coming lady...

Prakash

R said...

I had a great time reading this. i was sad.. thanks!

Manish Kumar said...

haa haa u have post for every situation, I am always amazaed at ur writing style!

V said...

and i am amazed at the number of comments.

Its like addicted bees coming to an overpopulated beehive!

*Smirks with jealousy*

and plus u've got my URL also wrong on ur blogroll.

*getting sadder*.

Though, brilliant post indeed!

----------------------
sumedhprasad.com
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Rays Of Sun said...

//Don't you miss the fact that you don't miss them anymore?//

Sad but true..has started happening with me thez days:O

virdi said...

yaar Sayesha, ek baat bol... yeh logon ko badi problem hoti hai agar main tere se baat karta hoon ya fir tu mere comment ka jaldi reply kar deti hai...

chakkar kya hai??? oh ok ok... saab log meri khushiyon se aur meri tarakki se jalte hain... aur soochte hain kahan main (pointing towards the sky) aur kahan tu (no need to point)... ;-)

V..

Aj said...

Hey Sayesha
hilarious contemplation..

Sahi imagination :)
do give a try for interview again
who knows u mite get a salary raise :)

do visit my new post also

Cheers
aj

Neha Sinha said...

hmmmmmm.....

toh mere absence main haal bura shura hai kya?
ab try out...sending some luck 4 u..dekh lena it'll pakka work :D

Sayesha said...

#Ravi,
Chalo I have company in my thoughts! It's driving me nuts man! :/

#The Individualist,
Welcome to Sayeshaz! Glad you found my blog worth staying at :) And thanks for commenting :)

#Aethyr,
//dont u think that sayesha_ee took over sayesha_er??

Precisely! :O

//and u dont sound khadoos yaar

Hehehe... I think sometimes I do tend to get a bit strict when it comes to work :P

ps: Ah, I see someone has a new pic! ;)

#Prakash,
Hi Prakash, long time! Thanks for dropping by! :)

#Rohit,
Thanks :)
ps: And don't be sad yaar! :)

#Manish,
Thanks! :P

#Tequila,
Thanks! :)
Oh man! You keep changing your URL so often I have given up trying to catch up! :P

#ROS,
:(

#Virdi,
Aha! Pappaji is back in form! Now you're finally starting to sound like yourself man! :)

//hain kahan main (pointing towards the sky) aur kahan tu (no need to point)

Hahahaha! :D
Bol le bol le... bachon ki khushiyon ki khatir Sayesha sun bhi legi :)

#AJ,
//do give a try for interview again

Baap re! No way! Waat lagi interviewer ki! Dobara?? Tauba tauba! :O

//who knows u mite get a salary raise :)

Hmmm... now you're talking! ;)

#Pandora,
Kahan thi bachi? Gaayab hi ho gayi? Thanks for sending the luck over, I think it worked, I just had some brilliant news at work :)

Kathy said...

I can feel that you really love your job..that's cool!And you deserve a pay worth the way you work...
Kawaii my pc is back...i can enjoy now blogging that i missed for long 5 days.

Sayesha said...

#Kathy,
Welcome back! :) And yes, I love my job :)

Bhavya said...

Really thoughtful and thought-provoking post. But diddn't Sayesha_ee kind of interview Sayesha_er?