The Middle-Aged Lady Takes Tests and Interviews - Working from Home Part 31

This is a story about a job I was quite excited about, as I received a request to schedule an interview early in the new year from a company I had applied to at the end of the year, thinking, 'Even a middle-aged lady like me can get an interview!'

Along with the contact to schedule the date, an email arrived from an unfamiliar address. It was from the company I applied to, saying, 'We would like you to take a test to save time.'

My generation has no experience with web tests, so naturally, I investigated the source of the test email. It was obvious once I looked at the domain. When I Googled it from there... oh, I see. That's what this is.

Aptitude test

It seems small and medium-sized companies use it because it's cheap, but it appears to be heavily criticized for some of its questions. It's even called something that might be exploitative. But, oh well. I generally understand the work, and it's not a large corporation anyway. I'll just take it.

Judging by the time required, I guessed it was just a personality test, and that was correct. It included questions like those found online, such as 'Do you get hives easily?' or 'Do you have recurring constipation and diarrhea?' Looking at the website of the company providing the test, they seem to view 'inconsistent answers' as a problem, so I took the test while being very careful about that.

The first interview was with two employees who would be working with me, rather than a formal recruitment interview. After self-introductions, they asked questions based on my resume. Since the work I used to do overlapped with the work at the company I applied to, they asked about that experience, but it was from when I was a new graduate. Well, even if the systems change, the logic remains the same for this kind of work.

It finished on time as scheduled, and I headed home after being told, 'We will contact you with the results by such-and-such date, regardless of whether you pass or fail.'

I am a middle-aged lady, but during the interview, I was told that this company has no mandatory retirement age, which made me hope for it even more. I started thinking positively: Maybe I'll get a final interview? Maybe I can work here? If the salary is around this much, maybe I can get back to my previous level even if it's lower now? And so on.

In the first place, if they say 'by such-and-such date,' does getting a response earlier mean you passed or failed? Last time, I got a rejection within 24 hours of taking the test.

The date arrived, but I haven't heard anything. I'll be patient for a bit. I'll wait one day. No, I'll wait two days. On the third day, since they were the ones who set the deadline, wouldn't it be okay to inquire?

I really want to pass and have things be easier, but if I'm rejected, I want to make a clean break and move on to the next application. If this one seems like it might last, there are other companies I've applied to that have a higher priority.

But, well, whatever.

I'm probably rejected anyway. So, the middle-aged lady went back to applying for jobs like crazy.

☆☆☆☆☆

When you apply to a company you really want to work for, isn't it easy to get rejected even if you make it to the interview, partly because you're not used to them? Even so, I thought about taking them as practice, but at this age, I get rejected at the document screening stage, so my mindset is now 'nothing ventured, nothing gained.'

I received a 'rejection email' from a company I sent my resume to at the end of the year. Since I'm applying online, I wonder why I have to send it by mail. It costs money for photos and postage, after all.

I skimmed a book at the library titled something like 'How to Use Hello Work from Age 58.' Maybe I should try using Hello Work. For my generation, the seminars are for security guards, apartment managers, or babysitters. Hmm... it makes me think, 'Should I start my own business?' (laughs)