I Went to a Job Interview with my Flip-flops On

I was all dolled up for the interview scheduled at 7:30 in the morning. With black slacks, white buttoned and collared blouse, I left home an hour and a half before the scheduled time. “Mag-iintervew ka naka-tsinelas ka?” Mama joked as I bade goodbye before leaving. “Hindi ah, may dala akong sandals,” I responded with an eager defense. I was carrying my favorite blue abaca bag with my red, plastic file case where I placed my resume and samples of IMC and advertising works during college. Inside my hand-carry was my white stilettos which I haven’t worn for a year-and-a-half already (that was why I thought of wearing it apart from the other two which I use more often).

Walking towards a destination would always be easiest with a map on one’s hand. Nonetheless, I was not able to print the map of the tower’s vicinity where I would be having the interview. With the picture of the map in my head, I went off Shaw Boulevard station of the MRT and walked going south. St. Francis, Edsa Central… I saw this on the map. I continued walking, hoping to find a building named Summit One Tower. Unable to stumble on it after a couple of minutes, I decided to enter Cityland and asked the security guard where it was. “Ah, don yun sa kabila, lampas pa ng fly-over. Malayo pa yun. Mag-jeep ka na lang.” With an uncertainty of the jeepneys’ route (I was unfamiliar with the place, Shang-rila and Megamall were the only landmarks I know there), I opted to take a cab instead.

Inside the cab, I took off my flip-flops and changed to my stilettos. I noticed that one of the straps on the right foot (covering my toes) was already removed. I pulled and placed it inside my bag, with high hopes that all the others were still firm enough to hold and groom my feet. Anyway, the removed strap was very unnoticeable (unless you count the left and right, and compare it).

The time ran very swiftly that I dropped off the cab at almost 7:30 am. I knew I would be late. The manong did not have enough barya to change my hundred. Hurriedly going out of the cab towards the tower to look for someone to change my hundred-peso bill, the straps of stilettos on my right feet snapped! I ended up walking like a cripple. All I was able to say, “Shocks, natanggal!” I walked pulling my right feet to the side where I changed again to my flip-flops.

With the clock ticking fast past 7:30 am, I was only left with a choice of accepting whatever amount the manong had (which was 15 pesos less than my supposed change). I ran fast to the elevator at once upon entering the tower (which screeched a loud Miss mag-paregister ka muna from the security guard because I was so fast-and-not-mindful-of-anything-or-anyone-anymore). Upon entering Unit 605 where the office was, I saw the other applicants in black, closed leather shoes and looked unto mine – not black, closed leather, but fresh flesh of toes with a rubber beneath. Wow, very INformal. I gave out my resume to the desk lady hoping that she did not notice my beautiful feet.

I waited and talked to fellow applicants until I was called. Good thing the interview was more of an orientation other than a formal interview (the project with which the work would revolve around was explained in a not-so-formal manner) by the boss who was kind enough not to notice what I was wearing on my feet. All in all, the interview went well. I ended up not getting the work not because I did not pass, but because I turned it down because of its night-shift schedule.

Embarrassed because I went to a job interview with my flip-flops on, though, I learned:

• Fit your footwear first and make sure it’s still VERY MUCH OK before deciding to bring it in an occasion. However new it may look like, its parts may already be old – and snap and fail you! Take it from me: I WALKED LIKE A CRIPPLE BECAUSE OF MY SEEMIGNLY NEW-LOOKING BUT OLD, NOT-USED-FOR-A-LONG-TIME STILETTOS WHICH SNAPPED RIGHT THEN AND THERE.

 

A crippled walk. Flip-flops on a job interview. Fail.

• Prepare barya in the morning so that manongs will not have an excuse to give you a change less than what you are supposed to have.
•  Print a map of a not-so-familiar place so that you won’t get lost. Also, you will not spend your time walking a distance where you were not expected to be at.  
• Flash that gentle smile and have a direct eye-to-eye contact during interview. It does help. J

Even in my wildest dreams, I never thought I would go to a job interview with my flip-flops on.