Funny Friday

And An Interesting Job Interview

In my pre-Candyland employment days, I worked in management for a large retail jewelry corporation. I didn't like the job and decided to seek other employment. I read a magazine article about a certain government agency that was actively recruiting female applicants. The thought of working for this agency appealed to my sense of adventure. I also thought the job would be quite glamorous. (In hindsight, I blame my total lack of perspective as far as what the job would entail on watching too many James Bond movies.) I sent a resume with cover letter to the address given in the magazine article. Several weeks later, I received a letter from the agency. I was told to report to a location in northern Virginia for an interview. The letter stated the date and time of the interview, parking instructions and strict admonitions concerning the secrecy of the interview. I was to tell no one where I was going or what I was doing. I followed all the instructions to the letter....well, almost all of the instructions. I simply had to tell my closest friend where I was going and why. The day of the interview arrived. I got up early, dressed in a very appropriate dark blue suit and drove to the interview location. I was greeted by a man (in a dark blue suit) and given a small mountain of paperwork to fill out. An hour later, I was ushered into a cubicle where I answered questions like, "Is there any event or circumstance in your past that a foreign government could use to influence your loyalty to your country?" After approximately 30 minutes of answering what seemed like three questions asked in fifty different ways, I took an IQ test. Then the interview was over. I drove home envisioning a room full of men in dark blue suits wondering how such a naive and idealistic country girl could possibly think she was fit to work for their organization. Imagine my surprise when several weeks later I received another letter with instructions for taking the first in a series of tests required for employment. I took the first test and was scheduled to take another one. In the meantime, headlines and news reports were suddenly focused on this certain government agency. Employees had been killed in suspicious circumstances in a foreign country. This was the "wake up call" that I needed. My sense of adventure and visions of glamor were bludgeoned by the stark face of reality. I submitted my letter of resignation before I was hired.