Job Discussion Forums

[rippentaire]

Interac has given me the quickest rejection I've ever got. I put in an application two days ago, got called yesterday, and received an outright rejection this evening. I know that it's a tight market and getting a job like that's not a matter of having a pulse, but god it makes me feel worthless to get cut that quick.

Anybody know what might have done it?

[rxk22]

What did they ask you and how did you respond?. If you don't give us that....

[rippentaire]

The phone screen basically went like this:

They asked me about a couple of things that I put on my application. I reconfirmed that my degree was in what I said it was, that I had a valid driver's license, no work experience, etc.

Then, they asked me why I wanted to teach in Japan. I had a little bit of a hard time summing it up, so I basically just said something like "I'm looking to get work experience, blah-blah-blah something Japan culture."

The next question was about my preference of placement. I said either the general Kanto area or Chubu-ish area. The follow-up to that was about rural placements, to which I responded that I'd take a rural placement if it wasn't too far out.

I'll admit that I probably sounded like a spastic on the "why Japan" question, but I've stuttered through phone interviews before and still got follow-up interviews. If it wasn't that, then I guess maybe I was too picky on placements?

[water rat]

There's always the possibility that a pretty, young blonde woman applied. No contest. Don't you hate pretty, young blonde women? -Not me. I rather like them really, and so does your average Asian student. Take heart though. You may not be a pretty, young blonde woman, but you get to see them and even talk to them sometimes.

[Shimokitazawa]

[rxk22]

Couldn't tell you. I don't think any former Interac recruiters post here. Maybe they didn't like the way you lost your cool? Or maybe they just didn't like how you presented yourself? Maybe they have tons of people, and can be really picky this year. Really, the phone interviews aren't that long, so there isn't a lot that can go wrong, if you chose to not let it.

Try with some other companies as well. Cast your net wide! Also, try other places. I would love to have tried Vietnam. You can get into a dynamic country on the ground floor.

[marley'sghost]

Don't let it get you down. It's just one company. I think the speed you got the rejection is merely an indication of how many they applications they churn through and how mechanically they sort through them. My Interac interview (many, many years ago) was, "So, 3 years JET experience, already in the country, have a spouse-visa, check, check, check. Can you start in September?" A different world. I hear you have to give sample lessons and take personality tests and things these days.

[rxk22]

Who knows? Also Interac was sold a while ago. So maybe priorities and what not have changed? They aren't owned by the Mormon Church anymore

[G Cthulhu]

[nomad soul]

[Mandrews1985]

[RM1983]

Yeah you can't underprepare even for the 'any warm body' type jobs. I found that out when I first got here and did just that. I asked for feedback from the interview and got a kind of 'you are wasting my time coming up here like that' kind of response. At least I got a response though.

I think that the 'any warm body' jobs are very popular, and recruiters will use any excuse to next you if they are trying to whittle candidates down. Actually happened recently to me in an interview with a Japanese woman for a part-time job. I made the mistake of trying to argue a grammar point with her after a demo lesson, which I had also gone and tried to do in a way that was different to standard. Was a total backfire and I think I might never learn this stuff

[Vince]

Sorry to hear about the unsuccessful interview, but nomad soul makes a great point about greener pastures in the math field. I'd seriously consider that.

[rxk22]