your profile doesn't fit our requirements
Friday, June 27, 2008 (2:59 PM)
this is one big irony.
i went for an interview not too long ago at a financial institution for an editorial position. having no financial background, i knew nuts about unit trusts, bonds, equities and investments. as soon as i arrived, i was given a question requiring a 150-word response from none other than me. the question:
bearing in mind that the global market has been volatile recently, what kind of investments would you suggest to investors looking to invest?
i did the paper. i know i screwed it up.
i also know i screwed up the interview part when i unbelievably honestly said i haven't been reading financial news for 2 months since we cut the straits times subscription in april. i didn't expect to get the job and i really didn't. i don't mind. is there something that disturbs me? yes.
the job requirement and the editors very explicitly state their stand in using plain and simple english and asked what's my writing style. i, very deliberately and frankly, told them that i dislike reading materials that contain so many big words, it cripples my ability to comprehend. it defeats the purpose of writing, which is to convey a message. post-modernist writing sucks. this, i didn't say. but "plain and simple" is a relative concept. it's subjective.
obviously, they appear to be faithful followers of writing in plain and simple english. but the thing that disturbs me is despite their creed, the reply i got was, "your profile does not fit our requirements".
can someone tell me what the fuck is my profile?
please use plain and simple english.
practice what you preach.