I met Jean at an interview.
We became friends because we had a similar background.
She studied at a good school and is good at speaking English.
Every word that came out of her mouth sounded perfect.
I took the opportunity to practice.
We were both finalists at the recruitment process of KGB.
This was a call center company at RCBC plaza.
As usual, there were 20 applicants when we started.
More than half got eliminated in the initial interview.
After the exam, there were only three left.
My English is good I told myself.
Jean’s English is good.
We’re the last people standing.
I’m confident again.
This is just the final interview.
I’ll get a job.
I’ll rent a condo.
I’ll buy a second hand car.
I’ll be independent.
We had a thirty minute break before the final interview.
I got to chat with Jean and the other person.
The other person isn’t very good.
She had a provincial accent.
I stopped talking to her.
She might ruin my practice.
My interview was okay I thought.
I was answering questions in English.
My sentences sounded okay.
Jean had better sentences than me but I’m not that far behind.
1 and 2 finish.
I thought.
I was thinking about Formula One Racing.
This happens when a racing team take both first and second place in a race.
Just so you know, a Forumla One Racing team has two Drivers.
I didn’t mind being number two as long as I got the job.
The third candidate that had a provincial accent had a different interview.
Her English wasn’t perfect.
She was making mistakes.
I heard a story about how she moved from the province to Manila.
I heard a story about different jobs that she took before considering working in a call center. I heard a story about her embarrassing experiences.
I heard her ask if the interviewer was from the province too.
The conversation sounded like two friends catching up after many years.
Jean and I both failed.
The lady with the provincial accent got hired.
It sounded like a backer or the HR boss lady is friends.
I asked the HR boss lady why we failed.
We hired the candidate that had better job fit and communication skills.
I was young and stupid back then.
I didn’t ask follow up questions.
I just remember the story like it’s branded into my chest.
Good communication skills is not the same as good English skills.
It’s not just about knowing and following the grammar rules.
It’s also about what you can do with your English skills.
The other lady had poor grammar and pronunciation.
She just used her words to connect with the other person.
Jean and I were answering interview questions like contestants in a beauty pageant.
We failed because we were just answering questions?
The applicant with “superior communication skills” were asking questions and sharing stories.
I needed to learn how to do that.
I told myself.
People skills were the unseen element of communication skills.
We learn the theory in school.
We learn the application through real world failure.
Instead of answering questions, learn to ask questions and share stories.
Thank you for reading this far and thanks for your attention.
I am praying for your success. God bless!
If you made it this far, you should introduce yourself.
Join our weekend English coaching is on SALE for ₱697 a week.
Discounts offered to long-term students.
Save money by reserving multiple weeks!