THE INTERVIEW

THE INTERVIEW

Interviewer: welcome, please take the seat opposite.

Candidate: thanks. (grins nervously)

I: we have gone through your basic biodata which you had mailed us but before we get into the nitty gritty of stuff, how about you give a brief introduction about yourself?

C : Hmmm, specifically which areas would like me to elaborate?

I : why dont you start from the beginning - your schooling, college, and work experience and then we will get into your personality and current job experiences- you know, fleshing out the details from your basic biodata.

C: my school and college reminiscences? How relevant are they to this discussion?

I : isnt that for me to decide? When someone refuses to talk freely and holds back things then it does look suspicious doesnt it?

C : not necessarily. What if i had the usual boring school life and college days- filled with studying all the time and usual student pranks with friends – a typical teenager thing?

I : well that does tell me you could be a staid boring character, someone not necessarily looking for adventure in his life and afraid to take risks

C: whoa, isnt that quite stretch from what i told you. Well, what if i told you that i had a pretty wild rockstar past and i was heavily into the grunge music scene and i used to get into fights a lot before i matured and wisened up?

I : hmmm...that tells me that you wouldn't hesitate to lie on the spot to impress me by making your personality reflect our requirements?

C: your requirements? What are they? Why wasn't i informed about them earlier?

I : but we have just started. Its far too early to get into our requirement list. I have a prepared 20 point questionnaire to which you have to answer yes or no and depending on your answers i would ask you to elaborate on certain points or not.

C: A questionnaire? 20 separate questions? Oh my.....and here i am winging it on the fly. I had never even thought of coming prepared.

I : Precisely. You are like all the other candidates i have interviewed till now- absolutely no clarity about what you want to do with your life which is sure to lead to a mess later on. My way is better- to clarify things right at the outset so there are no misunderstandings in future- no fights and heartbreaks.

C: But, but doesn't that make it all business like? Doesn't it take the romance out of the situation? The slow teasing? The learning about things one by one. The understanding of the other person as time develops and a slow ripening of feelings. I thought that was the essence of dating.

I : well, i see you are a regular rip van winkle. Where have you been all this time? Hiding in a cave? All that you speak off is so old school- something which school kids do when they date for the first time. We are both two mature responsible adults checking to see if we are compatible enough to marry, we dont have the time to do the slow dance now- i would advice you to get out of your fantasy and open your eyes to face reality. I see now that you are totally unprepared for marriage and never given a though to what follows next. Would you like to take a break to go home and consider all your options?

C:  Yes. Thank you. Damn, I really feel my age now. I guess romance is now officially dead. Its all crisp business like dealings now. But what the hell, let me be the last romantic on earth and marry for love. I cant coldly select someone based on whether they pass my test or not. I would rather tear up my list if they touch my heart. I want to fall in love with a stranger and marry a girl because she completes me and not because she is compatible with me. Even if in every little thing we are opposites, as long as there is a spark of romance between us- i want to go for it. If that makes me a fool then let me be one happily.

I : i pity you. You seem to be good man but with strange fantasies about life. I hope you dont get dis-illusioned. I think you have confused a marriage proposal with a “proposal”. The two are quite different and i am surprised that for an otherwise intelligent person you still havent realized the difference.  You should think about this before wasting any more of others time.

C: yes i should and i thank you from the bottom of my heart for straightening things out. Its been very enlightening talking to you. You have made realise things about myself which i never cared to think through till now. I realise that in the  eyes of the world I might look like a fool, a romantic fool and i am probably destined to die single and all alone. But let me be the way i am. I dont think i can be happy marrying a girl for reasons other than liking her. I just cant coldly marry a girl just because she has studied a certain degree, works in a certain field or earns a certain amount. It just woudnt feel right with my heart and my conscience. Sorry for taking up so much of your time. Bye.

(INTERIVEW CONCLUDED)