The Interview -Part One

“Ford, Masda, Suzuki….”
Buoy! Cars is all that was on my mind as I went through my daily routine preparations. I had done my due diligence with preparing myself for the interview. I read extensively about the company on the Internet, I checked them out on social media….I had also dived into several online questionnaires about the most likely asked questions for the role I had applied for. I guess it helped being a Tuesday. I love Tuesdays. I was born on a Tuesday.

The Interview -Part Two
The Interview -Part Three
The Interview -Part Four

One of my crushes had helped to prepare me mentally. He is crazy about cars. He guided me on what such companies look for in a Customer Care Executive.
“You already have most of the requirements, just work on the few areas I have mentioned and you’ll be good to go”.
I also consulted him on what I should wear and he was very supportive.

At 9am, I passed by a salon. As the hairdresser styled my hair, I ordered for my ride with one of the apps. The rider called immediately and said he was already at the place I had mentioned. That was fast. I expected a delay of about three minutes. I told him I was on my way.

A few minutes later, I rushed out of the salon and ran to the boda rider parked a distance away. I greeted him with genuine apologies for the delay. He smiled and said it was alright. I climbed on at the back.

It is when I sat on the motorbike that it hit me that this gentleman was clueless about where I was going. I looked at his helmet number. Damn. He was not the ride I ordered.

On cue, I got a call from my actual rider. It turns out he waiting at a wrong place. Three places have the same name in our area. The other two locations were a bit far. I asked him to cancel for the Interest of time. I wanted to be at least an hour early for my interview.

Since both men worked for the same company, I negotiated with the rider I was with and told him where I was going. My offer was fair considering the estimation by the App. Instead, he doubled the price. We failed to reach a consensus so I let him go.

I crossed the road and tried to negotiate with a normal boda. He asked for 8,000 and wouldn’t budge. I can’t believe these men were frustrating me first thing in the morning. I crossed back to the other side and waited under the shade of a building. It was the dry season and the merciless November rays and heat rained heavy on me.

A random rider that had watched me suffer offered to take me. I ignored him, but each time I looked in his direction, he asked again. He seemed polite and decent. Reason I ordered for my rides was that I hate negotiating. I’m not good at it. It’s exasperating when boda riders double the price just because you’re dressed up in heels.

I cancelled the third order because just like the rest, the app was ‘searching’. “Sorry, there are no bodas in your location”. Were they kidding? Their riders were littered allover the place, for as far as my eyes could see. The other man was still watching me. “Come and I take you,” he offered. I went.

He asked for seven thousand shillings. I told him I wasn’t exceeding five thousand shillings. He hesitated. I was not in the mood to convince him. As I turned to walk away, he told me to sit. Half way the journey, he told me he didn’t know where we were going. Unbelievable!

I urged him to ask for directions. He said he will. After going in an entirely wrong direction, he stopped and asked for directions. They pointed us in the opposite direction of where we had come from. At this point, I just told myself to breathe. Now that he knew where we were going, I told him to go faster. He did, at least it was as fast as his old motor bike could go. As we gained momentum, he got a flat tyre. I gave him three thousand shillings and walked away without another word.

I tried stopping moving bodas because they were cheaper. Three men stopped but they were either overcharging or didn’t know where I was going. The rider with the flat tyre finally convinced one of the men at the stage to take me and gave him directions. I thanked him. Thankfully, it was not far. I paid the boda two thousand shillings at the gate. His face told me he wanted to ask for more. I just walked away.

At the gate, I signed in and asked one of the gentlemen for directions. He must have been staff. Other than point me to the reception, he actually walked me there. On the way, he asked for the reason of my visit. I told him I was there for a job interview.
“Finance?” He asked. “No.” I responded conclusively. I was so worried about being in time for my appointment. I didn’t have time for chitchats. When we reached double glass doors, he told me to enter and pointed me to where I should go. I thanked him and walked away.

End of Part One.

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