My Unforgettable Pointwest Experience
It is a tradition
among Pointwest trainees to undergo the last stretch of their bootcamp training by
having a revalida. Revalida is a rite of passage for trainees before they enter
the corporate world (which in PW is also called as the “floor”).
It is a Q and A portion of some sort where the soft skills of the trainee will be put to test over a series of situational questions. As per my usual self it was a difficult feat to venture into. I was not that eloquent and fluent in my articulation that sometimes I stutter and eat my words before these were even blurted out. The revalida is just simple. The trainee, before fishing out one question from a fish bowl will first have his bestest performance (this too I believe was included in the overall revalidation assessment) to knock the panel’s socks off. By the way the panel is composed of Practice Heads and Managers. So no stress. Just be your usual self. Or not.
After the
performance, the trainee would then read the question aloud to the jury and
answer it on-the-spot. A member from the jury can then throw follow up
questions until he’s satisfied or bored to death.
I was not a
stranger to panel interviews. Before landing my working stint at Pointwest I
was exposed to these nerve-wracking and sweat-inducing interviews that I
thought the process would just be a walk in the park. Nope. It was a 21km
marathon where you need to get past life threatening hurdles unscathed. Before
the Q and A I performed Teenage Dream by Katy Perry with a trembling voice
which the panel mistook for something like an added vibrato effect.
It went fine. I was confident with that. But when I read
the question, my heart started doing jumping jacks and that’s when I knew it
was headed towards a different direction.
If I remember it correctly the question I picked was something
like this:
You and an officemate of yours are up for a promotion.
Your officemate was promoted but you weren’t. But you think you were more
deserving of the promotion. What will you do?
It wasn't exactly the same question but it somehow was
similar.
My answer went like this:
"If it was the
management's decision to promote him instead of me then I would gladly accept
it." I paused, composed myself and prepared for another question to be
thrown at me.
But what if you really know in yourself that you truly
deserve the promotion and not your officemate who is lazy and unproductive at
work?
My answer? Still the same. I was so confident with my
answer that I decided to stick with it until the next question was given to me.
You are a Christian aren't you? YES!, I responded.
How would you feel if you were requested to come to the
office on a Sunday to work? Sundays are for attending Sunday services right?
How would you go about with that? Plus, it's your immediate supervisor who is
asking you to make yourself available as there is an important deliverable
due that day.
Oh, man that was
tough. The question and the urgency to think of the right answer and convey it
to the expectant audience verbosely made it more difficult for me to come up
with the safest possible answer. So I decided to ask that the question be
repeated. This time, I had one safe answer in mind. And I hope I can crawl my
way out of this situation with only a few follow up questions.
“I would go to work
on that day and report to my manager. Missing one Sunday service will do me
just fine”, I answered carefully enunciating each word to make it sound casual (and confident).
But how is that?
Another question followed coming from the same person.
“To be honest, I
see myself as a corporate slave. That’s why whatever I am tasked to do, if it
allows me to contribute to the productivity of my company then I will definitely do it.”
I somehow let out a
sigh of relief thinking “This is it, I am done with this seemingly unending
Revalida.”
Some members of the
panel seemed unimpressed with my answer; the others were uninterested to say the
least. Then I went out the room and called the next trainee.
Looking back at
that particular moment in my life I realized how unprepared and inexperienced I
was at that time. My answer was safe and not straight to the point. And it was
not based from any of my life experiences.
But what really
made that experience somehow cringe-worthy was my answer to the last question.
And if I was given
a chance to answer that, this will be it:
“Thank you for that
wonderful question…”
Nope. Forget that.
How would you feel if you were requested to come to the office
on a Sunday to work? Sundays are for attending Sunday services right? How would
you go about with that? Plus, it's your immediate supervisor who is asking you
to make yourself available as there is an important deliverable due that
day.
"I would feel
disappointed. As a Christian, I should always be consistent with my Sunday
service attendance. I would request my practice head to move my schedule to
another date. There will always be available people for the job. I believe it
is my right to practice my faith and I firmly believe that he will understand
my decision."
Yes. That would be my answer. And even if they ask for
additional questions nothing can change that answer.
Believing in something is one thing, holding on to that
faith is another.
And I believe that everything that I have right now belongs
to God, even my work. That is why my priority will always be His ministry.
If other employees can demand on their working schedules,
why can’t I?
Don’t forget Matthew 6:33 which says:
“But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all
these things will be given to you as well.”
Seeking God’s Kingdom first means that in every decision
that we do we should always include God in it and make Him the top priority. In
retrospect, my first answer to my Revalida was devoid of that. I was focused on
my work that I neglected God’s ministry which was wrong. That was my mistake
and I have made terms with that. Currently, my working schedule demands me to
go to work from Mondays thru Fridays, 10:00 am - 7:30 pm. This allows me to
fully commit myself to my Saturday and Sunday ministries (Campus and Media if
you want to know).
That is why if you are still unemployed right now, ask God
for a job that will not draw you away from your ministry. Look for a job that
will not hinder you from serving God. God will provide you with the skills,
strength and wisdom to look for a suitable job, just do your part because God
is forever faithful.
Have a blessed day! - T
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