I am looking for a job. Amaze me!

I do not know how it works for others, but my experience is so vast that I can brag about it. Out of all the statuses I have been into, the one being a candidate looking for a job is the most remarkable. It goes from bizarre, to hilarious and to seriously-comic.

Being a professional in the domain of letters, my searches have always orbitated the following jobs: teacher, translator, copywriter or content writer. Both in Romania and abroad, life has blessed me with something to recount.

Teacher

When you are living in a country whose language you do not speak, but English is in high demand and you have a somewhat knowledge of that, you seize the occasion. The funniest part is when you realize you are introduced to other people as native English speaker, even though you know – and hope the others know, too – that English is not an official language in Romania. Then, still, when you realize that the reason you are introduced in this way is to get more money from the parents for your English classes, the thing is not so funny anymore.

These last couple of years dawned on me with a realization regarding Romania: moving from one region to the other may equal to a stressful attempt to adapt. Or to readapt, according to each case. The most precious moment of them all, when I was looking for a job as a teacher, was when I was interviewed by the manager of a private school. Her mere curiosity regarding my family name started a whole deal of personal questions. When she found out that my husband is French, the next question she addressed to me was totally unexpected – And how is it to be married with a French? At first, I though it was a joke, that she did not actually expected an answer from me. But she kept insisting. Not knowing what to tell her (for I had no other marriage to compare it with), I stated that it must be the same as if I was married to a Romanian. The lady was not at all satisfied with my answer. She corrected me, because – let’s face it – she knew better than I did that it must have been different. That everything was more romantic, for example. And we never get back to discussing my professional experience.

PR and Communication specialist
Hiring people for public relations is not quite easy. You have to make sure you get that perfect candidate for your company. It seems, though, that some are not that picky. 
When I applied for a job and received an email, I thought my experience was what got me a reply. But when I opened the email, aside from the short introduction, there was only one question to reply to - what are you salary expectations should you receive an offer from a potential company?

What is wrong with this sentence? Oh, well, a lot of things. For starters, I would have appreciate it if the person sending me this email had asked the question as if she was writing in the name of the company she worked for, instead of making me feel like I was replying to a survey.
The HR team is looking for someone in the communication domain, receives a CV and even though nobody has seen this candidate and nor they are in the know that this particular person is or is not a fit to the culture of the company, they send an email to ask for salary expectations? Hint - candidates do not set thei salary expectations on grounds of what they earned last year, but in accordance with main responsibilities and career opportunities they would have within the company. Moreover, and this criterion is growing in importance, they also consider the location of the potential office (those who work in the Pipera area know what I mean).
And then, I truly get it that we are running out of time (as you will read below), but this is how it goes now, the only way to choose a candidate and invite her/ him to a first interview is by considering the financial aspect? Furthermore, isn't this the main reproach that companies have against candidates, namely the fact that they would only be interested by the money?

I was curious to learn how they would react so I send them a reply. The following day, I received a preset email. How cynical! Please see below an excerpt:
'Thank you for your interest in a career at ... . Your skills and background have been reviewed and indicate you have much to offer. 
However, after long consideration (long! seriously?), we decided to continue with another candidate whose qualifications match the skills more closely to what we are seeking (a number, that is).'

Copywriter/ Content writer

Everybody prepares before an interview. The best prepared ever were those who worked in a company and who, after greeting me, and receiving me in an office, let me recount for 10 minutes about my professional track. When I was in the middle of things, they stopped me and asked me about the position I applied for. I told them that it was for the position I was called for a day ago – copywriter. Oh, we’re sorry, but it’s been a long time since we did not have this position available in our company. So I stood up and then directed myself towards the exit. I gently smiled at the people and opened the door, expecting to be greeted by the ‘you were tricked’ team and a cake. I am still waiting for that!

Test. This word has lost its meaning to me. It’s almost a swearing. Or equivalent to an abuse. Just like me, I am sure there are many people that have been subjected to this abuse. People that are searching for jobs in a creative domain. One may say that I have written novels of tests. But the stupid people grow wiser. Eventually! As it happened, I declined the magnanimous offer to solve a test that would have lasted 13 hours. A pro-bono work, of course. Yes, and it was not me who estimated the time it would take to solve the tets. Thank God, I did not do it! Maybe if there were more of us to refuse such proposals, claims like these would no longer exist.

In the meantime, others play hide-and-seek with the candidates. After you have sent them your resume, their answer is swift. You have to solve a test by writing a text of 700-2000 words. With no other disussion beforehand. Yes, of course. We don’t have so much time. But because we live in the century of speed we should show more respect to the time a candidate spends in a recruiting process.

Is there a mondus operandi in the recruiting process? Of course there is. When one invites a candidate to an interview and one does not ask about the candidate’s interests in the respective job, one does not describe what one wants from a potential employee, but only puts the candidate in a room, in front of a computer and asks the candidate to spend around 4 hours in order to solve a test, one assumes that the employer has at least made a selection through the resumes. I, the candidate, was wrong. After a while, being called to be informed that I had passed the test (ahh, the test!!!!) and that I should come for an interview with the potential manager, I came with the hopes one has when going to a second interview. What a pity! After five minutes, I was told that the interview had to stop there. The reason? I did not have enough experience. Dazed, I asked why did they call me for the second interview, in the first place. They told me that they were impressed with the way I had solved the test. But still, not good enough, given that my lack of experience disqualified me. To my mind, they should have started the other way around.

Having read so many job ads, I learned to recognize just by reading it if the employer does not have quite a clear idea about the expectations regarding a possible candidate. Even better, a candidate could really be taken off guard when she/ he goes to an interview and finds out she/ he has to work in shifts, during the weekends, and for the first two weeks she/ he has to work as a casheer, cleaning lady, baker, doorman and to make the inventory – even though none of this challenges were mentioned in the ad. Again, time is money. For both sides. But why does the one of the candidate seem to be of a less value? Had I known, I would not have applied and neither would they have wasted their time interviewing me.

When I was led in an office with the shutters down, so dark that I could not see anything, I could only think that the person interviewing me had a sleepless night and did not want to scare me with her/ his dark circles under the eyes. Still, it turned out that the interviewer was a young and lively miss. I was surprised to see that, after five minutes since she entered the office where I was waiting for her for more than twenty minutes, she went towards the switch and turned the lights on. Just in time to see the amazement on my face when I was told that besides the typical work of a copywriter, I was also supposed to come up with ideas of a botanical nature regarding the creation of food supplements that would sell big-time in the far-off America. I was very happy to realize that my mother had, actually, a well-equipped kitchen. Not only did she had the amazing book written by Sanda Marin (a recipe book), but also the one written by Maria Treban (a book about plants and their healing properties). 
Primula veris alleviates the respiratory distress. Oh, and how well it does that!

On the occasion of Vlad Musatescu's birthday

Today we celebrate 96 years since the birth of the Romanian writer who marked my adolescence and, later on, my writting style. Another year went by and I was able to enjoy his works, his jovial and forever young spirit. I cannot imagine what my love for books, for humorous people and adventures would have looked like, had not been for Vlad Musatescu's books. But I know how all of these are because he took the time and opportunity to write them. Is there a greater joy?! And thus, my pledge is to give that joy to you, too. And keep his memory alive.

Vlad Musatescu lives on!

„

‘You stress yourself in vain, master! You won’t wake up mister teacher even if you fire off a gun… It’s the same for me, too!’

‘What do you mean, you’re just as difficult when you drink?’, I angrily asked.

‘Me? Ever since I’m reformed, I don’t drink anymore. I was talking about mister teacher. I know him for a while, now. It’s the same for me, too. He falls asleep in the carriage, and I can’t wake him up…’

‘And you don’t know his address?’

‘No! Since he doesn’t talk… How can one find it out? I only work during the night. And I take mister teacher in my carriage only when his drunk, ‘cause he only drinks at night. Otherwise, he’s a great man. I take him up to my home, I put him in the same bed as my wife, but I sleep between them so no fuss is created, and on the next day he pays me off. Even the rides I did not make… ‘cause he’s a fair man.’

(excerpt from “Approximate Adventures”)

The Divine Order, 2017

(Photo source: IMDB)

Having a brave and provocative script, the movie "The Divine Order" is more than a simple presentation of the Feminist fight for women's rights in society.

Usually, people are ashamed to talk about Feminism - and this because the whole idea of Feminism has been shaped in the back of their minds as representing agressive women that hate men. Others prefer to silence me by pointing out that nowadays women have access to anything they want and that the situation has very much changed, or even that nowadays women are positively discriminated (check the month of March in Romania, with its traditional Mărțișor and the related flowers).
It's true, things have changed a little. But the prejudice lingers on. I must admit that I have thought about it for days, after seeing this movie, and was somewhat scared to take in the information that in a certain canton in Switzerland, women received the right to vote only in 1990. 1990 was yesterday, of course the prejudice lingers on.

Should I give you an example from 2018?! I recently recommended a book on Goodreads to a man. It was a book written by a Romanian contemporary woman writer (on Goodreads, if you rate a book with four or five stars you can recommend it to your Goodreads friends). The reaction I got was absolutely ghastful. The man wrote me a message and asked me what was it in his looks that made me think 'he was gay'. Moreover, he considered it acceptable to alter the title of the book with a diminutive suffix so he could indicate the smallness of the importance of the book. I'll let you draw your own conclusions!
We need more of these types of movies. Not because we hate men. But for the mere reason that women should not be referred to by means of diminutive suffixes.

The Emilia Muller Brand

A couple of days ago, somebody asked me how I would describe myself, as a brand. It was not easy, but I managed to draw a concise picture of it. Here it goes:

A smile is always on Emilia Muller’s lips, and she brims over with creativity, musicality, laughter, willingness to recycle and a longing for friendship. Even though she is an organized person, Emilia Muller does not only carry to-do-lists along with her, but also verses, ideas for articles, ideas for books and even ideas for making/ remaking clothes.

She has a special hunger for reading books and is capable of giving reading recommendations. When she does not write, Emilia Muller watches movies. A lot of movies, actually, and she writes reviews for some of them on one of the four blogs she manages.

Emilia Muller laughs. She does that with a lot of strength, being aware that it is one of the most efficient exercises for the facial muscles. And so we arrive to the musicality issue. Emilia Muller sings. Beautifully, according to her sayings. Others, though, have hesitations.

Friends?! There aren’t many places left in the world where Emilia Muller does not have friends. She understands, quite clearly, the value of friendship and she knows that everything is done with people, by people and for people.

Emilia Muller is fond of recycling. She recycles everything. Though she had more projects involving clothes (of hers, of her friends or her family’s), which she patches or gives them another use. The most astonishing recycled work (which was not an item of clothing) is a round wooden scale. When it broke, Emilia Muller did not have the heart to throw it away. She kept it, painted it, and then made it a gift to a dear friend, to cheer up his living-room.

Emilia Muller writes. And she is also published. She has arrived to the exact number of four and a half books. A novella. A children’s story, which she also illustrated (oh, I forgot to mention – she also likes to draw). A short story collection. The bilingual edition of the short story collection – in Romanian and in English – (this is the explanation for that half). And a novel. Her first novel, which actually carries a picturesque name – “The Sewing Club”.

And if a song should be chosen in order to show the musicality of the brand, this would be it:

Zully Mustafa - "The Third Traveler"

I read the novel “The Third Traveler” written by Zully Mustafa in a very conscious slow-motion. I wished for it not to end too soon, worried that I might miss out on moments while reading it too fast. There were a lot of times when I closed the covers of the book and stared aimlessly. I think this is the case for any reader that finds out the book she/ he is reading is written in her/ his secret language.

“These constant pressures to give the best of oneself, as fast as possible and in due time; this crazy rush, killer of spirits, a rush for perfect words, when all I wanted was the leisure of writing. And to have enough money to buy myself colored skirts, dressed in which I could see the world, or to buy myself some popcorn.” 
(excerpt from "The Third Traveler")

During the year I first read the novel “The Grapes Have Ripen without Her Being Present” (another novel written by Zully Mustafa) I was searching for a Camino de Santiago, I just did not know it existed. Once I finished reading the novel, I realized that the experience had changed me so much that I was amazed how simple things were to look at afterwards. Actually, I did not feel the need of a pilgrimage; my dilemma was that I had too many answers for questions I did not have courage to ask myself.

Years after that, the same happened when reading the novel “The Third Traveler”, and this time, the action occurred, mostly, on Camino. A revelation, two, three … Who kept the score?! The idea is that I made the questions click with the answers I had already known and thus, I closed the circle. What can be more comforting than that?! It seems to me that Zully’s books have the effect of a pilgrimage on my spirit.

And because I do not like to give away the mysteries of a book, I will only mention the points that clicked with me – the crave to go on a trip with a friend, the endless laughs between friends that have no explanation in the heads of those around, the power play, the lying, the bitter taste of disappointment, the rising sign, the frustration of working as a translator and not being paid by the beneficiary, gloomy people that have nothing to do with a domain that should be bringing light and inspiration, frustrated and aggressive people that are ready to tear one apart as soon as one turns one’s back, complete strangers that awe one by means of their kind and humble deeds, the shadow of someone dear long departed.

I recommend you to read the novel “The Third Traveler” by Zully Mustafa not because I had a beautiful experience while reading it, but because I am sure you will have one just as beautiful.

Here and here you'll find other book recommendations for Zully Mustafa.

The Town in Emilia Muller's Literature

Recently, it was held "The Town and Literature Festival". After participating to one of the events, I started pondering on my books. I was born and lived my life in a city, and very rarely I went to the countryside. It is true, life in the countryside has its charm, and if I remember my childhood, we were more free there and our grandparents were more indulgent and willing to satisfy our every whim; we had as many fruits as we wanted - we could even pick them from the trees - and we had a dog, that was ours for the duration of our stay. But still, I wouldn't live anywhere else but in a town for many reasons, among which I have to mention the lyric from a famous Romanian song, 'give me cinema'.
I searched throughout my books, and here it is what I found:

Reading from the novel 'The Sewing Club'

The apparel and the accessories were provided by Squirrel.

The text in English:
(Excerpt from 'The Sewing Club')

I went out of my apartment building just on time to catch the rain. The parka I was wearing was surely going to show its utility. I put the hood over my cap to make sure that I wouldn’t arrive soaking wet to Eliza’s house. The month of March was kind of moody, or maybe I was feeling that way about it giving that I was coveting summer and spring seemed to want to leave me with a brutal impression. Raindrops were furiously splashing over the causeway and, from time to time, the drops would hit my black pants. There, the drops looked like mercury drops easing their way into the fabric. Then they would quickly vanish, leaving behind an even blacker spot.

On the streets, people were armed and fighting using their umbrellas, which were very eager to throw themselves forward, just like a top of an epee. Some had already given up and were walking with fast and small steps, keeping their heads bowed. At the end of the street, the flashes of a car blinded me, and for a while I could only see a yellow background over which silvery needles were madly coming down from the sky. I turned right and went down the hill. Soon, I arrived near Eliza’s house. Across the street from her house there was a block of flats. There, nobody could notice me, and more, I was sheltered from the rain. I stopped in front of the entrance to the block of flats and took down the hood. The lightbulb from the light pole illuminated the street on which cars were passing by. They were fighting the waters while trying to mount; waters that were menacingly coming down towards them. What a show! And how tricksome are we, the human race, as we fight armed against the nature.