Ideally, I’d like to be working in the food industry here but
with the evening hours and weekend commitment, we aren’t willing to
sacrifice our personal time for work. So
the next best thing is an office job in an English speaking environment where I
can utilize my Human Resources educational background.
So I applied for a position at Adidas in March.
Having met the previous Human Resources (HR) manager, I was surprised to get a call from the new HR Manager. The previous manager went back to United States after a 4 year stint in Germany. She had rave reviews about me and suggested to the new manager to contact me for the position I’d applied for. At the end of the phone conversation, the new manager invited me to come in for a meeting.
I arrived at the meeting few minutes late (NEVER EVER ARRIVE LATE!) because I was lost. Adidas is in Herzogenaurach, 90 minutes by public transportation from Nürnberg, and it’s got more Adidas campuses than streets so it’s very easy for someone like me (no sense of direction) to get lost. Although this is no excuse to be late. The HR manager was very kind and understood; she told me she wouldn’t hold that against me. After the brief informal chatter she delved into interview questions making this an actual interview, rather than a meeting.
I have an HR background so I tried to answer the questions with ease. Questions like “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” or “What was your biggest attribute in your last job?” are redundant, I am the first to admit, but are important to see where the candidate sees his or her strengths and weaknesses lie. This also allows the interviewer to understand if the candidate is a match for the position and will fit with the team.
She assured me that Adidas would help obtain my employment permit. After an hour long conversation I was certain this was a sealed deal.
Unfortunately it wasn’t a sealed deal. She emailed me few weeks after our meeting and due to reorganization within the department and budgetary issues she couldn’t extend an offer. However she will keep me in mind for a future position. She wrote she was extremely impressed with me and would contact me once things settled down and there was an opening she felt I’d fit.
This was some time ago and although I don’t expect to hear from her now, I hope to get a call in the future. It would be great for my mental well-being to be employed again and to have a routine.
So I applied for a position at Adidas in March.
Having met the previous Human Resources (HR) manager, I was surprised to get a call from the new HR Manager. The previous manager went back to United States after a 4 year stint in Germany. She had rave reviews about me and suggested to the new manager to contact me for the position I’d applied for. At the end of the phone conversation, the new manager invited me to come in for a meeting.
I arrived at the meeting few minutes late (NEVER EVER ARRIVE LATE!) because I was lost. Adidas is in Herzogenaurach, 90 minutes by public transportation from Nürnberg, and it’s got more Adidas campuses than streets so it’s very easy for someone like me (no sense of direction) to get lost. Although this is no excuse to be late. The HR manager was very kind and understood; she told me she wouldn’t hold that against me. After the brief informal chatter she delved into interview questions making this an actual interview, rather than a meeting.
I have an HR background so I tried to answer the questions with ease. Questions like “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” or “What was your biggest attribute in your last job?” are redundant, I am the first to admit, but are important to see where the candidate sees his or her strengths and weaknesses lie. This also allows the interviewer to understand if the candidate is a match for the position and will fit with the team.
She assured me that Adidas would help obtain my employment permit. After an hour long conversation I was certain this was a sealed deal.
Unfortunately it wasn’t a sealed deal. She emailed me few weeks after our meeting and due to reorganization within the department and budgetary issues she couldn’t extend an offer. However she will keep me in mind for a future position. She wrote she was extremely impressed with me and would contact me once things settled down and there was an opening she felt I’d fit.
This was some time ago and although I don’t expect to hear from her now, I hope to get a call in the future. It would be great for my mental well-being to be employed again and to have a routine.
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