Talk about an alternative travel narrative! One of the benefits of an extended stay at a new destination is being there long enough to make real friends and to be invited “on the inside” for rare opportunities. So, on the next-to-last day of my three week stay in Da Nang, Vietnam, Hủng invited me to help him interview four candidates for a receptionist position at his hostel. I would be a “company representative” sitting at the table with him and Ánh, one of the current receptionists. I jumped at the opportunity, then allowed my mind to process what this would entail, as well as what new things I would learn:
How do twenty-one year olds in Vietnam approach the job application/interview process? What are appropriate (and inappropriate) questions to ask in Vietnamese culture? Will the interview be conducted exclusively in English or will it include Vietnamese? What sorts of questions will the candidates themselves ask? How will the post-interview job offer and rejections be handled?
I immediately started writing some questions based on my PassionProfit philosophy & formula, and to further prepare, I searched online for other unique interview questions to ask. Here’s one I found that I asked one of the candidates: “In completing a project, is it better to be “perfect” and a bit late, or “good” and on time? (What do YOU think? Comment!)
Each interview lasted 15 minutes, and afterwards, Ánh and I gave Hủng our recommendations. It was a very insightful way to spend an afternoon and offered the sort of peek into regular life in Vietnam you won’t get sitting on a tour bus!
As I compose this entry, today will be my final day in Da Nang, Vietnam, at least for a little while!
ADDENDUM: The first interviewee– Ý Nhi– pictured in the photo above (and far left below in blue shirt) was offered the position, she accepted, and started the very next day–which was also my last day at the hostel! The staff had a farewell party for Thảo (sitting next to her) whom Ý Nhi was replacing!
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