A company advertised in the newspaper for a sales position.
Details of the prerequisite, salary and benefits were given. It was also clearly stated that applicants needed to take an aptitude test and an interview. However looking at the whole advertisement, one could not locate any contact information of the company.
Most interested applicants thought that it was negligence on the side of the company’s HR department or a printing error. They therefore waited patiently for the newspaper to publish an amendment. There were another 3 applicants who also found the position matching their interest. But instead of waiting for the newspaper to publish the company details in another day’s advertisement, they took the initiative to find out the company’s contact information themselves.
‘A’ did a search in the internet. By typing the company’s name, he easily obtained all the information including its contact about the company. ‘B’ called up the local telephone number search service and found out the company’s office number. He called up the office and got the required contact information. ‘C’ put in a greater effort in his search. He remembered seeing a poster by the same company in the city so he drove all the way down and made a few rounds to search for it. He finally found it together with the company’s contact.
Three days after that advertisement was published in the newspaper, most interested applicants were still waiting eagerly for an amendment printed in that day’s newspaper. On the other hand, the application letters and resume of ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’ had already reached the hands of the company’s HR manager. They were then called up for an interview. During the interview, all went well and immediately they were hired. The 3 of them were a little surprised at how fast things went on. They were expecting to sit for an aptitude test as stated in the newspaper advertisement. The HR director answered them, smiling, ‘Our test is hidden in the advertisement itself. To be a good sales personnel in this age, he or she has to be broad-minded and very importantly, not following rigid steps or rules. Three of you are clever and agile. In a short time, you’ve managed to find ways of contacting us. It shows clearly that you have passed the test with flying colors!
‘The fools sit around waiting for their chances whereas the wise actively take actions with great initiative’.
