Rain and Resumes: A Manila Interview

Umagang-umaga, habang bumubuhos ang ulan sa EDSA, kumaripas si Lila patungong MRT; may interview siya sa isang tech company sa Ortigas.

Early morning, with rain pouring on EDSA, Lila rushed to the MRT; she had an interview at a tech company in Ortigas.

Pinaghandaan niya kagabi ang tanong-tanong: maayos na nakalagay sa clearbook ang resume, at may mga post-it sa mga proyektong balak niyang ikuwento.

She prepared for possible questions last night: her resume sat neatly in a clearbook, with post-its on projects she planned to talk about.

Sumiksik pa siya sa punô na tren, hawak-hawak ang folder na muntik nang mabasa.

She squeezed into a packed train, clutching a folder that nearly got wet.

Pagdating sa lobby, kinapkapan pa siya ng guard at sinabihang mag-logbook; 9:58 na sa relong nakasabit, kaya kumalma siya at inayos ang buhok na medyo kumulot dahil sa ulan.

At the lobby, the guard frisked her and told her to log in; the wall clock read 9:58, so she steadied herself and fixed hair that had curled from the rain.

Sa waiting area, narinig niya ang kabadong tawa ng ibang aplikante; imbes na sumabay, pumikit siya sandali at inalala kung bakit gusto niya ang trabahong ito.

In the waiting area, she heard the nervous laughter of other applicants; instead of joining in, she closed her eyes briefly and recalled why she wanted this job.

Tinawag siya ng HR at ipinakilala sa hiring manager; unang tanong pa lang, “Kailan ka huling pumalpak at ano ang ginawa mo pagkatapos?”

HR called her and introduced her to the hiring manager; the first question was, “When did you last mess up, and what did you do after?”

Hindi siya nagpalusot: ikinuwento niyang nadelay noon ang isang launch dahil kulang ang pag-coordinate, kaya gumawa siya ng checklist at naupo kasama ang team para ayusin ang daloy.

She didn’t make excuses: she told how a launch had been delayed because of poor coordination, so she built a checklist and sat with the team to fix the flow.

Nang tanungin kung bakit dito at hindi abroad, sagot niya, gusto niyang umambag sa solusyong lokal—lalo na sa transport—habang malapit sa pamilya.

When asked why here and not abroad, she answered that she wanted to contribute to local solutions—especially in transport—while staying close to family.

Bago matapos, siya naman ang nagtanong kung paano sinusukat ang tagumpay at paano inaalagaan ang mga tao kapag madalas ang overtime.

Before wrapping up, she asked how success is measured and how people are cared for when overtime becomes frequent.

Paglabas, bumili siya ng mainit na taho sa kanto; bago pa umabot sa sakayan, tumunog ang telepono—iniimbitahan siya sa susunod na round kinabukasan.

Outside, she bought warm taho on the corner; before reaching the jeepney stop, her phone buzzed—she was invited to the next round the following day.

Habang humuhupa ang ulan, napangiti siya: hindi pala kailangang perpekto, basta tapat, handa, at marunong makipagkapwa.

As the rain eased, she smiled: perfection isn’t required, as long as you’re honest, prepared, and know how to work well with others.