“He has needed a job since yesterday…”

I had put my phone on silent and gone into a meeting. When I came out, I saw several missed calls from my mother. Like all other mothers and wives in the world, I also believe I deliberately avoid her calls. So, when I called back, she scolded me first for not answering in time, then asked if I had eaten lunch. After that, she said she had sent a young man to meet me. I should somehow arrange a job for him. His family is known to us, and they’ve been insisting—he desperately needs a job, etc., etc.

As soon as I entered the office, my assistant informed me that the job-seeker was already waiting in my room. The candidate had apparently already conducted a mini-survey—how much salary I get, what perks I enjoy, what kind of car or house I have, etc. He also asked about my assistant's salary, hometown, and more. I usually take note of such behavior and form my impressions before I even meet the person, so my assistant warned me beforehand.

At the door of my room, I saw a young man, colorfully dressed, swinging his legs while sitting on the chair. He had placed his bag, file, and phone on my desk. As soon as I entered, he quickly stood up and greeted me. In a single breath, he introduced his family and described how long they’ve known my family. After his speech, I calmly asked him a few questions.

From his whole discussion, I gathered this: he had recently completed his university degree and was fully ready for a job. He needed a job urgently. So much so that he wished he had received the appointment letter yesterday. While talking, I noticed that although he hadn’t shed his regional dialect, he had learned some typical Dhaka slang with pride. Though I spoke in Bengali, he kept trying to impress me with broken English.

Eventually, I asked to see his CV. Right at the top, his email address caught my attention—some bizarre, dreamy name that had no link to his real name. A few questions based on the CV made it clear—it was a complete copy-paste job.

There was a guest terminal beside my room. I had him sit there and handed him a note with some questions. As far as I remember, they were:

• How would you introduce yourself in 10 sentences?

• What kind of job are you looking for? What qualifications do you think are required for that job? Which of those do you have, and which don’t you have? How many hours a day can you work in that role? What salary do you expect? Name 3 successful people in that role who know you and provide their contact information.

• List 5 qualities you are proud of.

• List 5 weaknesses you want to overcome.

• Name and describe two successful people you consider your role models.

• Given the job you’re seeking, where do you see yourself in 5 years?

I gave him two hours. I told him to email me the answers along with his CV and photo. Then, print them, attach them to a cover letter addressed to me, and submit them to my assistant. I also told him—he could copy from the internet if he wanted, but after submission, he’d have to sit with me and explain those answers. I asked my assistant to offer him tea/coffee and keep an eye on him while I attended other work.

Two hours later, I called him in. First, I checked the email. After some digging, I found it in the junk folder—he had sent the email without a subject or body text! Everything was attached. Even the email ID was something like “flowersandbirds”! The printed letter was equally poor.

It was pointless to discuss his email and cover letter. The summary of the output was this: he couldn’t introduce himself properly. He didn’t have the ability to express what he knew, either verbally or in writing. He didn’t even clearly know what job he wanted. He didn’t understand the qualifications required or how his own profile matched. He had no idea what kind of job or salary he deserved. The answer to everything was the same: “Whatever you think is best. If I get the job, I’ll learn everything. I really need this job.”

That day, I couldn’t give him a job. Instead, I gave him a list of basic things to learn. It would’ve taken at most three months. Sadly, he never followed that path. Instead, every month, she came back to request a job—sometimes persuading my mother, sometimes other relatives. He brought sweets, fruits from his home, and even fish from his pond. He certainly worked hard—but the result was two years of unemployment. And after those two years, his skills and his plea were still the same.

One day, I finally said to him:

“If only you had spent three months working on what I suggested, instead of wasting all this pointless effort, you’d have had a good job long ago.”