This will be the world's longest long weekend

I need some reassurance right now. Sorry if this is long.

This is the situation. I got a job offer and I accepted it today. Under normal circumstances I would have run here and posted "yay yay yay I finally got a new job" BUT....

I fear there has been a horrible misunderstanding.

When I got called for the job interview last week, I was all excited. I knew that I had applied to like 15 or 20 jobs with this company (one of the big banks in canada) using their online career site. I applied to everything and anything that I could reasonably do, since I am getting desperate for a new job.

So, I came home after I arranged the interview, went online with the job title he gave me to find the posting, but I can't find it! All I can find is one for the same position, but it is bilingual. I am not bilingual. I can understand when people speak french to me, I can read it ok, but I cannot speak it.

The online career site didn't send me my login info, nor did it send me something via email telling me what I applied to. So now I am worried that I applied for a bilingual position!!

So, I did the interview yesterday morning anyway, they did not ask ANYTHING about my language skills, nor does it say ANYWHERE on my resume that I am bilingual.

I got a call this morning just after 9 AM with the job offer. I asked them to send me something in writing via email (offer, etc) but they said they do that by mail, so they are couriering me the offer letter plus a package of some sort. I already verbally accepted, but he said I can still decline in writing when I get the letter.

So, it is likely the package won't come tomorrow, probably not until tuesday or wednesday. I am TOO embarrased to call and ask if it was for a bilingual position, so I have to wait for the package to arrive which will have all the position details etc.

ACK!!

On top of all this, my (evil) manager is getting married in two weeks, so she will be away a week. There are only two of us in the department, so I have to stay at least until the friday of the week she is off. When I quit it is going to make her SOOOOO unhappy and stressed, and even though she is the :evil: I feel kinda bad. She is now only going to have one week to train someone new, instead of two (one week of my two weeks notice will be her week when she is getting married).

I wouldn't feel sorry for your soon to be ex boss.It's your life and you want to move forward right? Those things happens everyday (employees moving out) and if I was you,I would call tomorrow and simply ask if they expect you to speak french,you will feel wayyyyy better :thumbs up kind of like getting a band aid off,the faster,the better.

If the working knowledge of French was an important part of the job TRUST ME, they would have:

1. brought it up at the interview
2. had a short conversation in french with you.

There is NO WAY it would be overlooked.

No way.

I would ask asap if the requirements of this position require one to speak, read and write in French. It seems to me if that did not come up during the interview that your worries may be premature. Any time I interview people (as part of a team or as one person) for a position that requires bilingualism (which occurs often enough here), we interview that individual in both languages. And, govt positions and I know at least one bank (have a friend who is a VP for one of the big 5 if this includes one of them) that always asks applicants for bilingual posts to write a business letter based on a written question in French and they are also interviewed orally in the language.

A post I had been offered once in Ireland (a summer thing required one to have an understanding of Gaelic and I explained in my cover letter that my understanding was rudimentary (at that time it was) at best. The interviewers did talk to me in Gaelic and I did my best to respond. I did get the post - but they had been recruting and I supect certain govt positions in Ireland encourage the country's other official langauge.

So, I cannot imagine any business offering you a bilingual position without that requirement being a component of some kind, esp since you made it to the interview stage.

Also, I would not worry about your soon to be former supervisor. If it was someone I liked and respected, I would make other arrangements but where it sounds like she has ben less than respectful or professional, then I would not be concerned. (Unless this is a large company and you do not want to burn bridges - it is always best to be professional even if others are not. Plus, it shows class if you are concerned about your former employer's needs and that usually makes a favourable impression on your new employer. Unless of course there are circumstances - like the company has problems and is itself not well respected, is being investigated, etc, etc....

Good luck! (Or should I say Bonne Chance!!);)

I agree with catsnatcher. Don't worry, enjoy your weekend and CONGRATULATIONS!:thumbs up

Thanks guys, you have really reassured me. I just paniced because when I applied for the jobs, it was late and I was worried I may have checked off the wrong position by accident! Besides, what company would give you an interview in English for a bilingual position, when the resume says nothing about being bilingual, and no part of the interview was in french!

I am actually a little nervous about the job. It's a call centre technical support environment. I love doing tech support, IT work, etc but it's the call centre part I am nervous about. They warned me that there are a lot of rules to follow and strick timelines to solve problems.

I don't want to burn my bridges with my current company. Everyone has been great, just not my direct manager. She is a super controling freak with no people management skills. If I get the package on tuesday/wednesday, I can submit my resignation on wednesday or thursday, which will leave her with 6/7 days to train someone else to do my job and freak out about what she will do. Then I have 5 days without her! YAY! I know what will happen when I quit, she will probably come in and yell at me about how much this is going to cause problems, blah blah blah. In the last year since I started there, I have taken 1 day, 1 DAY ONLY, off, no vacations, no sick days. I come back the following day and she SCREAMED at me because she had to do some of my work. Umm...what did she expect? There are only two of us. Did she think that no one would call? Ask for results on a file? Something at all? Come on!! It was then that I realised I needed out ASAP.

To complicate it a little more, a co-worker's husband has recommended me for a position at his company, for which I have an interview on Tuesday. I will still go, since he went to a lot of trouble to get me the interview and it was already scheduled before I got this job offer. My worry is now, because this is a good friend, if I get this job as well, how will I choose?? Both of them have equally good pros and cons... He went to so much trouble to recommend me, I hope it doesn't make him look bad if they offer it to me and I turn it down!

Oh well, I'm going camping this weekend. I will bring a 24 of beer and just relax for the first time in a while!!

I agree with catsnatcher. They would have made you give them a sample of your oral French at the very least. Usually they ask you in French if you speak French and are comfortable with it...

And don't worry about choosing until you really have to. When you go for the other interview, you'll get a better feel for the job and the environment. If you do get this job and take it, you should probably call the other one and cancel before the interview.

There could be worse things than debating on which job to choose from. :)

Seriously, if you are offered the 2nd job- give them both due consideration and choose the one that best meets your needs and your skillset. The one you know will enjoy the most - we all have different criteria in selecting jobs so I cannot tell you whatto look for. You know what you want and like. If you do pick the other one, a good friend will understand your choice if you explain why.

Raingirl, when you decide, don't let the fact that one job was recommended from a friend. It's like sports betting: everyone wants to bet on the home team, but it may not always be the winning choice. This next job may very well end up being a great career so just choose the best one of the two and whatever feels good to you.

Oh yeah, I'm :fingerscr that the IT job won't be bilingual. Good luck!