December 3, 2009
Today, my CED manager took me and four other volunteers to Baku. The purpose of this 2nd visit to the capital is to see the bank which I will be working for the next two years. I was a bit nervous because I would be meeting my counter party and he is the Vice Chairman of the bank. He is the person I will be
dealing with and reporting to. I put on my best outfit (still with some wrinkles due to the traveling) and prepared some good questions the night before. I want him to like me, to be impressed by me and most of all, to have confident in me.
We arrived at the “Wall Street” area of Baku, the place remained me the 5th avenue of New York. As soon as we sat in the conference room, I felt like at AXA’s (the form company I worked for) “football” conference room again. After all, I had spent many days in the United States, having similar meeting in a big conference room like this one. I have to admit, I am comfortable with the corporate setting; even I hated that environment, especially the last three years working for QBE (the last company I worked for in the Wall Street area)
After a brief introduction of the current banking system in Azerbaijan, the Vice Chairman waited for our questions. During his presentation, I made lots of eyes contacts with him, trying my best to absorb the data and making notes on some interesting areas where I should raise my questions on. His presentation gave us lots of information about the current economy of Azerbaijan and especially how the bank operates in Azerbaijan. When he finished, I know I should not miss the opportunity to impress him so, I asked the first question, then the second, then the third and more…
Unlike my Peace Corp teammates, I was prepared. My questions mainly focused
on his presentation but added a few inquires about my future responsibilities with them. I think he was pleased with my questions and I did get a few envious looks from my teammates. After all, 22 years working for some of the biggest international companies in the United States, I have built my confident. By the end of the meeting, I felt like I have scored on my 1st interview and just waited for the 2nd invitation to come. I left the office with a big smile, then all the sudden I remembered, HELLO! I am just a volunteer! What the head am I thinking! I do not need to impress this guy, he cannot fire me nor can he not to hire me! But, anyhow, I am still impressed with myself
Today, my CED manager took me and four other volunteers to Baku. The purpose of this 2nd visit to the capital is to see the bank which I will be working for the next two years. I was a bit nervous because I would be meeting my counter party and he is the Vice Chairman of the bank. He is the person I will be
dealing with and reporting to. I put on my best outfit (still with some wrinkles due to the traveling) and prepared some good questions the night before. I want him to like me, to be impressed by me and most of all, to have confident in me.We arrived at the “Wall Street” area of Baku, the place remained me the 5th avenue of New York. As soon as we sat in the conference room, I felt like at AXA’s (the form company I worked for) “football” conference room again. After all, I had spent many days in the United States, having similar meeting in a big conference room like this one. I have to admit, I am comfortable with the corporate setting; even I hated that environment, especially the last three years working for QBE (the last company I worked for in the Wall Street area)
After a brief introduction of the current banking system in Azerbaijan, the Vice Chairman waited for our questions. During his presentation, I made lots of eyes contacts with him, trying my best to absorb the data and making notes on some interesting areas where I should raise my questions on. His presentation gave us lots of information about the current economy of Azerbaijan and especially how the bank operates in Azerbaijan. When he finished, I know I should not miss the opportunity to impress him so, I asked the first question, then the second, then the third and more…
Unlike my Peace Corp teammates, I was prepared. My questions mainly focused
on his presentation but added a few inquires about my future responsibilities with them. I think he was pleased with my questions and I did get a few envious looks from my teammates. After all, 22 years working for some of the biggest international companies in the United States, I have built my confident. By the end of the meeting, I felt like I have scored on my 1st interview and just waited for the 2nd invitation to come. I left the office with a big smile, then all the sudden I remembered, HELLO! I am just a volunteer! What the head am I thinking! I do not need to impress this guy, he cannot fire me nor can he not to hire me! But, anyhow, I am still impressed with myself 
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