How A Job Interview (That I Never Got) Changed My Life

I was on an airplane heading to Amsterdam with my wife, it's all getting too real. After months of conversations and interviews, I was finally going to Netflix's office for my final round of interviews. I was both excited and terrified. I was excited to be considered in one of the worlds fastest growing companies and to reach this far in the process. I was terrified that this would all become a reality soon and that I would uproot myself from Dubai to live in a city I was so unfamiliar with. The bottom line was, I loved this opportunity and I was all for it.

In preparation for this final round, I studied and I studied hard. Netflix asks every candidate to go through their 'culture deck' prior to coming in. I went over that deck multiple times, in many instances it can scare so many people away due to its brutal honesty, but in other times it puts a fire under your ass because of the mere prospect of working with a world-class dream team. In a nutshell, Netflix wants to win and only wants people who will push it towards that journey.

On my plane ride to Amsterdam on that December morning, I prepared a one-pager that entails my strategic vision for the role I was interviewing for, I prepared talking points for all the major milestones of my career, and I scoured the internet for all or any questions I may get asked. I was confident. 'You Got This' my wife kept saying next to me, and I totally believed it.

I walked into the Netflix the next day, and I was a little starstruck. I could not believe I was in Amsterdam, in Netflix's office. me! Basel! this stuff never happens to me! I signed-in and waited in the lobby until I was escorted into a meeting room at 10 am on the dot. I was briefed on the process and my first interviewer walked in. We talked about Social Media, branding and creative ideas. His time was up after 30 mins and in walked another interviewer. This continued for a few hours with 5 different people. We talked about PR, data, projects and we even talked about our favourite shows. It felt like a marathon, but I felt better every time I finished a round. Like Floyd Mayweather emerging victorious with each bell (meanwhile my wife was discovering Amsterdam and sending me cheer messages on WhastApp throughout the day).

We wrapped up the process around 4PM, and I was exhausted from all the talking & mental gymnastics. I rushed out, took an Uber to where my wife was and told her ALL about it. We were both so excited and started preparing ourselves that, maybe, just maybe, we may actually be moving to Amsterdam soon.

We both flew back to Dubai, day dreaming about 2019 and what it would bring with it. In early January, as the Christmas season had ended and the new year rolled in, my wife and I flew to South Africa for a wedding. I was anxious that Netflix hadn't gotten back to me yet. "How could it be, I really kicked ass in those interviews" I thought to myself. Suddenly, I got an email from the HR rep asking for a call, I told my friends "on Monday, 10 am, I got a call with Netflix so I might be out of commission for about 30 mins". Sure enough, the day came and on that call were the much dreaded "We will not be moving forward with this" phrase that no excited candidate wants to hear. But hey, you got to put your brave face on and exchange those pleasantries. Their reasoning was understandable - more to do with team structure & language requirements than anything else - but nevertheless, I was crushed. A few minutes in and I shut off the phone, that was it. The whole 6 months of conversations and what-if's has come to an end. I sat in the garden of the hotel for a bit, taking it all in. Trying to think about what I would tell Dana, my wife. I went up to her and told her "we didn't get it" and then she said "It's ok, it's probably for the best and this wasn't meant to be". Comforting words for that moment but I couldn't shake it off for a while. I am someone who searches for meaning in any major event that happens to me, and I couldn't let this go.

Freedom And Responsibility

At the airport in Cape Town, as we prepared to fly back to Dubai, I brought a small yellow note book. In that notebook I wrote a note to myself "Remember why you got this book, you wanted something and you did not get it, now you need to build something of your own". I learned so much by just getting interviewed at Netflix that I wanted to build on this momentum that I felt. "Freedom and Responsibility" was a phrase that kept coming up in the culture deck that I thought, "this was the key takeout from this entire process". Freedom and Responsibility. A really powerful phrase when you really mull over it.

I returned to my job and the first thing I did was go to my bosses and ask them to give me honest feedback on my performance. This was, afterall, one of the core tenants of Netflix's culture, and I was determined to live by it. I made the rounds. Not only did I reach out to the seniors but also the markets that report into my role: "How can I be better? I need to hear from you". I made sure that whatever feedback I got, I acted on in order to become much better at what I do.

Second thing I wanted to do was become better at giving feedback. The nature of my role at Red Bull required me to give continuous feedback in order to build the best content plans we can build. But often we get mired in un-actionable feedback that leaves everyone confused, so I sharpened those skills and made sure whatever I said had an action point backing it up.

But most importantly. Freedom and Responsibility. Over the course of the year, I would strive to empower everyone around me, and empower my self aswell, to think independently and think about how to make a real impact. This would help me hone in on the skills of the countries I work with, talk about how to sharpen these skills and get the team to take on strategic thinking and development independently without much interference. It also taught me to take matters into my own hand and just move-on with projects that I want to build. 'Freedom and Responsibility' taught me to become a problem solver without having to always go back to the chain of command. Short on budget? we'll find a partner that we can do this with. Obstacle with a talent? we'll find someone else who can do it. I took on the freedom to seek solutions, and the responsibility to deliver on the promises. It was a refreshing way to work, and liberating to say the least.

Foundation For Evolution

With all that being said, 2019 turned out to be a great year. Professionally I took it upon myself to grow from all the lessons I learned from my Netflix saga. More importantly, I was blessed with my first son, Zayn. Having a child changes ones perspective on what is actually important in this world - where would I be spending my time the most and how do I want to spend it. The phrase of 'Freedom and Responsibility' still totally applies here. I wanted the freedom to see my son and to ensure his financial freedom in the future, and I wanted the responsibility to build that future.

In March 2020, the much-derided lockdowns happened and the world would substantially change. WFH became a thing that we all gotten used to. The lockdown period was the ultimate test for the theory of 'Freedom and responsibility' and I took this to heart. During the lockdown period, my job demanded of me to be a problem solver, so in the midst of a stiff lockdown we came up with many content ideas that saw the growth of our overall network. Many of these ideas demanded out of the box thinking and call-in of favors. One thing the lockdown did though, was to also get me to be responsible for building my own podcast network. This takes me back to the yellow book I mentioned earlier. "Build something of your own". With that, I went with full force to build multiple podcast shows and and try working with people who shared those values. Freedom to create, responsibility to deliver.

This resulted in the release of a slate of podcast shows and the creation of a network. I was driven by my passion for storytelling and wanting to build meaningful media connections - exactly what I thought Netflix could have provided me. I was driven by my son and how he would view me when he grows up. I was driven by being free to own my time and responsible of my own fate.

This freedom and responsibility led me to take the very tough decision to leave the best company in the world, Red Bull. As much as I loved working for this amazing company, I had to take a bet on myself. My goal is to build a strong, sustainable and scalanle media company. This is why I took the step to lead the Motorsport Network in the Middle East. A media company focused on the motoring vertical.

As I sit here and reflect on the past two years, I would have loved to work for a company like Netflix, but if you ever had the same opportunity and it did not materialize, just remember that sometimes you have to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and build on the opportunity you just had and make it work for you. Life is too short to worry about what's been missed, it's time to focus on what's infront of us.