On Crappy People in Charge of Hiring

Wow that title is a tad bitter...

See, I never put much thought into the whole hiring proses beyond getting the job. It just never occurred to me that some people should never be allowed any ware near the hiring proses. Ever.

First thing first, if someone that you are interviewing with doesn't know the difference between a receptionist and a sales manager. Especially after you explain each time that no you are not a sales manager and they still try to convince you that no rally they are the same thing... you need to run and run very far away.

When it comes to job experiance and you know you don't have it say so. Because if you do get sold on a job that you feel or know you can't do, your screwed.

Yes I dealt with this and yes I did take the job. Guess what? they didn't spend any time training me nor did they want to. they wanted some one to start in another building that they didn't need to train. I had my warning flags and I ignored them. Even in my "exit interview" the person that hired me insisted that there was no difference between a receptionist and a sales manager. My only hope is that since an owner of the company was present at it (and completely miserable) I hope that they took a good look what that person did wrong and don't let them be in charge of hiring people.

I really, really can not tell you just how bitter I am about this whole thing. And beyond that, after seeing first hand how they run both the corporate and manufacturing sides I can never recommend or comment on them to people. I just don't feel comfortable about it.

However if anyone ever asks me if I think they should work there I will say no. And while I would love to ask who they are interviewing with I can't. I know that would put me in a bad position and I never want to deal with thous people or their company again.

So a short check list:
-  is a job/company/training solution sounds too good to be true.
- they tell you one amount for pay in the interview and tell you another in the offer.
- want you in another office building right away were no one else that would be training you works at.
- tell you that they "don't remember saying that" every time you talk to them about things from the interviews.
- they take 2 months for 3 interviews to narrow it to 2 people.
-the interviewer says "there is no difference between a receptionist and a sales manager".

Then the job is probably not the one you want to be with and you should run like hell. I wish I had run like hell and not taken that job. But it's done and over with. I feel so much better now that I have that out of my system.

The Trials of a Hiring Agency.

And they can certainly be a trial to work with if you find the wrong one.

I have worked through two in the past. The second one was a delight that landed me a full time job. The first was something else.

The closest office had bitter women working there. I had not known this when I started, people that I met on jobs even told me their own stories of that office. They had even gone so far as to flat out lied to me twice about a job.

A friend at a potential job told me that there were openings and that they only hired through this one company. This is how I originally started there. I signed up and then they told me after that the position had been filled. I was ok with that and they set me up with something else.

They would call me with little 2-3 day jobs or once a job that I didn't feel safe accepting. But they had something almost every time I spoke with them.

Skip to almost two years later and my friend again says that they are looking for people. At the time a temp job had just finished so I stopped by the office and asked. They said no flat out. I left but it felt fishy so I went back in. This time my mom followed me in (big no no!) and she insisted they call and check. this time I also said that my friend that works for the company just told me about it.

Their story? It's being filled from a different office. I asked which one and finally got them to call the office and it was set up. This royally pissed off the two women at my local office.

So, one year of bliss later that contract was up and I let my local office know. I call in every few days and they say they have nothing for me. Eventually they tell me that they will call me if something is available. A big change from what I was used to.

Almost eight months later I get a call from the local office. It was a new woman introducing herself. She helped me get a new position right away. Later that day I was telling a friend about it and asking him if he thought they had black listed me and his eyes lit up.

He had a story for me.

It seems that a week before as he was delivering the mail to their office, he came in to find all new people there. He schmoozed a little and found out that the main woman there had been upsetting everyone and had gotten fired. Apparently she made some kind of small scene as she left. Then he was told that the other woman that she worked with just got up and walked out on her job either that day or the following day.

Ouch.

I honestly feel bad for the two women. Now that is, back then I was thrilled that they got what they had coming to them. I was very bitter about my treatment then. Now I realize that there is potential for that to happen no matter were I go or who I talk to.

I know that recommendations are now one of the better ways to go when dealing with a temp or hiring agency. My dad recommended a woman to me a few months ago. I need to sit down and call her to see if she can help me. Hopefully it's not too late.

Eagerness Vs Desperation

Eagerness Vs Desperation in the search for a new job can be a little hard to tell apart. I find that while I sound desperate, I am really just eager. I have found that his can be a very tricky thing to explain to anyone.

At one point, just prior to the economy taking a dive) I had been desperate to find a new job while I had been working at an old one. I had been put in a very bad situation that ended with people burning bridges that I had hoped to keep intact after i turned in my two week notice. I had known that a particular person was doing everything they could to passively get me fired. while he did a very good job of it, one person did see this and support me. Their confirmation that 'this was actually happening' made me feel much better and she encouraged me to start looking.

I am positive that had I not gotten a new job that they would have fired me. From here-say and Linkedin I have found that two people involved are no linger at that company. Knowing that did and does not make me feel good. I have a sinking suspicion that the main manager did not get my letter talking about my two week notice. Even worse, he was a gentlemen that I loved working with. Now he has doughts about me and will never let me be hired back.

The job that I switched to? I took a pay cut, travel farther and they have stated that they think they are paying too much for my position. which is almost saying that I will never get a raise. Which I haven't.

But... It's stable.

It's very slow, and has been getting slower, for the business right now. which leaves me with far too much time to think on 'what if's' and other less happy things. There has even been talk of closing an office.

I know from listening that they go through people in my position like water through a siv. One fellow employee has actually asked me on more then one occasion why I was still here. I will admit, this is not the type of setup that I want to spend my life in.

I think that I will have to try a recruiting agency. I have worked with two employment agencies before. I am leery but I will try. With luck I will be able to meet with them after my shift is over.

So, while there is a darkness looming in the distance, I do have some hope.