bo-ring

I had a temp job yesterday that lasted five hours, as a "working interview".

Thank God for small miracles that the shift only lasted five hours. This job was so boring and tedious it was almost funny.

Almost.

The staffing agency woman told me to get there at 8:45 to start at 9:00. Since the job was local, there was no real commute in order to get there on time. So far so good, right?

I ended up sitting in the conference room for an hour or so all by myself, with no watch on or clock in the room to help pass the time. Everyone else, it seemed, was told to come in for 10:00. Good thing for me I brought a book to read, just in case. I'm always prepared that way. If I hadn't brought something, I would have walked out. Maybe I should have.

I was in a training class with about nine other people for about an hour or so learning the ins and outs of data entry for this particular company. Then we went out onto the floor where there was about 25 other people busily typing away.

I got put on a project where I entered basically the same information over and over again, excepting some date changes. Now I realize that data-entry, in and of itself, is not an exciting job - but this was just pure idiotic. They even said we could bring in a walkman/ipod/portable music device to help pass the time but even that wouldn't have helped much.

I actually worked for three hours typing in stuff and absolutely can not see how people can do this job for eight hours a day, five days a week. I picture this job being the kind that would lend itself to some frustrated current or former employee walking out of the elevator and blowing everyone away with an Uzi or something.

Scary that that imagery would even enter my mind.... but it did.

Yikes.

Once I got out of there I called the woman at the staffing agency and politely told her that I would not be going back for a second, full day of boredom and that my time, mind and talents can be better spent in other pursuits.

slippery little suckers

Easy come, easy go, I guess.

I'm referring to jobs, that is. Specifically my jobs.

Once again a temporary assignmet I had this week ended prematurely. Unlike a temp job that I had earlier this summer which lasted one day, this one lasted two days, so I'm making progress....

Truth be told, while I was enjoying the training at this job, the hour plus commute and the gas used wasn't doing anything for me. So I really didn't see that position as a long term fit, even though I liked the job that I would have been doing.

I am glad that the temp agency called me this morning before I left, because if I had made the commute there and then had to waste another hour driving back, I would not have been a happy camper. Not at all.

I do need to look at the bright side here though but am having trouble getting my hands on it.

If adversity makes one stronger, before I know it, I'll be Superman! Look out Lex Luthor...

Now you have it, now you don't

As you know, I've been out of work for quite some time and have been working with several employment agencies who are out there looking for opportunities for me.

Yesterday I had a phone interview that was set up through one of these staffing agencies with a software company here in town. The interview took place at 16:30 and lasted for approximately half an hour. When the interview was finished, I was asked to call my contact back at the agency to let her know how I thought the interview went and thus let her know if the job was something that appealed to me so she could relay my interest.

Being mightily short on cash, I told her that the job did interest me and maxing $x per hour, while not as much as I need, was better than making nothing at all. She told me that, since it was late in the day, she didn't expect to get any feedback back from the company until sometime on Wednesday.

Quarter to six, the phone rings and it's the woman from the staffing agency. She excitedly asks me what I'm doing at 09:00 on Wednesday. I reply quickly that I hadn't planned on doing anything (anything productive, that is). She then tells me that I'll be working at my new job!! Congrats follow and she then proceeds to lay out the details: what time to get there, what the dress code is, etc. and that she'll meet me there in the morning because there are a few pieces of paperwork that I need to fill out (hello W-4) again.

Obviously, I'm real excited to get back to work and I happily relay the story to every member of my family.

Today I get there fifteen minutes early (a robust 15 minute non-highway commute with traffic) and am told by the receptionist to have a seat in the lobby lounge. Right at nine the staffing people come and I fill out the necessary forms. The manager lady I spoke with last night comes down to escort me, with visitor badge/door key in hand up to the third floor.

The day goes by uneventfully and I perform the tasks required of me, being shown what to do and how to do it by another woman I'd be working with. The job is not rocket science and I pick it up quickly. During the course of the morning, the IT guy sets me up with a computer, email, etc. The whole shebang.

Aside from asking appropriate questions when necessary to do the work, I say little. The only things I asked were what time lunch was, how long it lasts and what time is the workday done? All important questions and necessary for me to know. At 16:00 when I was allowed to leave, I turned in my visitor badge to the manager lady, figuring they'd have a permanent one for me in the morning, said good night - see you tomorrow, yada, yada, yada and headed for the elevator with my lunch bag and book bag in hand.

After a grueling 20 minute commute (with more traffic than in the morning) I get back home. Half an hour later the phone rings and it's the staffing lady. She's calling, not to ask me how the day went, but to tell me that the company decided that I would not be a good fit for them long-term and thanked me for my time.

I asked staffing lady what the reasons were for my abrupt dismissal and the only reason I got (that she was given) was that I was not whom they were looking for. I inquired with her again later, pressing for a better answer. None was provided.

Now, I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed sometimes, but I can't figure out why or how a company would be so gung-ho about me on Tuesday afternoon and decide on Wednesday, after one day's work that I'm not a good fit?

How does that work, exactly?

So it's back to the drawing board for me.

Good thing I have another interview scheduled for Tuesday morning. An interview with a company that, while a bit farther away, holds much more promise than this one day experience did.

Truth be told, I couldn't really see myself as a long term fit at that position with the software company anyway. However I kept that thought a-rattlin' around in my head. I figured that I'd be able to finish out the week before any judgment was rendered on my "fit."

Stuff happens for a reason, this I know.

It doesn't make it any less frustrating though.

This also bothers me, in general about "workplace etiquette": Why is it that courtesy calls for an employee to give notice, usually two weeks, before leaving a job, to not leave them hanging. But they can say to an employee, with no notice, that they're firing you? Don't let the door hit you on the way out type stuff. How does that not inconvenience me and leave me hanging? Who in the heck invented that rule? Can someone give me a logical explanation that makes sense?

That is why, generally at the jobs I've had, I don't give notice. Why should I be loyal to a company who won't show me the same courtesy in return?

It would be one thing if your boss came up to you and said, "Hey, we're going to fire your butt in two weeks, so you better start looking for another job."

If that happened then I can see giving notice.

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Happy 63rd Birthday, Dad.

Measure progress in small amounts

I got a call yesterday from yet another staffing agency who saw my resume on line and wanted to set up a meeting with me for today, which we did. The office from which the recruiter called me was located in downtown Boston, though their corporate headquarters is in a town outside the city. So into downtown Boston I went this morning. Clearly it was a better experience this time, based on the fact that the last time I had to venture into the Hub of the Universe it was February, which meant windy and cold (9 degres Farenheit).

I can use the subway in Boston well enough, but once on the surface in a downtown area with traffic and skyscrapers and unmarked streets, we're talking a recipe for my getting lost. I only had minor problems in that regard this morning. Stuck in traffic on my way in I thought I'd be late for my appointment, but I was actually 15 minutes early. Good thing I had some reading material available while waiting.

While I was in my meeting, my cell phone vibrated and beeped, letting me know that I missed a call and had a new voice mail. Turns out the call was from the woman I met with at interview #3 on Wednesday. She wanted to talk to me to set up a second interview for next week with the hiring manager and the team lead for that department. Said meeting will take place next Friday at 14:00.

So while I haven't yet secured a job, prospects are beginning to look up. We'll measure the progress in small amounts and hope for the best.

Quote of the Day (because I feel like adding one...): "It's a recession when your neighbor loses his job; it's a depression when you lose yours." -Harry S. Truman

Three more interviews

I managed to have three job interviews today, though only one was actually scheduled.

The first one (scheduled) was for a sales job and is a paid-on-commission only position. That probably won't work for the short term for me because cash flow is extremely limited and I need to make money now. And I'm not really confident in my abilities as a salesperson. I lack the in-person schmooziness that all obnoxious but effective salespeople have. Suffice it to say that, while the money would be great, I'm probably going to disregard this, even if they want to hire me. There's really only one sales job I'd bet I could do. Again though, I'm not sure I'm cut out for sales.

The second interview was with yet another staffing agency whose name I found while searching through a job posting website. I had emailed my resume in response to the posting but had the email sent back to me as undeliverable. Their office happened to be right up the street from interview #1, so I figured I had nothing to lose by going in and attempting to talk to someone.

Interview #3 was indirectly on my way home and was based on an ad they had placed on another one of the employment sites I've been checking. The person in question had emailed me back in response to my inquiry and I had sent her two return emails and placed a call to her office phone with no response. The person I went to see there did squeeze me in for about 15 minutes, which was good, since I came unannounced and she was not really prepared for me. The good part about this job would be that it's a direct hire position and I'd be eligible for benefits from day one. That would be a plus for me.

I'll reserve judgment on how I did at #2 or #3 and wait to see if any offers are thrown my direction. So I'll just keep plugging away looking for other jobs in the mean time.

I wish last week's interview had turned out better. Still don't know what I did to blow it...

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Dice-K pitches again tonight for the Red Sox at Toronto. I hope his recent short spans of wildness will cease tonight. Still, my Sox are doing extremely well so far and I hope it continues tonight. The game starts at 19:07. Red Sox won 9-3.

No good news on the job front

The AP is reporting today on the latest unemployment rate and other key economic indicators. The overall job market does not look good due in part to a sluggish economy. (Thanks, W!!!!)

In other news, according to the temp agency that facilitated the interview I had on Wednesday, the interviewing company has apparently decided not to offer me a position. I'm still trying to get feedback from the employer through the temp agency on their reasoning, so I can improve on the next interview I have, whenever that might be.

Quite frankly I'm very surprised that I was not offered a position. I think I gave a good showing of myself during the interview and felt confident that I could do the job well, if given the opportunity. Also quite surprising considering the urgency with which the interviewer came across as wanting to fill several similar positions quickly to handle the ever increasing workload of an expanding company.

There is a job out there for me somewhere that will allow me to get the cash flow going in the right direction again. It seems that I must continue to explore the possibilities and feasibility of self-employment...

Job Interview today

I've got a job interview today that looks promising. It's the first one I've had in quite a while, so I'm a wee-bit nervous. I'll provide more details as I'm able.

14:16 PM update: Well, the job interview went well from my perspective. It's a position that my previous work experience has made me well suited for. I got the interview through a temp agency and the interviewer left me with the impression that while they are looking for temps right now, these positions could full well become permanent hires due to a merger this month and the need for more people to get a handle o the additional work load. As most people seem to be in her position, she's the only person doing the job and seems overwhelmed by the amount of work on her plate. Now it's up to them to decide if they want to hire me or not. I think I'd do well at this job.... but then I'm biased towards myself - as I should be.