Waiting

Since the time I became unemployed, I have discovered that I do not like the interview process. It isn't the actual interview, the anticipation or nervousness that comes or even all the time you put into researching the companies that you interview with. For me, it is the complete and utter disrespect and double standard that exists.

If you go to any interview/job help web site, you see that they all say to show up early, even to map the time and distance from where you will be coming from to the place that you will interview to check for possible detours, etc. However, what do they say to the interviewer?

Obviously nothing as the last 2 job interviews I have had, the interviewer has been at least 20 minutes late! 20!! Yeah, it is an employers market right now and employers feel that anyone who gets a job offer should be happy they are even getting an offer, but my word! My time is valuable too! If I wasn't here waiting for you, I could be out there looking for a job at a company that may actually appreciate my skills and talents and might make some money from the effort that I put in to making them more profitable!

The other day I was told that if they 'gave' me the job I was interviewing me for I would have to, and I quote, "work my butt off" for them. Let's think about that for a second. Don't most employees work hard, especially in these days of economic turmoil? I would venture a guess to say that some even work really hard while others do, in fact work their butts off for their employer. I would also venture a guess that those that literally work their butts off are most likely paid fairly for working their butts off. This company was not willing to pay me to work my butt off. And to be honest when they said that, I had little desire to continue to sell myself so I would get the job. Is that bad? I don't feel bad. In that moment, especially after waiting over 20 minutes for the interviewer to show up, I decided the company was not a match for me. I resisted the urge to walk out of the interview out of respect for a friend who works at that company and continued the interview. When they called me a few days later to tell me they decided to promote a current employee into the position, I sighed a breath of relief. They made it so I wouldn't have to tell my friend I didn't want to work for her company and didn't have to feel bad about declining a job in this 'tough economic climate.'

To employers out there, despite this tough economic time, there are a lot of awesome potential employees out there who are willing to work extremely hard for you. They are people who through no fault of their own are unemployed. Maybe their CEO made some bad decisions and the company has suffered. Maybe their goods and/or services are ones that other companies have to cut back on at this time, despite their efforts to keep their companies profitable, things sometimes just happen!

Don't treat them like you are being benevolent and 'giving' them a job and a paycheck. You aren't. You have a need for someone to do something for you. You must pay this person fairly for their efforts. You feel that your time is valuable. So do employees. If you take advantage and pay them less because you feel you can because the economy is bad, watch out! The second the economy is better and they find a better company or a better paying job, they will be out of your company and on to the better one and you will be out the money and time you put into training and have to spend more time and money in training the new person AND you will have to pay the next person more money!

Things I have said and done

I have been shocked and amazed over the years by a variety of things, and I have learned that despite my own best wishes and desires, I am not perfect. I say and do things that I shouldn't and actually make mistakes. I don't realize it in the moment, but fortunately am blessed with friends and family who help me learn from my mistakes. In fact, my grandfather had a gift. When I was young I didn't think of it as a gift, but when my family would visit him, he would observe you and by the end of the trip, he would tell each of us what we needed to do to become a better person. He would usually tell me I was selfish. I didn't really like it when he would tell me this and I would tell him as much. His response was that he loved me and he wanted the best for me and if he could point out these things then I could fix them and avoid struggling later in life. My grandpa was great. I absolutely love him and appreciate everything he ever did for me. I remember him saying that he wished he had someone to tell him how he could be better when he was younger. Despite him telling me my weaknesses, he also told me how great I am, and coming from him, it really meant a lot.

 Despite having someone fabulous telling me how to be better, I still did and still do things that make me cringe. When I was a kid and a new girl moved into my ward, I was so jealous that she had her ears pierced. I desperately wanted mine pierced, but the rule on my family was that you had to be at least 18. I was only 8 and couldn't imagine waiting till 18. When I approached my mom about getting it done(for the millionth time) I tried to structure the argument around the fact that this girl had pierced ears so my parents should let me! Well, it didn't work and in the end, my frustrated mom ended with 'if God would have wanted holes in your ears, he would have put them there!' So sadly one day I walked up to the girl (in a fit of jealousy) and used the same line. Poor girl had no idea why I was saying this to her or what she had done to receive such contempt from an almost stranger. Fortunately I got over it and she did too and we became friends.

I thought I had gotten over doing and saying ridiculous things till a couple of days ago I ran into someone that I haven't seen in years. In chatting she mentioned a friend of ours and how one time the other friend went running with us and not being a runner, couldn't keep her pace up to stay with us. Apparently instead of slowing our pace we just took off and left her!! I thought I had gotten over my selfish need to say or do whatever I felt like doing in the moment. Fortunately freshman year was a LONG time ago. Hopefully since I have become more aware of it, I will do better. Too bad gramps didn't also tell me that in addition to being selfish I need to watch what I say and do...but then again he was a man who told me exactly that he thought regardless of whether I asked for it or not.