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!