(11-01-2009 10:29 AM)NKBurlington Wrote: [ -> ]Interviews are like dating. You lie and are on your best behaviour and hope that they like you enough to call you back for another interview or get the job. They lie, you lie, and in the end, after about six months of steady dating, everyone realizes that everyone else lied and you're stuck in another dead end job where you get no respect and that pays shit money.
That is so funny NKB, but sadly,
so true. I laughed out loud when I read that and am going to have to remember that (with credit to you of course!).
(11-01-2009 10:29 AM)NKBurlington Wrote: [ -> ]snip!
Anyway, ITA with you Eddy. One hundred percent.
Oh god tell me about it. I'll respond to some of your comments.
Yes I have been asked the tree question. I may be a writer and imaginative but there is no way in hell I could ever could up with a question as stupid at the what kind of tree question. I don't like the five year question because my mind doesn't operate that way but at least that is understandable. Give me a question that relates to the job and my ability to perform it and I'll answer the hell out of it. My best job interview was for H&R Block where the entire interview consisted of "how much experience do you have with taxes" and "do you have time to take a timed test on filling tax forms" because that was a real test.
I love the analogy to dating because I don't date simply because of that nonsense. It's just lying plain and simple.
Employment agencies are a mixed bag in my experience. If we're talking just temp agencies then the nationals (Kelly Services and Manpower come to mind) then they aren't bad in terms of just getting work but don't expect to ever get a permanent job because it's not in their interest. I can go and do clerical work and get paid 10/hr but they'll charge 15-17 for that same hour. Why would they want me to go off their payroll?
Headhunters on the other hand are useless. I may have related a story before about them. Basically I was looking for a helpdesk job and contacted a headhunter and was getting interviews for system administration jobs where I obviously was way underqualified. Turns out the guy got a commission for every interview so why not send me. Best part was he altered my resume showing that I was a CNE (Certified Novell Engineer) which is something Novell would sue. I had a legally actionable resume thanks to that assmunch. Lovely.
I hate jobhunting so much.
I have a hatred of headhunters and employment agencies. The reason being is IMO they openly promote discrimination-it's legalized discrimination. I've had employment through both, and even though I was doing the exact same work as employees of the company, I was getting paid less than employees, I had no benefits, no paid sick leave, no paid holidays and zero job security that employees were entitled to. They don't have to give temps notice of layoff. Being a temp means you can go to work in the morning and be out of a job by the afternoon. Forget about making any long term plans.
If I was running the country, I would outlaw temp work, temp agencies and headhunters. I think anyone who works for a company-no matter if it's seasonal or full time perm-should get the same pay and benefits as everyone else working there from day one. Companies wouldn't be as fast on the layoff trigger if they had to go through a lot of paperwork every time they hired a new worker or batch of workers. I would also make it law that any laid off worker would have first recall rights before the company can hire anyone else. Right now, only unionized workers have that right, while non union workers are SOL.
Thank you! I've said for years that temping is basically the modern form of indentured servitude. I'm chatty again as I usually am at this time of day.
Pay: It's a joke. You get less than market value from the agency. It's not even enough to survive yet alone live. There is no such thing as a raise or cost of living allowance. It's depressing to realize that I made more money in college fifteen years ago than I can today.
Sick days: Yeah right. If I get sick I have Hobson's Choice. I can either go to work, be under par, and not get better or I can take the day off to try and recover and lose a day's pay plus annoy the employer. What I really love is when a coworker who does have sick leave comes in and infects the office because they don't want to blow a day off for being sick. Thanks a lot!
Vacation days: As if! Even if I got them it's not like I can afford to go anywhere anyway.
Job security: HA! I've literally had assignments that ended the moment I showed up and not because I was incompetent but just because no one bothered to tell me. My favorite was showing up to work and having the security guard meet me at the door asking why I was there. I told him I was going to work. He got a funny look on his face and asked "Didn't they tell you? Everyone was laid off." Seriously, they didn't even have the courtesy to tell me I was laid off.
Benefits: I actually qualify for benefits through work (if they'd give me a damn assignment) but when you get 10/hr it's not exactly practical to pay 200 bucks a month for medical coverage when we're talking about a good 20% of your net income. They love to tout how they "offer" benefits even though you can't afford it. Even Walmart will give you a form that gets you on Medicaid so the agencies are slimier.
Advancement: You have got to be kidding me. People ask me what my "field" or "career" is and honestly I have no answer. I'm just flotsam drifting from crappy meaningless low paying job to crappy meaningless low paying job. When you temp, you've basically said my life sucks.
God this is depressing.
I got a letter in the mail on Friday saying that my employment has been terminated. I've been fired. (sort of)
A couple of years ago, when I was unemployed and between jobs, I lowered my standards and went to the headhunters/agencies looking for work. One of the temp agencies was able to get me a job for a few weeks to fill in for someone who was on sick leave. I did the slave labor for slave wages routine for 3-4 weeks and was let go when the employee returned. That's the last I heard from that agency-so I thought.
But then, they send me a letter that I just got saying: "Your employment with _____ will be terminated effective immediately." Damn. I had such career aspirations with them. LOL. The rest of the letter is typical employer BS that says nothing.
My first reaction was; I should call them up and inquire about a severence package. But then I remembered that they are a temp agency, and temps don't get severence. Damn #2. What a joke. Reason number 3875633 why I hate employment agencies.
Honestly, they probably did to get out of paying an unemployment compensation claim. If you live in a "right to work" state an employer can fire you for pretty much any or no reason. Literally, you can be fired for wearing a blue shirt when the boss hates blue shirts. I love American labor laws so much.
(11-01-2009 04:13 PM)beachbum Wrote: [ -> ] (11-01-2009 10:29 AM)NKBurlington Wrote: [ -> ]Interviews are like dating. You lie and are on your best behaviour and hope that they like you enough to call you back for another interview or get the job. They lie, you lie, and in the end, after about six months of steady dating, everyone realizes that everyone else lied and you're stuck in another dead end job where you get no respect and that pays shit money.
That is so funny NKB, but sadly, so true. I laughed out loud when I read that and am going to have to remember that (with credit to you of course!).
This is so, so true. Happens pretty much every time. At the interview they really want you to succeed and be happy in the job. Once you've been there for a while? Screw you.
(11-09-2009 10:41 AM)catsnotkids Wrote: [ -> ]This is so, so true. Happens pretty much every time. At the interview they really want you to succeed and be happy in the job. Once you've been there for a while? Screw you.
It's the whole idea of the devil you know as opposed to the one you don't. It's a lot easier to screw someone who is too afraid to leave a bad situation and employers sure as hell love to do this.