So, lately I've been having these doubts. Doubts about work. Which is all at once the least and the most of my worries.
See, when I started at the recruiting agency, I was told that I wouldn't have to worry about Sales, 'cause we had our very own aggressive Sales team filled with super scary women who you wouldn't want to meet down an alley. Now, they were lovely to me, but they weren't trying to sell me anything. I'd hate to be the person who fell at their mercy, let me tell you. It must be hard to say no to women such as these.
But I digress. I was told I wouldn't have to worry about Sales. Whoopee! I said. I mean, I used to work at this shoe store, and I couldn't sell shoes to people who came in to get them, nevermind make people buy a service they weren't sure they needed in the first place.
Also, I've not really been making many placements. Things just don't seem to be clicking.
Then I pissed my boss off last week. I made a faux-pas, a minor one in a line of minor ones, and it finally hit me: This was not the job for me. I was grasping the complex stuff, could recite job orders off the top of my head, but I couldn't get the most basic thing: Placing people.
So I decided to have a talk with my boss. She and I made a promise ages ago to be very honest to eachother while we worked together.
Monday dawned, my boss came in in the afternoon and I just knew she wanted to have a talk. When the other girls left Monday evening she started.
"How bored are you here?" Now the thing is that I wasn't bored. I just knew there were things about the job that I couldn't grasp.
"I'm not bored, it's just -"
"This isn't the job for you?"
"This isn't the job for me."
"Can I help you? Have you seen anything you'd like?" So we had a long talk and she offered to find me something else, no problem. She also acted shocked when I asked if she'd be my reference. "Of course, I'll be your reference!"
She said I was perfect for many of the jobs we had available, but one in particular struck my fancy: Receptionist for the HO of (A Recording/Entertainment Company) Canada. She got right on the phone and called for me.
The woman in charge of the position, however, waited two days before calling me, and when she did stressed (Many times) in her phone message that it was urgent that I call her immediately, as they wanted someone to start this coming Monday. When I spoke with her, she put my resume through the ringer and asked all kinds of questions in a really abrasive way. I let her get away with it, though, 'cause, you know, I'd just left that job, I know what it's like, and I really wanted the reception position.
She told me that she'd forward my resume to the company and get back in touch with me with interview times. Since it was really early in the morning and I'm already in slacker mode, I told her I'd be stepping out (Here meaning "Sleeping") for about an hour and a half, but if she left me a message I'd call her right back. She was very shocked and affronted that I wouldn't be waiting by the phone for her call, but agreed that I could get on with my life while she worked with the company on my behalf.
When she finally called me back at about 4 pm, she let me know that they were keeping their old receptionist. Totally bummed me out! Especially since 1. My boss had told me that their current receptionist was all but retiring and 2. If the woman in charge of the position had called me Tuesday I could've wowed them with my experience, qualifications, attitude and general need for the job.
So, now I'm out of work with no potential prospects. Which sucks. It's not the interviewing or anything, that's easy. It's the actually securing interviews. And actually, I guess I do have prospects, but none I'm interested in. At least I have a crack team (My ex-boss) behind me.
It just seems like not so long ago that I was here at Square One. Everyone keep your fingers crossed for me...
(Dan - Looks like my unemployed ass won't be able to make it for your unbirthday party at The Royal York - I hope you understand ;)
