So I went to a job interview. I saw an ad on a site that seemed like a good fit for me. I answered ad and quickly got a response and a question about my salary. I sent that information in and then communication ceased. I assumed that my compensation was a deal-breaker. But lo and behold two weeks later my phone rang and it was the place and they wanted to meet with me. Cool.
So even though I'm off this week I clean myself up, throw on the suit and head to midtown. About three minutes into the interview he asks what I make. Uh oh, I think. Why is he asking something I already told him? I tell him. There is a silence followed by a "oooh." Turns out he didn't get the email and apparently I'm out of their price range. Had a nice talk anyway and who knows maybe down the road something else will emerge. What was I supposed to do, complain? Freak out? I rode it out.
And after that, I came home and got some good news. An important person will do one of my events. So, down one moment, up another. I'm still down on my job but for now at least I feel I have to start being of use in my job and stop complaining. It is not doing me any good. I have to throw myself into it. I can still look around and I should as September usually has more openings than August but in the meantime it's time to stop complaining and start producing.
But before I do that, one last rant. To best describe what the place I work is like, pretend it is a factory. The product we make has a shrinking customer base. Rather than step back and figure out what we need to do to make our product more popular or figure out if we need a new product so we can not only keep the customers we have left, but get new ones too, we instead keep producing more of the same product for our dwindling customer base. And since we are cranking out more product with the same size staff, the quality of the product starts to wane. So in other words, we have a product for shrinking audience and increased competition and our response is more product that isn't as good will solve the problem. Oh, and the other bad part of this strategy is that the people who pay us for for the product we make will stop paying us if we don't deliver the customers which means constantly looking for new people to pay for the product. I seem to recall hearing that you don't sell a guy one car, you sell him ten cars over fifty years.
OK, done. That's out of my system and now I'll just try to be a good widget maker!
3 comments:
The fact that the prospective job didn't pay in your range is an upbeat, indirect commentary on your current employer, postition, etc. Especially since you're being paid outside the price range of many to make unwanted products for nonexistent customers. More power to you.
Thanks...Otherwise known as wearing velvet handcuffs! But you are right. Of course, if you think my salary is out of whack, ought to see what the veepees are making! It isn't a non-profit for them, that's for sure.
Dear Widgetman,
Will your company be seeking to replace you? If so, I'd like to train for your position. I really need the money and am really sick of nursing. Can we work something out here? I am free on weekends.
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