Customer Service

A picture says a thousand words. Annoyed ones. Well done to my new TV company in getting yourself into my bad books quite a lot faster than my previous supplier did. Read up from the bottom.

 

 

Internet Dating: 2

So while we're in generally grumpy mood, let's carry on. 

I'm now three months into internet dating. I should have the next three months' charge deducted from my credit card in that time I think. As of right now, my profile has been viewed 1111 times by 309 different people. The number of people that that's manifested itself into dates: 6. Number of dates total: 8 (coffee 3, drinks 4, brunch 1 if you're that interested)l Now I haven't met any complete crazies yet, they've all been perfectly nice and civil and so on (they're Canadian, of course they're civil), but I don't really think I'm getting much of a return on my investment so far

Of the six people, only one (person number three) have I thought there and then "yes, she's really girlfriend material". And she liked me, I could tell. There was general flirting and backchat on a daily basis. And things went pretty well for three weeks but it's a long story to descibe the state of play right now (ex lurking in the distance is the short version).

There are a lot of things that I find odd, the fact that some people just disappear if you don't ask them out within two or three messages, there are people that don't put current photos of themselves up (three of the six people I've dated could be accused of this to some degree). That's not being honest with people straight off the bat. There are people who don't have any photos at all.

It's all just a bit...odd.

Impressions

The post below comes on the heels of the frankly ridiculous interview I had ten days ago at a company. To recap, they wanted a research team leader/lab manager. They wanted someone with a PhD (yay, that's me! They want a Ph.D!). I applied in early October, and got an email about three weeks ago asking me if I could come for an interview. I said I could, and then two weeks ago today the company's HR rang me up first thing in the morning, and asked me if I could chat for a bit whereupon I got a bit of a grilling on the phone. A bit sneaky to do that, but that was probably the point, to catch me off guard.

I go to the place ten days ago having done the usual research about the company, prepared answers for standard questions, hair cut, ironed shirt, clean shoes, etc etc etc. I spent $50 on a taxi to get there in good time rather than risk public transport. When I arrive there's noone there to greet me. Eventually, a harassed-looking woman comes out of the office whose name on the door is the same person that invited me for interview. She was still on the phone, and motions me to a room where I am parked at a desk and asked to fill out a variety of blank sheets of paper containing interview-type questions. Lots and lots and lots of them. Including most, if not all of the ones I answered on the phone. The spaces aren't big enough to write coherent answers. After an hour of this, sitting in a room talking to nobody, like I'm back in school writing my GCSEs or something, she comes back in to ask me a few questions about my resume and clarify a couple of points, that were - frankly - crystal clear to begin with. There was then a bit of talking at me in a heavy, stilted Romanian accent where I could barely understand her and she certainly couldn't understand my Yorkshire accent. At no time did she even look at the answers I wrote, or the transcript of the phone interview she brought in with here. Why even bother making me do them, then? There was then a two-and-a-quarter hour journey home on crowded, rush hour public transport.

First impressions work both ways. I might well have come across as bewildered and inarticulate on this particular occasion, but I think I had good reason to be. Because to be blunt, everything from beginning to end on that afternoon was amateurish and unprofessional on their part. Why spend the time and money to go there looking a million dollars and informed on their products, business and so on when I spend an hour sat in a room  not talking to anyone at all?

So from the post below, the Ph.D. got me in the door this time. But to a company that appeared, in footballing terminology, a fourth division outfit. If this is the best I'm going to get, interest wise, is it just better to pack this malarky in after however many years and do something else. Beginning to strongly suspect that's going to have to be the way. But to do what? That's the million dollar question.

Persistence

There's a scene in The Shawshank Redemption where the central character has been trying - and failing - to refurbish the prison library. He writes a letter a week to the state prison board, and eventually after a couple of years, a couple of lorry loads of books arrive. Persistence pays off. This came to mind today after I saw a sixth job advertised from a local chemical/drilling fluid company inside the calendar year that I could reasonably expect to apply for.

My cover letters to them have become ever more explicit that I'm perfectly willing and able to accept an entry level position to gain experience in the area. Coincidentally, today there was a talk given by a member of the chemical association of Alberta (or somesuch name) today, who also brought with him another person from said chemical company I've been banging my head against a wall with. I'd thought about going but got waylaid by something work wise. One of the students in the lab went to it and there was a bit of a chat about it afterwards. 

I joked "maybe I should have gone, asked him if there's any point me applying for a sixth time when they've seemingly ignored me five times already". Whereupon he remarked "yeah, he was saying that people with graduate degrees are viewed as something of a liability since they have to be retrained". So I think it fair to say I'm probably wasting my time again. Disheartening news.