To summarize: I applied for an Assistant Ideal Services Manager position at, we’ll say Hotel 101, back in July. I spent almost two hours filling out the paperwork, signing every release imaginable. Then, I went for an interview and met with 5 different managers - including GM. Two months later (!) got called back to meet with another manager, Food & Beverage Mgr. I've been doing this kind of work since I was 15, so I'm familiar with how all this goes. I wrote the thank-you cards (to EACH one, individually), followed up with supporting documents, resume addendum, phone calls and other inquiries --as requested. There finally came a point where, for the first time ever, I felt embarrassed to actually ask again the status of the position, as it had been so long and I had followed up so many times.
So, today, you can see the final response below (perhaps to better understand, read below first). I understand that a hotel is in the business of providing services to guests and being hospitable, not in hiring people. But courtesy is pretty important to me and the lack of (in my view) coupled with a few other red flags I won't go into led me to decide (yesterday) that I wouldn't take the job had it been offered to me anyway.
But I can't help but to wonder... I sure wish I knew what it is - in my old age - that's not cuttin' it. Used to be, there was NEVER an interview, deal or fill-in-the-blank I couldn't score. Now, I find myself sitting across the table from blank stares (lack of sleep? zoning-out? husband/wife problems? financial woes? Xanax?!) , leaving people --what SEEMS to be -- more baffled than before I met them.
I've tried every other LOGICAL and RATIONAL approach, but none seems to answer or even lend itself to explaining the phenomenon. So, I'm left, for now, to wonder if there is something about my energy aura or my DNA frequency that isn't meshing well with professional public.
Maybe the cosmic juices in my fifth house of the rising Aries on the third quarter of the waxing moon just, well...
I know PART (perhaps a big part) of the reason I get the nails-down-a-chalkboard reaction when dealing with professionals is that I see through bullshit. I have a degree in political science and work on elections and campaigns -- I do bullshit for a living. I can see it, smell it, produce it (quite well when necessary, too, I might add) and, worse of all for "them", I can spot it a mile (or kilometer, just to be culturally sensitive) away. I'm not saying that everyone's a bullshitter, but the world DOES run -- in large part -- on bullshit. "Can I help you with anything today, sir?" Bullshit. "Your call is very important to us, please stay on the line.." Bullshit. "Just $29.99 a month! Read the bullshit fine print. "Elect Meeeee & I'll get you outta Iraq, Gitmo, lower unemployment, fix financial chaos and bring healthcare reform" Got a dumptruck? "Forgive me father, for I have sinned...ask and ye shall receive...why are things so miserable if.." Eternal bullshit. Swine flu, "terrorism", G-20, Green Job hype, Global Warming (Climate Change?!), fashion, oil/gas/petrol, babies killed by stray bullets while sleeping on couch, "justice" system, jails, cigarettes, extra large coffee (aka Venti or Grande Supremo), illegal drugs, red tape, bureaucrats, bombs, landmines, crumbling bridges and roads, planned obsolescence, treatment of veterans, poor people, hunger -- wait, stop RIGHT NOW and take a look around you...see all the "stuff"...now think, THERE ARE PEOPLE, A LOT OF FUCKING PEOPLE, STARVING TO DEATH AS I TYPE, HUNGRY FUCKING PEOPLE...people DYING from lack of food while others die because there's too much of it - whew, taxes, patents, lawsuits, tanning beds, pharmaceutical commercials, Miss Cleo, The Fed, Republican, Democrat, charging a fee to pay your bill over the phone, buses that come late..or not at all, parking tickets, paying for stuff that should be free (water, walks on beach and other things readily available in nature) and, FINALLY...male bovine excrement, all BULLSHIT.
My point? Maybe, JUST MAYBE...the system at least operates -- however poorly, unequally and inefficiently -- and that's what matters. Changing it would, well, require change. Expensive change. Uncomfortable change. Disruptive change. Much of the change that I would support would be fairer practices, equaler (never mind Webster, for effect) treatment of people and MOST OF ALL = efficiency. Things, as I see them, today are fucked up. At least if we're gonna have to so much "stuff," have it make sense * (for just one example, see below) ! Here, again, is where I get bucked by "the system." Having some stuff run inefficiently, it's argued, creates or preserves jobs - jobs thought to be unnecessary** given today's technology.
How about "the system" preserves, maintains and perpetuates the current wealth/power/political system?! Do oil companies own alternative energy patents and are hindering alternative or even FREE energy? Electric cars?! Do telecommunications giants own phone, bandwidth and wireless patents? Do drug companies own life-saving technology that would either cure or allow folk to get OFF the drugs they make money on? Is the proposed “healthcare reform” bill a Pharma-Government Complex, much like the military-industrial complex? If you were a baker, would you hold classes to teach everyone to bake? If you were a mechanic, would you show someone how to pull out the dipstick (i know, i know..) from under the hood of their car or charge them $59.99 for a "service checkup cause you have a mortgage payment to make"?
I guess that's why I'm not a businessperson or have a lot of money. My way of life and of doing things would cause an awfully big raucous to "the powers that be" - from the Fed Chairman to your local baker to that fucked-up meter maid who started writing my ticket as I was 15 feet from my car then said she HAD TO finish because she started and the tickets are in chronological order and every one needs to be accounted for. So I guess it's no wonder then why I find myself and my views not fitting in with those of the rich, powerful, big-wigs, "shot-callers", ticket writers or other charlatans.
Until then, I'll continue to keep one hand in bullshit and use the other to wipe it off (better go man-hug than hand-shake next time you greet me then). And I'll keep using cliche's like if you can't beat 'em, join 'em and keep your friends close and your enemies closer when people ask me why I do what I do, although what I really want to do is launch into the aforeasserted (I did indeed mention, but asserted more, hence my new word).
By the way, I'm happy doing work at my non-profit, campaigning on weekends and serving up Chinese food...just won't get a lot of money doing it.
On that note, have a great day everyone!
Always,
-Scott
* (example from above): think of cell phones that break and/or lose signals in "dead zones," but we just recently lost contact with a rocket/explorer almost 8 BILLION miles away, so NASA claims. Okay, maybe one more for effect: why not make the WHOLE PLANE out of the stuff they make the black box from? Oh come on, you’ve heard that one before!
** (from above) Wanna know the world's MOST UNNECESSARY JOB?! Casualty Assistance Calls Officer - That guy who is sent to soldier's wife/family & delivers the news that destroys (yet more) lives. Dead soldiers are unnecessary.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Mr. Hiring Man
Date: Tue, Oct 6, 2009 at 8:37 AM
Subject: RE: Hotel 101 Update
To: David Scott Greer
Good Morning David,
Yes, we went with another candidate. Good luck with everything and I will keep your resume for future opportunities.
Mr. Hiring Man
________________________________________
From: dscottgreer@gmail.com [mailto:dscottgreer@gmail.com] On Behalf Of David Scott Greer
Sent: Monday, October 05, 2009 10:01 AM
To: Mr. Hiring Man
Subject: Re: Hotel 101
Good Morning, Mr. Hiring Man -
Has a decision been made yet?
Thanks,
-David "Scott" Greer
484-702-2111
On Fri, Sep 18, 2009 at 2:26 PM, Mr. Hiring Man> wrote:
Hi David
I just wanted to let you know that we will be making our decision the week of September 28th regarding the Asst. Ideal Service Manager position.
I do apologize for the longer than normal process, however we are extremely busy with G-20 summit preparations.
Please let me know if you have any questions or if you have found another position. Thank you.
Mr. Hiring Man
Human Resources Manager
Hotel 101
I am sorry to hear that you did not get this job, but do you really want to work for a company that DOES treat you this way. I know that we have talked about this before, but getting a job and staying with a job is all about playing a game. You are certainly right for everything that you said in this posting and a alot of people don't see it this way, or they do and don't change any bit of it. Everyday I go to work and encounter bullshit all day. Meetings that last for two hours and nothing gets done. If I need something simple like a print out, I have to go from person to person to get it, taking hours from my time to actually get something done, when in fact it could be done in two seconds. It is all a BIG game. Everything is a game, from work, credit cards, purchasing a house/car to paying your taxes and even buying groceries. It is your choice to either play the game or to not. It sucks that it is this way, but this what people in the world, or for in the U.S. , has made it out to be. Just look at the credit system. IT SUCKS!!! It's a game that is set up for you to fail. Another question that I need to ask is that if you hate all of the bullshit and want to play the game, then why did you get a degree in political science?? It's all bullshit that area and you have to play the game in that field to succeed. I have to sometimes play the game, and it sucks, to hopefully get to a position where I can change it. I really do feel for you and someone really needs to give you a chance because you are a really intelligent, caring and honest person. Most people aren't. You are dead on the money about this stuff, but people and companies will act in their certain ways to only benefit them. We are a selfish, selfish world and it relaly does suck. I have a lot more to say, but I will talk to you in person about it.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you on the world running on bullshit. Prior to becoming a stay-at-home mom I was the Director of Marketing at the Cape Cod Mall, Burlington Mall and Arsenal Mall for Simon Properyt Group in MA. I loathe going to malls now... very unheard of for any woman to think that way! I learned so much of how we manipulate the average folks way of thinking in order to get them to consume, consume, consume. The best lesson I learned from my position was realizing that as a parent my children will watch next to minimal TV and listen to NO commericals, whether they be on the radio or TV. My girls only watch Andre Rieu specials or something of that nature. I truly believe this is one of the reasons why my oldest daughter's Christmas list is so minimal. She doesn't watch TV to say "Mommy I want this." from seeing it on the TV. I wrote something on my blog about that about a week ago "To watch TV or not to watch TV."
ReplyDeleteThe other corporate job that turned my stomach was at MBNA. After college I got into their prestigous Management Development program. As part of the job I had to go through the major departments and do the job of the lowest level positions. During the Christmas season I was in customer assistance, making telephone calls to people past due on their bills. I actually had to call people on Christmas Eve and tell them that they owed MBNA money and needed to pay up. Talk about awful! Can you imagine??
Anyway, I am ranting. It is just refreshing to read that there are others like myself out there that see the bullshit and are sick of it.
My husband and I talk about this subject all the time. In fact, he just expanded our garden from 25 feet to 250 feet because he is of the mind set that we need to take care of ourselves and stop depending on the government and everyone else to do it. If we had the money we'd have solar panels on the house a full farm, etc. He'd like to be off the grid as much as possible.
I agree with your thinking here that the hotel you interviewed with was not the type of place you'd want to be. Best of luck finding the right fit!
~ Courtney