You start by finding all the information you have available to you. You pick up the phone and call (or email) the person you think will be most likely to be able to help you or provide you with the additional information you need. They, in turn, direct you to another person who should be more helpful. When you get in touch with the suggested person, however, they indicate that you need to contact yet another person, or worse...the original person you contacted. Even if they do direct you to another person, you eventually end up with someone recommending that you talk to the original person. When this happens, you are likely to be extremely frustrated (possibly to the point of wanting to throw your phone against the wall). When you talk to the original person (assuming you can reach them), they try to send you to the person they sent you to before. When you try to tell them that you've already talked to that person, they tell you that they cannot help you. Seriously?
Ok, so in my job search, the runaround has not gotten to that point quite yet, but it is frustrating me to see the similarities between this process and the previous runaround experiences I've had.
Let me start at the beginning of this particular story. I applied to a large quantity of employers, including those that I found on snagajob.com as well as through their own employment listings. I didn't hear anything for the first...week? Finally, last Tuesday I got a call from a number I didn't have in my phone. I thought, "This is it! I finally got an interview somewhere!" When I answered, however, the woman asked for Victoria. I told her she had a wrong number, and I went about my business. Not even five minutes later, the same number called. "Seriously? Did you not hear me tell you my name isn't Victoria?" I answered the phone, and this time she asked for me! She proceeded to apologize for asking for Victoria, and asked me if I was available to interview on Friday at 10am at Staples. I told her I was, and she told me her name was Kristy, and that I'd be interviewing with her. Finally! An interview!
Friday rolls around, and I'd been out at the hospital in Portland with my mom every day. I hadn't been getting enough sleep each night, but I was still excited (and nervous) about the interview. I arrived early, and my sister told me she'd be at Starbuck's for a little while, before coming over to Staples to do her school supply shopping. We planned to meet in Staples when my interview was done. I walked into the store, not quite certain where to find Kristy, since she hadn't mentioned where to find her or ask for her. I decided to walk up to the customer service desk and ask. The guy behind the desk looked at me funny when I asked for Kristy, and for a moment I thought I'd gone to the wrong Staples. Nope, it turned out that she had been in earlier that morning, but had left for the day already. I thought to myself, "Ok, Kristy. You call me and ask for Victoria, and then you don't show up to the interview appointment YOU set? You've got two strikes..." The guy calls the general manager, and then tells me that Jason (the general manager) will meet with me in a few minutes.
He takes me back to the furniture section, and says I can take a seat to wait for Jason. While I wait, I hear them announce to Jason over the store-wide speaker that he has a call on line "101" about...four times? "I sure hope those are four different calls, and he's not making them wait that long to talk to him! I don't want to wait an hour to talk to him!" Anyways, after approximately 20 minutes, Jason comes out from the back of the store, introduces himself to me, and apologizes for making me wait and that Kristy isn't there. So far, no actual strikes for him.
Jason proceeds to interview me and at some point we end up talking about education and how he's considering putting his daughter in private school. He asked my opinion, I told him, and we chatted a bit about education. No big deal. I was confused that it ended up there, though. Anyways, Jason asks me if I have any questions for him, and I ask him where the process goes from here (tossing in that I am aware he probably has a stack of applications to go through). He admits that he does have a stack of applications, but that he'd like me to come in for a second interview, this time with Kristy. He asks me what my schedule looks like, and I tell him I am basically free except that I am taking my Mom to an appointment on Monday. He says, "Monday doesn't work well for us. That's a busy day for conference calls. Can you come in tomorrow at 1?" He apologizes that it's the weekend. I tell him I'd be glad to come in on a Saturday, and that 1pm works great for me.
I arrive the next day, and ask for Kristy. The girl I talk to says she doesn't know if Kristy is in, but she will call and find out. While she calls, I'm thinking, "Seriously, Kristy? If you're not here, that's three strikes and you're out." What happens if she's out? I don't know, but I'd probably write her off...Anyways, Kristy is there, and the girl tells me I can wait for her in the furniture section. I waited, again hearing that Kristy had calls on line "101". Geeze, the managers get a lot of calls! Finally, Kristy comes over and talks to me. She doesn't ask me very many questions, but does discuss my availability and training with me. We talked for approximately five minutes, and at the end she asked me if I had any questions. I again asked about the process from here. She said she and Jason would talk on Monday or Tuesday and give me a call. She also said that if I hadn't heard from her by end of day Tuesday to call on Wednesday.
I called today, since I hadn't heard anything yet. Kristy isn't in today. Does this woman not know her own schedule? Seriously? I'm trying to decide if I should call and ask for Jason, or if I should try to call Kristy again tomorrow. I'll probably ask my mom's advice, which will probably be to ask for Jason. Good grief.
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