Friday, April 29, 2011

Cheers to Wills and Catherine!

I thoroughly enjoyed watching the televised spetacle, and didn't it all go off without a hitch? She looked amazing, relaxed and enjoying herself, and her dress was beautiful. Somewhat understated, yet beautiful and elegant. Prince William, cool, calm and collected, and obviously enjoying it all. (I didn't saw a glimpse of the NZ PM). Her Majesty looked marvellous in her canary yellow. What well behaved Royal horses as well. They are truly bomb-proof! The ceremony itself was awesome, and I loved watching the pomp and ceremony of it all. The crowds too, how excited and proud. The only sad part being, of course, that the wonderful Princess Diana could not be there to share in her son's special day. I'm sure she would have been  completely over the moon, for both of them. Tears.

Good on the Royal couple,  an event worth waiting for. And best of luck to them for the future. Bottoms up. A very cool Royal do. Absolutely stirling!

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Jumping through hoops for the sake of a job...

I haven't had to seriously job-hunt for some time, and what a demoralising experience it is. I can't believe what people are put through, these days. From on-line psych tests, to being hot-seat interviewed by teams of people, with every little answer jotted down, by a supposed group of experts. You'd think one was applying to be the big cheese or something, rather than just another cog in the machine, if you get my drift.

In the field I am looking in, I have over twelve years experience, from almost every possible angle. And it's still recent and relevant. I have excellent references, including verbal and written. I know I can do the job, I am both capable and careful. I'm good both on the phone, and face to face  with clients. I do my best to go the extra mile. To go above and beyond. I have worked both sole charge and from home. Is this enough? Well, in the days of common sense, yes, it would have been more than enough. I turn up to my interviews early, well groomed and ready to roll. Still not enough. The prospective employers are no longer looking at my wealth of experience or ability to do the job; instead they are wanting black and white answers to a quagmire of ridiculous questions. There is no room for shades of grey. Apparently this is supposed to determine my personality and suitability to the job. As if. I've never heard of such rubbish.

Whatever happened to the days when one attended the interview and more often than not, depending on experience and compatibility, would get offered the job? And what's it all for? An average wage, long days, and hard hard work of bending over backwards and being a contortionist. They don't want to know you as a person; your interests, your talents, your family life. Never a mention of the personal.

 I really do despair. Will common sense ever return to (once, very reasonable)  Kiwi employers? George Orwell was not wrong. The corporate conglomerates these days  really do want (non-human) robots. When it comes to job-hunting, the humanity, common sense and decent treatment have gone. Bloody tragic. With over twenty-five years experience in the corporate world/workforce, I've never met with such ridiculous expectations, nor such arrogance from the prospective bosses/companies. They seem to assume that everyone should be begging for their job/s, which they then do their darndest to put out of reach.

So, I'm thinking twice. Re-train, become a caregiver, barista, teacher aide, whatever. Just not anything in the hard-hearted, heartless, robotic-minded corporate world! And jumping through hoops for what? A living wage, just, if I'm careful how I spend it, or am lucky enough to cop a more generous employer/company.

Welfare. Not always a choice at all. Whatever happened to the good employers, the human factor, and the common sense? Or the concept of the employer/employee relationship being a two-way street? Oh, cry me a river! Tears! And a stupid waste of vast experience and future potential! What's the point? So depressing and so wrong.

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