I am starting a new part-time job tomorrow. It will be my 3rd one as I continue to attempt to tread water financially....especially since the non-public school gig is obviously on vacation, and the private practice ground to a screeching halt with the exit of the university students and the arrival (finally) of warm weather. (People don't feel quite so depressed and anxious once it gets warm and they can get outdoors, thus they either cancel their counseling appointments and don't reschedule, or they just don't show up and don't reschedule - which means that they ignore invoices for their missed appointment fees.) But this blog isn't about clients. It's about basic human courtesy. The courtesy of a reply.
As I said, I start a new part-time job tomorrow - and I don't want to. I feel like the kid who hates school on the night before the first day of school. The work itself will probably be very good for me professionally. I suspect I might learn a lot. Truth is, this particular work is something that on my list of possible jobs ranks a mere 2 steps above going back to flipping burgers at McDonald's - which is something I haven't done since I was 18. I have met and/or heard of many many people who have worked for this particular organization at some point in their careers and have not had ONE SINGLE good report. That does not instill a lot of confidence in me for this adventure. And I'm not really convinced they want me either. Here's how it went:
I was on CareerBuilder and saw the job posting. I had been praying, pleading, panicking about how I was going to keep myself afloat over the summer. So I thought, what the heck, I'll apply. I have applied to this particular employer before and not only did they not respond, they were a little rude when I pursued the status of my application. This time, however, I got an email inviting me in for an interview. What?? Ok - I find it a little strange to have this communication via email rather than a good old phone call, but maybe I'm a little old-fashioned. So I accepted and attended the interview. Which I bombed. Gloriously. I sent the perfunctory thank you note with some follow up questions and got a curt, albeit informative reply. At the interview, I was told I would hear within a week. So, after 2 weeks of not hearing a blasted thing, I emailed (since it seemed to be the preferred way of communicating) asking the status of the position. Nothing. I emailed again, approximately 4 days later, thinking I had given sufficient time for someone who might be out sick a day or two, or trying to catch up on some emails. The response to my second email: zip. So I called and spoke with the woman who was to do the hiring. (Why I was so hotly pursuing this position that I didn't, and don't want, was directly correlated to my dwindling grocery supply and growing pile of looming bills) So she gets on the phone and when I asked about the status of the position, she hemmed and hawed around, saying that she had been really busy moving the office, and she hadn't read through everyone's materials, and hadn't had a chance to make a decision. Now, this was 2-3 weeks PAST the time she said the successful candidate would be notified. I get that things happen. And people and businesses get swamped. But an update would sure have been a courteous thing to do. After she mumbled all her excuses, and I was in the process of saying, "ok, well thank you very much" and moving on to plan B, she said, in the same mumbled monotone voice, "But if you still want the job, we'd be glad to have you." Wow - really??? How do you tell someone that in a MONOTONE voice? But she did and inside my head I thought "Oh crap - I got the job." It's tough to get excited about working for someone that doesn't find it important to answer communication or pretend they're actually happy to be hiring you.
So the course was set - I would begin work on the 24th. Yippee. She told me that a packet would be arriving in the mail via Fed Ex for me to fill out. Ok - whatever. That's a story all its own. After a few days of letting the idea sink into my head (it really still hasn't) I emailed her and asked for some information about my schedule. These people know I have a private practice. (They're not really happy about that). So I asked what hours I should be expecting to work on my first day and what other days that week I should plan on keeping open to be able to report to work. No response. About a week later, I emailed again, asking the same question and pointing out that my (few remaining) private practice clients seem to be scheduling 2 week appointments and since we were approaching a 2 week til start date, I needed to know when she would like me to work so that I didn't schedule clients in the times that would conflict. Response: zip. I emailed a 3rd time, including my updated resume as requested, which was to include this new position. And in that email, I again requested to know my schedule. Response: Nuttin' honey. Am I wrong in thinking this is ridiculous???? Whatever happened to the courtesy of a reply? I even googled her name the other day to see if maybe there was an obituary that would explain her absence. Perhaps she's been on vacation, I reasoned. But in this day and age, who doesn't leave an auto reply message when they're going to be out of the office? So 2 days ago, the final business day before I am to report for work, I realize that I don't even know exactly where the stupid place is!!! Shouldn't a boss be checking in with a new hire - making sure they know when they are working, WHERE they are working, etc? Or is it just me? I called and explained to the receptionist that I am starting work there tomorrow and need to know where to report.
And I'm not the only one who is experiencing this in the world of applying for jobs. I've got other people in my life who leave messages via phone or email and wait weeks for a reply - if one ever arrives at all. I have applied to numerous positions at Penn State as well and I don't even get a "hit the road, we found someone better" notification! It just seems like common courtesy has become a thing of the past.
And it's not just in the job market. I had a friend with whom I tried to maintain ongoing contact once our paths no longer crossed on a daily basis (aka I got furloughed). I would call. And leave voicemail messages. And send texts. And emails. And never got any replies. Then when she would see me, she would be all apologetic and once again proclaim me her best friend and whimper about how much she missed me. Um....really? Coulda fooled me. So I just stopped. Haven't reached out in over a year. And there's been no reaching back. It's kind of sad, really.
This just in - my email has notified me of an email from HER - the new boss!! It's twenty minutes til 10 on Sunday night - the night before I am to start work - and I finally get a response??? I guess that means I have to stop griping now. Or does it...... Guess I'll know after I read it. But the more important question is, do I extend the courtesy of a reply?
