I think I make too much of an impression (something I've never wanted to do), and our society, having become less mature, is filled with people who confuse a job interview with "their special power" which they'll use to directly compete with anyone who makes them feel small, which is anyone who's actually done something before. I have encountered a few of those. One can actually convert the experience into warm memories, because you can interpet them as a no-lose situation.
In one case, I took public transportation in Winter for an interview..Walking though slush to this horrid building. In the waiting area I heard through the door a loud complaint about how much salary applicants were demanding. Then came the hostile interview by a pompous clerk. I despised the place as soon as I entered, and knew it was a total loss, so when the salary discussion came about, I leaned back, put my feet on the guy's desk, and said, "OK, let's cut the crap; What are you offering for my former employer's Trade Secrets? OH, Yes..and that orange stairwell? It GOES!"
Needless to say the interview was rushed to an early close.
When I got outside I laughed all the way to the train station.
Shrug..It beats being bitter and resentful, and the jerk had a nice story to tell at dinner.
Another time, when things looked pointless, I said, "You may have noticed that resume was printed on Deckle Edge Strathmore laid Bond. They are quite expensive-give it back."
When I got to the parking lot, I felt my tailpipe..it was still warm.
I do not think they are used to this.
All that said, I have never been out of work very long.
Another time, when things looked pointless, I said, "You may have noticed that resume was printed on Deckle Edge Strathmore laid Bond. They are quite expensive-give it back."
Hah ha ha ha, that's great. Yes I guess I was taking silly people too seriously. Thanks for the stories.
It's just that I've always worked through recruiters and I guess I wait for them to act, and that attracts a certain kind of passive aggressive personality.
The problem is, if I search for companies,
then search over their job openings,
then write a unique cover letter and resume for each one, that multiplies my work load by a factor of 10 over just having a recruiter send my stats around. Recruiters once worked well, but now they seem to have experienced a collapse in quality.
Here's a thread now,
Outsourcing's Uneven Impact (Different Cities Feel More or Less Pain) about outsourcing and how it's running quality down all over the place, I tell a long story about Amazon.com and how trashy a lot of their systems have become (Posts #5 and #7). I have one additional story about Qwest. And I've only been back in the country for 6 weeks! Qwest, Amazon, Recruiters, all have gone down in quality.
I guess I'll either have to do a company by company search and follow up myself, or go back to Taiwan for 5 years until I can buy my little farm I'm so looking forward to living on. I think I'm done with all forms of recruiter.
Thanks for the stories!