OT: Sens Lounge LXXXXI - Curling in the squat rack? HURRY HARD

[Sens]

At McDonalds, maybe.

I used to call the most recent 3 places of employment (within a reasonable time period: 3-5 years or so) for anyone who made my short list for a position I was hiring. I don't care if you put the contact info on your resume or not, if you list it as a former workplace, I'm calling. It's not like finding phone numbers for businesses is hard.

If you said you were at (place of employment) for 2 years prior to applying to my job? I'm flat out calling the business and asking around. If they haven't heard of you, I'm only out 2 minutes of my time and that C/V goes into the trash.

Of course, I was known for having excellent staff at pretty much every single workplace I managed at, so I'm sure there are much lazier managers than I was, who would have just let crap fall through the crack and not do their due diligence, who would inevitably hire all of the other potential employees I wouldn't touch with a 10-ft pole.

Lucky when I broke into work I did not have you as a manager lol

All a kid needs is a break and if they have the work ethic and are able to pick up the job fast you're aces... At least it was in my case.

That's what I told my brother and he's doing all right at 21 and never graduating high school... 1500 pay cheques every two weeks

Lies get you ahead

 

[maclean]

I basically split up with my wife for turning out to be a huge liar.

It's certainly true that there are enough liars in the world that lies can get you ahead in areas where the other people fall into the same category. Perhaps it's even true that a lot of the time honesty isn't appreciated as much as it should be. Personally it's not for me. I'd rather be hurt by telling the truth than get ahead by lying.

Actually a contract I got recently for this art competition run by this art gallery, when I met the director the first questions she had were: "Do you know our gallery?" and "Have you heard of the XXX award?", to both of which I gave negative responses and she was like, "Come on, you could at least pretend to know them". I got the work anyway but I have to say she wasn't the best person to work with in the end.

 

[BonkTastic]

1500 pay cheques every two weeks

Lies get you ahead

Depends on the industry/profession, I guess.

Trades have always been an industry full of weasels and liars, nothing there has changed in the last 50+ years. There are absolutely honest ones, don't get me wrong, there are some absolutely fantastic folks in many trades and I am definitely not whitewashing trades entirely here, but the "crook" to "honest worker" ratio among trades workers is like 2-1, at least. Especially if you live in Toronto, jesus. Also: stockbrokers. Lumping them in here, too. Banking industry is rife with lowlifes once you get past the branch level.

In fact, the only trade I've ever found to have more genuinely honest people than crooks is electricians. There's something about respecting that much power that humbles those guys, and they generally earn every penny of labor they provide. Of course there are crooks there too, like anywhere else, but I've been more impressed with the integrity of that trade moreso than most others.

As an aside - always do your homework when hiring a tradesperson. Ask for references. Get quotes, follow through with references, put it in writing, make several copies, and be very specific with what you want done. You can get taken to the cleaners faster than you realize.

 

[maclean]

All a kid needs is a break and if they have the work ethic and are able to pick up the job fast you're aces... At least it was in my case.

Depends on the kind of work you're looking for and even more on the market you're in, but for most people these days that is very much not the case.

 

[BonkTastic]

Actually a contract I got recently for this art competition run by this art gallery, when I met the director the first questions she had were: "Do you know our gallery?" and "Have you heard of the XXX award?", to both of which I gave negative responses and she was like, "Come on, you could at least pretend to know them". I got the work anyway but I have to say she wasn't the best person to work with in the end.

There's definitely a skill to being bluntly honest and having it come off as endearing. Too blunt and it comes off as cold/uncaring and conceited, too endearing and it comes off as patronizing.

The people who have mastered that skill always go very far in life, I have noticed.

 

[YouGotAStuGoing]

New thread!