HALLELUJAH!!
So after blogging about my most recent exasperations this morning...guess what? I hear from that company that I have been waiting for an answer..... So.... the VP guy isn't the one who calls me back, but one of the Senior Managers that I actually interviewed with already.... He let me know that they hadn't made a decision yet (good) and that they had a lot of applications to wade through (ok, good) and not to be surprised if they call me back again next week for a second interview (fantastic!). He then proceeds to tell me that they have 2 internal candidates that they are looking at (ut oh) and they are trying to determine who would be the best candidate. (it's me! it's me!) So I told him that was totally understandable, and I asked when they anticipate making a hiring decision, and he said that they are anxious to get the show on the road and make the decision by the end of next week. He also said that I can call him to follow up on the job, and I asked for his direct number and he gave that to me. So far so good, right?I'm a little anxious about the 2 internal candidates that they are considering. At the time of my interview (by the way, he did tell me that he has still not interviewed anyone else yet- I'm the only one) I was told that there were no appropriate internal candidates for the job because they wanted someone with experience and did not want to start from scratch. I am hoping that I have the edge here. Most companies do promote from within, however, I am at a point in my career that to start over in an entry level job it would not be in my best interests. So I am keeping my fingers crossed once more ...It's funny how this keeps happening....I blog..and then the phone rings.....I am going to test this one.... I wanna win the lotto at the next drawing. The lotto needs to come up with my numbers. I have been waiting to hear my numbers for at least 10 years that I have had the same ones. I think I deserve my numbers to come up this week.How's that? Maybe that's all it really takes is to put my wildest wishes out on Blogspot.Let's see how THIS one pans out!That's it and that's all!!!!!
It's safe to say that I am fully exasperated with my job search. I have been pounding the internet for hours a day, seven days a week for over 2 months now. So far that has yielded me only 3 face to face interviews, and one phone screen. The job market SUCKS. Employers SUCK. You can't seem to get past the computer screen outs that filter resumes, and no one will return a phone call either.The most promising job lead that I had came thru a relative in a company that I have tried to get into for the past year. I had a GREAT interview...it looked really promising...and then they told me that the job wasn't actually available yet, and they weren't sure when it would be available. Fast forward a week and a half, and I see that job posted on the internet. I called and left a message to follow up on my application. I rec'd no call back. I give this guy the benefit of the doubt and think...ok, he may have been off from work that Good Friday...maybe he took a long weekend. Finally, on Wednesday of this week, I call again... I left ANOTHER message asking about the status of my application, and let him know that I was aware that the job was now posted....could he please return my call at his earliest convenience??? NOTHING. No phone call yet. It's now Thursday and I feel like my hands are tied. I have done my part as a job seeker...I sent that thank you note THE SAME DAY after the interview (which would mean he'd get it the next day), I followed up a week and a half later, and then made one more call after that. I don't know what else I am supposed to do in order to get my name in the running for this job that I want SO badly. I was as professional, poised and cool as a cucumber as I am able to be. I did not show desperation- I did not stumble on words. I had a great feeling about that interview- which for the record lasted over an hour and a half.... I really thought that I had a good shot this time. I really did. And now I am more than confused....I am totally confounded.Is there anyone out there reading this? I am putting this out there in the hopes that someone can give me a point of view that I am not seeing. I am trying to be as open minded as possible, and trying NOT to be negative or take this personally- but it is getting much harder to keep that attitude as the weeks fly by and I am still not gainfully employed.I cannot think of one other thing that I can do to find a job that was the level that I was at (or better.) I apply online to jobs that correspond with my vision, I registered my with some agencies and a couple of recruiters that I have spoken with. So far not one lead from those contacts. I have networked with everyone I know... What else can I do? It's getting to the point where I will have to take a job for $8 and hour in order to have employment.... I made 3 times that in my previous position. Is there a point where it's acceptable to take such a step down? It's more than just ego- I really can't afford to work for $8 and hour- my bills are too high to do that...BUT I can't live on unemployment.... $275 a week just won't cut it ($6.87/hr...ouch!) I don't want it to hurt me to take a lower paying job just to be employed..and have that be my most recent job history and salary history for a potential employer to go by. It's a real issue for me...and I am not sure what to do anymore.I'm putting this out there - I need some guidance... someone comment...PLEASE!!!That's it and that's all.....
FINALLY.. 3 weeks after the desk was purchased, it arrived at my house last nite. Of course it didn't just arrive without any aggravation. It just so happens that I called Office Max yesterday to inquire about my desk, as no one from there had even bothered to follow up with me to let me know when it would be available....and when I called, to my amazement they informed me that it was to be delivered that day....between the hours of 8 am and 5 pm. Of course they had no specific time of delivery. As it happens, the same freight company was to deliver it, so I called them to find out when the driver was going to be in my area. She told me between 1pm and 3pm. At 4 pm, there was still no desk. I called the freight carrier and got an answering machine..so I thought I was S.O.L. My husband called the Office Max customer service line and got the usual song and dance about them needing 24 to 48 hrs to get a trace done on the package. At 6:30 pm I get a call from the driver, asking if it's still ok for him to deliver the desk that late...I was more than thrilled to get it, so I told him yes. He got to my house at 7 pm.I am still curious to know if any of the idiots at Office Max will even follow up with us to make sure that we indeed received the desk... however, I believe it's more likely that they still have their heads up their asses and don't know what the hell happened. As for the complaint letter I sent to corporate, I am not holding my breath about anyone ever contacting me about the poor customer service. My thought is that they are well aware of how terrible it is, and have absolutely no intention of correcting it. I am putting on the record that I will NEVER buy ONE ITEM...not even a pen - from Office Max ever again. They do not deserve my business and patronage.That's it and that's all....
Ok, I am going to rant here..... I had an absolutely HORRIBLE experience with OFFICE MAX.... this company is completely unprofessional and disorganized. Honestly, I cannot believe that they can stay in business with the way they operate.... I'm going to put a copy of the complaint letter that I sent to the VP/COO in the corporate office, it explains the situation in detail:Mr. Sam Martin
Executive VP/COO
Office Max
263 Shuman Blvd.
Naperville, IL 60563
Dear Sir:
We are writing to advise you of a dismaying situation that we have experienced with your company. We have attempted multiple times to resolve the issue with customer service, to no avail, thus, we felt the necessity to alert upper management in this matter.
We decided to purchase the Vantage Desk (item# 2091 2684) from your retail store in XXXX, XX on 3/2/08. Our sales associate determined that the boxes the desk came in would not fit in our vehicle, therefore, he suggested the free delivery that Office Max was offering. He told us that we would only need to wait a few days for delivery. It was only after we were rung up that we were told that our delivery date would be on 3/10/08, 8 days later. Although it was not our preference to wait over a week for the desk, we decided to accept that delivery date.
On 3/10/08, a call was made to the customer service center to confirm that the order was to be delivered that day, and to obtain a delivery window. We were assured that we would have the desk delivered that day, and to expect it between 8 am and 5 pm. We waited at home all day for the delivery. When no delivery arrived by 5 pm, we called customer service to inquire about our delivery. The customer service representative said that she would put in a delivery trace request with the carrier and have them call us back shortly. After an hour, we called back to request that a supervisor intervene on our behalf. We spoke to Nicole, who was unable to get us an answer regarding our delivery in less than 24 to 48 hours. We find that to be unacceptable. In this age of computers, there is always a way to track shipments and packages. We requested the name of the freight carrier handling the shipment so that we could follow up personally.
The next morning (3/11/08) we spoke to Cathy at Super Sonic Transport, who kindly tracked down our shipment for us, even though she had no identifying information other than our name and address to go by. She advised us that Office Max did not have the desk available to be picked up and that our item was listed on their O.S.M.D. report and they will need to set up a new delivery arrangement.
We called customer service on 3/11/08 and spoke to a representative named Dan. We relayed the information from Cathy from Super Sonic Transport and were told that we needed to wait another 24 hours for information regarding the delivery of our desk.
On 3/12/08 we received a call from Lindsay in customer service who informed us that our desk is now on backorder, and they do not expect a shipment available until 3/17/08, with the earliest possible delivery on 3/20/08. We are now painfully aware that we will be made to wait another entire day at home for the delivery of an item that was supposed to be immediately available the day that we purchased it. Had we been aware of the inconvenience of Office Max’s delivery practices, we would have made other arrangements to obtain the desk from the store the same day it was purchased. We should not be made to wait 3 weeks for an item that was not on backorder when it was purchased.
We are extremely displeased with the service level at Office Max. The Vantage Desk was the first large purchase we have made with your company. We are now reconsidering ordering any more furniture and supplies for our office as a result of the poor treatment that we received. We understand that time is money, and our time was wasted waiting for a delivery for 8 hours that never came, and it was wasted chasing down information over the telephone over several days to obtain basic information regarding a delivery. We value our time, and we do not want to be made to wait any longer for this order.
We hope that by bringing this to your attention it will help to spur you to action in making serious changes in your customer service, distribution and supply chain management for Office Max. Not many customers will take the time to express their displeasure in this manner; they will simply stop purchasing their office supplies from you. We are giving you the opportunity to correct this problem and to keep a customer.So that's the letter....I sent it off to the corporate office yesterday and I hope that I get a response. The issue has yet to be resolved, as the delivery date for my new desk is not until the 20th. My gut feeling is that this item was in backorder all along, and they were too STUPID to tell me when we bought it. They had it in stock at the store that day, I would have had them hold it until the next day when I could have had a friend or relative come pick it up for me. The whole process broke down from the store level, and moved all the way down from there. The sales associate should have informed us that the desk would be coming from a central distribution center, and not the store directly. He never once mentioned that the desk wasn't being delivered locally. So now as I am sitting here publishing this blog, I am in an office of disarray because I had anticipated the arrival of the desk 4 days ago and I don't want to re-organize this stuff only to have to take it all apart again when we get the desk next week...that is IF it arrives at all.Moral of the story... Don't buy anything from Office Max if it requires their "free delivery" it's not going to be free....it will cost you valuable time and a lot of aggravation. And if I wasn't at home looking for work, I would be DOUBLY pissed that I had taken a day off from a job to wait at home for a delivery that never came. Get your crap together Office Max!! You need to start confirming delivery appointments, and confirming that the delivery was received. If you had followed up on the shipment, then it wouldn't have taken 24-48 hours to get an answer. I got my answer from the freight carrier myself and only had to wait an hour to get it. So it's not beyond the realm of possibility. I know how freight works, I used to work in a company that shipped goods and used carriers to do it. And I am thoroughly aware of the fact that all of this info is available as tracking online, as the carriers often scan the merchandise as it is loaded on the truck, and then scan when it arrives so that info is immediately available electronically and uploaded onto a computer...it's always available you idiots....I wasn't born yesterday!! I probably know more about that process than you all do anyway!!!So that's my rant for today.... to be continued after I get my desk....That's it and that's all folks!!!!
So it's been a little over a week since my last post and I have had 2 interviews. The first one went well, but I was not comfortable with the company, the people and the environment. It looked too much to be like the XYZ Asshole Company in its practices and the biggest turnoff was that you get zero paid time off for the first 15 months that you are working there. Not even 1 sick or personal day. I think that blows!! So although I think I made a good impression, I think that if this one comes a knockin', I won't be letting it in. But somehow I have a feeling that they will find someone willing to take that garbage for way less money than I am worth. So there!The interview that I had on this Monday was for the job that I REALLY REALLY want. My uncle got me in with a VP and he interviewed me, along with 2 other Senior Managers. I had 3 interviews in the span of an hour and a half. I was comfortable with the details of the position, the people that I spoke to, and I even felt like the environment would be comfortable. The only thing is that the position has not been opened up yet. From what I can tell, I was the only person interviewed for the position. The VP let me know that the job is not open yet, but as soon as it is they will forward my application and their notes to HR. I am praying to GOD that this job materializes, and soon. It's a decent commute from my home (only 5 min away from where I worked before) and although I couldn't get any salary info from them, I was at least told that the job paid salary plus bonus. I believe that it's a good job. I need the laws of attraction to work in my favor here... I WANT THIS JOB!!! Please Lord make it happen... and make it happen sooner rather than later!!! :)
Well, so far I have only had ONE interview in almost 2 months of being unemployed...and let me tell you...it's not for a lack of trying. One thing I learned for sure...the job market these days is really competitive...and really hard. I had no clue how hard it would be. I am on the web for hours a day chasing down job postings... I apply...I get no response. I would follow up on the job postings...BUT they are almost ALL anonymous- meaning, you can't contact any human being regarding the application at all. In fact, most of the jobs posted don't even give you the name of the company you are applying to, and many don't specify what the pay scale is either. It makes me wonder if most jobs listed on the internet are only dummy jobs that aren't really there. For instance, the job may have been posted internally, and they INTEND to fill it internally, but some sort of protocol specifies that they MUST offer it outside. Basically, a lot of ghost jobs are out there. I am on Careerbuilder, Monster, HotJobs, and Craigslist constantly. Hell, I even got on some smaller sites like GoliathJobs, and Jobing. Alas, to no avail. I have worked my network to death, and so far it has not yielded one legitimate job lead. I am trying to stay positive, honestly I am, but the truth is that I am worried about finding something soon. I am starting to consider taking a job at the local Publix store just to be employed. Considering that I was making almost $50k a year in my previous job, it's a hard pill to swallow....Stop the presses....I just got a call back on a position that applied for twice on Careerbuilder....yeehaw...an impromptu phone interview that sounded pretty promising.... I should hear back from them by later this week or early next week....I think blogging about this was good luck, I need to do this more often...Wish me luck.... that's it and that's all...... ;)
