When do you know it is a waste of time?
A couple of hours ago, I got an email from a company that I applied to a couple of weeks ago. In Canada, it is a 4 day or 3 day weekend (depending on the company), because of Easter Holiday. Which reminds me, to all of my Christian friends and readers, Happy Easter! So, one guy from the company in unprofessional lingo and obscene font colour emailed me saying, can you come Monday at 8:00 am for an interview? Didn’t even bother to call. I laughed so hard. Ok fine, last minute notices before a weekend are ok with me, but 8:00 am?
Was the interview supposed to be that early so none of the other workers would be there to see me? Or do some companies have no time and want to get you out of the way early before business hours start? The job was not worth it, because I doubted they paid much or cared to because they were a contract web based company. This is more absurd I thought than the 8 hour second interview a company wanted me to do a few weeks ago. Obviously I said no, because I am not desperate to wake up and go to an interview with barely a cup of coffee permeating my body at 8 am. I rather be in the comfort of my bed dreaming of proper professional respect!
All I know, I am sick of companies toying with people looking for work. It’s not like I am not educated. It’s not like I barely have a year’s experience. It’s not like I am desperate for money. I am only desperate for one thing, being useful!
For those of you who don’t get why I complain so much about finding work, and don’t live in the Western world. You cannot just go to a company and tell them I worked in this and that place, and this is a copy of my degree and transcript. Hire me. No, it doesn’t work that way here at all!
You can tell I am frustrated. I have the right to be frustrated, because I feel like I wasted the best years of my life getting a friggen Bachelor of Science major in Computer Science, and working for 6 years. Oh, by the way, some companies don’t like you working in the same place for 6 years. Do you want me to tell you a story about an interview I had a couple of months ago?
Sure, I knew you would like to know. Everyone wants to know Mona’s endless absurd stories. So, I go to an interview at this huge company after being sent by a recruiter. Which I thought was wicked awesome, because I SOOOO wanted to get my foot in. I go to the interview, and the guy spent like 20 minutes explaining the ins and outs of the company to me because he liked to talk. Which was cool with me, I wanted to know more. Then, we talked about my resume, and the guy was like, “we don’t have to talk much because you didn’t work in many places.” I said, “ok?” He then said, “why did you study Computer Science?”
To me, that was a very odd question. Why did I study it? Well, why did you get an ARTS degree that you like to show off in your office and ended up with an IT management job buddy? I told him, “I like computers.” 
Then, he went back to the resume and said, “why did you work in one place for 6 years?”
In reality the question was, “Why the HELL where you working in one place for all these years? Are you stupid? You couldn’t get out and find another place to work at? Why were you stuck in ONE place?” Seriously, what the hell? Companies love to see on your resume that you worked in certain places for many years. It means dedication. It means you love your work place and the environment. It means you were worth keeping all those years! This guy, who wasn’t much older than me, didn’t understand that.
After 3 weeks, the recruiter didn’t bother to call, but emailed me saying, “I am sorry, the guy who interviewed you said you have limited skills. I will keep your resume on file.”
I am like what the hell? Say I sucked. Say I didn’t know shit about computers. Say I didn’t have the minimum requirements of 2 years experience like they wanted. But limited skills? Yes, I have limited skills in the thing that I have been doing for 6 years. I agree. Not only that, I am sorry that I worked in one place for 6 years because I really wasn’t looking for a career or company change at the age of 23! I was lucky to have a job at that age! Oh, another thing. The first moment he saw me, he said, “well, you are young, and this building (about 25 years old) is older than you.”
Do people judge me now by the way I look? I look young or old or whatever. I am young. Is that a problem? Or young minds are not allowed to work in certain companies until the old rot from the lack of new knowledge!
I have been drinking 4 or 5 cups of coffee a day, and about 2 or 3 cups of tea. I am over caffeinated because I am frustrated. At this rate, I am gonna consider the second life option: GET MARRIED! 
Angry, Blah Blah, Categorize this!, Confused, Thank you, They said what?, Whatever!
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I can def see why you are frustrated with all of that. I’m sure your age & gender have caused some of the problems, which sucks. I still battle being young in my job, people tend to assume since I’m 27, I can’t be a professor.
@Professor Mikey
You are a bit young to have a PhD. Did you skip a lot of grades? lol
I have an MFA – terminal degree in theatre. 3.5 yrs to get BA, 3 years for MFA, signed contact w/current job before graduation at age 25. I’m just that good
count yourself lucky that your getting interviews! ..the lack of interviews has lead me to go back to school ..
@112
That’s what I fear.. maybe I need to go study HR or business. It’s like majorly in demand!
@Mona
A lot of Universities have ways to easily get an MBA. I know a lot of people who do that to increase chances of getting job they want. Keep trying tho, one day something will come.
Got no advice or anything, just saying the job situation DOES suck and you’re not alone in finding companies playing with you because they have so many applicants. Sucky sucky job scene
@Nithya
Very sucky indeed!
I’ve got a BSc and MSc and haven’t been in paid employment since 2002. I went for a load of interviews and in the end decided to start my own non-profit. Which is a lot of fun, but no pay.
You are not alone. I have had something similar like that happen to me too. In my case I was ordered by email to go for an interview at 8:00 am. Needless to say, I didn’t appreciate being ordered about by somebody who is not my boss as of yet. These employers have been playing games for years. It is not just this current recession either. The job market has been an employer’s market ever since I can remember that is why they can get away with being rude and playing games with job seekers. There is always some sucker that is desperate enough to be humiliated for a chance at a job. From my experience I can tell you if they play games with you they probably are not going to hire you anyway. If they are interested in hiring you they make it clear real quickly and they don’t play games with you. Getting a job these days takes luck not just hard work and qualifications. It is being there at the right time and place offering the very thing the employers desperately needs. You have to be Johnny on the spot. Keep on trying and eventually you will hit the jackpot.
There’s always some excuse for companies or organizations to put people off who don’t fit their mold. One infuriating comment to me by a man at an NGO was that I should try an association, which was an insult and an anti-woman insult at that. Age, you’re always too young or too old. It’s just too hard to fit into the tiny niches companies have created for jobs. I dumped it all and became a teacher. Good luck with the search.
I hope you keep at it and get _both_ the things you want. I’d hate to see stupid HR people discourage you. I’m discouraged as well, but I feel that people should be encouraged not toyed with.
Hi there,
You know what? I’ve been in your shoes a long time, I’m currently 23 years old and I’ve heard it all: over qualified, underqualified, too young… etc..
But I left my home currently for two years and when I got back, I realised – what the hell!! I hate employment: so I started my own website design firm. Starting a business is hard. Starting it on a shoe string budget, in a country that is still learning the benefit of the internet is even harder …. but when the money rolls in, it really rolls in, having my own time schedule, working my own hours and kinda have burnt my own bridges, helps and exhilirates me. I’ld recommend it to those interested passionately doing their own thing and delivering. You sound like someone that has a lot to offer, so why not go with that… being a consultant of your own firm for Small medium sized enterprises…
Anyway, which ever way you choose, I hope you succeed.