Before I start, I wish to state I could never hear which company I was talking with at the time this event happened.

We've all done phone interviews before for jobs, epically in our field when the main office can be in other provinces/states. The most recent one I did felt like a reject from the gong show kind of interview. The connection quality was at best poor (on both my cell and land lines), all the questions the I was asked could've been answered either via asking me when I applied or looking at my résumé, and then she had to call me back to ask one more question since she forgot to ask one during the interview. When I called her back, we had to start all over again when I lost it tempter wise. Since interviews are a two way street, and if you can't keep basic data when doing an interview, how good will you be in providing me with the information I need to do the job correctly for you.

It comes down to the question I want to ask my fellow merchandisers, is this something you've hit before? Or is this one of those one offs that no one has heard of? Before anyone mentions the career change from an earlier post of mine, still doing it, but I need money like everyone else to see me though until I've been accepted into the college.

I know the phone number that the rep from survey.com, and others', has is google voice; crackly, staticy in-out conversations! They don't seem to think that is coming from their side, but think it's coming from my side. This industry has less and less marketing dollars everyday, it's best to realize that and accept the fact that you need to lower your standards to meet the industries lowered standards. Each time Crossmark, Acosta, Advantage and the larger merchandising companies call the question-answer series is always from them to me. At the end of the phone interview they ask if I have any questions, but when I do they say my manager will answer those questions. Ironic because one of my first questions is pay. They say the manager will answer that and the manager asks if the recruiter answered that question because he doesn't know. If this was for BDS, and some others, they are call-center employees who are just reading from a script and typing in the answers on the screen they are looking at. Imagine they live in S. Carolina and barely made it a year as a csr at burger king and they got hired, had a few days training and now they are talking to you.

It's rare in this "profession" anymore that merchandisers are thought of, and treated as, professionals and valuable to the retail marketing and merchandising overall strategies and successes. These are the realities, and there are more that are much more gut-wrenching than these, and acceptance is key. To place your "frustrations" on and with the person on the phone is childish and fruitless. Also, think about the fact that if you are getting pissy with them, they can leave those questions blank, or worse, and furb.

@spicy1 wrote:

It's rare in this "profession" anymore that merchandisers are thought of, and treated as, professionals and valuable to the retail marketing and merchandising overall strategies and successes. These are the realities, and there are more that are much more gut-wrenching than these, and acceptance is key. To place your "frustrations" on and with the person on the phone is childish and fruitless. Also, think about the fact that if you are getting pissy with them, they can leave those questions blank, or worse, and furb.

For what its worth, I am not proud of the fact I blew up, but it left me wondering (hence the post) if this was the new norm, of someone working in HR who seemed unable to track basic information. Frankly its more motivation for me to workout so I can get out of this field.

Only once have I met, or spoken to on the phone, anyone personally in merchandising who wasn't some sort of a scum-bag or low-paid incompetent/innocent. A Rep from BDS Marketing. Sounds a little like that guy who gave the worker at Chick-fil-a a hard time at the drive-thru; you should be proud.

@spicy1 wrote:

Only once have I met, or spoken to on the phone, anyone personally in merchandising who wasn't some sort of a scum-bag or low-paid incompetent/innocent. A Rep from BDS Marketing. Sounds a little like that guy who gave the worker at Chick-fil-a a hard time at the drive-thru; you should be proud.

Spicy,
I guess we've had different experiences about being hired as a merchandiser. We've all hung up or walked away when the salary being offered isn't close to what experience says we are worth. Most of the time I deal with people who I feel are able to do the basics in life like walk and chew gum at the same time.

As I posted, this was the first time it wasn't money, it was the conduct of the person (well persons since I spoke with her boss) that lead me to just hanging up the phone and walking away from the job. Could've offered me $25 an hour, gas, food, the whole nine. I felt they were so stupid I just couldn't work for them so I walked away.

Its a great position, and feeling, to be able to say no!

@spicy1 wrote:

Imagine they live in S. Carolina and barely made it a year as a csr at burger king and they got hired, had a few days training and now they are talking to you.

.

What cities have you visited in South Carolina?

My Daddy is from S.Carolina and we visit about 10 cities there. Mema was born in Bamberg. Too bad you didnt qualify your question!

@spicy1 wrote:

My Daddy is from S.Carolina and we visit about 10 cities there. Mema was born in Bamberg. Too bad you didnt qualify your question!

I don't know what you mean about "qualify" my question. I wondered where you had been in SC. I had to look Bamberg up!

To qualify is to say "What cities have you......"? And add "I wonder because.. " (ive always wanted to visit, my mom says its great etc.).

I know what qualifying a question means, but I still don't understand why you thought it was "too bad" I didn't qualify it. Would you have given a different answer?

Oh, I see. So that I would know the context of your question. So that I would know if you lived there or know someone who lives there who would be upset that I used South Carolina as an example because the are a proud S. Carolinian and I would be getting backlash. Or, because you've always wanted to visit Myrtle Beach and were going to ask if I've gone on their Ferris wheel or if you can actually wind surf on the North Side. So, yeah, my answer, the extent of my answer, would have been different. You see, when I've had a one sentence question that is as yours is, without a qualifier, like "because....." I've answered them on this forum only to get a bunch of $hit about my answer.

So, if you literally just wanted me to name off the cities I've been to in S. Carolina without a basis for wanting to know, I'd be creeped out a little.

new hiring room

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/12/2017 12:43PM by MSNinja.

@spicy1 wrote:

So, if you literally just wanted me to name off the cities I've been to in S. Carolina without a basis for wanting to know, I'd be creeped out a little.

I'm sorry you are so paranoid. I just wondered. I haven't seen SC come up on the forum. I've never lived there but have lots of work and travel experience there - upstate, low country, and coast.

I live in the Upstate of SC!!

@OP: The only way to avoid work mishaps and/or snafus is to stop working forever. However, I hope that you will have smoother transactions as you go along in the school and working world.

@Shop-et-al wrote:

@OP: The only way to avoid work mishaps and/or snafus is to stop working forever. However, I hope that you will have smoother transactions as you go along in the school and working world.

We all have signs that should be hung around our necks, mine is "Does not tolerate fools gladly". Not a matter of pride or taking myself down, its a matter of knowing myself. I've been in this field for 13 years, and while I am always scrambling for work, and am willing to talk to people, wasting my time is a sure fire way to get on my bad side fast. This recruiter was a fool, and I have no tolerance for them.

On the upside in my future job (applied 3 weeks ago), once I graduate I will be in a position to use this character trait of mine in a positive sense.