I Don't Have Time For Uppityness (Long & Lame)

The BBQ Pit
1

Hi-

I manage a vet clinic, and live in a town where general flakiness is epidemic. We have a great working atmosphere, competitive wage & benefits, train people from entry level up, no yelling, flexible 4 day schedules, etc… However, we lately have gone through a rash of folks that think showing up to work is optional. So we had a couple of ads running for kennel staff and vet tech. We are an exceptionally busy clinic, and one of the flakes on staff is front office, so I’m spending alot more time than usual away from my manager duties and being receptionist instead.

For about 2 years, I get this call from someone I’ll call Ms. M . Ms. M calls me usually when I’ve got folks on hold and such and its “20 question” time. What kind of hospital are we? How does she go about getting a tech license? What do we pay our techs? How many doctors are there? Is it a teaching hospital? How can she get started working for a vet, whats the entry level pay and so on… All of these questions are the utmost snootiness and a definite “I’m doing you the favor here” attitude. Apparently, Ms. M has no veterinary working experience, but she has completed a vet assistant course.

During one of these calls, I told her that we don’t consider correspondence courses as a plus unless she has working experience as well. She asks how she can get working experience- I tell her that entry level is kennel work. Cleaning up poop, walking dogs, assisting techs & vets, etc. In my experience, even vets do well to have some kennel work experience ;). She asks how much that pays- I tell her (not much to start, but raises are generous if work is good). She is clearly disgusted by the wage, and doesn’t call me for awhile (thank god).

Last month she calls me again, this time I just tell her to come in and apply- no more questions answered until then.

She shows up a few days ago- I am the one who takes her application (which she snootily asks me to staple her college transcripts too- she has a C average so I’m not sure what points she thinks that will get her- they aren’t even veterinary technician classes- but basic requirement classes. ). She starts on the "who are you, what’s your hospital like, etc… " questions. She seems to be incredulous when I tell her that no, the doctors will not be reviewing her application. I introduce myself as the manager and tell her I will be the one hiring. I ask her what position she is applying for. She tells me thats “negotiable” (HUH?). I remind her that I have answered her questions many times in the past, and she flatly denies that she’s ever spoken to me before (hell, I even recognized her name LOL). Ok… whatever.

Yesterday, she calls and asks me if I had a chance to give the doctors her application. I remind her that I’m the one doing the reviewing and that her application is under consideration (not). She starts in AGAIN on the same questions- this time she wants to know my “background”. I tell her that I am not giving out my personal information to her. I inform her, politely, that “if” we call her for an interview, we will be happy to answer her questions. I remind her that we have spoken several times already and most of her questions have been answered. Again, she flatly denies calling me and says “I have only talked to you one time”. She asks , in this sickly uppity voice- “do we have a problem here?” No, no problem. “Well, I seem to detect a tone in your voice?” I told you there was no problem and your application is under consideration. "Well, when will the doctors have a chance to review it? " Um… like I told you, never- you are stuck with me. “Well, you seem to have a problem with me.”. Sorry, Ms. M but this call is over and I’m not spending any more time talking to someone who will get hired when hell freezes over…

Ok- so its a lame rant but just had to get it out…

2

The only thing I can think of worse than not even being considered for carrying out dog poop is not realizing why you’re not even being considered to carry out dog poop. That’s some unrealistic little world she’s carrying around on her shoulders. Sounds like nothing but trouble waiting for an employer there.

3

Selective listening. I bet it must be Ms M’s problem. Or perhaps she belongs to a certain breed of people that who believes that if they repeats anything over and over again, it will happen.

4

Ooh, I’ve encountered that before. I’ll never understand how people can be rude to the workers at a place they are applying for a job, much less management. I look a lot younger than I am, and when I managed a restaurant, I had a lot of applicants mistaking me for a cashier rather than the manager. Some of them were almost nasty.

I had this one young lady come in to drop off an application wearing jeans and a tshirt that showed off the tattoos on her arm. She was polite while handing me her application and a quick glance over her application showed that she had the type of experience that I was looking for. Her tattoos would be covered by her work shirt, so I suggested an interview right then and there. She flipped out, nearly yelling at me about how she clearly wasn’t ready to have an interview and how I would ruin her chances for a job. Sorry lady, you already did that yourself.

5

I, for one, think she deserves a shot at the entry-level position you described.

Tell her you are going to hire her as a “pilot”. She is to take this shit over there and pile it over there.

6

So did the doctors have a chance to review my application yet?

7

And THIS is why when I’m turning in an application I show up dressed for an interview if by some weird odd chance they want to interview me right away. I hate talking to anybody about a job if I’m wearing jeans (or, this time of year, shorts). But I sure as hell wouldn’t flip out about an on-the-spot interview even if I wasn’t dressed for it. Moron.

8

LOL… I liked the “pilot” bit…

I am also amazed at how people come to apply- maybe I’ve been out of the loop for awhile (last interviewed for a job 6 years ago, was offered this current job based on a recommendation- no interview or application required) but I was always under the assumption that most people know they A.) Should dress nice even if just turning in applications B.) Should be polite to everyone they talk to (we kinda like the rest of our staff- the ones that show up anyways and I always am asking “what was this person like?”) C.) That you actually have to GO TO THE PLACE THAT IS HIRING to apply. That last one seems obvious, right? But apparently its not, because many of the callers seem to want a phone interview when they call- and will even ask “Do I need to come down and fill out an application?”. Uh… HELLO the ad even says Apply In Person- which IMHO it shouldn’t have to say so- if you want the job- you make the effort.

9

WTF?

You’re impressed enough to want to interview her now, and that’s sabotaging her? :confused:

10

The idiot who hires that deserves it.

11

So hire her, and never let her above dogshit-scooping level. :smiley:

12

Troy McClure SF, I don’t think that’s a good idea. For all the enjoyment of keeping her on the dogshit level, she’s not likely to be effective at it. She’s going to start off pissed with her job, and that’s never a good way to get an effective employee.

13

LOL… usually we hire teenagers for the dog shit level, or there is a certain type of person that is just good at dealing with shit and can be happy there. This lady I would have given a try to if she had managed to be polite and if it wasn’t so clear she wouldn’t take a job at that wage. She’s a middle aged lady too, not that I haven’t hired older people- just that they tend to have trouble with the physical labor/lifting aspect.

Most people use kennel work as a stepping stone or decide after a few weeks that working with animals is not for them. Thats why I like to see that kind of work on applications (and often if not looking at someone with vet experience, I like to see waitressing/bussing/cleaning type jobs for more than a few months worth). Sticking with a hard job is a plus. Part of all of our jobs is being patient and polite with people and definitely holding our temper with the animals. One must be ok with being pooped on, puked on, anal gland expressed on (thats the worst!), have our ears barked into, and cleaning and re-cleaning the same #((#(!! cage several times a day when dealing with a messy or sick pet. Even my best folks go through an adjustment period where they have to be reminded that these little beasts… uh I mean patients…are paying their wages and are the reason we are there in the first place. I admit, while I loved the challenge of back office work- I also love working up front/ administration where I can still have contact with our patients but I don’t have to do anything “scary” to them and while I still clean up messes sometimes- its not enough to really bother me.

Sorry, my rant turned into a dissertation on kennel work LOL…

14

I’d be absolutely thrilled that I wouldn’t be expected to dress up for an interview.

15

OOOh, I hate these. My mom and I call them “Alice and the White Rabbit” experiences. Or conversations if it’s just the one time.

Some people are just really bizarre and out there. But boy does it leave you feeling annoyed, almost against your will huh?

One thing, she could have been a welfare recipient. They’re required to do work searches and keep records of the sorts of questions they ask and the companies they “cold called”.

Sounds like the sort of “example questions” I’ve seen on some of the “required work search” forms. It’s a possibility. And if they know that they have annoyed the person who might be in charge of hiring them they know that they won’t have to go to work for them.

My sister used to work at the local welfare office, this is a common ploy when the recipient “wins” the work search lottery and has to do her twenty searches or whatever.

16

No, her behaviour described here:

Is what sabotaged her. She flipped out and started yelling at an invitation to have an interview. If she is that easily enraged, how on earth could she handle waiting on food customers, who can be the most trying people on earth?

17

I’m sorry, CanvasShoes, I didn’t make myself clear. I’d meant that in her mind going in for an immediate interview was a bad thing. And that is something I couldn’t understand.

I completely understood why you decided against hiring (or, it seems here, even interviewing) her.

18

Hi-

I don’t think this lady was a welfare recipient- in fact she was still employed as a nurse’s assistant or in a similar line of work on an on call basis. Or at least thats what her application said. She’s probably “on-call” because no one could stand to around her unless absolutely necessary :eek: .

19

Give her some dog poop in an 8 1/2 x 11 envelope with a note indicating it’s a take home test, and she should call you with her findings.

Of course, whatever she reports back will be wrong, and is a reason not to hire her. But just to be nice, tell her she can keep the dog poop, anyway.

20

Nah, you were crystal clear.