@KarlLB That is probably because recruiting is a “soft” non-technicaI skill which a person with no particular prior experience can do provided they have credibility.
Now I’m retired I am convinced that if you can demonstrate credibility in a field you are on the way to being employable in almost any field. It’s a modification of the Peter Principle under which you get promoted to your level of incompetence. Under Sioni’s Rule you can be shunted around jobs and roles provided one has the required level of credibility.
Presumably, the agency still received commission for sending to a completely pointless interview. I can’t see any other reason why they would have lied to both me and the potential employer.
Agencies get their commission when someone is actually taken on so sending someone inappropriate doesn't make sense.
Presumably, the agency still received commission for sending to a completely pointless interview. I can’t see any other reason why they would have lied to both me and the potential employer.
Agencies get their commission when someone is actually taken on so sending someone inappropriate doesn't make sense.
Possibly they think they're better chancing their arm with any warm body (particularly given the tendency of some HR departments to over-demand in regard to job requirements).
I think this is just an endemic problem with the recruitment industry. It was the same when I was looking for jobs as a graduate in microbiology in 1992, and seems still to be the case with LinkedIn ads now, which are very interested in recruiting me to tutoring jobs with teenagers (I'm a consultant clinical virologist). The motivation escapes me, but then I'm a virologist and probably shouldn’t attempt to understand recruitment
Just about every conversation I have at the moment whether I know the person or not, begins with the words “did you see the game last night?”. I reply that I didn’t and hope that’s the end of it, but invariable the questioner asks “don’t you like football then?” or words to that effect. When I say I don’t, while hoping this really is the end of the conversation, what comes next is “so what sport do you like?”
Why can’t they just understand that it’s possible to get through life without obsessing about people chasing a ball in their underwear?
I'm not sure if I'm consigning this to Hell or to Heck. We'll find out tomorrow, when I call the fencing company.
Back in 2023, there was a two-car accident directly behind our home, on the major street that runs directly behind our back fence. It destroyed our six foot pine privacy fence and that of both neighbors on either side. At first we thought we would get a new fence out of the situation; alas, no. The driver's insurance didn't cover all the damage once car and medical were covered. We got roughly 2 K for what should have been an 8 K bill. (Mark that "should.")
We didn't turn to our homeowner's insurance, as they are notorious for making up whatever you claim out of your next couple of years' payments--or just kicking you off your policy regardless. We keep them around for major catastrophic only, as in, "the whole house burns down."
So we went fence shopping. This is where our lovely city gets involved.
We found a friendly fence company and set about getting a permit. Both our neighbors replaced their fences within three months--one with a proper permit, the other not bothering. Neither got into trouble with the city. Both were in precisely the same circumstances as us.
We were given the run-around. For more than a year. To the point where neither the company nor the county (which they had dragged into this mess) could believe the city was behaving so ridiculously. They were attempting to deny us a fence at all, unless we chose to put it up roughly ten feet from our house--which would have left what looked like an empty lot on the back street, between the two neighbors. It would have looked as silly as hell, besides shrinking our backyard by about 70 percent--and driving our neighbors mad, as the three fences would no longer be connected, and both would face the problem of no privacy from the street anymore, since neither neighbor had side fences of that sort--so anybody driving by would be looking straight into their backyards through the missing sides. (We ourselves were not going to be permitted to put up sides, either.)
Finally, after a year of this, as the head of permit services was getting all righteous on us yet again, Mr Lamb leaned across the table and said gently: "Would this have anything to do with the color of my skin, perhaps?"
That moved things. The next day we found a message on my voicemail saying that they had come across an ancient law that so kindly permitted people "in our situation" to repair HALF the damned fence in a single year; if we wanted to repaid the whole damned thing, we'd need to wait another 12 months.
We said fine, whatever, and got on with putting up half a fence. Which looked damned silly. And then we told all the neighbors precisely why.
Well, the time passed and we went back to the fence company and ordered the other half of the fence. We begged them to order the permit this time, and explained precisely why. They understood--they had the records of the previous fracas in their files.
So they came out, installed a beautiful fence, and left. They installed red cedar.
Mr Lamb and I came home to a part gray, part red fence. We looked at each other and said, "Surely that can't be cedar. Surely that's something odd about the pine species they used." And we laughed about it. Because it was SO red! Nobody could make such a mistake, right?
Then I got the bill, which they marked "paid in full" since they had helped themselves to my credit card to pay off the "after deposit" part.
Tomorrow I call them to say "What the hell?" Their answer determines whether I'm consigning this situation to heck or hell. If they charge us the price for pine, it'll be heck, and we'll put up with the freaky fence rather than trying to get them to change it. If they give us shit ("You should have known and complained the first day... Didn't you see the typo on the contract?") it'll be hell, and I'll be very much tempted to put a sign up explaining who did the job.
Well, I'm an idiot. Glad I didn't have a hissy fit when I called them--it turns out my memory is at fault, and eastern red cedar it's indeed what we ordered three years ago. Okay then. Need to get my brain dry cleaned. (Not that the city is any less to blame, as their bad behavior definitely happened that way.)
Well, I'm an idiot. Glad I didn't have a hissy fit when I called them--it turns out my memory is at fault, and eastern red cedar it's indeed what we ordered three years ago. Okay then. Need to get my brain dry cleaned. (Not that the city is any less to blame, as their bad behavior definitely happened that way.)
Could the colour difference be solved by painting the fence, or staining it ?
They tell me it will weather to the same color in the end, so I guess it's a waiting game. Looks totally weird, but that's the city's fault for being racist and refusing to allow us to build a whole fence, like our white neighbors did, all at the same time.
I don’t exactly want to consign them to hell, but I’m finding the noise from our new neighbours stressful. They are a lovely young family with a two year old and four year old. The children love the garden and play in it a lot, with frequent screaming. Dad was doing DIY all yesterday evening. Now they are having a barbecue with friends and music on. It hasn’t been quiet out at the back since around 9am. Judging from the past month, this could easily be the pattern for the whole summer.
I was expecting there to be some more noise than from our previous elderly neighbour, but I would really like a peaceful slot in the garden for an hour or so at some point between finishing work and sunset.
I did go round and say hello when they first moved in, welcomed them to the road and so on, but we have a high fence and I rarely see them - just hear them. A lot.
This is maybe a bit much, but if you're desperate enough... could you put in a water feature like a small fountain or waterfall between you and the noise? They sell ones that can go right up against a wall with a build-in basin. The splashier, the less noise gets through.
Thanks for the suggestions. I don’t think the water feature is really feasible. I probably will wear headphones more in the garden, though it would be nice just to be able to listen to the birds!
It has turned very breezy this evening, so much so that one particularly strong gust blew a pile of papers off a table that was near the open French doors. One receipt landed in the hearth, so it's a good job we didn't have a fire lit.
Happily, it was the pile of unsorted papers that were blown across the room, not the ones I had already put in date order!
Whoever decided to use my food waste bin to dump their disgusting stuff so that it's now alive with maggots.
It's full of meat bones so I know it's not mine!
I feel really queasy now.
Comments
Now I’m retired I am convinced that if you can demonstrate credibility in a field you are on the way to being employable in almost any field. It’s a modification of the Peter Principle under which you get promoted to your level of incompetence. Under Sioni’s Rule you can be shunted around jobs and roles provided one has the required level of credibility.
Agencies get their commission when someone is actually taken on so sending someone inappropriate doesn't make sense.
Possibly they think they're better chancing their arm with any warm body (particularly given the tendency of some HR departments to over-demand in regard to job requirements).
Why can’t they just understand that it’s possible to get through life without obsessing about people chasing a ball in their underwear?
Well, at least that would be sport in its original meaning.
Pocket billiards?
Back in 2023, there was a two-car accident directly behind our home, on the major street that runs directly behind our back fence. It destroyed our six foot pine privacy fence and that of both neighbors on either side. At first we thought we would get a new fence out of the situation; alas, no. The driver's insurance didn't cover all the damage once car and medical were covered. We got roughly 2 K for what should have been an 8 K bill. (Mark that "should.")
We didn't turn to our homeowner's insurance, as they are notorious for making up whatever you claim out of your next couple of years' payments--or just kicking you off your policy regardless. We keep them around for major catastrophic only, as in, "the whole house burns down."
So we went fence shopping. This is where our lovely city gets involved.
We found a friendly fence company and set about getting a permit. Both our neighbors replaced their fences within three months--one with a proper permit, the other not bothering. Neither got into trouble with the city. Both were in precisely the same circumstances as us.
We were given the run-around. For more than a year. To the point where neither the company nor the county (which they had dragged into this mess) could believe the city was behaving so ridiculously. They were attempting to deny us a fence at all, unless we chose to put it up roughly ten feet from our house--which would have left what looked like an empty lot on the back street, between the two neighbors. It would have looked as silly as hell, besides shrinking our backyard by about 70 percent--and driving our neighbors mad, as the three fences would no longer be connected, and both would face the problem of no privacy from the street anymore, since neither neighbor had side fences of that sort--so anybody driving by would be looking straight into their backyards through the missing sides. (We ourselves were not going to be permitted to put up sides, either.)
Finally, after a year of this, as the head of permit services was getting all righteous on us yet again, Mr Lamb leaned across the table and said gently: "Would this have anything to do with the color of my skin, perhaps?"
That moved things. The next day we found a message on my voicemail saying that they had come across an ancient law that so kindly permitted people "in our situation" to repair HALF the damned fence in a single year; if we wanted to repaid the whole damned thing, we'd need to wait another 12 months.
We said fine, whatever, and got on with putting up half a fence. Which looked damned silly. And then we told all the neighbors precisely why.
Well, the time passed and we went back to the fence company and ordered the other half of the fence. We begged them to order the permit this time, and explained precisely why. They understood--they had the records of the previous fracas in their files.
So they came out, installed a beautiful fence, and left. They installed red cedar.
Mr Lamb and I came home to a part gray, part red fence. We looked at each other and said, "Surely that can't be cedar. Surely that's something odd about the pine species they used." And we laughed about it. Because it was SO red! Nobody could make such a mistake, right?
Then I got the bill, which they marked "paid in full" since they had helped themselves to my credit card to pay off the "after deposit" part.
Tomorrow I call them to say "What the hell?" Their answer determines whether I'm consigning this situation to heck or hell. If they charge us the price for pine, it'll be heck, and we'll put up with the freaky fence rather than trying to get them to change it. If they give us shit ("You should have known and complained the first day... Didn't you see the typo on the contract?") it'll be hell, and I'll be very much tempted to put a sign up explaining who did the job.
Could the colour difference be solved by painting the fence, or staining it ?
I was expecting there to be some more noise than from our previous elderly neighbour, but I would really like a peaceful slot in the garden for an hour or so at some point between finishing work and sunset.
I did go round and say hello when they first moved in, welcomed them to the road and so on, but we have a high fence and I rarely see them - just hear them. A lot.
Happily, it was the pile of unsorted papers that were blown across the room, not the ones I had already put in date order!
It's full of meat bones so I know it's not mine!
I feel really queasy now.