A friend of mine moved away yesterday. He's the one I've mentioned that I always practice my Spanish with, and we've been casual friends for a long time now. After a few years of really bad luck he got a wonderful job offer in San Antontio, TX--and he seemed happier than I've ever seen him when he stopped by the bookstore Friday night to say goodbye. He's a good and decent person and deserves such a great opportunity. Although I'm always sad when a friend moves away, I'm really happy for him! San Antonio is going to be a fun place to live.
As for work, in the past month three people that I like have found new jobs and have either left or given notice. Two more who haven't been there long enough for me to have an opinion about are also quitting. You'd think the level of turnover at our store would be a big red flag to corporate, but no one seems to care. And since several of the people who've left had full time, responsible positions, it keeps leaving me with a ton of extra work dumped in my lap. I can barely keep my head above water these days; I always feel hopelessly behind. For the next three Sunday nights I'm in charge of huge merchandising changes that will take place after the store closes (8pm on Sundays) and I'll be working until the early morning hours. I also have about 50 overdue projects in the store aside from that assigned to me, too. Then regular manager-on-duty tasks to carry out. Etc. Etc. Etc. I've told the store manager I'm drowning....she says she is too, and basically we all have to suck it up until we can find new jobs. Nice, huh? There's no fixing that place.
Speaking of which, I've applied for several more jobs. One bookkeeping position looked promising for a minute (good pay, a friend who knew somebody that could speak up for me, etc.) but then I got a warning that the there's funny business going on with money at that job and the two previous bookkeepers had been fired when someone needed to take the blame for said funny business. Someone who sits on the city council is over that department and could very well be a crook. No way will I even consider that job, and I sure appreciated the warning! I dodged a bullet on that one.
Something I'm considering starting next week is a free course offered at a local library in ASL (American Sign Language). I've heard there's a shortage of interpreters in the schools around here, and while I know that a course that's only a total of 8 hours won't make me proficient enough to get certified, having that class under my belt and a basic grasp of the fundamentals can only be helpful on my resume. We'll see--I have until Tuesday to decide.
The weather here is a little bit cooler and the humidity is down. The days are definitely shorter. I'm eagerly awaiting fall this year and some cool, crisp, sunny weather. Although there is change in the air, for the most part it's still like summer in northeastern South Carolina. How is the season progressing where you are? And what going on for you this week?
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| It will be another month or so before we have this much fall color in SC! |
It's still hot and humid here, but it's not as bad as it was in July and the first part of August. I've worked at some places that had constant employee turnover. The executives would blame it on the employees and say things such as "people don't want to work." It never seemed to occur to them that their and their policies were the problem. I'm glad you found out you shouldn't take that job.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
The idea of getting involved in a workplace where I might be asked to do something unethical or (God forbid) get thrown under the bus for the unethical actions of others sounds like a nightmare. At least my current job isn't THAT bad!
DeleteEnd of monsoons for us but the days are still hot and weirdly humid. Some light rain in the mountains.
ReplyDeleteAs for the jobs not sure what to say except "Hell and Bother"
cheers, parsnip
Yes, "hell and bother" just about sums it up!
DeleteI don't see why you should have to absorb the work load left by others (unless they're paying you huge overtime rates).
ReplyDeleteMy oldest son worked for 6 months on Hilton Head Island (isn't that down your way?), and complained terribly about the humidity. Over here we have two hot days to come, then about 4 days of 'light rain'. I can't remember when it last rained, everything is beige and crunchy underfoot.
I remember recommending to my boys that they should learn sign language. Neither of them did, but I'm sure it could have opened interesting doors!
Hilton Head Island is down my way! It's a vacation spot that only the very wealthy can afford, though. And the humidity in SC is awful.
DeleteGlad you were warned about that bookkeeping job! One day, the right job will find you, I am sure of that :-)
ReplyDeleteIt's been another hot summery weekend, and we're in for a few more hot days (up to 32 Celsius) until the weather is supposed to turn on Thursday or Friday. So I'll try to wear my favourite dresses one more time this week and then get the jumpers out.
The woman who was kind enough to tell my friend to give me the warning works in the place she was warning me about. She was very careful to be vague about details, for obvious reasons. I truly appreciated the heads up.
DeleteToday is cool and rainy and perfect at my house.
Good luck with your job search! I am self-employed now but will be adding a "traditional" job in the near future...I read your job interview reports with great interest (and some horror); they are informative, especially for someone like me. I've worked on my own for 16 years now, so it will be quite a change.
ReplyDeleteIt is starting to get cooler in northeast Ohio, thankfully (I've had enough of the summer heat).
I'm glad to know you enjoy my job search related posts. I worry that they must bore the heck out of most of my readers! Good luck with your search for a traditional job! I hope you can find something you enjoy. I have a few non-negotiable things I need in a job (great health benefits, for example) that might not be of concern to you. In any case, I do wish you luck--looking for a job really can have it's low moments. Trying to laugh them off is the best way I've found to cope. :)
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