What you're doing wrong in an interview... and in your life.

Originally posted by texasgirl
I totally agree with the idea that if you don't like your job then find another one. I was working for one company for 4 1/2 years under a great boss until she quit. The next boss was an arrogant, potty mouth sort of fella who was very handsy around me. It didn't matter that I was well-respected, been promoted, had proven success with the company; he didn't listen to my ideas and spent every chance he could get to hug/touch/make crass comments. I started hating my job. I did some research for another job, kept my mouth shut and left when I had enough money saved to start my own business. I did NOT contact human resources and, therefore, did not burn any bridges when I left.

However, there are some things not worth staying for, even if I get a paycheck for doing my job.

Oh, just to clarify: If you definitely ARE being harrassed then don't feel bad about going to Human Resources. I didn't want to rock the boat and wanted to keep my reputation in check. I felt it was time to start a new career, anyway.

reply to post by LDragonFire

As a Employee I expect to be trained in the position, I need to be given the tools in order to succeed.

If I am hiring you as a systems analyst and you need training to turn the machines on, then you are not able to do your job and no, I will not train you. It is my place to train you in company procedures; it is your place to acquire the skill set to do a job competently.

Tools: I typically provide the tools needed, but in some occupations the employee is expected to furnish the tools. My son just started work as a CNC Machinist; he needs about $500 worth of tools and a toolbox. His company is allowing him to use shop tools or do tasks which do not require certain tools until he can get them. I consider that a fair deal for him.

It is not my personal responsibility to run your business, this is your job.

Umm... yes it is your job to maintain your attitude toward work and to show up on time.

Would you inform your employees of financial crisis involving the business?

As much as it concerned them, yes. If I think the doors are going to be closing, that concerns them.

So you wish to remind employees that they are below you?

I will defer to getreadyalready's post above... he says it very well.

What you need to remember is that the profit you earn from your business comes directly off the backs of your employees.

And your pay comes directly off the bottom line. So?

This is the attitude I despise so much. "My job is important! I should make a lot of money! The guy who gave me the job should go rot in a hole somewhere... all he did was give me a job because he wanted to use me!"

I swear some people could fall out in the street, have their lives saved by a EMT, and slap him for "invading their personal space" when they woke up.

Its the bosses job to create a safe, clean, and professional atmosphere.

When I hire someone, I am not taking on the responsibility of raising them. Sorry, that doesn't cut it. If you can't find a reason to smile, then don't work for me. I would rather keep the business small or even have it fail than have to look at a bunch of sourpusses all day every day.

It is not my job to make you happy.

Again its the boss or owners responsibilities to use standard operating procedures to clean up messes or other safety issues.

"Not my job".

It is my responsibility to take care of issues, yes. It is your responsibility to show up every day and to not spend the time I am paying for thinking about what happened at home last night or groggy because you didn't get enough sleep. So if you see a spill on the floor and walk over it instead of taking 30 seconds to wipe it up, the next time you need a pass I will simply do my job as well. If I find out (and I eventually will) that you stopped to clean it up instead of informing your supervisor, who then had to fill out a form and forward it to the janitorial service who then sent a person out to specifically clean up that spill, the next time you have an issue I am going to be much more compassionate.

I wouldn't pit one employee against another when there should be set sop's.

Specifying the responsibilities of a line worker as opposed to a supervisor IS an SOP.

A employee handbook would be a great way to tell your employees a dress code and basic grooming expectations.

And would be totally unnecessary in most situations should a little common decency be used. If you need a book to tell you to pull your pants up, get a job as an underwear model.

I'm actually trying to be tactful here, but sheesh! Is there any other way to say it?

I'm not saying all lawsuits or calls to the labor board are not warranted, but if you like most business owners cut corners with worker safety or if you allow sexual harassment then you deserve to be sued. To automatically think you are faultless because you own a business is not realistic.

I didn't say I am automatically faultless, but neither am I automatically guilty. And there are a lot of people who are on the lookout for ways to get a lawsuit in... how about that spill you stepped across and didn't clean up because you were following some silly SOP? If the next guy slips in it, who is responsible for it? You, who saw it and negligently refused to clean it, or me, who had no idea it even existed?

Correct answer: me.

The job market will decide if I stay with you or not.

Not in this case. No offense, but you would never even make it completely through the interview.

As for the hating thing... you demonstrate that issue very clearly. Anything good for the employee is their right, while anything good for the employer is failing at his 'duties'.

TheRedneck

reply to post by OutKast Searcher

I think that's an excellent idea! Of course, 90% of those who try it will fail (that's statistical fact), but I would bet that 100% of everyone who tries it will come back with a completely different attitude.

Sometimes education costs.

I'm a little confused about one part of your plan though...

Use corporate jobs to get the training and skills needed...

Ummm... isn't that what you just implied everyone not to do a few lines up?

TheRedneck

Originally posted by syrinx high priest
I was a headhunter for 5 years. I worked physicians, executives, middle managers. I placed people at GE, Cendant, Castrol NA, and many hospitals. the average all in comp package was worth around $200,000

the reality is depressing, but here goes.

getting the interview means "on paper" the employer feel you are qualified on a basic level for the job. the interview is to determine if you will fit in with the culture, are likeable and usually attractive on some level.

the reality is some decision makers are loking for some eye candy. some are looking for a non-threatening stooge to blame failures on, while others are looking for their replacement so they can be promoted. sometimes there is no job, and they are picking your brain because you work for a competitor.

so it's literally impossible to have a one size fits all advice package.

it's like any other human interaction tho, chemistry is key to success, and that is unpredictable, just like dating

I interviewed hundreds of candidates over my career, and there are some universal ways to maximize your chances on an interview

do your research ahead of time. go online and read the company mission statement, news clippings and "about us" page. don't just read it, think about it, read through the tea leaves and make a determination of what direction the company is headed. come up with 3 questions about the company and memorize them. there is NOTHING WORSE than an candidate that doesn't have interesting questions that show they did their homework. it signals the hiring manager you are lazy, arrogant and going throug the motions, like you took the interview to get your spouse off your back.

Find out the process. Is it 2-3 interviews or 1 ? are you the 2nd to interview or 10th ? are they weeks from making a decision or days ?

On a first interview, these questions better NOT be about money, benefits, hours, travel or what's in it for you. NO, the article you read that said showing your killer instinct sets you apart. it makes you look like you have no idea how the process works. of course, if it is a 1 interview process, ask these questions at the end

ALWAYS follow up from the interview with a communication saying thank you. manners matter. if it's a young computer culture, email is ok, but make it a formal letter style inside the -mail. otherwise, pop a hand written letter on that paper stuff in the mail that night so it gets there is a coupla days. please don't reiterate how great you are, that's for me to decide. just say thank you and list your contact info again so I can find it when I need it.
the only other time to send an e-mail is if the decision will be made in a few days


at the appropriate time, simply ask for the job. a salesmans job is to ask for the money, and a candidates job is to ask for the job. keep it simple, and hopefully as close to the end of the final interview as possible. make it something like, "I can really see myself here, and would love to hear something positive from you when you have made your decision"

NO, this will NOT hurt your negotiating leverage. any employer with experience is expecting haggling, even if you ask for the job.

last point on money. don't lie about your earnings, anyone with local experience knows how their competitors pay, and can find out on the downlow, or even ask for a W-2.


don't give the first number. ever watch pawn stars ? whoever gives the first number is at a disadvantage. rick always make sure to ask "what are you looking for ?" and then he low balls from there. if he gave the first number, than the seller highballs from his number, and he would do worse

if they ask about salary requrements, simply say, "you know what I'm making, I need to do better than that, but I'm really more interested in other long term aspects of this position, and I'd consider any competitive offer"


again, the real key is chemistry and knowing your auduence. look for clues everywhere. I always start with the cars in the parking lot. finally take your key from your interviewer. don't imitate them, but alter your presentation to mach their energey level and basic style

hope this helps



YOU ARE RIGHT ON THE MONEY!

Originally posted by TheRedneck
reply to post by mbkennel

Imperious "you don't deserve profits" attitudes result into "you don't deserve more than my mediocre effort".

If I have to cowtow to someone who thinks they deserve what I have worked for in order for them to do their job, sorry, but I will close the business before giving in to that kind of demand.


Imperious? You can call it that. I call it reasonable, just as reasonable as you would be if I showed up at your front door demanding you give me free room and board in your bedroom.

So you believe that compensating employees in ways which correlate with the profitability of the business is "cowtowing" and you'd rather hurt yourself in that circumstance to spite those uppity employees?

And what is a "demand"?

Every business I have built operated on one single core concept: I was the one who started it, I was the one who grew it, and I was the one responsible for it. That meant I made the final decisions. Period. End of paragraph. End of discussion. There is something I just cannot stand about anyone coming into a business I built and thinking they should make decisions. Call it a pet peeve; call it arrogance; call it peanut butter. It is what it is.

That's fine, if you own the majority of the business you will be making final decisions, no question. The attitude that compensating people with minority ownership or profit sharing is a great affront is very strange to me and sounds quite aggressive, that an employee suggesting this action results in you shutting down the business.

Many business owners want to align the motivations of employees and owners intentionally to avoid a destructive us-vs-them attitude.

Originally posted by TheRedneck
The guy who spent 6-7 years in college, racking up student loans and eating mac-n-cheese every night to learn and become an engineer is simply worth a lot more in business than the guy who dropped out of school early and somehow managed to land a job sweeping the floor. The latter does not deserve to starve; I want everyone to have a good life. But he does not deserve a plush corner office, a six-figure salary, a company car, and a nice bonus package. The guy who sacrificed and worked hard to become better than he was does deserve that.

I would love to see the drop-out go back to school as well, get his degree, and land a nice cushy job. But who decides his position? He does.

That's fairness. You get what you are willing to work for. It's just not Politically Correct.

TheRedneck

We'll have to agree to disagree here because I think I see things in a totally different light than you do.

Should you ever be interested in my (much more primitive) view on things, again, they are present in a bit more detail in the thread in my sig. To put it shortly; That nice engineering degree, as fancy as it may be, is NOT essential to this planet nor is it essential to the primary needs of 7 billion people. However, knowing how to produce food, grow cattle,... IS essential.

Now you tell me who gets the nicest pay and the easiest life? Yet who is the most essential? Of course, step by step the truly productive people are being replaced by automatization, a horrible thing if I may share my opinion, and thus an artificial saturation of the work-market is being completed. Those previously very productive people who contributed to what mankind really needs every single day, can now go find a job at walmart, because farming on a greater scale is more lucrative to some.

Someone who spent 6 years on an engineering degree obviously deserves what he gets, but in my opinion, so do people that truly contribute to mankind's needs. In real life, when I purpose things along these lines, I usually get all the expert-talk thrown at me indicating that this is not how real life works, how degrees are important and this and that, while in reality, it's all just lies covering up a really simple truth. In our most primitive form, we have needs that NEED to be fulfilled, to me those needs and the people providing them every day, are astronomically more important than someone who can program a new iphone app.

The whole system is based on exploitation and until that changes, and it will, the people who do not want to join said process of exploiting everything and everyone, are prevented from living a good and normal life. I don't need 5 cars, a big mansion and a million dollar bank account, I want to enjoy living a NATURAL life, and I don't want to enforce this on others, but the view of the majority IS being enforced on me. It's either join in, or live on the street.

Wow Redneck!

I can't say we agree on much, but at least you're honest enough to call it like you believe it.

Your generalizations of people seem way outdated, but that's just my opinion.

Guess I gotta peg you as an INTJ at this point. I've got a few of them in my family, and they seem to have the same way of viewing things.

All in all I'm sure you get a ton of work done, but damned I could never work for someone like you. You seem a bit too stuck in your preconceptions. That kind of boxed mentality would drive me nuts!

Hope you find better employees!

Originally posted by ThisIsNotReality

Originally posted by TheRedneck
The guy who spent 6-7 years in college, racking up student loans and eating mac-n-cheese every night to learn and become an engineer is simply worth a lot more in business than the guy who dropped out of school early and somehow managed to land a job sweeping the floor. The latter does not deserve to starve; I want everyone to have a good life. But he does not deserve a plush corner office, a six-figure salary, a company car, and a nice bonus package. The guy who sacrificed and worked hard to become better than he was does deserve that.

I would love to see the drop-out go back to school as well, get his degree, and land a nice cushy job. But who decides his position? He does.

That's fairness. You get what you are willing to work for. It's just not Politically Correct.

TheRedneck

We'll have to agree to disagree here because I think I see things in a totally different light than you do.

Should you ever be interested in my (much more primitive) view on things, again, they are present in a bit more detail in the thread in my sig. To put it shortly; That nice engineering degree, as fancy as it may be, is NOT essential to this planet nor is it essential to the primary needs of 7 billion people. However, knowing how to produce food, grow cattle,... IS essential.

Now you tell me who gets the nicest pay and the easiest life? Yet who is the most essential? Of course, step by step the truly productive people are being replaced by automatization, a horrible thing if I may share my opinion, and thus an artificial saturation of the work-market is being completed. Those previously very productive people who contributed to what mankind really needs every single day, can now go find a job at walmart, because farming on a greater scale is more lucrative to some.

Someone who spent 6 years on an engineering degree obviously deserves what he gets, but in my opinion, so do people that truly contribute to mankind's needs. In real life, when I purpose things along these lines, I usually get all the expert-talk thrown at me indicating that this is not how real life works, how degrees are important and this and that, while in reality, it's all just lies covering up a really simple truth. In our most primitive form, we have needs that NEED to be fulfilled, to me those needs and the people providing them every day, are astronomically more important than someone who can program a new iphone app.

The whole system is based on exploitation and until that changes, and it will, the people who do not want to join said process of exploiting everything and everyone, are prevented from living a good and normal life. I don't need 5 cars, a big mansion and a million dollar bank account, I want to enjoy living a NATURAL life, and I don't want to enforce this on others, but the view of the majority IS being enforced on me. It's either join in, or live on the street.

Good post! I did not go to college but instead worked my way to the top by never thinking I was good enough and always wanting to learn more. Once I got there my former boss quit only to be replaced by a creep (see previous post) and my thinking changed. I didn't need the cushy pay and started thinking about what I really wanted to do. I now work in the animal industry (I take care of animals, rescues and volunteer) and it's pretty crummy pay but I am so much happier and I feel like I am actually making a difference in this world.

A kid who graduates with a college degree these days, in my opinion, feel they DESERVE that swanky office with all the perks. Whatever happened to starting at the bottom and working your way up, learning the business and what it takes to be a good employee? The janitor knows hard work and has a mindset that he is not 'above' any job. I would rather sit down and have a nice discussion with a janitor than an arrogant corporate guy.

reply to post by mbkennel

So you believe that compensating employees in ways which correlate with the profitability of the business is "cowtowing" and you'd rather hurt yourself in that circumstance to spite those uppity employees?

Call it a personality defect. I believe if two people agree to a deal, then it is incumbent on both of them to uphold their end of the deal.

Employee performs labor for employer as needed, usually within a specified area of expertise, on a specified schedule.

Employer pays employee a specified amount, along with any benefits promised, and provides a work environment and all the necessary governmental paperwork and tools as appropriate.

That's the deal.

When the employee starts complaining because they want a raise or a longer lunch or a share of the company, and they decide that because they don't get to renegotiate what they agreed to they will just work slower, then they have violated the deal. Period. You can try to spin that any way you want, but the fact remains that they are not doing what they said they would.

And what is a "demand"?

Read above. I have seen far too many employees who think that because they want something, they can just slow work or complain until they get it, and there is nothing wrong with that. That is a demand.

I used to work with a guy when I was driving a truck... real nice guy, great driver, good employee. But we were talking one day and he made the statement that the company should buy everyone a new truck equipped with an APU (Auxilliary Power Unit) and give everyone a big raise. I tried to explain to him how much it would cost to do that (was close to $100 million for that company) and how much it would raise rates and cause them to lose business. He simply couldn't understand it. Apparently, the issue of the company not having unlimited money and needing to make a profit escaped him.

I have seen people walk into offices demanding that the company do things like this. I have seen people get all bent out of shape because those demands were dismissed. I have seen people get fired over things like this, many times.

In this thread I have seen quite a few posts about how workers are not slaves. All of those posts are right; they are not slaves. But neither is the employer a slave to the workers. It cuts both ways. It is a business deal, not a personal struggle for superiority.

You want a raise? Ask for it! While you're asking, point out what you did outside of your job description that makes you deserve it. If the boss says no, ask what you need to do to change that answer later, and do it. If that answer is that the company can't pay more, maybe you need another company. If you can't find another company... well, maybe your request was unreasonable. Your time is worth what you can sell it for, and no more.

If you want better working conditions, explain to the boss how it will benefit him... will it cut down on accidents? Make it faster to get around? Save him money by making things more efficient?

You are renegotiating a contract. You do not get to demand anything beyond your original contract.

TheRedneck

reply to post by unityemissions

Guess I gotta peg you as an INTJ at this point.

Forgive my ignorance, but what is an INTJ?

I'll take the honesty comment as a compliment.

TheRedneck

So basically we have two camps here; socialists and capitalists.

Capitalists claim: the boss is more important that the worker and that the worker has to give in to the boss's demands.

Socialists claim the worker is more important than the boss and the boss has to give in to their demands.

Well, some people might be pro-union too.

reply to post by TheRedneck


INTJ

It's based on the myers-briggs typology indicator, which was built off of Jung's work.

reply to post by antonia


I manage a bar and I will take an average looking girl over a knock-out any day. The pretty girls usually don't feel they need to do the same work as everyone else. They find a few big spenders to devote their attention to, ignoring most of the other customers. Our non-bombshells end up being the best servers because they actually talk with all the customers and in the long run, end up making more money. I don't use this as a criteria in hiring but it's a rare thing that a good-looking bartender works out for us.

Don't be so hard on yourself! I think after a glimpse of bosom or butt cheek a customer (meaning male) would rather have attention paid to him and could care less how little we look like Angelina Jolie but more on our ability to show interest in what they are saying and keep what he's told us confidential.

Originally posted by TheRedneckThat comparison was concerning skill sets. If you are a CNC Mill Programmer (a 52" $10,000 TV), and you are working in fast food (50" $500 TV), you are not going to be treated as anything more than a fast-food worker. With all due respect to those who work in fast food, that is not an exclusive skill set; there are a lot of people capable of doing your job.

I have to think some more about your reply but responding to this not everyone can be a fast food worker. For example people who have had these high status jobs get fired and have to pay the rent or whatever and are confronted by the prospect of flipping burgers, they'll have a hard time. They do it but become miserable individuals who can barely put on a fake smile.

There's no such thing as exclusive anymore unless you happen to be an astronaut. There are just those who are the best, mediocre and novices in any skill. It's old fashioned thinking from the time when the general education system was a lot less, before internet and virtual courses/classes.

Sure it's easy to be happy when having a high status job. And even then there are people who are miserable. Try being a genuinely happy selfconfident human being when people talk degrading about your profession. If you are genuinely happy, I'd consider such a person to be succesful. Having a lower status job just makes that person more succesful in life imho.

The same with other low status jobs; take waste collectors, without them countries would become filthy places in no time. People would get upset, sick, there would be rodents and vermins all over the place. Without them people would have to dump their own garbage and lose time and possibly money for gas because of it, or they would have to hire people to pick up their trash while they are working themselves. But we don't think of them that way. They should get a good wage because of the working conditions, stench and the lack of respect and status, while higher level CEO's should get less just because their job includes all these luxury perks and ofcourse the status. It's not just picking up the trash and throwing it in a truck. You have to have something more to keep going, spirit, faith or a truth. I could just as easily say anyone can sign a business deal. If all entrepeneurs would suddenly be gone tomorrow, how many people would rise to the challenge and set up their businesses? Yeah I know I'm alone in this view but that's how I think about it.

reply to post by Dragonfly79


You're not alone in your view. I make it a point to say hi to the maintenance crew, landscapers, construction workers, farmers, etc.. simply because what they do makes my life easier. Most people don't realize the world will fall apart without them.

reply to post by Dragonfly79

I have to think some more about your reply but responding to this not everyone can be a fast food worker. For example people who have had these high status jobs get fired and have to pay the rent or whatever and are confronted by the prospect of flipping burgers, they'll have a hard time. They do it but become miserable individuals who can barely put on a fake smile.

If that is true, then that is why they are no longer in their high status job. A good person, and a good employee, and a person with the right integrity and morals will do the best job they can do all the time. If I were to lose the job I have, and I had to go to work at Taco Bell or McDonalds, I would of course face a lot of money problems, but when I was at work, I would do the best job I could do, I would attempt to have fun, and be friendly with the customers and my co-workers, and in all likelihood I would be managing a McDonalds somewhere before Christmas and making about the same money I make now.

In fact, when I interviewed for my current position, one of the interview questions was to describe my favorite previous employment situation. I answered, "McDonalds!" Hands down! It wasn't even on my application, and it made them laugh, and they had me elaborate on the reasons, and I told them it was a great place, I learned what I needed to know quickly, and then I cross-trained in all the other areas, I got to work with an eclectic group of people, I got to interact with a lot of customers, I was lucky enough to excel at the job, so I was appreciated by management, co-workers, and even customers for my contributions, etc.

Apparently that was a good answer, because they gave me this job.

It isn't about where you work, it is about how you work!

reply to post by Dragonfly79


I do agree with you about the pay being upside down. The people doing the hardest, filthiest work are making the least money, while the ones with the nice offices and cushy jobs are making the most money. It seems backwards, but then again, if they swapped roles, the person that was a CEO, would probably make a great trash collector, while the trash collector would most likely flop in the CEO position.

In general (and I know there are exceptions), but in general the people in those big money positions have extreme skill in some key area, even if that area is just politicking or networking. They excel at things that generate a lot of revenue for their employers, or they are visionaries that create environments that generate a lot of revenue for their employers, and often create lots of jobs in the process.

It does seem upside down, and its a shame we can't alleviate some of the mismatch between the two extremes, but it really wouldn't work any other way.

reply to post by unityemissions

HAHAHA! OK!

That does seem to describe me... thank you!

TheRedneck

reply to post by Dragonfly79

You bring up some interesting points. I know that after working in some of the higher-responsibility positions I have held, it is more difficult to adjust to lower positions. Perhaps that has something to do with the misery index that is mentioned on the news form time to time.

Exclusivity - I believe that anyone can be anything they choose as long as they want it bad enough and are willing to do what it takes. It's just that certain people are better suited for certain jobs... for example, I can spot a potential engineer a half-mile away. He's the guy taking things apart and putting them back together. Someone else can still become an engineer, but it will be harder for them (and probably less satisfying).

Sure it's easy to be happy when having a high status job.

I'll have to disagree there. It's easy to be happy when you love what you're doing. It's harder, much harder, to be happy when you're doing something you hate. I would make an absolutely lousy chef... cooking is just not something I enjoy or am good at. That's not an attempt to denigrate chefs, however; when it's time to eat, they are fabulous!

I have known CEOs that were miserable as well, and janitors that were never without a smile. Happiness comes from within, not from a job.

The same with other low status jobs

There are no dishonorable jobs; only dishonorable workers.

I promise you I do not judge people by the type of work they do, but rather by the pride they take in it. The guy mopping the floor at WalMart is no better and no worse than the guy in a three-piece suit in a board meeting (OK, maybe a little better because the suit is probably stuck-up). I will also agree that the wage differential is a shame... I just do not know of any way to effectively correct it. One cannot have ones cake and eat it too. If there is no incentive for the extended educational requirements of certain jobs, then there is an actual obstacle to individuals pursuing those jobs. So where do we draw a line on what a certain profession is worth? More importantly IMO, who are we to even make such a determination? Are our personal values of greater weight than economic realities of supply and demand? Would gravity cease to exist if we wanted it to badly enough?

The reality is, if we dropped the pay differential between the gardener and the engineer, we would have too few engineers and too many gardeners. The pay differences occur because of supply and demand, the exact same dynamic that is at present causing real wages to drop because of too many workers and not enough jobs.

Is it fair? Maybe, maybe not. We can debate that. Does the debate even matter, though? That is the real question. Life itself is not fair.

TheRedneck

I am going to give an example of my work place and my thoughts on the working going on right now. Use to uphold either side of this you wish, but the point is to work the best you can no matter what even more so in the employment market today.

So this year we do not get raises, last year we did and the year before that we did not. The raises have not always been that great but the work is not that bad. The hours can be a bit hard on people if they do not adapt to them but the actual work is not too bad, mostly you have to be a bit mechanical in be able to problem solve.

So the company has spent a lot of money this year to try and expand and gain more business and customers in the end helping the employees make more money. Without the customers they cannot pay us it is just that simple.

Anyway lately I see a terrible work ethic in a lot of people. I see people doing as little as they can and just getting by. It hurts the production of everyone. I see people with pissy attitudes all day long (it makes for a very long 12 hours). Being around them makes one feel terrible, you can just feel their garbage oozing off of them. It has gotten really bad, so I center in on my job and of course the music playing to help me dig in deeper and get more out. For me I want the competition. I am not going to get paid more this year I know it, but I want to get more out than others. I want my product to be better than the others. I want my pride to show in my work. After all if myself does not show up in my work I am not doing it good enough.

I pull for my team over all the other teams, I have no doubt my team is the best there is (though right now some are not giving it their all). It is competition that drives me, well that and the fact that I have a wife and son to support.

Anyway I see all these people that come in and before we even start the day talk about how they hate it and do not want to be here. I told one the other day to go home, yet he stayed. I do not need the dead weight around I can cover what they are doing and still get the job done. I am confident in my work, I know how to do it and do it the best I can everyday every hour.

I look around and think I am lucky our employer is still here. After all look at how many places closed or just laid people off. I still have a job, so do those I work with. Yeah we may not get a raise this year but at least we are not without money either.

I do not say this because I want a promotion, management is not my thing. I cannot stand to see the type of work I see from many now. Seeing that and being in management would end up costing me my job because I would be writing people up or firing them for not doing the job they were hired to do. All I want to do is come in do my job, collect my check and enjoy my time off. I enjoy my time off because I bring home money and it allows me the money my hobbies require. At work I think about work, at home I think about home (well aside from now where I am talking about it on a forum). My hobbies keep me sane and my family keeps me feeling love for people in general. I like my job, sure it is nothing great and will never be great but it has some really good advantages in the way hours fall and how one can use vacation. It is easy to take off for a month straight here which is awesome if you can save a bit of money and do things.

Anyway I think I might have rambled on and lost my point. My original point though was if you have a job and you do not want to be there and you think it lowers your moral then leave. If you like the fact that you have a job when unemployment is really high then at least enjoy your job for that if nothing else. It is not like you live there, you do go home every day. Separate your home and work life and you will be much happier.

Raist