Sunday, April 08, 2007

So long gone...

Apologies to the 3 people who think I have crap worth reading but I've been busy the last couple of months. I started a new job in my chosen profession and this means my priorities have changed a wee bit.

It's funny though that I still get calls from various recruiters around the place asking me if I'm working yet. The funny bit is that when I found the job, I made sure to practice what I preached and contacted all of the recruiters that knew how to practice GOOD BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS and bothered to stay in touch with me when I contacted their firm with regards a position. Every single one I contacted were grateful that I let them know that I was working again and wished me well. Those that weren't bothered to contact me with any form of update got the same back - and it's these businesses that are contacting me now.

I received a notification from one firm the other day about how I had missed out on a position that I had applied for in excess of 2 months prior to the date of the email. It had taken the employer and the agency OVER 2 months to get back to me.

HOW SLACK IS THAT???

Needless to say, I contacted the agency and informed them that they need to coach their client that if they want talented, driven, dedicated and professional staff: this kind of person is not going to wait around for 2 months or more while they think about getting their thumbs out of their collective backsides. They cannot see the contradiction here - they WANT professional and driven people to join their lacklustre collective. Oil & water?
I was being semi-polite about it when I contacted them as I have my list of agencies that I will deal with in future [hint: these are the ones who know business etiquette and what communication in business actually means].

In the end, the firm that employed me seem to be very happy. The offered me a position and said I could think about the pay and the offer for a few days. Not being someone who'll sit around and wait, I wanted it settled on the day. Papers were then to be sent out and a chain of mail would go back and forth and then a start date decided. After showing my enthusiasm for getting the job done, the offer was made on a Friday and it was agreed that I would start on the following Monday. Government departments: are you reading this? This is a professional position and I don't have time to waste waiting for your paper trail. This organisation knew it and I was in there solving problems 72 hours after the initial offer of employment!
Well... this is the benefit of dealing with private enterprise... less bludgers - less politics - more interested in getting the job done with less mindless, half-witted bureaucracy!

Other news:
Well... after X number of years of training in one of the martial arts, 2 spine operations, 1 knee operation and another knee ripped out of it's socket (none of these caused by the training!), I finally got my black belt. In martial arts' terms: I have just learned to crawl. This is now where the *real* learning begins. It's true too as I have learned more in the last 3 months than in the last 2 years!

More news:
One thing about martial arts training is that you know where your body parts are just about all the time and you are aware of where people and objects are. Do you know where this really helps? Dancing! After doing latin dancing for 3 months back in 2004 (before knee surgery), I finally decided to go back about 6 months ago and it is GREAT! Lots of fantastic-looking women and, thanks to past training and an ability to work *with* "training partners", I get to achieve the ultimate compliment a bloke can get from a woman - that I've made her happy. I then go home alone and I am happy too! :)
[OK - so that last bit isn't entirely true... I have been thinking more about the female of the species lately but it is like trying to jam that camel through the eye of a needle in trying to find one worth finding... Oh, forgot the usual caveat - the trick is to find one that is worth finding that thinks that *I* am worth finding as well... I guess most prefer the bludgers and lazy pricks who want to dominate them and treat them like sluts.... Oh well...]

My thoughts are now that while people think that dancers are gay and football players are real men, it is actually the other way around. Tell me: who is the homo? A bloke who would prefer to run around an oval grabbing other blokes around the hips and backside with their face at arse or crotch height - and then want to have a shower with them afterwards -- or, the bloke who gets to hold a girl with very sexy hip movements so close that you can feel her heartbeat (and she does this willingly without any money changing hands).
Give me the dancing any day! :)