An interview for a job in Hell...

Some of you might remember that that I lost my job of 15 years just after Thanksgiving. I still don't have a new one but I did go on a scary interview a few weeks back.

The funny thing is that the night before the interview my son and I were walking and I was saying how much I'd just like it if it was a relaxed place, even if the job didn't offer big $, as long as it would be a nice place to work. That's all I wanted, someplace happy to go to every day for 8 hours.

So. I get up early and dress up nice and head up to...no, I won't say where, just that it was a business out on Route 17. There, the person who had called me for the interview - who was quite pleasant, btw - took me upstairs where the offices were. She brought me into the bosses office (I didn't get to meet him as he was out sick) to wait while she fetched a co-worker. The office had televisions with the latest news running, security cameras, and a bunch of hunting trophies on the walls. The clue I was in the wrong place was on the boss's desk in the form of a plaque that said something like: "You're entitled to your opinions, just as long as they agree with mine."

A few minutes later the nice woman came back with a man with an immense beer belly covered by an oxford not quite tucked in properly, bad teeth, and piggy eyes. He did most of the talking. Asked me about the circumstances of my departure which I told him was due to finances. He asked how much I was making and when I told him, he said, "No wonder the company was losing money!" He also was kind enough to tell me that employees at this company could be divided into two categories, expenses and revenue. I would be an expense, he informed me. He then asked what I was looking for in a job and I said I was hoping to find a fairly pleasant place to work where everyone acted as a team and communicated effectively with one another. He gave a snorty laugh and asked where I thought I was going to find that job. Finally he asked if I had any questions and I politely inquired about the starting pay and benefits. I was told that a few select people were able to get health insurance through the company - he wasn't quite clear on how one qualified - and that there were five paid holidays, unless of course they fell on a weekend in which case no pay and certainly no day off in lieu of. No mention of vacation or sick days.

 I don't think I've ever gotten such bad vibes from a place. Literally, it was like I was interviewing for a position in hell. Of course the good thing is that any job I interview for after that will seem like heaven plus (bonus) it gave me an idea what working in hell might be like...

(to be continued on Friday)