Nice people thread part 7 - a thread in its prime

Generali

SingleSue wrote: »

I was lucky when I ignored the requirements for experience for my first office job, they wanted someone experienced, I was not but dazzled them in the interview...this led to (after several job changes), a high paying job and a proper career.

I was not lucky when the boys were discovered to have differing needs, my husband decided to sleep with my best friend and I ended up on the one thing I had always been very critical of...benefits as a lone parent. Mind you, you could say it was my just desert for being so ultra critical and nasty about lone parents and their morals

My first job in The City was doing data entry and I realized I was on a hiding to nothing doing that so I lied about what I'd been up to to get job #2. They knew pretty much immediately that I was completely incompetent but had signed me up for 3 months and it's too hard for most people to be bothered to do the paperwork to flick someone before the three months.

By the time they got round to firing me I was more than competent having soaked up every rollicking they could throw at me but also, importantly, having done their year long intranet course in 3 months (that went onto my time sheet at overtime rates).

When I went looking for job number three I was the ideal candidate.

As for the people that were so horrid at Citibank on Aldwych to the temp on the Milan support desk in 1995-6: How many hedge funds did you run with your perfectly ironed sleeve creases? (Not all of them were horrid but lots of them were, in many cases quite gratuitously).

We've got an election over here. In September. 8 months of electioneering. Aaaaargh.

I went to a talk given by the private Secretary to the Governor General who dismissed Gough Whitlam as PM in the 70s. What a fascinating man! He doesn't like Socialists very much and we had a prominent Socialist writer in the room! It's all fun and games.

vivatifosi

Generali wrote: »

I went to a talk given by the private Secretary to the Governor General who dismissed Gough Whitlam as PM in the 70s. What a fascinating man! He doesn't like Socialists very much and we had a prominent Socialist writer in the room! It's all fun and games.

Is the vote compulsory for you too Gen, or only for Mrs Gen? IIRC my parents had to vote there, even though not naturalised. But there were also a lot of spoiled ballots.

Generali

vivatifosi wrote: »

Is the vote compulsory for you too Gen, or only for Mrs Gen? IIRC my parents had to vote there, even though not naturalised. But there were also a lot of spoiled ballots.

Compulsory for Mrs Generali but unavailable to me.

NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESNTATION! Where's my musket?

LydiaJ

I think these discussions about luck often forget to go far enough back. I was born here, in this affluent country with clean water and free healthcare, to parents who loved me and were able to provide me not only with food and shelter, but also with education and wisdom and a good example. Anything I have ever done has been built on that hugely advantageous foundation that was not of my doing and that I had done nothing to deserve. There are millions of people all over the world who get dealt a much much tougher hand to play, through no choice or fault of their own.

GDB2222

PasturesNew wrote: »

Whoosh.

I've never been to an art gallery. I've been dragged into some well over-priced shops with some pictures for sale, that call themselves a gallery in name. Never been to a proper one though, like a museum.

I "don't get" pictures.

Don't think of the Musee D'Orsay as an art gallery. It's really a railway station. Does that feel more comfortable?

zagubov

LydiaJ wrote: »

I think these discussions about luck often forget to go far enough back. I was born here, in this affluent country with clean water and free healthcare, to parents who loved me and were able to provide me not only with food and shelter, but also with education and wisdom and a good example. Anything I have ever done has been built on that hugely advantageous foundation that was not of my doing and that I had done nothing to deserve. There are millions of people all over the world who get dealt a much much tougher hand to play, through no choice or fault of their own.

Being born near the end of the 20th century is the biggest stroke of good fortune we could have asked for. :T

SingleSue

Generali wrote: »

My first job in The City was doing data entry and I realized I was on a hiding to nothing doing that so I lied about what I'd been up to to get job #2. They knew pretty much immediately that I was completely incompetent but had signed me up for 3 months and it's too hard for most people to be bothered to do the paperwork to flick someone before the three months.

By the time they got round to firing me I was more than competent having soaked up every rollicking they could throw at me but also, importantly, having done their year long intranet course in 3 months (that went onto my time sheet at overtime rates).

When I went looking for job number three I was the ideal candidate.

As for the people that were so horrid at Citibank on Aldwych to the temp on the Milan support desk in 1995-6: How many hedge funds did you run with your perfectly ironed sleeve creases? (Not all of them were horrid but lots of them were, in many cases quite gratuitously).

We've got an election over here. In September. 8 months of electioneering. Aaaaargh.

I went to a talk given by the private Secretary to the Governor General who dismissed Gough Whitlam as PM in the 70s. What a fascinating man! He doesn't like Socialists very much and we had a prominent Socialist writer in the room! It's all fun and games.

Oooh I could never lie to get a job, I would be too scared of being found out! I just decided to chance it with that interview in the hope they would see something in me that they could work with and would be willing to forget about the need for experience. They obviously did, I was offered the job and I got a glowing reference from them when it was time to move on (although I did embarrass myself just the once when I invoiced a customer multi millions of pounds for some rolls of paper, thankfully it was picked up on BEFORE the invoice went out )

That was back in the days though where you always got an interview, if it was now, my application would never have made it past the first stage....I always think of that and wonder just how many potentially good employees are being discarded at the first hurdle because they may not fit the exact requirements.

vivatifosi

Has anyone else had an issue with texts taking a while to get through? I know that sometimes the nextworks get busy over new year and you don't get your texts until after a delay, but I got one this morning that was sent 36 days ago (ie Christmas Day). I wondered if I was the only one.

SingleSue

I'm still waiting for one sent from middle son last Wednesday......

zagubov

DS has gone on a trip abroad with school. He was meant to text us last night when he arrived but nothing yet. We're taking it as a good sign.:)