I'm going to answer the phone every time

[Victoria J]

SB: Well I'm just not comfortable leaving my resume with a lowly receptionist. I don't know if it will actually get looked at or misplaced. (glares at me)

As pointed out already the receptionist is not lowly - they tend to have a huge amount of knowledge about what is going on in the office.

However it's also possible the person behind the front desk isn't a receptionist at all.

My mother was a social worker, and she was pretty good at her job and held various management positions etc. At one point she was running a family member - meaning she was the big boss in the building and in charge of a fair number of staff. Part of her responsibility is making sure everything gets done and on more than one occassion that meant sitting at the reception desk to ensure it was covered and the admin staff got their lunch break.

She was always very interested in the way people spoke to her then, and particularly in who would speak differently to her just because of that.

It's not the sort of job where people would just turn up to apply - so it didn't affect hiring. But a couple of people didn't exactly help their career.

The worst apparently was when they allowed a social worker from another office to meet his client there. He's in with the family and then walks out holding the baby and attempts to pass it to the "receptionist" saying "She needs her nappy changed, dear"

He was told in no uncertain terms that he didn't get to call people "dear", didn't get to tell their workers what to do, and that the receptionist wouldn't have been changing the nappy and neither was the manager. I think she actually complained to his manager too. (It was quite a serious thing really to just assume some random person can be left with the child apart from anything else).

I'm no receptionist but I sit on the front desk sometimes, and also answer the phones sometimes. Offending me is probably less bad than offending the receptionist though.

Victoria J

[protege]

Pushy sales guys who don't want to deal with "just the receptionist"? Yeah... I've had a couple of those, and I've told them that thank you very much, we're just not interested in their product. Do they stop calling? No.... but once I've said no, they get shut down every single time they phone. One of them always calls from "private number" and asks to speak directly to the CEO, not wanting to tell me what he's calling about. I've come to recognize his voice

I get plenty of that too. I'm not a receptionist, but someone who usually answers the phone at work. Why? Seems that the traders are 'too busy' to handle such a lowly task Anyway, because I answer the phone, I get to deal with the idiots that call us.

People like the copier supply scammers, the people who claim to be friends with my boss (but don't know his name ), various vendors trying to get us as a customer, etc. In other words, I control access to the 'inner circle.' Piss me off, and you won't be dealing with the boss. You're on my shit list now, and I don't have to be nice to you

Same thing with coworkers or potential new employees. I can be your best friend, or your worst enemy. If you treat me with respect, I'll go out of my way to help you. Attempt to screw me over...and I'll nail your ass to the wall every chance I get.

[Argabarga]

SB: Well I'm just not comfortable leaving my resume with a lowly receptionist. I don't know if it will actually get looked at or misplaced. (glares at me)
(Cue raised eyebrow from me)

"Well, I don't feel comfortable taking stuff from the lowly unemployed"

[EvilEmpryss]

People who sabotage their interviews may have a method to their madness: many are on unemployment and must show that they are attempting to get work to continue to receive unemployment checks. If they don't want to work, they'll play the game by applying for jobs and going to interviews but make absolutely certain that they don't get the job with their attitudes.

Indigo: I swear I know the woman you were dealing with. I have a neighbor who has been looking for work for two years now. I made connections for her with some very influential people in our community and they found a place that was accepting applications for a very nice position. She was told to apply online and then drop by with her resume (I think the people doing the hiring wanted a look at her). Now she hasn't worked in two years and has drained her savings account: you'd think that she would be on her best behavior, right? She called me up bitching up a storm that she was certain the "stupid receptionist" was intentionally blocking her from seeing the directors of the center. With the attitude *I* was getting, I can imagine what she must have been like to the receptionist. I heard about her behavior through my connections and had to apologize for having recommended her to them.

I would have thought that a grandmother trying to care for her young grandson and unemployed son would put on a better show.

[jjllbb]

SB: Well I'm just not comfortable leaving my resume with a lowly receptionist.

About a week ago a lady came in complaining about how hard it was to get a job right now.

I played along. Did the whole small talk sympathetic thing while I explained to her how to apply online.

Then I asked her what type of position she was looking for.

"Oh, you know, something easy. Something I don't have to work too hard. Just like you're doing."



That was the end of her.

[malmalthekiller]

"Oh, you know, something easy. Something I don't have to work too hard. Just like you're doing."



That was the end of her.

Yeah, I would've thrown out her application as she was walking away. And made sure she had seen it.

[Jay 2K Winger]

Yeah, I would've thrown out her application as she was walking away. And made sure she had seen it.

Heck with that. I would have held up her application, torn it in half, torn it in half AGAIN, and then thrown it away.