yourwords

Job hunting is no fun, and feels very unproductive. However, while I have been filling out online applications a few times a day, I’ve come to notice the ways in which they try to trip you up. Not in the work expirience area, but on the evaluation section.

You know the ones:

You like people.

-Agree

-Strongly Agree

-Disagree

-Strongly Disagree

 And so on. A question that piqued my interest was on the Borders application. They asked twice, in similar phrasings, if people are worth growing close to. I suppose if someone were to put on one question that they find it easy to meet people, then on another question hint that they don’t feel close to anyone, that it could be a good thing and a bad thing. On one hand, if a person speaks easilly to strangers, then they are going to be more reliable to approach customers. On the other hand, if they don’t feel close to people, they have a lower chance of feeling attached to the company. What if they enjoy meeting new people to the point that they take on retail jobs quickly, but leave them just as quickly to meet new people?

Even though I answered that I both like to meet new people, and I feel it worth it to get close to people, I also find it very easy to jump into jobs, only to leave a month later in search of something different - to shake things up a bit. That’s the problem with the retail job market, they are supportive of being hired on the fly, and not hanging around very long. Unless it happens to be on your resume. My short duration at job sites is waht maks it difficult to get hired, I’m starting to suspect. After all, 5 months is the longest I’ve worked for any one company, and that happened to be for a therapist.

Prompt:

Write up questions that your main character would ask either a potential employee, potential lover, potential friend, potential enemy, etc. What are they looking for in that person, and are they sneaky about getting the truth, or do they ask directly?

Personally, if my main character were writing questions for a potential lover, she would try her best to trip them up. Then she’d test their knowledge of history, and if she isn’t impressed by that, the application would quickly be shredded. She’s a tough bitch. I based her on a mix between a badger and the old hag from Dark Crystal.