Private Call
I've had some bizarre job hunt-related experiences over the past few months, but the one I'm about to relate may very well top them all.
First, a little background: One of the more interesting gigs I've applied to in recent days has been a job I found on Craigslist New York labeled "Editorial/personal assistant." Here's the text of the ad:
I sent in my resume and a cover letter at the end of last week, and I sent a follow-up email yesterday afternoon.
Flash forward to a few minutes ago. I was playing Minesweeper and listening to the "Pippin" soundtrack on my computer when my phone started to buzz in my pocket. I took it out and saw that I was receiving a "Private Call." I don't know that I've ever received a call from a blocked number, and at first I thought the display said "Phoebe Cell" (Phoebe is a friend of mine). I hesitated for just a moment--long enough to register that the call was probably job-related but not long enough to consider what job it might be related to or what the purpose of the call might be--and then answered the phone.
On the other end was the slightly distorted voice of a man with an indistinguishable foreign accent. After stuttering for a moment, he asked me if I had sent my resume to Miltonsprogeny. I said yes and he said he wanted me to tell him a little bit about myself. I was rather affronted, because he hadn't yet given any indication of who he was or why he wanted to know more about me. But in one of those split-second decisions, I decided to go along with it. If this was the potential employer, I wanted to play by his rules so as not to put a dent in my chances of getting the job. I figured there'd be time for full disclosure in the near future.
So I told him a little bit about myself. I pulled out the big guns right away. "Well, I'm a recent graduate of Yale University, with a bachelor's degree in English literature." Pow! Zing!
"Did you do well as a student?" he asked without missing a beat.
With only the tiniest quiver in my voice, I replied, "Yes, I did quite well. I had a GPA of 3.? in the English major." I realized too late that giving an exact GPA was probably not the best idea because (1) I told him my actual GPA and (2) it's not actually that great.
He said something I couldn't understand about my academic performance and then asked me where I had gone to high school. I replied "North Haven High School in North Haven, Connecticut. It's a public school."
"And you live in New Haven now?" he asked.
"Yes, I'm currently living in the New Haven area, but I'm actively seeking employment and look forward to moving to a new location soon."
"Thank you," he said.
"And thank you, sir. May I ask..." The line was dead.
According to the received call log in my cell phone, the call lasted 59 seconds.
I'm not sure what to make of this bizarre conversation. My gut instinct is this: The "professor and author" instructed an employee or assistant to screen job applicants before moving on with interviews. That might explain the lack of a personal introduction and the structure of the questioning. I can picture the caller looking at my resume and verifying the information as I repeated it back to him.
Does this strange call mean I'll get any farther with this job? Again, my gut says probably not. The most glaring question was the one about where I went to high school. The query dripped with such detestable elitism, it almost makes me sick to think about it now. Who is this guy? Is he so high on himself that he needs a pedigreed cosmopolitan just to do his typing? Would the call have lasted longer if I had said I went to Andover? Better question: would I have gotten a call at all if I hadn't gone to Yale? It burns me up. (Of course, I'm sure the fire would easily be doused by another call or an offer for an interview.)
Worst of all is that I'll probably never really know what the call was all about. I can't call back, and I doubt I'd get a reply to any emails. I think I need a primal scream.
First, a little background: One of the more interesting gigs I've applied to in recent days has been a job I found on Craigslist New York labeled "Editorial/personal assistant." Here's the text of the ad:
Full-time or Part-time Editorial/personal assistant and amanuensis for professor and author of fiction/nonfiction books. Former staff writer on The New Yorker. Much detailed work on all stages of manuscript preparation with MS Word. Requires excellent grammar, proofreading. English degree preferred. Work mostly from home. Please send resume in body of email to Miltonsprogeny@aol.comThe description reminded me a little of one of Elaine's jobs on the show "Seinfeld." She worked for a fellow named Mr. Pitt, who was a big shot publisher. Her duties included purchasing tube socks for him and taking salt off of his pretzels. Menial, sure, but at least it was something.
I sent in my resume and a cover letter at the end of last week, and I sent a follow-up email yesterday afternoon.
Flash forward to a few minutes ago. I was playing Minesweeper and listening to the "Pippin" soundtrack on my computer when my phone started to buzz in my pocket. I took it out and saw that I was receiving a "Private Call." I don't know that I've ever received a call from a blocked number, and at first I thought the display said "Phoebe Cell" (Phoebe is a friend of mine). I hesitated for just a moment--long enough to register that the call was probably job-related but not long enough to consider what job it might be related to or what the purpose of the call might be--and then answered the phone.
On the other end was the slightly distorted voice of a man with an indistinguishable foreign accent. After stuttering for a moment, he asked me if I had sent my resume to Miltonsprogeny. I said yes and he said he wanted me to tell him a little bit about myself. I was rather affronted, because he hadn't yet given any indication of who he was or why he wanted to know more about me. But in one of those split-second decisions, I decided to go along with it. If this was the potential employer, I wanted to play by his rules so as not to put a dent in my chances of getting the job. I figured there'd be time for full disclosure in the near future.
So I told him a little bit about myself. I pulled out the big guns right away. "Well, I'm a recent graduate of Yale University, with a bachelor's degree in English literature." Pow! Zing!
"Did you do well as a student?" he asked without missing a beat.
With only the tiniest quiver in my voice, I replied, "Yes, I did quite well. I had a GPA of 3.? in the English major." I realized too late that giving an exact GPA was probably not the best idea because (1) I told him my actual GPA and (2) it's not actually that great.
He said something I couldn't understand about my academic performance and then asked me where I had gone to high school. I replied "North Haven High School in North Haven, Connecticut. It's a public school."
"And you live in New Haven now?" he asked.
"Yes, I'm currently living in the New Haven area, but I'm actively seeking employment and look forward to moving to a new location soon."
"Thank you," he said.
"And thank you, sir. May I ask..." The line was dead.
According to the received call log in my cell phone, the call lasted 59 seconds.
I'm not sure what to make of this bizarre conversation. My gut instinct is this: The "professor and author" instructed an employee or assistant to screen job applicants before moving on with interviews. That might explain the lack of a personal introduction and the structure of the questioning. I can picture the caller looking at my resume and verifying the information as I repeated it back to him.
Does this strange call mean I'll get any farther with this job? Again, my gut says probably not. The most glaring question was the one about where I went to high school. The query dripped with such detestable elitism, it almost makes me sick to think about it now. Who is this guy? Is he so high on himself that he needs a pedigreed cosmopolitan just to do his typing? Would the call have lasted longer if I had said I went to Andover? Better question: would I have gotten a call at all if I hadn't gone to Yale? It burns me up. (Of course, I'm sure the fire would easily be doused by another call or an offer for an interview.)
Worst of all is that I'll probably never really know what the call was all about. I can't call back, and I doubt I'd get a reply to any emails. I think I need a primal scream.
posted by temporarily unemployed at 13:54
1 Comments:
you know it's hard out here for a pimp.
hustle and flow rules.
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