Am I over reacting?

Mistress Trista · 06-08-2008, 09:43 AM

I decided with the possibility of furloughs it would be a good idea for me to go back to work. I make good money writing, but it goes up and down, not at all consistant and I usually write at night anyway when the house is quiet, so it wouldn't be that big of a deal. I used to love to work for temporary agencies and thought it would be a good idea to go back to work for one, so I started with Manpower.

I went in and talked to someone. I had my resume with me, but they wanted me to email it to them. Kind of strange, but okay. Once they received my resume by email, they would then send me the links for the tests. The lady told me to call her when I emailed it. So as soon as I got home, I sent it to her then called.

I thought the initial interview had gone well, but as soon as she saw the signiture line at the bottom of my email, everything changed. I had forgotten to delete it. Truthfully, I forget it's there. All it says is Erotic romance that will leave you breathless and offers a link to my website and blog. She tells me, in an almost haughty, standoffish tone, I need to take that off, someone will find it offensive. I apalogized and told her I don't usually use that email for anything other than writing, so I just didn't think about it, but told her I would remove it. To myself I'm thinking, I'm not sure why I need to. I've never used email in job hunting or interviews before...

She sent me the links and I took the tests. Did well on them, but haven't heard one word. I tried calling and leaving messages, but the lady won't return my phone calls. I've tried emailing her twice, but again, no response. It's been three weeks and no word.

Was she the one offended and that's why she won't work with me? Does she think I'll talk sex all day or write at work? Am I over reacting or is she discriminating against me because of this? And if that's the case, what can I do about it?

I don't have erotic author on my resume, but I do list what publising houses I work for. I do editing, marketing, query letters and proposals, I have regular deadlines that must be met, but I never once mention it's erotic in nature. Of course if they look up two of the three houses, they'll figure it out.

I get so tired of this kind of narrow minded crap sometimes...

SeatClutcher · 06-08-2008, 08:17 PM

Is there someone else at the company you can contact to find out whether they received your information? It could be the woman was offended (but weird she won't take your calls - if it's because of the sig, what a twit).

I'd just try to work around her.

ASLhands · 06-08-2008, 09:23 PM

Talk to her boss. they can't discriminate against you like that. That is ridiculous. People can be so stupid sometimes! I don't even think she has a right to tell you to remove your signature. Are you 10? Sorry, that just annoys me. Good luck. Let us know how it turns out.

spotty4 · 06-09-2008, 09:35 AM

If it were me I'd not be in any hurry to work for that place. I would call it a loss (albeit a good one -- I wouldn't want to be working for such judgmental people) and move on. And now you're the wiser for it. Choose to keep your email sig intact or not, at least now you're prepared for a possible negative reaction. I'm positive there's some better temp options waiting out there for you.

Mistress Trista · 06-09-2008, 04:41 PM

I finally got to talk to the lady at manpower today. I actually went in, in person. I asked if she received my tests and her response was, "I received it, but we're so over run with people looking for work, employers are only taking people who have been working."

What?

I have been working. Granted it was at home, but I was working and receiving a paycheck.

According to her, what I do they don't consider work, so basically, to them I'm unemployable.

...sigh...

madlibs · 06-09-2008, 05:08 PM

Oh my God, Trista. This chain of events is infuriating me! I can't imagine what it's doing to you. I seriously want to come over there and beat some Manpower-beotch-azz. Ugh! I'm so sorry you're having to go through all this.

BAC · 06-09-2008, 05:36 PM

Writing is work. It takes a lot of time and dedication, and not everybody can do it!

How is the job market where you live? Because I know up in Michigan the job market really isn't so good and its really difficult to get a job. I think that is really poopy of them to discriminate like that. It's the same thing with employers expecting "experience" when you can't get "experience" without somebody hiring you.

I'm sorry Trista... but if it makes you feel better, I would LOVE to have your career and hope to someday!!!

Mistress Trista · 06-09-2008, 06:06 PM

I love what I do. Summer is slow for me though, with the kids home. By the time 9 roles around, I'm mentally exhausted. Over the last couple of days I've been taking the alpha smart out to the deck with my coffee and threatening both the kids with physical violence if they don't give me one hour to get my thoughts down...LOL. So far, it's worked.

I'm trying not to let this get to me. Dh is still flying so it's not like I'm in any hurry really, I just thought I might try to get my foot in the door for when or if a furlough happened.

Even if I hadn't been writing, that doesn't mean I can't do the job. It's just so aggravating employers think this way. Stay at home moms need to work too.

As for the job market, I'm not sure. I know we've lost alot of manufactoring and we're trying to move to a service economy. I think it's a mess everywhere.

Amanda · 06-09-2008, 07:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by madlibs

Oh my God, Trista. This chain of events is infuriating me! I can't imagine what it's doing to you. I seriously want to come over there and beat some Manpower-beotch-azz. Ugh! I'm so sorry you're having to go through all this.

DUUUDE- I want YOU on MY side!
I'll call ya if I need somebody to do some azz whoopin'!!

madlibs · 06-09-2008, 08:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amanda

DUUUDE- I want YOU on MY side!
I'll call ya if I need somebody to do some azz whoopin'!!

I'm so therre for ya, woman.

06-08-2008, 09:43 AM	#1 (permalink)
Mistress Trista Jetgirls Ol' School Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Monterey, Tn Posts: 541 Recipes: Thanks: 3 Thanked 5 Times in 5 Posts	Am I over reacting? I decided with the possibility of furloughs it would be a good idea for me to go back to work. I make good money writing, but it goes up and down, not at all consistant and I usually write at night anyway when the house is quiet, so it wouldn't be that big of a deal. I used to love to work for temporary agencies and thought it would be a good idea to go back to work for one, so I started with Manpower. I went in and talked to someone. I had my resume with me, but they wanted me to email it to them. Kind of strange, but okay. Once they received my resume by email, they would then send me the links for the tests. The lady told me to call her when I emailed it. So as soon as I got home, I sent it to her then called. I thought the initial interview had gone well, but as soon as she saw the signiture line at the bottom of my email, everything changed. I had forgotten to delete it. Truthfully, I forget it's there. All it says is Erotic romance that will leave you breathless and offers a link to my website and blog. She tells me, in an almost haughty, standoffish tone, I need to take that off, someone will find it offensive. I apalogized and told her I don't usually use that email for anything other than writing, so I just didn't think about it, but told her I would remove it. To myself I'm thinking, I'm not sure why I need to. I've never used email in job hunting or interviews before... She sent me the links and I took the tests. Did well on them, but haven't heard one word. I tried calling and leaving messages, but the lady won't return my phone calls. I've tried emailing her twice, but again, no response. It's been three weeks and no word. Was she the one offended and that's why she won't work with me? Does she think I'll talk sex all day or write at work? Am I over reacting or is she discriminating against me because of this? And if that's the case, what can I do about it? I don't have erotic author on my resume, but I do list what publising houses I work for. I do editing, marketing, query letters and proposals, I have regular deadlines that must be met, but I never once mention it's erotic in nature. Of course if they look up two of the three houses, they'll figure it out. I get so tired of this kind of narrow minded crap sometimes... __________________ I tried to be good...but I got bored.

06-08-2008, 08:17 PM	#2 (permalink)
SeatClutcher Jetgirls Ol' School Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Manchester, CT Posts: 901 Recipes: Thanks: 0 Thanked 9 Times in 9 Posts	Re: Am I over reacting? Is there someone else at the company you can contact to find out whether they received your information? It could be the woman was offended (but weird she won't take your calls - if it's because of the sig, what a twit). I'd just try to work around her. __________________ Blog: Who's your rapist? "Freedom of choice isn't the same thing as being pro-choice." - said by a voter at the RNC

06-08-2008, 09:23 PM	#3 (permalink)
ASLhands Jetgirls Plus Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: San Francisco, CA, soon to move to Southern CA Posts: 232 Recipes: Thanks: 1 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: Am I over reacting? Talk to her boss. they can't discriminate against you like that. That is ridiculous. People can be so stupid sometimes! I don't even think she has a right to tell you to remove your signature. Are you 10? Sorry, that just annoys me. Good luck. Let us know how it turns out. __________________

06-09-2008, 09:35 AM	#4 (permalink)
spotty4 Jetgirls Ol' School Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Central Coast California Posts: 1,136 Recipes: Thanks: 8 Thanked 14 Times in 14 Posts	Re: Am I over reacting? If it were me I'd not be in any hurry to work for that place. I would call it a loss (albeit a good one -- I wouldn't want to be working for such judgmental people) and move on. And now you're the wiser for it. Choose to keep your email sig intact or not, at least now you're prepared for a possible negative reaction. I'm positive there's some better temp options waiting out there for you. __________________ http://shelleypotts.com Wedding Pictures!

06-09-2008, 04:41 PM	#5 (permalink)
Mistress Trista Jetgirls Ol' School Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Monterey, Tn Posts: 541 Recipes: Thanks: 3 Thanked 5 Times in 5 Posts	Re: Am I over reacting? I finally got to talk to the lady at manpower today. I actually went in, in person. I asked if she received my tests and her response was, "I received it, but we're so over run with people looking for work, employers are only taking people who have been working." What? I have been working. Granted it was at home, but I was working and receiving a paycheck. According to her, what I do they don't consider work, so basically, to them I'm unemployable. ...sigh... __________________ I tried to be good...but I got bored.

06-09-2008, 05:08 PM	#6 (permalink)
madlibs Jetgirls Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: US Posts: 421 Recipes: Thanks: 9 Thanked 8 Times in 7 Posts	Re: Am I over reacting? Oh my God, Trista. This chain of events is infuriating me! I can't imagine what it's doing to you. I seriously want to come over there and beat some Manpower-beotch-azz. Ugh! I'm so sorry you're having to go through all this.

06-09-2008, 05:36 PM	#7 (permalink)
BAC Jetgirls Plus Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Indianapolis, IN Posts: 912 Recipes: Thanks: 12 Thanked 5 Times in 5 Posts	Re: Am I over reacting? Writing is work. It takes a lot of time and dedication, and not everybody can do it! How is the job market where you live? Because I know up in Michigan the job market really isn't so good and its really difficult to get a job. I think that is really poopy of them to discriminate like that. It's the same thing with employers expecting "experience" when you can't get "experience" without somebody hiring you. I'm sorry Trista... but if it makes you feel better, I would LOVE to have your career and hope to someday!!! __________________ Becky Check out my current and past books @

06-09-2008, 06:06 PM	#8 (permalink)
Mistress Trista Jetgirls Ol' School Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Monterey, Tn Posts: 541 Recipes: Thanks: 3 Thanked 5 Times in 5 Posts	Re: Am I over reacting? I love what I do. Summer is slow for me though, with the kids home. By the time 9 roles around, I'm mentally exhausted. Over the last couple of days I've been taking the alpha smart out to the deck with my coffee and threatening both the kids with physical violence if they don't give me one hour to get my thoughts down...LOL. So far, it's worked. I'm trying not to let this get to me. Dh is still flying so it's not like I'm in any hurry really, I just thought I might try to get my foot in the door for when or if a furlough happened. Even if I hadn't been writing, that doesn't mean I can't do the job. It's just so aggravating employers think this way. Stay at home moms need to work too. As for the job market, I'm not sure. I know we've lost alot of manufactoring and we're trying to move to a service economy. I think it's a mess everywhere. __________________ I tried to be good...but I got bored.

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