Yesterday my coworker was making calls to set up interviews for 3 of the open positions we have.
This particular guy's went like this after the initial small talk:
Coworker: So would you like to come in for an interview? You can come between 8 AM and 4 PM.
Applicant: Can I come in at 5:30?
Coworker: The times are 8 to 4, 4:30 at the latest
Applicant: Can I come in at 7?
My coworker was exasperated at this point. The guy finally agreed to come interview during the available times, but it's a waste of his time and ours. He's not the one.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Be the 10th leper
Yesterday at church the sermon was on thankfulness. One of the examples used was the story of the ten lepers. If you aren't familiar with this, you can google it or read Luke 17:11-19. I'd recommend you do that now so the rest of the post makes sense.
I think our society is full of lepers 1-9. One of the things the minister talked about is writing thank you notes. That really struck a cord with me. At work we send flowers or a fruit basket (based on the recipient's preference if known) when someone has a baby, is hospitalized, or has a death in the family of someone covered by our funeral leave policy. Do you know how often someone says "thank you", let alone writes a note? VERY rarely. In case you didn't guess, I'm the one whose job it is to send those things. Not getting a "thank you" is irritating for two reasons. First is of course the lack of gratitude. Secondly, I have no way of knowing if the person actually got what we sent, if it was nice etc.
My mom and I were talking about the sermon, and she said she read that you should always at a minimum send an e-mail when you have a job interview. I told her some HR people will not hire people who don't send a thank you. Pay close attention to this if you are looking for a job.
I know the marketing person at our local mall. They used to have events every couple of months that benefited different local charities. I told her how I'd left a message wanting to volunteer at one of the groups they'd featured, but no one had ever called me back. She stated that of all the groups they had featured, only ONE had ever said thank you. If you work for a nonprofit, MAKE SURE your donors and volunteers know that their gifts are appreciated. Otherwise, you may not ever have to worry about expressing thanks again for your group.
Gratitude in in the workplace is also sorely lacking. I know of one manager in particular at my employer who barks orders to her people, nary a please in earshot. Rarely do I hear a "thanks" to her own team emanate from her either. I will give my boss props on this one. He uses please and thank you all the time, and I appreciate this. However, I recently dealt with coworker whose lack of organization caused me lots of extra work. Not one word of appreciation for all I did. Yes, it was my job to do those things, but he made it take lots of extra time and effort. Remember as a kid, being asked "What's the magic word?" when you made a request? The magic doesn't cease in adulthood.
This sermon really made me think. I have told people before that I want to be the 10th leper. It reaffirmed my commitment do to just that.
I think our society is full of lepers 1-9. One of the things the minister talked about is writing thank you notes. That really struck a cord with me. At work we send flowers or a fruit basket (based on the recipient's preference if known) when someone has a baby, is hospitalized, or has a death in the family of someone covered by our funeral leave policy. Do you know how often someone says "thank you", let alone writes a note? VERY rarely. In case you didn't guess, I'm the one whose job it is to send those things. Not getting a "thank you" is irritating for two reasons. First is of course the lack of gratitude. Secondly, I have no way of knowing if the person actually got what we sent, if it was nice etc.
My mom and I were talking about the sermon, and she said she read that you should always at a minimum send an e-mail when you have a job interview. I told her some HR people will not hire people who don't send a thank you. Pay close attention to this if you are looking for a job.
I know the marketing person at our local mall. They used to have events every couple of months that benefited different local charities. I told her how I'd left a message wanting to volunteer at one of the groups they'd featured, but no one had ever called me back. She stated that of all the groups they had featured, only ONE had ever said thank you. If you work for a nonprofit, MAKE SURE your donors and volunteers know that their gifts are appreciated. Otherwise, you may not ever have to worry about expressing thanks again for your group.
Gratitude in in the workplace is also sorely lacking. I know of one manager in particular at my employer who barks orders to her people, nary a please in earshot. Rarely do I hear a "thanks" to her own team emanate from her either. I will give my boss props on this one. He uses please and thank you all the time, and I appreciate this. However, I recently dealt with coworker whose lack of organization caused me lots of extra work. Not one word of appreciation for all I did. Yes, it was my job to do those things, but he made it take lots of extra time and effort. Remember as a kid, being asked "What's the magic word?" when you made a request? The magic doesn't cease in adulthood.
This sermon really made me think. I have told people before that I want to be the 10th leper. It reaffirmed my commitment do to just that.
Another Three Bite the Dust
The candidates have been dropping like flies lately. This week we lost 3! The 1st was someone who was the backup candidate for a position in our CA office (the first choice candidate had been dropped previously). There were background screen issues, so his offer was withdrawn. We now have to reopen the search. My boss flies out in March to do the interviews.
Next, after our THIRD round of interviews for IT (the first round was last summer!), we had two highly favorable candidates. It was actually hard for the hiring manager to pick a first choice since they were both well qualified. He finally did, and the offer was extended. The way it works at my company is we call and give you a verbal offer. Often candidates verbally accept, but other times they wait for the written offer to be overnighted to them, which is reasonable. We then give them a deadline to accept in writing. If they don't, the offer expires. The candidate didn't verbally accept, but as I said, that's not unusual. That was last week. I realized Tuesday morning that we still hadn't heard anything. I found out later that day that the candidate took another job.
We then offered the job to the backup candidate. He verbally accepted immediately, which is pretty fast for a relocation (he currently lives 2 hours from here). He seemed gung ho, life was good, etc. What do I see when I come in on Thursday? A note from my boss telling me to prepare a revised position summary for recruiters to notify them that we are reopening the search. When I opened my e-mail, I saw a message stating the candidate had taken another job. Yep, back the drawing board. The 4th round of interviews are planned for some time in February.
This is why I never believe candidates will start until they show up on their first day. Too much can happen before then.
Next, after our THIRD round of interviews for IT (the first round was last summer!), we had two highly favorable candidates. It was actually hard for the hiring manager to pick a first choice since they were both well qualified. He finally did, and the offer was extended. The way it works at my company is we call and give you a verbal offer. Often candidates verbally accept, but other times they wait for the written offer to be overnighted to them, which is reasonable. We then give them a deadline to accept in writing. If they don't, the offer expires. The candidate didn't verbally accept, but as I said, that's not unusual. That was last week. I realized Tuesday morning that we still hadn't heard anything. I found out later that day that the candidate took another job.
We then offered the job to the backup candidate. He verbally accepted immediately, which is pretty fast for a relocation (he currently lives 2 hours from here). He seemed gung ho, life was good, etc. What do I see when I come in on Thursday? A note from my boss telling me to prepare a revised position summary for recruiters to notify them that we are reopening the search. When I opened my e-mail, I saw a message stating the candidate had taken another job. Yep, back the drawing board. The 4th round of interviews are planned for some time in February.
This is why I never believe candidates will start until they show up on their first day. Too much can happen before then.
Looks Like I Guessed Right
Last year after getting the largest tax refund of my life, I decided to change my withholdings (I previously claimed Single and 1). I'd much rather have the money each paycheck than let the government borrow it interest free. I did the "Deductions and Adjustments Worksheet" (aka the 2nd page of the W-4) to calculate what I should be claiming, then submitted the new W-4 at work to implement it. I would only know how well I guessed though when I did my 2010 tax return.
This week I used Free File (as recommended in a previous entry) to do my taxes. Since you enter all your income data first, it made me a little squeamish to see the estimate that I would owe over $800. However, after entering all my deductions, it looks like I'll get a couple hundreds bucks back. I need to double check my entries of course, but I'd say that's going to be the final result. Whew, good guess!
Note: Due to very late in the year tax changes by Congress, if you itemize like I do the IRS won't accept your return until mid-February. The program I'm using will let me e-file now and wait for notification that the IRS has accepted my return. I'm guessing I won't have my refund until the end of February at the earliest. Yet another reason to not overwithold.
This week I used Free File (as recommended in a previous entry) to do my taxes. Since you enter all your income data first, it made me a little squeamish to see the estimate that I would owe over $800. However, after entering all my deductions, it looks like I'll get a couple hundreds bucks back. I need to double check my entries of course, but I'd say that's going to be the final result. Whew, good guess!
Note: Due to very late in the year tax changes by Congress, if you itemize like I do the IRS won't accept your return until mid-February. The program I'm using will let me e-file now and wait for notification that the IRS has accepted my return. I'm guessing I won't have my refund until the end of February at the earliest. Yet another reason to not overwithold.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
If you are any indication, we don't want to interview any of your candidates
Today I e-mailed a 5 page packet outlining two open positions at our company to our approved recruiters. The information is extremely detailed (obviously, it's 5 pages), covering pay, benefits, desired qualifications, job descriptions, etc. Based on two of the stupid questions I got (and they aren't supposed to e-mail me at all anyway, we put the contact e-mail in the packet too), we should remove 2 of these recruiters from our approved list and not let their candidates interview, because they aren't too bright.
Stupid Recruiter Question #1
Your description gave an hourly rate of pay. Our system requires a yearly salary. Can you please give me that?
REALLY? You are a recruiter and you can't convert that? It's basic, easy math. Just to be sure, I asked 2 non-HR coworkers, and they both knew how. One even knew how many work hours in the year without doing the math- 2080 (40 hours/week X 52 weeks/year). My response to the recruiter was as follows:
$14 X 2080 = $29,120
That's was the ENTIRE e-mail I sent. I'm hoping she gets just how dumb a question that was.
Stupid Recruiter Question #2
What does this position pay?
Dumb dumb. When I told my boss about this question, he said "Tell her to READ what we sent". As I was getting ready to type those exact words, he realized I was literally going to write just that, and tell her that he said it. Hehe. He caught himself just in time. Instead, her e-mail said "As for salary, please see the first paragraph of the position description". You know, all those random lines and shapes on the white space, aka WORDS. The info was in the first paragraph on the first page. She didn't even skim it.
Summary: Stupid recruiters make their candidates look stupid by association. We don't send you a 5 page detailed description because we have nothing better to do. Trust me, we'd rather be eating cookies.
Stupid Recruiter Question #1
Your description gave an hourly rate of pay. Our system requires a yearly salary. Can you please give me that?
REALLY? You are a recruiter and you can't convert that? It's basic, easy math. Just to be sure, I asked 2 non-HR coworkers, and they both knew how. One even knew how many work hours in the year without doing the math- 2080 (40 hours/week X 52 weeks/year). My response to the recruiter was as follows:
$14 X 2080 = $29,120
That's was the ENTIRE e-mail I sent. I'm hoping she gets just how dumb a question that was.
Stupid Recruiter Question #2
What does this position pay?
Dumb dumb. When I told my boss about this question, he said "Tell her to READ what we sent". As I was getting ready to type those exact words, he realized I was literally going to write just that, and tell her that he said it. Hehe. He caught himself just in time. Instead, her e-mail said "As for salary, please see the first paragraph of the position description". You know, all those random lines and shapes on the white space, aka WORDS. The info was in the first paragraph on the first page. She didn't even skim it.
Summary: Stupid recruiters make their candidates look stupid by association. We don't send you a 5 page detailed description because we have nothing better to do. Trust me, we'd rather be eating cookies.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
What dividends are, and how they can rock your world
At some point, you may have heard the term "dividend" bandied about. Do you know what it means? It's really simple. When a company pays out some of the money it's made to its shareholders, this is known as paying dividends.
Not all companies pay dividends. Some choose to reinvest all their earnings back into the company. Certain industries are known for paying dividends. One example is the utility sector. Last year I started investing in my natural gas company's DRIP program. This doesn't mean water is leaking from the pipes. It stands for Dividend Reinvestment Plan. I made an initial purchase through the plan, and I make a small monthly purchase on an ongoing basis. There was only a small ($10) fee to start the plan. ALL my stock purchases are made with no trading fee or commission paid by me. You can also purchase partial shares, useful when you contribute a set amount every month. The company pays dividends quarterly, and you can either take them in cash, use them to buy more stock, or some combination thereof.
What made me interested in this is the yield. Stocks like this tend to be very stable. You are unlikely to get rich based on share price appreciation. However, the return via dividend is much higher than any savings account I could find right now. The stock trades at around $26, not much volatility. The dividend this year was $0.34 per share, paid quarterly, for most of the year (it went up to $0.345 for the 4th quarter). That means I made $1.36 for each share if I held it for a year. That's 5.2%! Try to find a savings account that pays anywhere near that. Now of course, this is a dividend, so it could be decreased or ended at any time. Also, the underlying asset is a stock, which could decrease in value or become totally worthless. However, as I said, utility stocks tend to be very stable. This investment represents less than 1% of my total portfolio, so I find the risk acceptable.
My goal is to continue investing like this, and by the time I retire (hopefully WELL before that) it will generate enough dividends to pay for my monthly gas bill. I plan to start doing the same for my electricity provider this year. I'd love to do the same for my phone/internet company, but they make you pays fees to trade, and I don't love that.
I hope you've found this interesting. I wish I'd known about dividends earlier. They can be quite cool.
Not all companies pay dividends. Some choose to reinvest all their earnings back into the company. Certain industries are known for paying dividends. One example is the utility sector. Last year I started investing in my natural gas company's DRIP program. This doesn't mean water is leaking from the pipes. It stands for Dividend Reinvestment Plan. I made an initial purchase through the plan, and I make a small monthly purchase on an ongoing basis. There was only a small ($10) fee to start the plan. ALL my stock purchases are made with no trading fee or commission paid by me. You can also purchase partial shares, useful when you contribute a set amount every month. The company pays dividends quarterly, and you can either take them in cash, use them to buy more stock, or some combination thereof.
What made me interested in this is the yield. Stocks like this tend to be very stable. You are unlikely to get rich based on share price appreciation. However, the return via dividend is much higher than any savings account I could find right now. The stock trades at around $26, not much volatility. The dividend this year was $0.34 per share, paid quarterly, for most of the year (it went up to $0.345 for the 4th quarter). That means I made $1.36 for each share if I held it for a year. That's 5.2%! Try to find a savings account that pays anywhere near that. Now of course, this is a dividend, so it could be decreased or ended at any time. Also, the underlying asset is a stock, which could decrease in value or become totally worthless. However, as I said, utility stocks tend to be very stable. This investment represents less than 1% of my total portfolio, so I find the risk acceptable.
My goal is to continue investing like this, and by the time I retire (hopefully WELL before that) it will generate enough dividends to pay for my monthly gas bill. I plan to start doing the same for my electricity provider this year. I'd love to do the same for my phone/internet company, but they make you pays fees to trade, and I don't love that.
I hope you've found this interesting. I wish I'd known about dividends earlier. They can be quite cool.
Tax Time
Yes, it's that time of year again. We got our W2's last week at work. I think it's the earliest ever.
Did you know that you could be able to file your taxes electronically for free? The IRS has an awesome program called Free File. If your adjusted gross income is less than $58,000 (which is 70% of taxpayers according to the IRS), you qualify. You get to use free software from tax preparation companies to complete and electronically file your taxes.
But wait you say, I make more than $58,000. Remember, it's your adjusted gross income that matters. For example, let's say make $65,000. You don't qualify, correct? Well, it depends. If you put 15% of your pay into your 401(k), the IRS DOES NOT consider that income for tax purposes. It's tax deferred, meaning you pay when you withdraw it. So that means the IRS "thinks" you made $55,250. As long as your other earnings from interest, etc. don't bring you above the $58,000, you are golden.
I've used this program for the last several years. I HIGHLY recommend it. Also, my state lets me complete and file my state return for free electronically by using the state's website. Your state may well do that same.
Please pass this along to anyone you know who doesn't know about it. It is a fantastic program.
Did you know that you could be able to file your taxes electronically for free? The IRS has an awesome program called Free File. If your adjusted gross income is less than $58,000 (which is 70% of taxpayers according to the IRS), you qualify. You get to use free software from tax preparation companies to complete and electronically file your taxes.
But wait you say, I make more than $58,000. Remember, it's your adjusted gross income that matters. For example, let's say make $65,000. You don't qualify, correct? Well, it depends. If you put 15% of your pay into your 401(k), the IRS DOES NOT consider that income for tax purposes. It's tax deferred, meaning you pay when you withdraw it. So that means the IRS "thinks" you made $55,250. As long as your other earnings from interest, etc. don't bring you above the $58,000, you are golden.
I've used this program for the last several years. I HIGHLY recommend it. Also, my state lets me complete and file my state return for free electronically by using the state's website. Your state may well do that same.
Please pass this along to anyone you know who doesn't know about it. It is a fantastic program.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
What are you doing with the platform you've been given?
Today in the car I ran across a talk radio show featuring John Calipari, the UK men's basketball coach. I'm not a fan of sports or talk radio, so normally I'd have immediately flipped to another station. However, it got very interesting very fast.
He talked about appearing at an event recently. I gathered it had something to do with race when he said he felt uneasy about being invited because he knew nothing about what it was like in 50s and 60s. He said he had however heard stories about it from people he knew. (I came home and used the magic of the internet to determine he was talking about the ESPN Town Hall Meeting about the Image of the Black Athlete on ESPN on Friday).
He then went on to say how being the coach at Kentucky has given him such a platform to impact the lives of others. He shared two lessons he's tried to impart his team
Lesson #1
He tells his players that as athletes, they will be treated differently. He said they may think that because they are treated well, there are no issues. However, he wants them to know their "brothers" (his word) may not being receiving that same treatment. He instructs them that they have to stand up for those who don't have the same resources who aren't being treated properly.
Summary: Always fight for the fair treatment of others
Lesson #2
Calipari stated the perception of athletes is that they make a lot of money, then blow it. He admitted "unfortunately, that perception is true". He said all his players get "the money talk" before leaving UK. He instructs them to put their first million in the bank and never touch it. The goal is to let that money sit and grow until it doubles. After it hits $2 million, they should be able to live on the interest generated. He says they should "make their money work for them, not work for their money". He tells players to bank the $1 million, take care of their mothers, and play it close to the vest. He also said he and his wife are starting a program through their foundation to teach financial literacy to kids in Kentucky schools.
Summary: You need a plan to manage your money so you have some to manage
His comments made me think about how each one of us is given a platform through which we can impact others. Think of all the people with whom you come into contact every week- coworkers, family, friends, workers in the businesses you frequent, etc. We have some many opportunities to positively or negatively make a difference in someone else's life. So often we are so busy we forget that I think. We need to be more cognisant of the way our behaviors, words, etc. can help or hinder others.
Related story
As we were waiting for church to start this evening, I was telling my mom about Lesson #2 that Calipari tries to teach his players. The gentleman in front of us at church turned around and said that Calipari had lunch with Warren Buffett soon after he started at UK. It was something on Calipari's bucket list. I said I'd like to have lunch with Warren Buffett too. The gentleman added "compound interest can be your best friend or your worst enemy." I agreed, stating "It depends on if you're paying it or receiving it".
The sermon today also talked about "walking the talk" (good correlation with Calipari's Lesson #1) and how money doesn't change your character (related to Lesson #2).
I truly believe my day worked out so that I would hear that radio program and sit behind that specific gentleman at church which all went so well with the sermon. God is very good with coordination.
He talked about appearing at an event recently. I gathered it had something to do with race when he said he felt uneasy about being invited because he knew nothing about what it was like in 50s and 60s. He said he had however heard stories about it from people he knew. (I came home and used the magic of the internet to determine he was talking about the ESPN Town Hall Meeting about the Image of the Black Athlete on ESPN on Friday).
He then went on to say how being the coach at Kentucky has given him such a platform to impact the lives of others. He shared two lessons he's tried to impart his team
Lesson #1
He tells his players that as athletes, they will be treated differently. He said they may think that because they are treated well, there are no issues. However, he wants them to know their "brothers" (his word) may not being receiving that same treatment. He instructs them that they have to stand up for those who don't have the same resources who aren't being treated properly.
Summary: Always fight for the fair treatment of others
Lesson #2
Calipari stated the perception of athletes is that they make a lot of money, then blow it. He admitted "unfortunately, that perception is true". He said all his players get "the money talk" before leaving UK. He instructs them to put their first million in the bank and never touch it. The goal is to let that money sit and grow until it doubles. After it hits $2 million, they should be able to live on the interest generated. He says they should "make their money work for them, not work for their money". He tells players to bank the $1 million, take care of their mothers, and play it close to the vest. He also said he and his wife are starting a program through their foundation to teach financial literacy to kids in Kentucky schools.
Summary: You need a plan to manage your money so you have some to manage
His comments made me think about how each one of us is given a platform through which we can impact others. Think of all the people with whom you come into contact every week- coworkers, family, friends, workers in the businesses you frequent, etc. We have some many opportunities to positively or negatively make a difference in someone else's life. So often we are so busy we forget that I think. We need to be more cognisant of the way our behaviors, words, etc. can help or hinder others.
Related story
As we were waiting for church to start this evening, I was telling my mom about Lesson #2 that Calipari tries to teach his players. The gentleman in front of us at church turned around and said that Calipari had lunch with Warren Buffett soon after he started at UK. It was something on Calipari's bucket list. I said I'd like to have lunch with Warren Buffett too. The gentleman added "compound interest can be your best friend or your worst enemy." I agreed, stating "It depends on if you're paying it or receiving it".
The sermon today also talked about "walking the talk" (good correlation with Calipari's Lesson #1) and how money doesn't change your character (related to Lesson #2).
I truly believe my day worked out so that I would hear that radio program and sit behind that specific gentleman at church which all went so well with the sermon. God is very good with coordination.
New Quote That I Love
I'm reading Larry Winget's book "You're Broke Because You Want To Be". It contains the following quote which I love:
"Your life is a reflection of the choices you have made. If you want a better life, then make better choices."
Larry's a no nonsense, antiwhining kind of guy, and I love that. Obviously we don't control every situation in our lives. However, most of the situations in which we find ourselves, whether good or bad, are either the direct results of decisions we have made, or the way we have chosen to react to other situations. If you want to change you life, you have to change yourself first.
"Your life is a reflection of the choices you have made. If you want a better life, then make better choices."
Larry's a no nonsense, antiwhining kind of guy, and I love that. Obviously we don't control every situation in our lives. However, most of the situations in which we find ourselves, whether good or bad, are either the direct results of decisions we have made, or the way we have chosen to react to other situations. If you want to change you life, you have to change yourself first.
Information Not To Share When You Interview
Yesterday as I was showing one of the candidates to the interview room, I was making small talk and asked "How are you today?" His response "Better than when I got up this morning. I think I just got over the flu".
GREAT, we're so exited you just brought your cooties to our building, and that you'll spend an hour in this small room sharing the same air with some of our people (thankfully not me).
As soon as I gave him his application I went and washed my hands. After my boss got out of the interview and came back to his desk, I waited until he looked up and then did the "TGG" cheer. I then told him how I already knew the guy was a TGG before the interview started. Then the other 2 people who sat in on the interview came in. I told them the story and pointed out that my boss was already liberally applying hand sanitizer as they stood there. Everyone else who heard the story at work was amused and pretty incredulous that this guy would volunteer this information. Maybe being sick had impacted his reasoning skills?
GREAT, we're so exited you just brought your cooties to our building, and that you'll spend an hour in this small room sharing the same air with some of our people (thankfully not me).
As soon as I gave him his application I went and washed my hands. After my boss got out of the interview and came back to his desk, I waited until he looked up and then did the "TGG" cheer. I then told him how I already knew the guy was a TGG before the interview started. Then the other 2 people who sat in on the interview came in. I told them the story and pointed out that my boss was already liberally applying hand sanitizer as they stood there. Everyone else who heard the story at work was amused and pretty incredulous that this guy would volunteer this information. Maybe being sick had impacted his reasoning skills?
Update on "Favorite Work Phrase #1"
This week we came up with cheering motions for "TGG". Think of doing the YMCA, but with these letters. I showed it to my boss, and he got the "T" right off, but struggled with the "G" part. Once he got the first "G", he knew what was going on. It's a very fun addition to the interview process.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Can you hear what you're saying?
Friday a driver called our switchboard and asked me if I could transfer him to our offsite warehouse. I told him I could not (we have separate phone systems). I said I could give him the phone number though. He said "No, I can't do that. I'm driving".
You mean you shouldn't be dialing and talking while you drive? Isn't that what you just did when you called me? My coworkers cracked up as I told them this.
You mean you shouldn't be dialing and talking while you drive? Isn't that what you just did when you called me? My coworkers cracked up as I told them this.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Two candidates for "America's Dumbest Criminals"
There were two highly entertaining articles in the newspaper yesterday. The first is short, so I've included it in its entirety.
The other article is longer, so I'll just post the link.
Let me make sure I understand this. You 1. steal (taking the counterfeit bills from the casino) 2. lie (claiming you had destroyed them) and 3. try to pass money you know is counterfeit, all for the sake of $320? Either this guy is extremely stupid, or they only been able to nail him for the $320, and he's done this before. Not so good, either way. Did you happen to note his occupation? He's a RETIRED STATE TROOPER.
I believe you'll agree with me that both of these guys are strong contenders for "America's Dumbest Criminals".
Man arrested at Indiana State Police post on drug chargeLet's see, you smoke some dope, then decide it's a good idea to drive your reeking self to the state police post in your car that has your "business inventory" inside. Yep, you deserve to get arrested. My co-worker suggested that perhaps he was too high to notice the odor on himself.
A man who came to the Indiana State Police post at Sellersburg on Monday to pick up items that allegedly belonged to him was arrested on drug charges after personnel at the post noticed an odor of marijuana on him.
Steven R. Hubbard, 22, of New Albany, was charged with misdemeanor marijuana possession and felony possession of marijuana with a prior conviction. He was being held at the Clark County Jail.
A search uncovered processed marijuana and more than $600 in cash, police said.
The other article is longer, so I'll just post the link.
Let me make sure I understand this. You 1. steal (taking the counterfeit bills from the casino) 2. lie (claiming you had destroyed them) and 3. try to pass money you know is counterfeit, all for the sake of $320? Either this guy is extremely stupid, or they only been able to nail him for the $320, and he's done this before. Not so good, either way. Did you happen to note his occupation? He's a RETIRED STATE TROOPER.
I believe you'll agree with me that both of these guys are strong contenders for "America's Dumbest Criminals".
Update on Bad Vendor #1
An update on bad vendor #1 from "Two Ways To Make Customers Not Love You". After posting this Tuesday night, what should appear in my inbox the next day at work but an e-mail notifying me that the product shipped! And guess what happened today? Yep, the item arrived. I know that my posting about it had nothing to do with this, but I found the timing very ironic.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Yes, you should take your own advice
Today my phone rings. I pick it up, and someone is SCREAMING in my ear. I say hello again quite tersely, and the person (a recruiting/temporary staffing vendor we've used) comes on the line and says "Sorry, did that sound weird?". I said "Yes, someone was screaming my ear". She said "I need stop making calls on speakerphone. That's the second time I've done that". I tell her "Yes, you should". What I want to say is "You didn't figure that out after the first time you screamed in someone's ear?" DUH!
Two Ways To Make Customers Not Love You
Today I had two very frustrating dealings with vendors. I was looking over our department's credit card statement, and I see a charge for something I ordered a month ago but is on backorder. I call the company and ask why I've been charged since the item hasn't been shipped yet. "Once we place the order in our system and transfer it to the third party vendor, it's marked as shipped in our system and billed." Are you serious? I told the guy I've never heard of such a thing. Every vendor I've ever used bills you once the merchandise is physically sent. These crazy people have sat on our money for a month. I guarantee you THEY haven't paid the third party vendor yet because the item hasn't shipped. I was so angry. Basically, I got an insincere "sorry, that's how we do it". I will not buy anything from them again, and I wouldn't recommend that anyone else do so either.
The next row was with the contractors who just renovated our main restrooms. We got all new stall dividers, countertops, and sinks. Overall they were good to deal with when they did the work last week. They had told me it would be a 3 day job. On the morning of the 4th day, I notice that it seems all their tools are gone, but they obviously aren't done since the ceiling tiles they had to remove haven't been replaced, and there is some sort of goop (maybe silicone?) in the sinks. The same day, our Maintenance Supervisor shows me some other small issues they need to address. I think surely they'll be back that day to finish up. Nope. What do I see when I get my mail today? The final bill! As if! I call them an explain that I can't pay until they come finish the work. The person asked what needed to be done still. I barely got started before she transferred me to the owner (she was no fool). I again state into my list, and I also tell him that no one checked with me before they left or after. Hello, I am the in charge person for this project, and that would have saved us all some grief. He says they worked long days, blah blah and that's it's hard to see things like that when you've done the install. I told him I very much get that it's hard to proof your own work (which is why I always have my team or someone else if they're not available review any presentations before I give them). I reiterate that's where having someone check with me would have been helpful. His response- a very snide "Well maybe you should be a contractor sometime"
OH NO YOU DID NOT JUST SAY THAT TO ME. I was livid. I managed to end the call without verbally fileting him, and I immediately told my coworkers what had transpired. I was the CUSTOMER, making reasonable requests that you finish the job you were paid to do. They did send someone over, and the job was completed. However, for being rude to me the owner will not get to bid on a job 2 or 3 times the size of the one they just did. They were eager when we told them about it a couple weeks ago, but no way are they coming back on any project I head.
Moral of the story: Customers aren't always right. I know, my company has customers too. But being rude, especially when you are wrong, will rid you of the problem of dealing with that customer forever. They will take their business and their money to someone who treats them courteously and professionally.
The next row was with the contractors who just renovated our main restrooms. We got all new stall dividers, countertops, and sinks. Overall they were good to deal with when they did the work last week. They had told me it would be a 3 day job. On the morning of the 4th day, I notice that it seems all their tools are gone, but they obviously aren't done since the ceiling tiles they had to remove haven't been replaced, and there is some sort of goop (maybe silicone?) in the sinks. The same day, our Maintenance Supervisor shows me some other small issues they need to address. I think surely they'll be back that day to finish up. Nope. What do I see when I get my mail today? The final bill! As if! I call them an explain that I can't pay until they come finish the work. The person asked what needed to be done still. I barely got started before she transferred me to the owner (she was no fool). I again state into my list, and I also tell him that no one checked with me before they left or after. Hello, I am the in charge person for this project, and that would have saved us all some grief. He says they worked long days, blah blah and that's it's hard to see things like that when you've done the install. I told him I very much get that it's hard to proof your own work (which is why I always have my team or someone else if they're not available review any presentations before I give them). I reiterate that's where having someone check with me would have been helpful. His response- a very snide "Well maybe you should be a contractor sometime"
OH NO YOU DID NOT JUST SAY THAT TO ME. I was livid. I managed to end the call without verbally fileting him, and I immediately told my coworkers what had transpired. I was the CUSTOMER, making reasonable requests that you finish the job you were paid to do. They did send someone over, and the job was completed. However, for being rude to me the owner will not get to bid on a job 2 or 3 times the size of the one they just did. They were eager when we told them about it a couple weeks ago, but no way are they coming back on any project I head.
Moral of the story: Customers aren't always right. I know, my company has customers too. But being rude, especially when you are wrong, will rid you of the problem of dealing with that customer forever. They will take their business and their money to someone who treats them courteously and professionally.
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