That's one way to keep your job

My friends hosted a cookout at their house on Saturday. While we were there, one of them was telling about his coworker. This guy is a disaster. His write up history is a mile long, he's messed up loading lots of customer orders, and most recently he took out a light pole in the parking lot the employer shares with another company, then LAUGHED about it. During one of the times he had to drug test, he claimed he had to run home and get his wife first so she could drive his car to work. When he got back from the drug test, she was still in the car with him. Can you say falsifying your drug test? We asked why this guy still has a job. The current theory is he's the drug dealer for one of the bosses. That's certainly one way to keep your job when you definitely should lose it.

I'm thankful I have a car

Sometimes situations in life make you extremely thankful for what you have. I had just such an experience last week. My mom and I took the city bus to get to a tourist attraction while we were on vacation. Getting there was great. We went to the stop, waited a bit, and rode to our destination. Coming back was another story. We arrived at the bus stop about 4. The bus was to pick up at 4:08. Nothing. 4:20. Nothing. 4:30. Nothing. Finally at 4:45 (the time the bus AFTER the 4:08 should have arrived) we got picked up. We ended up talking to some local people who were also waiting for the bus, and one of them mentioned that long delays on this route had become more common.

My mom and I talked later about how trying it would be to have this be your primary mode of transportation. Imagine trying to make it to work, a doctor appointment, etc. on time. It would be stressful and at times impossible. I am SO thankful I have my own car, actually 2 of them.

Car ownership does have its challenges of course. In the span of a month I had to buy new front brakes & rotors for car #1 and dealt with simultaneous power steering fluid & coolant leaks in my other (thankfully the appropriate stop leak for each fluid fixed those). When my mom and I got home from another vacation 2 weeks ago my car battery was dead in car #1 and I had to get jumped. I'm getting a new battery for it this week after 2 unsuccessful trips to the auto supply store. However, despite the frustration in dealing with all of these issues (and I was so frustrated at one point that I told my brother "I'm TIRED of all this. I just want to put gas in my car and go. That's it."), I am very, very grateful I have my cars and can come and go on my schedule, not the whims of unpredictable public transportation.

It's ALWAYS an interview

Two of the positions were are trying to fill at my company require candidates to take an Excel test. We had one candidate who showed up wearing a t shirt of the local NFL team and blue jeans. REALLY? I of course pointed this out to many people. My boss (the head of HR) was trying to help the candidate out and said "well, it's not an interview". I said "it's ALWAYS an interview". And it is. Every contact you have with the company, from sending in your resume, parking your car in the parking lot, or saying hi to someone you pass in the hall is part of your effort to get the position. You need to act (and dress) accordingly.

Things not to do at your next interview

In the spirit of helpfulness, please learn from the example of one of our recent interviewees and don't do these things at your next interview:

1. Have visible trouble deciding where to park when the visitor lot is EMPTY.
2. Gripe about the company's sign in policy. Yes, ours is a total pain, but suck it up already.
3. Wear an overpowering amount of perfume or cologne
4. When the VP tells you about reviewing your resume an hour before the interview, tell her "you should have planned better".

Yes, one candidate did all these. She was certainly not the one, but she did provide us with lots of laughs.