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[Reishiki]

I'd like to thank OP for confirming that the gallons upon gallons of milk I drank as youngster were responsible for me coming out as transgender a number of years later.

 

[TheSpoiler]

The boss was working. He has a day job. He crammed an interview into his schedule, then he caught up on work, and expected to cram in another interview at 3:45. He told the OP to arrive at 3:00, that way the OP would have plenty of time to fill out the paperwork and it would streamline the actual interview process.

The OP arrived early and rushed though the paperwork. Then he was asked by the receptionist to take a seat, and the boss would be with him as soon as he was free. That's entirely normal.

The boss wasn't ignoring the OP, he was working. According to the OP, he was making phone calls and meeting with employees. The OP simply believed that he was more important than whoever that was on the other end of the phone. He believed that by showing up early and finishing his paperwork quickly, he had priority over the boss' other appointments.

Yes, it would have been nice if the boss came over, shook his hand, and said "I'll be with you in a couple of minutes", but he might have preferred to focus on getting his own work done before coming over and saying "Phew, got that stuff all out of the way. My name's X, nice to meet you." And it's not the boss' job to wait on people who are waiting in the lobby, that's the receptionist's job.

In the OP's nuke-letter, he implied that the boss was free at 3:05, as soon as the previous candidate walked out of the office, even though he told us he could hear the boss working, right up until he rage-quit the interview. Why are employment applications a valid job for the boss, while phone calls and employee meetings aren't? It's because the OP saw the boss as nothing more than an object that hands out jobs. (And note, the OP spent a half hour on the phone with the boss a day earlier.)

He saw that the receptionist was busy, so he stopped pestering her, and went as far as to not ask her any questions when he began to feel uncomfortable. But "with all due respect" that boss is terrible for making the OP wait for his scheduled appointment. Total double standard.

Also, the OP said that he was broken at 30 minutes. He showed up early, rushed his paperwork, and then couldn't wait 30 minutes before he felt he was so agitated that he would have been unable to pass the interview. It took him another 15 minutes to reach the state where he torpedoed everything. He needs some sort of help.

Edit: Just to reiterate: He arrived 15 minutes early. Waiting for 30 minutes broke him.

Too add, had he waited 2 more minutes, he would have had a job.

 

[R-User!]

GAF

drank

his

MILKSHAKE!

They DRANK IT UP!!

Spoiler

did anybody say this yet?

 

[Rubezh]

The milk was a pure POWER PLAY.

 

[DoktorEvil]

Too add, had he waited 2 more minutes, he would have had a job.

That's what really pissed me off about Thacker. For someone who was so desperate to find work, complain about crap pay at Target, and subsequently go from big-dick compulsive gambler to the poorhouse, he had this weird complex about working for an employer and corporations and The Man. And had he got over his shit and waited 2 minutes, he'd be employed and he'd be bragging and giving US career advice.

Or he's a severely twisted individual who will shape his worldview to fit his narrative.

 

[cubicle47b]

I kind of admire the OP for doing that. It certainly wasn't smart, but I'd like to live in his world.

 

[JDSN]

For those of you just joining us...

Goodnight.

Merica!

 

[Blader]

The unfortunate thing is that Thacker will learn fuck all from this situation and inevitably screw himself over again given the chance.

I kind of admire the OP for doing that. It certainly wasn't smart, but I'd like to live in his world.

The wonderful world of unemployment.

 

[QuicheFontaine]

After skimming a good portion of this thread,

1.) Thacker messed up. Interviewer did as well to a lesser degree.

2.) Thacker messed up even harder posting it here. Elaborate troll attempt/ persecution complex/ or whatever on his part, it's weird to see how riled up GAF gets at this shit. I know the dude seemed pretty hard-headed that he was mostly in the right but damn, be thankful that y'all have the self-awareness to not make threads detailing a dumb mistake you made lest you risk eliciting the wrath of GAFs goof-beatdown squad...

You "skimmed" the thread?

You know what else is skimmed?

 

[E92 M3]

I just don't get it, you are in unemployed, in debt, haven't had a job in years, bad record and you walk out because of pride? A real man would have sucked it up, got the job (hopefully) and paid of his debt. A misplaced ego does not make one a man. You responsibility to society and yourself was to wait it out and get that job. You had nothing better to do anyway...

I am sure all of this has been said before, but I'm just VERY perplexed by your decision.

 

[MicH]

This entire thread is one of the greatest reads ever. I couldn't make this up even if I tried. Oh, Thacker

I would gave waited an entire day for the interview had I been in your shoes

 

[SteveWinwood]

This entire thread is one of the greatest reads ever. I couldn't make this up even if I tried. Oh, Thacker

I would gave waited an entire day for the interview had I been in your shoes

way to let the man walk all over you have some pride

youre why america is in the shape it is

 

[andycapps]

For those of you just joining us...

Goodnight.

Great summary. I read through the past 10-20 posts that the OP made and still was confused. Seems I'm not the only one.

Good luck to the OP. Keep in mind that things take time, especially if it's a big company. Things move at a snails pace.

 

[MicH]

way to let the man walk all over you have some pride

youre why america is in the shape it is

... But I'm not even American - or In America!

 

[DoktorEvil]

way to let the man walk all over you have some pride

youre why america is in the shape it is

Spoiler

Thanks Obama

 

[Nephtis]

That's kind of what he did, though, because all he had to do was wave or say "Hi, I'll be with you shortly" and it would have been fine. Hell, they were within earshot of each other. Instead he pointedly ignored Thacker since he expected him to take longer.

Thacker still could have handled it a lot better but it's very grating seeing people say that behavior like the owner's is expected because it's absolutely not--it's grossly disrespectful and unprofessional.

Thacker also over-reacted in the thread but he was 100% correct in saying there's a pervasive attitude of "anything for the boss as long as I have a job" in America, which hurts everyone. Just that there's a better way to say it than " 'Merica!"

There's no way to verify that they were in fact "within earshot of each other" unless we get the owner here with pictures. I mean, Thacker also states that he made small talk with the secretary. He could've asked her.

Also, the owner owes nothing to Thacker. He's already got other interviews going on; he's not desperately begging for Thacker to come work with him. Hell, from the sounds of it the dude was busy. Had he been more patient and maybe ask why it's taking so long, this could've had a much better outcome. Thacker didn't bother to ask about the process because apparently he's above it -- that's for peasants or some shit.

Anyway, I shall raise a glass of milk in honor of Thacker's apparent balls of steel to be able to walk out of a job he so desperately needed.

 

[cubicle47b]

DP

 

[cubicle47b]

The wonderful world of unemployment.

Sometimes I wish I was unemployed. Not very often. I have a very comfortable job. But sometimes.

 

[Rockandrollclown]

Man, if OP has this much pride making no money and living at home, he'd have been a monster if he landed a 70k a year job and got out on his own. I think this employer dodged a bullet on this one.

 

[psylah]

He was right to walk out.

Have you seen Atlanta rush hour traffic? Terrible.

 

[terrisus]

Why, there was even a brief moment where people began to suspect that I might even be involved with Thacker's story. Hah. As if there was some sort of conspiracy involving old Lionel Mandrake and milk. Preposterous.

Oh, and to Thacker... If you're reading this. We're always open to new employees if you'd like to try for another interview. I'm afraid the old position's been filled, but the Mandrake Air experimental division can always use more testers.

Goodnight.

Awesome.

 

[SyaraSystem]

For those of you just joining us...

Good lord.
I missed all this? lol
I should have stuck around after my first page post.

Edit: 'merica.

 

[terrisus]

I don't think people would have come down as hard on him if he hadn't A) decided to frame it as "fighting the man" and "standing up for himself" once everyone (IMO, rightfully) started calling him immature and/or an idiot for what he did, and B) had a history of making threads detailing the woes of feeling underpayed and being unemployed.

This was my big thing too.

I mean, I know a couple people got on me about mentioning his thread history, but it was very relevant to this thread.

 

[DoktorEvil]

This was my big thing too.

I mean, I know a couple people got on me about mentioning his thread history, but it was very relevant to this thread.

In every one of his OT threads, he framed himself as the victim, correct?

 

[Delicious Waffles]

Wow, this thread certainly blew up. I saw it before I went to watch the Rangers game with a friend but didn't expect it to turn out like this. A big thank you to Lionel Mandrake for the summary.

To sum it up, he messed up big time. If you really need the job and finally get an interview after months of trying, unless you had a major emergency, why would you leave? I'd sit there all day until the boss shook my hand and thanked me for coming in. You could feel as disrespected as you want to be but that doesn't pay the bills. The money from this potential job would've. Who knows if he was going to get it or not but the fact they had him come in for an interview was a good sign. Plus, he was having a nice chat with the secretary so it's not like they put him in a room and left him there for hours.

Just unreal.

 

[MC Safety]

The interview process is dehumanizing, but sometimes you just have to eat it and smile.
Neither side communicated very well in this debacle.

And, boy, will I be glad when "'Merica!" and all its idiot variants fall out of style.

 

[BobTheFork]

Interesting thread but I just kind of feel bad. He reminds me very much of people I used to know. I just hope it really happened because it feels like the kind of story I've heard with people trying to make themselves feel better about 'being screwed over' when it didn't happen.

 

[MormaPope]

*Reads OP

How the hell did this topic blow up?

.

Oh. Oh.

 

[Retro_]

Wow dude

 

[terrisus]

In every one of his OT threads, he framed himself as the victim, correct?

Not just that, but all the issues he had with "companies" and "the system" and "the man" and "'merica."

 

[otapnam]

Interesting thread but I just kind of feel bad. He reminds me very much of people I used to know. I just hope it really happened because it feels like the kind of story I've heard with people trying to make themselves feel better about 'being screwed over' when it didn't happen.

Replace "job interview" with "first date with girl".

 

[JaseMath]

Amazing summary. Bravo.

 

[Dai101]

My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard,

 

[Tathanen]

You understand that a job is a privilege, not something that you are just entitled to?

I just wanna throw in regarding this notion that a job is a "privilege." I think that's an extremely caustic attitude, one that paints employees as subservient and not deserving of respect. As much as any employee needs a job, a company needs an employee. It is a symbiotic relationship, and anyone who thinks "oh god please bless upon me a position" is just perpetuating a terrible mindset where workers are just meat waiting to be processed. The more interviewees act like this, the more companies will think it's okay to treat them that way.

Obviously I am not arguing in favor of a job being something a person is "entitled to," but rather that I think it should be an even exchange, not one of those two extremes.

 

[ElRenoRaven]

So I finally caught up. I so have to say I don't think I've ever seen someone go from people half way feeling sorry for him to despising him as quickly as he managed to do it. I actually kind of feel sorry for the guy because he clearly has some major issues.

I just hope that now he can maybe take some time and actually think about what he did and how he reacted to everything from the job interview to the advice given here.

 

[crimzonflame]

Last great thread before OT is shutdown for E3.

 

[Not Spaceghost]

Jesus christ, I saw this thread yesterday but I couldn't stop posting in haikus so I just kind of let it slide past me. I cannot believe it exploded to the levels that it did.

Reading that summary makes me wonder if Thacker was having a total nervous breakdown or something.

Still, come on dude should have acted with more prose when someone is giving you a shot that others never have.

 

[teruterubozu]

Last great thread before OT is shutdown for E3.

Does OT still get shut down for E3? I thought only the search function gets disabled.

 

[Valkyr Junkie]

This thread would have been even more interesting if the mods resurrected one of Thacker's nuked threads.

 

[Htown]

my favorite part was when he accused the interviewer of making a "power play" over email by asking for references.

Dude, this is not an episode of Suits, no one is laying traps for you.

 

[SocksAndShoes]

Lionel the Lion, doing GAF's honest work.

 

[Spineker]

Thanks for the rundown, Lionel.

Wow, what an account suicide.

 

[TheBryanJZX90]

I just wanna throw in regarding this notion that a job is a "privilege." I think that's an extremely caustic attitude, one that paints employees as subservient and not deserving of respect. As much as any employee needs a job, a company needs an employee. It is a symbiotic relationship, and anyone who thinks "oh god please bless upon me a position" is just perpetuating a terrible mindset where workers are just meat waiting to be processed. The more interviewees act like this, the more companies will think it's okay to treat them that way.

Obviously I am not arguing in favor of a job being something a person is "entitled to," but rather that I think it should be an even exchange, not one of those two extremes.

Employers need employees. They don't need you. That's where you get into trouble.

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

I just wanna throw in regarding this notion that a job is a "privilege." I think that's an extremely caustic attitude, one that paints employees as subservient and not deserving of respect. As much as any employee needs a job, a company needs an employee. It is a symbiotic relationship, and anyone who thinks "oh god please bless upon me a position" is just perpetuating a terrible mindset where workers are just meat waiting to be processed. The more interviewees act like this, the more companies will think it's okay to treat them that way.

Obviously I am not arguing in favor of a job being something a person is "entitled to," but rather that I think it should be an even exchange, not one of those two extremes.

An office job making above the median salary with OT and benefits in a comfortable American city isn't some Upton Sinclair-esque dystopia. The OP's job at Walmart is much closer to what you describe, and he somehow doesn't seem to have a problem working for minimum wage at the Manniest of all "The Man" companies. He'll never even know if the boss was a nice guy or an asshole, because their entire interaction was based on inference and speculation. He assumed their initial phone call and his waiting room experience was some assertion of dominance power play in which the evil manager was attempting to bend him to his whim. When it turns out he was just completing his due diligence on the OP's paperwork and doing, you know, his job.

The reality of the current job market is that there are more seekers than there are jobs available. It has thrown off the traditional balance of power (which, lets face it, only really existed for the last 30 years or so). If you walk in to an interview with no referral expecting a latte and a back rub, instead of having to fight tooth and nail for a position that 100 other people just as qualified as you are also applying for, you're not going to find much success.

 

[Hylian7]

If it was an account suicide, it was sure as hell a slow one because he has had multiple bans/strikes in his GAF career. The "criminal" thing, "orgazime" girl/booted car, Dota Peruvians, this, and probably more.

 

[bigmf]

my favorite part was when he accused the interviewer of making a "power play" over email by asking for references.

Dude, this is not an episode of Suits, no one is laying traps for you.

This was it for me too. The interviewer was the owner of the company. Thacker is asking him to take $100,000 out of his pocket and give $70,000 to Thacker and spend the other $30,000 on employee costs. The owner of this company should just do this, without ever questioning what he might receive in return for his $100k (annually!).

Most people are more cautious with the $60 they're going to spend on a videogame. But you don't see EB Games scolding you as you walk out without buying anything.

 

[onken]

What an all-round sad story.

 

[Tathanen]

Employers need employees. They don't need you. That's where you get into trouble.

Sure, not really claiming otherwise. Just that it's a two-way street. "You" don't need THAT job, you just need "a job." There's nothing wrong with an interviewee deciding a job is not for them.

An office job making above the median salary with OT and benefits in a comfortable American city isn't some Upton Sinclair-esque dystopia. The OP's job at Walmart is much closer to what you describe, and he somehow doesn't seem to have a problem working for minimum wage at the Manniest of all "The Man" companies. He'll never even know if the boss was a nice guy or an asshole, because their entire interaction was based on inference and speculation. He assumed their initial phone call and his waiting room experience was some assertion of dominance power play in which the evil manager was attempting to bend him to his whim. When it turns out he was just completing his due diligence on the OP's paperwork and doing, you know, his job.

The reality of the current job market is that there are more seekers than there are jobs available. It has thrown off the traditional balance of power (which, lets face it, only really existed for the last 30 years or so). If you walk in to an interview with no referral expecting a latte and a back rub, instead of having to fight tooth and nail for a position that 100 other people just as qualified as you are also applying for, you're not going to find much success.

I'm really just responding more to the post I quoted, not the OP's insanity. My point is more rhetorical, that a theoretical interviewee shouldn't feel like they have to prostrate themselves for the "privilege" of a job, rather that they should be just as picky where they work as a company should be with who they hire.

Again, not supporting the OP's unreasonable nonsense in this specific instance. I do understand, though, that the job market isn't necessarily always that forgiving, and if there's someone who needs a job desperately the balance of power is obviously skewed in the companies' favor. Ideally, though, if there isn't desperation behind a person's actions (interviewing while already employed elsewhere, for example), they should feel free to turn down jobs that they do not find suitable.

Jobs are not a "privilege," it's just that an interviewee may or may not have the luxury of being picky based upon their individual circumstances.

 

[Omegasquash]

It's actually a pretty common interview tactic...making the interviewee wait. It's not exactly kind, but it does give a bit of insight on the person's patience, and how determined they are to get the job.

It might have behooved OP to ask questions of the person he was speaking with a little more directly, or just ask where the restroom was to go and collect himself a bit. If you're desperate for a job, sometimes you have to prove that you're capable of it. If that means doing a song and dance, then so be it. Pity he missed out, but hopefully it's a lesson learned.

 

[SocksAndShoes]

It's actually a pretty common interview tactic...making the interviewee wait. It's not exactly kind, but it does give a bit of insight on the person's patience, and how determined they are to get the job.

It might have behooved OP to ask questions of the person he was speaking with a little more directly, or just ask where the restroom was to go and collect himself a bit. If you're desperate for a job, sometimes you have to prove that you're capable of it. If that means doing a song and dance, then so be it. Pity he missed out, but hopefully it's a lesson learned.

This is true. I've personally done this to people.