Join Now
DRenS 
Since I'm writing about careers nowadays...
I applied for a job position a few weeks ago. And to be clear, as I wasn't in my last post, I apply for 1) anything that looks interesting to me and 2) anything where I think my degree/background could come in handy (and these are often more along the lines of jobs I wouldn't really want or wouldn't be my first choice, though they are usually more reasonable to think I'd get the position), as long as I might be able to live off of what the jobs pay. This position would actually fit both descriptions, for a change, or so I thought. Anyway, I applied and one day almost a week or so after I applied, I received a phone call basically saying they wanted to speak to me about the position. I didn't answer the phone when they called because I like to screen calls and no phone number showed up when they called, and it wasn't a good time for me to talk anyway. Ever since then, I have not been able to get in touch with the person who called me. I have called, not an excessive amount of times, but have left three messages over about the course of one week.
Now, this is the first time I'm mentioning the job to anyone in any sense because I hate telling people about opportunities and then consistently not getting them. I started wondering if maybe telling people was some kind of jinx, even. Plus, this was a position I was surprised to be called about, let alone thinking I'd realistically get it. If this employer is anything like many other employers in this field are, I'm not totally qualified for the position.
Well, I did a little more research on the job type, and it seems that oftentimes there's not really a salary--it's one of those commission deals, and apparently employees generally don't make anything starting out. Sometimes employees get a salary, but it seems like not usually. Other than that, the job seems pretty good and seems like it'd, more or less, suit my kind of background. Plus, the opportunity to make really good money is there, which is good as far as getting loans paid off quickly. So, the lack of salary would be fine if the job were in a location where I could afford to live without money for a while, i.e. somewhere I could just bum off family. That's not the case, although I could probably ask a friend in the area if I could stay with her for a while (which is nowhere near as comfortable an idea to me as living with family)--the main concern is that I'd be there too long. Now, I still don't know whether or not the place that called me offers a salary, and at this point it's looking like I never will.
A lot of things employers do nowadays frustrate me, and I now have this to add to the list: if the position is no longer available or you're no longer interested in a candidate, and they are calling, why ignore them? Unlike a lot of people, I understand that employers receive a lot of resumes and can't respond to each one. But once you've shown some interest, why then disappear without an explanation? I guess I ought to take this as a bad sign about the place itself, and probably as a good thing, too, if they don't pay a salary.
