I am still waiting to hear about “my” job… I called and left a message at the number from which my phone interview took place, and I emailed the woman who had conducted that interview (I’d also emailed a thank you note to her, right after the interview.) Per my friend, the interviewer has not yet been in touch with the hiring manager.
Because I hadn’t heard anything, I tried to get in touch with National ABLE (they work with people over 55). Apparently, if they used to exist, they were under the realm of unemployment. In DuPage county, they are part of WorkNET. I knew a woman who worked a lot with them, so following her lead, I originally tried to stop in at WorkNET to see if I could possibly meet with someone. No one from the 3 woman National ABLE team was at the site. Hey, it’s not like people over 55 need jobs, right?
I phoned the number I was provided, which had an answering machine that suggested that I email “LuLu.” So I emailed “LuLu,” and received a response from Phyllis G. She asked a couple of questions, and wrote back that she would be off the next day and would phone on Monday.
On Monday I waited in my car until after 11 am, and then went into the library — now, first of all, cell phone reception is spotty inside the libraries where I spend much of my days, and second — even if I am aware that the phone is ringing, I have to power down my computer, unplug and wrap the cord, put it in my case, and then gather my items, to walk out of the library — at that time it is too late to accept the call, and all I can do is try to return it.
Therefore, I returned the call the next morning, and finished with the message that I would be going to the library within the next ½ hour or so. Want to guess when Phyllis called? Exactly right — after I got to the library and had all of my stuff set up — and I was in spotty reception, again.
As a matter of fact, Phyllis never called me before 10:00 am (about the earliest I was getting to the library), and ALWAYS called me during the time I told her I would NOT be available.
I started to realize that Phyllis was an idiot.
So, I left one final message, asking her NOT to call back, but to email any forms to complete or document requirements. I did NOT receive an email, but DID receive a phone response, telling me that I was on her “Dead Pile,” and asking for further clarification.
I decided that Dead Pile really said it all, and just left it there.
In the meantime, I had started taking classes through HomeDuPage. The woman running the classes is incredibly nice, and tried to be helpful. She mentioned WorkNET (my ride moocher had problems with them — she was told that she’s not the type of person they typically assist...) and NationalABLE. We described some of the problems we had with these — not with the programs, per se, but with their Case Workers. She offered to get in touch with them to try to clear the way for us.
She ended up talking for an hour to Phyllis, who complained that I didn’t answer or return her calls or respond to her emails. She then left me a voice mail and followed up by email, with a message that caused me to tear the plugs out of the wall and leave the library ASAP. It was so arrogant and supercilious, I thought it came directly FROM Phyllis.
It told me to treat Phyllis as if she were HR from a company where I wanted to work. To “excuse myself” and run out of the library to take her calls. (Hey, I don’t really want my computer. Go ahead and steal it.) To wait for her calls, not IN the library. To dress as if going to an interview, when going to see her. That I had failed to reply to emails. Barbara, this will not do… You MUST reply to emails, Blah blah blah blah blah.
Oh, and WHEN do you and your ride moocher want to come to the next class?
1) I was only ever aware of failing to answer a single call from Phyllis while it was ringing — WHILE I WAS DRIVING. I returned her calls when I thought she’d be in the office (which is very limited hours), and always told her when I’d NOT be available. And that is when she’d call. Maybe it’s time for them to realize that SOME of us don’t stay in libraries because we enjoy watching Halloween parades, or listening to screaming children. Some of us do it to keep from freezing, and to try to avoid pneumonia. When you ask me to wait for a call, that means I’m going to be sitting in my car — not getting correspondence or applications accomplished — and, in the weather today — freezing.
2) Phyllis emailed on the first day of contact, to which I replied — but I never received an email from her after that. I REQUESTED such an email, and did not receive it. The call received after that was “Dead Pile.” Phyllis lied about unreturned emails.
3) Oh, and when do I want to go to the next class: NEVER?
While I can appreciate that the woman was just fed this line of BULLSHIT about me from a woman who is doing a Crap Job for the county, she also had heard from me that I was having problems, and that she was returning phone calls when she knew I was unavailable. Maybe her first instinct shouldn’t have been “this woman is a lying sack of excrement” when she mentioned the emails, but then again, given everything else — and that she WAS a lying sack of excrement, perhaps she should have considered that, before sending off that email.
People who are homeless get treated like second class citizens a lot. That’s part of what I like about the Lisle library — spotty reception though it may have, the people here treat me (and other homeless) really nice. Like we were human beings, or something.
I don’t think Phyllis treated me badly because she knew I was homeless — Unless she had read my WorkNet file from a few years ago (and there’s no indication she was THAT efficient), there was no way for her to know that. But how about if NationalABLE pays for a place for me to live for the next couple of months — assuming there is heat, a bed and a shower, I would be THRILLED to sit at “home” and wait for Phyllis’ next call.