Does Anyone Listen Anymore?

 I wanted to write. I really did. A couple of days earlier this week I sat down with the sole intent of writing, finishing the novel I was working on and then starting edits. But, I'm have a few conversations recently that pissed me off and the last thing I can think about at the moment is working on a project I care about.

And it's not just the conversations I have been having, it's life in general. Let me explain:

For those of you keeping score, my stability situation is transient at best. I have no job, no money and no way to live anywhere. Instead, I've been crashing at a friend's place only because it's too cold to sleep in my truck. But between his kids, him and everything else, all I want to do is pack up leave. There are times sleeping on the street seems preferable to being at his house.

Stand Out of the Crowd

Of course, going home to Florida isn't better. Sure, there's family, but I need to be left alone and no one in my family knows how to do that. They're always in my face, always bothering me. ... and there are kids. Granted, my niece and nephew aren't as bad as the kids here, but there are demanding on one's time. 

The idea of being around my family any more than I need to be is exhausting just to think about and I'm sure I'd either become homicidal or suicidal quickly. 

One of the other things that's annoying me is a conversation I have yesterday with a State of Colorado Vocational Specialist who's been assigned to me to help me get back on my feet. The problem is, he wasn't listening to what I was telling him and he kept trying to get me to step 3 without first passing step 2.

For example, we spent the first couple of meetings doing performance evaluations. You know, those tests that ask you "would you rather walk a dog or kayak the Andes?" Well, I'd like to both. They both sound incredibly fun, but I don't want to do either for a full time job. I don't want to kayak the Andes in the winter, either. "Would you rather reprimand an employee or submit a report to your boss?" Honestly, I don't want to reprimand an employee and it depends on the report.

Anywho, per these evaluations, there are few jobs out there I would not only be good at, but I would also want to stay at - considering the work environment is also favorable. A great job with a crappy boss is a crappy job. A great boss at a terrible company is still a crappy job. And, let's not forget that most companies promote themselves as having a certain lifestyle or culture but rarely do they meet or exceed their own branding. 

Yesterday, P and I were talking about resumes. He slid a piece of paper across from me and said: "here's the format I want you to use". Now, there's nothing overtly wrong with the format, except it's old. As in, late-90s/early 2000s old. I told him I had a resume that looked like that back in the early 2000s and it never got me anywhere. He said, just do it - it's the one he recommends and it helps people all the time. He then brought out his own resume and it didn't even follow the format he was suggesting (which I called him out on and he said his was a variation of the format he recommends. Well, P, if that's the case then my existing one is well. It's a timeline format with my name at the top.

But, he told me just to put one together using his format and I said sure. I'll play his game. He's the vocational specialist, after all. (I also informed him mine was designated great by the workforce center, but he wanted it in his format.*

So, I asked his about terminology, verbiage to use. Why? Because there's a difference between how senior management, lawyers, consultants and CEOs write their resumes than the one I've been writing. I needed verbiage examples that showcased my experience and skill level. 

His response? "Let's get you some interviews and you can explain that during your interviews."

That seemed a little like putting the cart before the horse, so I rephrased it: I need to know how to write a resume that speaks to my level. The one I've got always gets me calls about entry-level work."

"Well, let's get you some interviews," he replied.

Huh?

So, I tried once more: "I need to know how to rephrase what I have written to make it sound better. I've managed, 22 people before. How to I convey that as a manager or higher level?"

"Lets get you some interviews and go from there," was his reply.

At this point I was livid and I changed my entire demeanor from one of friendly compliance to one of command and control, "What part of what I'm telling you do you not understand? I'm telling you exactly what I need from you regarding resume writing, what my concerns are regarding my own and how you can help me and your response is to push aside my concerns and jump head to the next step. Did I confuse you?"

He was taken aback and cut the meeting short, told me to write a resume by Monday so he could look at it.

I'm still pissed over that entire exchange.

Not me

Then, this morning was the culmination of another string of failures to listen, by a completely different person at a different government agency. I spoke with this person from the DOL (Dept. of Labor) on Tuesday. We have a fun conversation and he said he would send me a link to his calendar so I could find a free time to have a video chat with him.

Twenty-four hours later I still hadn't received that email, so I emailed him (I already had his) and let him know I hadn't received that link yet. He also stated I could choose which video conferencing software I wanted to use: Meet, Zoom, Skype, Facetime, etc. He had access to all of them. 

So, I chose this Friday at 10AM. That was this morning at 1000 hours. There was nowhere on the link he sent me to choose which software I wanted to use so I wrote it in at the "Notes" section: "Google Meet is easiest for me."

A day goes by, then another. I never receive a confirmation of the appointment or the videochat link.

This morning, about two hours before the meeting I contact him to let him know the videocall link never arrived. It was a friendly reminder that hey, I'm ready for this meeting, but I don't have the info I need yet.

He tells me he'll send it at 10:00. That seemed odd to me, but whatever. He wants to send me a link for a meeting at the time of the meeting instead of beforehand, in case there are any problems. Okay ... 

At 10:05 I contact him again and let him know I still haven't received the link. So he sends me a Zoom link. So, I send him another email: "When I picked this meeting date and time I specifically wrote in there that Google Meet was the best option for me. And now you're sending me a Zoom link."

Basically, I hate Zoom. It demands you download their software and I don't want their software on my devices. Which is why I chose Meet. Between my Android phone and my Chromebook, Meet is easiest for me.

Then I send him another email stating that obviously he's unprepared for a meeting this morning and perhaps we should just reschedule.

He sends me a Meet link. 

We have our meeting and while most of it was informative, there were still parts where I deduced he wasn't listening to me or what my concerns were.

Perhaps it's my years in sales and listening to what people are saying, but running across so many people who do not listen, who try to push you into a box - to compartmentalize you - is extremely frustrating. 

He called his format the "UNC format. When I asked what that meant he told me it's the one they recommended when he graduated from University of Northern Colorado ... 25 years ago. I'm just saying ... )