Higher Skill Set Needed
May 14, 2008
Remember Pretty Woman, where Julia Roberts plays a hooker (Vivian) with a heart of gold and Richard Gere (Edward Lewis) is the guy who pays for her services for a week? This is a portion of their pillow talk:
Vivian: People put you down enough, you start to believe it.
Edward: I think you are a very bright, very special woman.
Vivian: The bad stuff is easier to believe. You ever notice that?
As if looking for gainful employment wasn’t painful enough, I received a phone call last night telling me I was no longer needed at the house with servants’ quarters because they were looking for someone with “a higher skill set.” I know that’s code for: she doesn’t fit in OR we don’t like her. If that had been said, I’d be just fine. But a higher skill set? For what? I kept asking for things to do and all I got was, “Answer the phones.” Granted, I accidentally hung up on people when I tried to transfer them but I hardly think that’s cause to make me ride the short bus.
Entry Filed under: Anxiety, Bimbo, Brainwash, attitude change, bad behavior. Tags: temp work.
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1.
bluesuit12 | May 14, 2008 at 8:22 am
When you got the call you should have responded with, “Oh good, I was actually going to call you. I would prefer to be placed with people that have a higher skill set. You know, someone who knows what the buttons on a phone are for and can use them. That would be great - thanks.”
2.
Lynne | May 14, 2008 at 10:39 am
ditto to bluesuit
3.
Sportsattitude | May 14, 2008 at 4:21 pm
Bluesuit’s retort would have been spectacular. The sound of silence on the other line would have been priceless as the caller’s head literally would have exploded from having to process those words internally.
4.
Pammy Girl | May 14, 2008 at 4:26 pm
If only I had said what Bluesuit suggested, but I didn’t think fast enough. I suppose I was too shocked. The rich belong in an uncouth category all their own.
5.
The Last Spartan | May 14, 2008 at 7:13 pm
You mean “laugh on command at pithy remarks and blow sunshine up famous peoples’ asses so that they don’t feel like they are a spectacle???”
Screw them Pammy. We love YOU.
I was my boss’ bitch for a while in DC, running after him with a pad of paper, taking notes, grabbing business cards, doing projects for him… but I had a ton of other responsibilities and the work I did for him was never degrading. I suppose because he treated me like an equal. Plus the work we did was important, like national security. I have a rule about being obsequious: I’m not. I suppose people can’t handle it and you’re right… THEY can kiss MY ass. Thank you.
6.
travelrat | May 14, 2008 at 9:23 pm
Maybe he learned dialing a telephone isn’t all that difficult after all?
Doubt it but one can always dream.
7.
Juli | May 15, 2008 at 11:47 am
Maybe if you’d played the part.. worn a blonde wig and filed/painted your nails like a regular Mrs. Wiggins? It’s the “doesn’t fit in part”… and you don’t want to fit in, trust me.
Makes me remember that one saying: Be grateful you don’t fit in where you don’t belong.
8.
Casey and Tiffany Orvin | May 15, 2008 at 8:03 pm
Pam- First off, you had me and Tiff laughing so hard…we love reading your posts. We both hope you find another job soon - we could just not see you answering phones like that. Second, we SO should have called you while we were at Disneyland - didn’t even think of it at all. I have a feeling we will be making several more trips to Disneyland and when we do…we will get together! Good luck with the job search!
Yes… PLEASE call me next time you’re at Disneyland!!! Maybe I should move to Phoenix and you could get me a job. That might end all the pain.
9.
Sarah | May 16, 2008 at 5:40 am
Screw those rich bastards! You don’t need them (ok, I realize that you need the money but still). Your skill set is just fine. You worked it politics for cryin out loud. How do they expect you to figure everything out in that “office” in one day/afternoon?
That “office” used to be the horse stable, I believe. I think my skill set lacked on essential ingredient: brown nosing!
10.
Billy | May 16, 2008 at 6:24 am
Do you want me to go let the air out of their tires? I swear I will. Just say the word.
Sweet! But that’s A LOT of tires… they’ve got 50 billion cars (which don’t get driven, by the way, but not because they’re environmentalists. I’m pretty sure it’s because they’ve forgotten how many cars they actually own).