summercomfort (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
summercomfort) wrote2013-03-04 05:46 pm
summercomfort) wrote2013-03-04 05:46 pm
In which a metaphor is overextended
Suppose you are applying for a job. But this application process works in a special way: You send in your application, and then 2 weeks later, you look to see in the Classifieds section whether the position is filled or not. If it's filled, then it means you get the job. If not, you'll just have to send in another application. The more applications you send in, the more likely it is that you get the job.
That's not *too* bad, right? It might mean that after submitting your application, you anxiously check the classified's every day, and it might mean you send in lots of applications.
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But then you find out that the office that receives applications is only open for one day a month. Clearly, if you find out that the office is open *and then* you send the application, it'd be too late -- you have to send the application in ahead of time, and account for the 1-3 days it takes in the mail system.
Well, that's not too bad, since it means instead of sending in applications every day, you can just time it correctly. Unfortunately, the only way to find out if the office is open or not is to drive by the office every morning and taking a guess, based on the number of people buying coffee in the corner coffee shop. When there's more people in the coffee shop that morning, that might mean the office is going to be open that day.
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Then there's *my* special case. My local office is kind of sketchy -- for as long as I can remember, they don't post "Wanted" ads at all -- I can only send in applications willy nilly and hope I catch them on a day when the office is open. I've tried driving by the coffee shop in the morning, but the number of people there fluctuate so much there's no way of detecting any sort of pattern. But you know, as long as I keep sending in applications, it's bound to work, right?
A year later, I find out that instead of being open once a month, my local office is NEVER open. That explains why there aren't "Wanted" ads.
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So what can I do about this?
I can go hire some professionals -- they're expensive, and it's hard to work with their demanding schedule, but what they would do is go knock on the door of the office and poke around until they force the office to open. They also might mess up the neighboring office, but hey, it's pretty direct.
I can also consult some guys who know people -- they're less expensive, and more willing to work around your schedule, and their method is less invasive -- they'd go ask around, maybe volunteer to help keep the office open, etc. But their method requires patience.
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I've been consulting with the 2nd group for a long time -- one guy said he could make it happen in 4 months. It didn't work. Another guy said it'd take half a year or more. That didn't work. I've also met with the professionals a few times, but they're kind of scary -- they're super good at the hard sell, and they're frustratingly bad at listening to me.
So in September of last year, I decided to stop consulting with both groups.
Y'all know what I'm talking about here, right? ;)
That's not *too* bad, right? It might mean that after submitting your application, you anxiously check the classified's every day, and it might mean you send in lots of applications.
----------
But then you find out that the office that receives applications is only open for one day a month. Clearly, if you find out that the office is open *and then* you send the application, it'd be too late -- you have to send the application in ahead of time, and account for the 1-3 days it takes in the mail system.
Well, that's not too bad, since it means instead of sending in applications every day, you can just time it correctly. Unfortunately, the only way to find out if the office is open or not is to drive by the office every morning and taking a guess, based on the number of people buying coffee in the corner coffee shop. When there's more people in the coffee shop that morning, that might mean the office is going to be open that day.
---------
Then there's *my* special case. My local office is kind of sketchy -- for as long as I can remember, they don't post "Wanted" ads at all -- I can only send in applications willy nilly and hope I catch them on a day when the office is open. I've tried driving by the coffee shop in the morning, but the number of people there fluctuate so much there's no way of detecting any sort of pattern. But you know, as long as I keep sending in applications, it's bound to work, right?
A year later, I find out that instead of being open once a month, my local office is NEVER open. That explains why there aren't "Wanted" ads.
---------
So what can I do about this?
I can go hire some professionals -- they're expensive, and it's hard to work with their demanding schedule, but what they would do is go knock on the door of the office and poke around until they force the office to open. They also might mess up the neighboring office, but hey, it's pretty direct.
I can also consult some guys who know people -- they're less expensive, and more willing to work around your schedule, and their method is less invasive -- they'd go ask around, maybe volunteer to help keep the office open, etc. But their method requires patience.
---------
I've been consulting with the 2nd group for a long time -- one guy said he could make it happen in 4 months. It didn't work. Another guy said it'd take half a year or more. That didn't work. I've also met with the professionals a few times, but they're kind of scary -- they're super good at the hard sell, and they're frustratingly bad at listening to me.
So in September of last year, I decided to stop consulting with both groups.
Y'all know what I'm talking about here, right? ;)
no subject
Hopefully the application process was fun at least?