You are not hired!

Ok, remember once upon a time I had applied for a job in Shanghai. This opening is for the same job position that I have now, same company, just in Shanghai.

The first time I applied the recruiter accepted very well my application and we exchanged ideas for quite sometime. She even mentioned I was the best candidate. However, the final decision of the job placement had to be done by her superior. The Director said no and mentioned a problem I would face in the new job, the recruiter told me, I found a solution for that problem. The director then mentioned another problem that might occur, I found yet another solution! My ideas were indeed taken for the benefit of the company, they adopted quite fast at least one of the solutions I mentioned. So, eventually the recruiter told me the Director had just said no (no more problems this time, maybe I could solve them all and make her look stupid??).


Recently the recruiter left her position on kind of a maternity leave. She told me informally that another person now has the selection process, in Japan. Maybe I should try to apply again, after all, I was their best candidate! Maybe if some one else looked at my history, CV and experience, I could have a better chance. But she warned me to be careful about the director.

A couple of days ago I got my CV, made sure it was the best CV I could write. I got examples of cover letters and wrote a pretty good one, took a lot of time also in formatting it. Got another sheet of paper to write a memorandum about my previous attempt and why I am trying again...

Just got the news today. The Director had just said no.

Its sad, just for you to hear that you are the best, but you are not hired. Ask for reasons (just so I could improve something for next time) and no reasons were given. But, now maybe a door will open in Japan. Japan... wow... I'll have to think about that one.

Organizing...

This week has been pretty full. Waking up at 6am, 7am everyday and going to bed past 1am... Things at work are picking up quite well. The reason for this is that I am trying to catch up on some of the tasks that have been a bit behind schedule . Besides that, solving general problems that really only I can solve because no one else has their head on their shoulders to think straight. This week I was even called in the bosses' office to have a talk, it was a pretty stressful, pathetic talk. Imagine a person that has no sense of what is going on, no sense of business structure, process, quality control, management or customer relationship knowledge... Add on to that the inability to hold a conversation because all this person wants to do is yell. Wow... Pretty sad ain't it? It wasn't that stressful as it should've been just because it was pathetic.

Ranting boss: "Danilo, I am here to talk about your approach to customer's complaints. You are stalling too much and causing a great danger."
Me: "Ok, I am not stalling, I am being careful to really get to know the source of the problem before I call any employee's attention. In the meantime, observe closely the employee."
Ranting boss (at this point with face all red in anger): "But that is wrong! You should talk to the employee regardless on whether you know what is the problem."
Me (calm and amazed at what is spoken): "Ok, I don't do that because there is no use talking to anyone if I don't really know what the real problem is. I have been doing this for the past 20 months and we have been having the highest customer retention percentage in our history."
Ranting boss: "I am not talking about customer retention, that is totally out of the conversation, both have nothing to do with each other."
More sane boss to ranting boss: "All of this is related to customer retention, if Danilo does a bad job, customers will leave. Thus he is doing a very good job."
Ranting boss to more sane boss: "Are you calling me crazy then??!"
Me: completely perplexed at the conversation, just start to stare and nod from time to time.

Its a mad world we live in... We see a bit of everything in our lifetime.

Recently in my attempts to be a bit more organized, and better at everything got the book Blink which has had good reviews. But unfortunately time hasn't let me touch on it. This week though I have read a bit more of Allen's GTD. Actually, I have started to apply some of his ideas also found in a website to get my email inbox organized, my tasks more in order. So far, so good.

In other news... dating is going ok. Some bumps occurred this week, but nothing serious. My cousin 2 years younger then me is getting married next Saturday so everyone that sees me and my girlfriend is telling us to get married too. Not going to happen for quite sometime though, I am just way too young... Today I went to see The Lake House. Do yourself a favor, don't go watch it. Too predictable, way too corny to be good and I am not saying this because I am a guy, many of my friends agree and my girlfriend said the same.

So, now that was the week's news. Its almost 2am now and I have to sleep. Have fun, love & be safe!!

artwork: Organized Confusion - Ruth Palmer 2

All new is old in the land of the sun

Land of the Sun, that is what our state if called. Now it so happens that I really don't like the sun, I mean as hot and as bright as we get it for the number of days that we get it. I miss some rain, downpours, lightening (all within a safe, non-disaster making, limit of course).

It has started again... Boredom... Since last post, work work work. At work still everything the same, bosses playing that they are working, coming in 3 hours a days, 4 days a week and when they come, "Do this! do that! this is wrong!" No hello, thanks, how are you doing. Heck, after all, like my boss said once, "He respects his employees because he thinks it is a nice thing to do, we owe him respect because he owns us". Sheesh, unfortunately he has a point because lucky for him we are in a country with a high unemployment rate, but if he had taken the time to study something about business, leadership, human resources... It takes a little bit more then fear, threats to make someone produce at their best level. Anyway, life goes on...

Dating... 1 year, 1 month, 7 days and counting! Wow, its been a long time. So far so good, now she's hinting about marriage. Of course, I cut the conversation short. I am too young, she is too young, the relationship is too young, and everyone knows that "she's-the-right-person-for-me-feeling". That feeling hasn't hit me yet, so we take it day-by-day. My cousin is getting married though, 2 years younger then me and a proud father-to-be! Another cousin of mine is also pregnant. Now, this baby stuff is starting to hit my generation...

Actually, speaking of generation, I have been thinking a lot recently about my life. It has almost been 4 years since I am back to Brazil. Next year I have plans and luckily this semester I can much better prepare myself for it.

In other news... A topic I have been reading a lot about recently is personal productivity, how to be organized. I have come to think (maybe because I am getting "old") that time is our most precious resource. We can either make it as an asset and have it give us positive things, or as a liability where it continuously disrupts us... So far I've read Covey's two books, the 7 Habits and the 8th Habit and I am now reading Getting things done. So far these books have been of great help! I have to tell you the truth tough, I have to read them again to really get many of the concepts working out better. With these books and their concepts, I have started to use a few tools like Google calendar and a task organizer linked to it. Indeed, I have yet a lot to learn, but so far I have gained improvement.

Ok, its Sunday night and I still have to organize some stuff for the week. Until next time! Be happy, be safe and be smart!!

Artwork: Trinity by Natasha Wescoat; Three Crooked Houses by Carol Shelton.