Call Me

Last Friday, I came home to a few voice mail messages. One of them was from Steve. No last name was given. It was just "Hello Debra. This is Steve and I'm a recruiter."

Now, I admit to my heart jumping a bit. Who wouldn't, in this economic climate, like to be recognized as a valued part of the business community and to be recruited for a better paying job? That would be wonderful. More money would certainly help my finances and I know I can run an office. I like what I currently do, don't get me wrong, but I'd also like a few more challenges.

I couldn't completely hear what Steve said. Sometimes the kitchen phone seems to garble conversation. I saved the message and went to listen on the office phone. That phone gives me fits. It's cordless and sometimes the battery just doesn't want to charge. I tried to listen to the messages but the phone kept dying. I set this task aside as one to do later, and then promptly forgot.

Last night, I listened to all my messages. There was Steve's perky voice again. "Hi Debra. This is Steve and I'm a recruiter." He went on to ask if I was still in the market for full or possibly part time employment. "Call me and we'll talk." As Scooby-Do would say, "ruh roh."

#1 - A legitimate recruiter would know that I'm interested only in full time employment, an 8-5 job, with benefits. They would say, "I represent a client with an opening in your field" or some such thing. Hearing his pitch clearly set off alarm bells that this "full or part-time" employment opportunity was selling newspapers in front of Walgreens.

#2 - No phone number was left. That's right. Dear ol' Steve, perky and happy, left me a message with a "Call me" and then didn't leave his number. I actually listened to the message twice to make certain I did not miss anything. No. There is no phone number given. The alarm bells turned into laughter. Even if I was desperate, which I'm not, for a part-time job, I couldn't get a hold of Steve.

If I'd heard the full contents of the message on Friday, there is the possibility I could have hung up and dialed *69. This gets you the last recorded phone number which called you. But, even that is no guarantee I'd get the elusive Steve. I've been going 'round and 'round with 5th 3rd Bank and if I don't make it to the phone to get the call, they don't often leave a message. I could have found out the last person to call me was 5th 3rd or some charity trying to part me from my non-existent excess money.

Folks, this is highly effective recruiting, NOT. I think my initial instincts on this call are correct. I'll let it pass me by.

But thanks for a good laugh, Steve.

Beverage: China Black Tea

Deb