~So I've been in this job for about 11 weeks now. It is a part time job, only 20 hours per week. For those of you who are new here, the main component of my job is to meet with undergraduate students to review their resumes, help with job/internship searches and conduct mock interviews to help them prep for the work world.
~While I'm new to working with the university population, I have worked as a corporate recruiter for about 10 years and have seen my fair share of resumes. Long story as to why I am not a recruiter any longer, but if you are interested, just click on the "job woes" label to the left and eventually you'll figure out why. Anyway, every month we send out surveys to our students to evaluate our services as well as to ask how they found out about our services etc. Standard customer service type survey I suppose.
~Today I received one where someone marked that I was "not knowledgable at all" in the subject matter that which we were discussing during their appointment. I can't help but be slightly hurt by this. Typically though, people who complete these types of surveys are usually the VERY satisfied or the NOT AT ALL satisfied. They are the ones who are typically motivated for such a survey.
~Now I'm 99% sure I know which student this was and immediately after meeting with him I did mention to my supervisor that it was probably the most challenging appointment I have had so far. This student was a Senior, graduating next month and came in for job search help (late in the game, yes!). Now, I will change his major information for the sake of privacy (although I doubt there would be an issue there, but anyway)...let's say he is majoring in Mathematics. He has recently decided that he no longer wants to work in the field of Mathematics but instead wants to become a writer, a field which could be considered a polar opposite to the one he has spent 4 years studying and also one in which he has NO EXPERIENCE. Oh wait, he did mention he took 2 related classes, like maybe English 101 and 102 so those should help him get a job as a writer, right?
~So, while I tried to provide him with some resources for gaining experience so that he might have a snowball's chance in hell in actually landing a job as a writer, he did not seem like I was doing quite enough. How am I supposed to fix his mistake of four years of studying something that he no longer wants to do? Um, yeah, I don't think I can do that.
~Anyway, I think I'll just end there. Reading the survey results struck a nerve with me, but my supervisor was quick to say that she also received a negative comment from this past month's appointments and that while they can initially be hard to swallow, to try to let it roll off my back, which I am doing. And blogging about it helps!!!
~Ultimately, the student is the one who in not knowledgeable, I mean, heck, he wants to be a writer, yet he spent four years studying math. I changed my major late in the undergraduate game too, but not *that* late. And I didn't give anyone nasty survey comments either.
13 comments:
and when he tried to applies to jobs without using your advice the response will be "not knowledgable at all".
Exactly, Chickbug! You did your job right by telling him that he would need further education in the right field if he wanted better chances to find a good job.
LOL just think, he's probably trying to find someone to blame in advance for when it all goes wrong for him!
Blech. I wish more people would understand how to own up to their mistakes and take responsibility for their actions. The blame-game is getting old. It isn't your fault you couldn't help this kid, it was his.
I always wondered what happens to those evaluation surveys. I gave a professor a bad reveiw in survey once (I really felt she deserved it) and I've always wondered if she ever read it, or even heard about it. This guy just sounds like a mess though. Don't let it get to you!
I agree with Cluburbia, he not doubt realized he had made a mistake in his major for 4 years and was looking for someone to take it out on. Don't let it get to you. There are plenty of students out there more than greatful for your help. You can't let one retard get you down!!
My husband owned his own Recruiting firm for several years. Let me tell you, that was by far the most stressful job I have ever had to partake in. (I did all his initial cold calling and interview set ups) I don't blame ytou for getting out of that business.
How nice to have a job. Mine is in the sad balance of soon to be gone :(
Can't please everyone, Ms. Moments. Life would be rather boring if that weren't the case, now wouldn't it?
he's prob frustrated at how late he is doing this and taking it out on you. coming from a student... i say it all falls on us at the end! by the way have any tips on entering the job market... search tips?
it's sad he felt that way. What you vent on this blog, he felt he had to do on the survey. It was probably the result of a moment of fustration on his part as he's most likely aware of his situation and how late he has left it. Don't let it get you down.
Oh, I think he will find out really quick how knowledgable he is once he steps out into the real world!
Yanno, being a full-time student myself, I would have felt like a complete eeeediot going into your office and admitting my horrible 4 year mistake, and then felt like a bigger dummy for admitting that I wanted to become an overnight success as a writer and use that as my full-time employment while I'm up to my eyeballs in student loans. Pfffft!
A real terd-knocker I tell ya! But don't let that get you down. You are doing the 95% that give good reviews a great service in preparing them for the real world. And things like that mean a lot to a 30-something broad back in school lol.
Sounds to me like he wasn't going to be happy unless you a) told him exactly what he wanted to hear and b) made all the effort for him. Sheesh.
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