I'm talking about work. Yes, work, careers, education, wages, salaries, packages, commissions, discounts, visas....All of that stuff which we constantly have a see-saw opinion on, depending on whether we have a decent paying job or not we either hate what comes with work or we love what comes with work. Normally it comes down to how it compares with our peers, our previous workplaces, what our university lecturers told us it was going to be like, or what sort of peers we have in our workplace.
I was recently approached by yet another network marketing rep from Amway, after being approached by over 4 dozen reps in the last 24 months I was once again sold on the dream of "passive income, freedom of lifestyle, financial freedom, more time spent with friends and families"... but of course the catch every time is that I am required to 'attend a seminar and pay a signup fee, then spend a monthly quota on products before I can resell the goods to earn an income, alternatively, I can recruit people below me to have them do the work for me' as every network marketing company works.
But this rep was different.
He looked desperate, absolutely desperate. He wanted me to join SO badly. No matter what I told him with how often I had been approached by reps, he just did not want to go home empty handed. He offered me discounts on my first order, waiving the fee to attend the seminar, dinner and a show after I had attended absolutely everything that he could do to try and get me to say yes. It was really quite painful to be there watching someone try so bad to get the sale....
Because he, like so many of us, all wanted the same thing... financial freedom, stress-free life, passive income, more time with friends and family... All things which reps will try to sell to get us hooked on.
Ironically with my own methods, managing to fight off these reps with a stick I have my Forex setup working smoothly. Algorithmic currency trading running on a VPS 24 hours a day, 5 days a week. Completely different method from network marketing, but I'm doing it because I want the same thing that all these reps want...
So if everyone really wants that stress-free, financially free lifestyle, why is it that in my day job as a recruitment agent, I meet with, email, and speak to people every day who say that they want the specific job advertised, how the specific job advertised is perfect for them, and how the specific job advertised matches up exactly with their skill sets. I mean.. No one would believe that it's just a coincidence, would they? that the perfect candidate has just walked in the door, and they'll be able to work wonders so much more than the other dozen interviewees before and after them?
Well, not really, no. Every candidate wants to get the job. Because they are unhappy where they are, they are unemployed, overqualified, getting back into the workforce, girlfriend forcing them to get work, everyone has similar reasons for looking for work. But I wonder this every day....
Why is it that someone will apply for a role which they may not be happy doing, and then still brown-nose the recruiter, so that they can receive an offer letter?
How come this has become commonplace, to send your CV out to as many places as you can, while realising if everyone does the same, it dilutes everyones worth when every recruiter has to sift through hundreds of applications, meaning they have less time to spend talking to the candidates?
When did this become popular, to apply for every role you could, without thinking about what you were applying for?
After thinking it over for a number of weeks I found out that it's the EXACT same reason that network marketing is popular, the EXACT same reason that people with basic knowledge of currencies is trading them, and its also the EXACT same reason that people will look for work in the first place..
Financial freedom, stress-free lifestyle, more time to go out with friends and family....
So how come there are <millions of people out there who will give a reason as to why they act like they do, why they say what they do, and how they feel like they do.. Yet their choices and their goals are the complete opposite almost every time. Are we really an entire society of vapid followers who will do whatever it takes to get someone to say 'yes', because we want to hear someone say 'yes', whether it will make us happy or not?
Are we really that afraid of being seen as an outcast, or being alone, or not up to the standard of our peers, that we will sell ourselves short, every time? and in the process of selling ourselves short, dilute our worth down to what is effectively just another link in the chain?
If it were a perfect world, I would love nothing more than to hear these answers in a job interview, when asked "So why do you want this job?"
"I want to travel, and I plan on being here 12 months or less"
"I'm here to see if I like the team"
"On weekends I'm out partying so I'm here so I can party harder"
"My boyfriend told me I can't live in his house for free anymore"
Because at least, we would be more honest with each other.
Anyway no matter what happens with the future of Recruitment, Steem gives me far too many ideas to do nothing about solving this. To reward people for honesty, and provide incentive for targeted job applications and truthful interview questions; while at the same time, give insight to jobseekers as to how you compare against the competition. I'll figure something out, and find a way where there is complete transparency on both sides, making it impossible to lie, cheat, or steal... which both candidates and recruiters have done far too much of in the past.
Rant over! Stagg will come to the rescue!