Update on Complete Staffing

Here is an update, or maybe more an addendum, to my posting about jobs the other day.  This is regarding the temporary staffing agency called Complete Staffing out of Southborough, MA and the representative I dealt with there named Anthony Martin.  If you are an individual seeking temp or temp-to-hire work, Complete Staffing is NOT the place to consider applying with.

Here is what happened to me:

Last Thursday I went to Complete Staffing and met with Anthony, whom according to his business card is nothing but an Account Executive.  We discussed a job opportunity, which I had seen posted on Monster.com.  This was the reason why I was there in the first place, as I was interested in this job opportunity.  Anthony told me he would forward my resume to this company, told me mainly what it entailed, it all sounded good to me, the pay was right, temp-to-hire, he even told me it would be a good way for me to get my “foot in the door”.  He said that they may want to interview me and that he would get back to me later that afternoon or the following day “first thing”.  I told him that although it was going to snow the following day (Friday), I would be willing to meet with them for an interview if they wanted.  I told him I was an “adventurer”.  Believe me, snow does not bother me.  I live in New England.

Thursday afternoon came.  Nothing.  Friday morning “first thing”–nothing.  I called at 10:00 a.m.  A male answered, mumbling something that didn’t sound anything like “Complete Staffing”.  I asked to speak with Anthony.  He told me he was on the road and would be back in about an hour.  Could he take a message?  Sure.  I left my name and number and reason why I was calling.  Never heard back from him.

Monday.  Called again.  Same voice.  Same thing.  Left a message.  It dawned on me that this guy may be Anthony himself.  Why wasn’t the female receptionist, whom I met that first day, answering the phone when I called?  Never got a call back.

Tuesday afternoon I called.  A male answered.  Anthony was in an interview, would you like to leave a message?  No offer of voice mail, which I thought was interesting.  I left another message.  No call back.  Still wondering what the status was on this job.

Wednesday I called twice.  In the morning, I got the same guy again.  Can I take a message?  I left yet another message.  I called in the afternoon and a female answered.  Would you like his voice mail?  I told her that I had been trying to reach him all week, he was not returning my calls, but yes, forward me to his voice mail.  I got some general voice mail box, no name indicating whose box it was, and left a message.  No return call.

Finally this morning I decided I would call and ask for a Manager.  Again the SAME guy answered, again mumbling the name of the business. 

“Can I speak with a manager?”

“This is.  My name is Anthony.”

Oh really?  A Manager?  I thought you were an Account Executive.  “Oh, hi, Anthony,” I said, knowing full well it was him all along I had been speaking with.  The same one who kept telling me Anthony was “on the road” or “in an interview”.  “I’ve been trying to reach you for days.  You never returned my calls.”

“Yeah, well, uh, I’ve been out of the office for a few days,” he said.

“Really?  Every time I called I was told you were in an interview,” I replied.

“Well, I’ve been in and out,” he hemmed and hawed.

“Uh-huh.  Right.  Do you know anything about that job?”

“Well, I’m still waiting to hear back from them.  I sent them your resume.  They may not be interested in you.”

“It would’ve been nice if you had called to tell me that,” I told him.  “I don’t like it when I call someone and they don’t return my calls.  It seems very unprofessional.”

He didn’t know what to say to that.

“Well, if I hear anything, I will call you,” he assured me.

“Right, Anthony.  Have a nice day.”  And I hung up on him.

You know, I do need a job.  I want a job.  But I don’t want to be ”dicked” around by some jerk in a ”staffing” agency who thinks they can pull the wool over my eyes simply because they don’t know what they’re doing.  I’ll bet Complete Staffing is hanging on a thread themselves.  They probably can’t make payroll every two weeks.  They hardly ever have any jobs listed on the job boards.  How do they stay in business?

So take my advice, if you are seeking to work for a temp agency, don’t select Complete Staffing.  You’ll be wasting your time.

Starbucks vs Dunkin Donuts

I guess Starbucks’ CEO felt that his employees needed a brush-up on the fine art of coffee making so he’s closing all the shops from 3.5 hrs today, starting at 5:30, to offer a refresher course to everyone.

Therefore, Dunkins is jumping in on the action, offering small lattes for 99 cents during that time frame.

Which coffee do I prefer?  It depends on my mood but I have to admit, I’ve always liked the customer service at Starbucks better.  And it’s a more laid-back atmosphere.  But I don’t think one’s coffee is any better…then again, I’m not a big coffee drinker anyway.

Dear dog and cat

Dear Dog and Cat:

The dishes with the paw print are yours and contain your food. The
other dishes are mine and contain my food. Please note, placing a paw
print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for
it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically
pleasing in the slightest.

The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack.
Beating me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn’t help
because I fall faster than you can run.

I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry
about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to
ensure your comfort. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball
when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each
other stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that
sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out the other
end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.

For the last time, there is not a secret exit from the bathroom. If
by some miracle I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it
is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, and try to turn the knob or
get your paw under the edge and try to pull the door open. I must
exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the
bathroom for years — canine or feline attendance is not required.

The proper order is kiss me, then go smell the other dog or cat’s
butt. I cannot stress this enough!

To pacify you, my dear pets, I have posted the following message on
our front door:

To All Non-Pet Owners Who Visit & Like to Complain About Our Pets:

1 They live here. You don’t.
2. If you don’ t want their hair on your clothes, stay off the
furniture. (That’s why they call it ‘fur’nature.)
3. I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.
4. To you, it’s an animal. To me, he/she is an adopted son/daughter
who is short, hairy, walks on all fours and doesn’t speak clearly.

Remember: In many ways, dogs and cats are better than kids because
they:

1. Eat less
2. Don’t ask for money all the time
3. Are easier to train
4. Normally come when called
5. Never ask to drive the car
6. Don’t hang out with drug-using friends
7. Don’t smoke or drink
8. Don’t have to buy the latest fashions
9. Don’t want to wear your clothes
10. Don’t need a ‘gazillion’ dollars for college.

And finally,

11. If they get pregnant, you can sell their children.

Helpful info when job searching

In my search for jobs over the past many years, I have come to learn many things about what to look for and what not to bother with.  I will mention names in this post and I don’t really care because people need to be warned about scam places and places that don’t help you a lick in finding a job.

First up, I will mention a former place I worked for:  Liberty Mutual.  I think the only good thing about this insurance company were some of the people that worked there.  Then again, some of the people that worked there were jerks too.  Liberty is a great place to work if you don’t mind working in an unethical setting.  The fact that they are probably the only employer left on the face of the Earth that does not screen for drug use (probably because they are too cheap), leaves the door open to many illegal drug users.  In fact, two druggies were caught on the premises with cocaine; instead of canning their asses as it says to do in the handbook, these two were slapped on the wrists and sent to rehab for 28 days.  Then they came back and continued their same old shit.  Finally, they got canned and just in time for one of their boyfriends to be hauled off to jail for drug possession.  This isn’t to mention the crazy lunatic I used to work directly with who was so stoned every day she didn’t even remember my name or the one co-worker who came stumbling out of the ladies’ room reaking of booze.  I should’ve known better to take a job with a place that doesn’t offer drug testing.  That’s part of the reason why I left.  Who wants to get caught in a drug raid?

Looking for an at-home job?  One place to stay away from is HEA Employment.

I joined this site in October 2007 and like everyone else, I have applied, applied, applied. I have over 17 years of transcription experience, word processing experience, can type 70 wpm, have worked as an administrative assistant (and have AA certification as well) yet I have not received a reply to anything I have applied for. Oh, I take that back. I did get an e-mail from some woman in real estate, who indicated she had rec’d my application via HEA. She asked I call an 800 number regarding her job offer. So I did and got a big long recording which ended in her requesting if I was interested, I would need to submit $50.00 to her for database information. Sorry, but I’ve already paid money to use this site, I’m not going to pay her on top of it–for what I don’t know.

I’ve found a few things fishy about this site since I’ve started. First of all, it seems that not all the jobs are at-home jobs. When the listing says “you will need to work in our office”, to me that does not indicate an at-home position. When I questioned HEA about it, I was told that all the jobs should be at-home and if I ran across any that indicated they weren’t to let them know. Well, there were quite a few. Also, as another poster mentioned, there were a few jobs I e-mailed directly and they had no knowledge of having a job listing on HEA. I found this interesting.

Secondly, when searching for admin/clerical jobs lately I’ve noticed nothing new has been added, as Tigerfish is still listed as first and I applied to them way back in November. Why is it once you apply for a job you cannot apply again? Some companies only keep your info on file for so long. That doesn’t make any sense either.

Thirdly, this company may have a satisfactory record listed with the BBB, however, within the past 36 months there has been a complaint and even if it is only ONE complaint, it is still a complaint. And I can see why.

Another question I have is that if you are to apply for a position via HEA, using the link “apply for this job” but the job also lists a link for their web site and actual application page, why should I apply via HEA when I can apply right on that company’s site? How do I even know once I click on “apply for this job” through HEA that HEA is forwarding my resume on to the company? I never receive a reply that the company received my resume. All I get is a confirmation from HEA saying they forwarded my resume. How do I have proof that they did? Especially when I don’t hear a word from anyone.

As for those who have posted regarding their “job success”, it would be helpful if you indicated what you did differently than those of us who have not achieved such success. One gentleman indicated that he “followed all the directions”. Well, I’d like to know what directions you received that were different than what the rest of us received. You can only follow directions you are given. If you aren’t given any, then there’s nothing to follow, is there?

I think HEA just proves another point in the old adage “you should not pay for a job”. After all, we all did pay money to HEA in order to find employment. Since it seems that the majority of the people on here have not found anything, even after years of searching, then I’d say it’s safe to say that HEA fits into the category of “job scam”. Remember that in poor customer service, one dissatisfied customer tells at least 8-10 people of their negative experience. And then they tell 8-10 people also.

Next up, let’s talk about those temporary job agencies.  I am registered with six of them and not ONE of them has found me a job.  When I first go to meet with a recruiter they get me all excited thinking I’m going to be able to get at least a temp job for a while, until something permanent comes along.  Right.

OfficeTeam is one that comes to mind.  A day after I first went there, I got a call from the Rep at OT.

“We have a client who really, really needs someone right away.  Can you go in for an interview today?”.  It was Friday.

Well, no I couldn’t.  It was 11 o’clock in the morning and I had my day planned already.  If they were that desperate and they really wanted me, they could talk to me on Monday.

“Fine.  You can meet with them Monday at 10.”

Great.  Except apparently she never told this company I was coming because they sure were suprised to see me!

“OT never told us you were coming,” the man I spoke with told me.

“Oh, that’s interesting.”

This guy didn’t seem to be in any big rush to fill this position, which was paying a lousy $11.50/hr through OT.  In fact, at the end of the conversation he indicated that he had a few other candidates to speak with.  Huh?  A few other candidates?  What happened to “someone they need right now”?

When I called OT to follow up, my representative just brushed it off, as if she knew it was going to happen.  I haven’t heard anything since.  Also, any calls I have made to OT for job searches have gone unanswered.

Placement Employment is a place I found via the unemployment office.  After going there, speaking with a representative, being given a plethora of tests, passing the tests, being told that there was a possible job coming up at the start of February, I have yet to hear from them.  In fact, two weeks ago I called to get “Well, he’s been out of the office sick.  You can leave a voice mail.”

I haven’t got a call back yet.  Maybe he’s dead.

Complete Staffing is the latest bunch of temp agency morons I have dealt with.  Last week I had an appointment with a recruiter who talked up this temp-to-hire job to me.  I even told him I would be willing to drive out for an interview with the place that Friday in a snow storm. 

“I’ll call you about it either by the end of today (Thurs) or first thing tomorrow morning,” the recruiter said.

Well, I didn’t wait for him because I knew he wouldn’t call.  I waited until 10:00 a.m. Friday and when I didn’t hear from him, I called there.

“Oh, he’s on the road right now,” the person who answered the phone told me.

I left a message.  As of today (Tuesday) he has yet to call me back.  And I called again today and left another message.

As for the other three, Suburban Staffing was allegedly having an “open house” last Thursday.  I dropped off my resume and met with a recruiter for about five minutes.  For a temp agency having an “open house”, they didn’t seem too busy.  And in speaking with them today, they don’t have any jobs available right now either.  Open house?  How do these places stay in business?

Snelling is just a place I went to on a whim.  I’m not expecting the world from them.

And Thursday I have another appt. with KNFT so I’ll see what they have up their temporary sleeves.

As for unemployment, other than dishing out benefits, they aren’t too helpful in many other departments, unless you have virtually no skills and need to start from square one.  They have their listing of jobs, which is really just a link which sends you to a temp agency such as Placement Employment.

I had to laugh the day I went and saw on their calendar they were hosting a recruiting event with Carroll Enterprises.  I told the recruiter at unemployment that I just had an interview with them and the Human Resources individual was about as friendly as a wet mop.  She wouldn’t even shake my hand.

When searching for a job on the internet, one thing I have found helpful is to forget about going to Monster.com.  Go to indeed.com instead.  It lists all the jobs, newest to oldest, from all the web sites:  Monster, Careerbuilder, etc.  So you don’t have to keep going from site to site searching.

Watch out for those work at home jobs that ask you for money.  Remember, jobs are to pay YOU; it’s not the other way around.

One web site I have found helpful in searching for at-home work is homejobstop.com  At least it’s free to join.

Does anyone at MassHealth Dental know what they’re doing?

My sister is autistic.  She has had MassHealth since I can recall.

Just recently she had a dentist appointment at Tufts Dental.  They forwarded the bill to MassHealth Dental.  MassHealth then sent Tufts a letter stating they would not pay for the dental procedure because they were showing that my sister had other insurance through Delta Dental.  The policy number they gave was my Social Security number.

Huh?  I had Delta Dental and was the subscriber for it until October 2007 BUT my sister has never, ever been on my dental insurance plan.

So, although I am legal guardian for my sister, MassHealth does not have this document.  I had to complete one of their authorization forms, fax that over with my guardianship paper.  This was yesterday.  As of today all I’ve been told is that they need to contact Delta Dental to get a letter stating she does not have their insurance.  Once they get that everything SHOULD be cleared up.  Or will it?

Big win for Obama

Obama took WI tonight but the real biggies are up in two weeks–Texas and Ohio. 

I’m more a Hillary fan but I wouldn’t be completely disappointed if Obama took office.  I think it’s pretty obvious that one way or another some Democrat is going to take over this mess Bush has us in.

As for Obama using Patrick’s words, politicians have been doing that for years.  Doesn’t anyone know that JFK used the very words FDR said and FDR used the very words Lincoln said…this goes all the way back to Washington!  Who cares who said what when, just don’t be an idiotic asshole like the Prez we have now and we should be just fine.

So the season is over

and it didn’t end quite as well as I had hoped.  However, there is still something to say about winning 18 straight games, which includes 16 regular season games.  That is not something many football teams can say they have accomplished.

They gave it their all, their all just wasn’t what they wanted.  There will be other seasons–quite possibly this coming one.

To the Patriots–hold your heads high, for you still did something no other NFL team did this year–you won all your regular season games.  There is success in that.  Here’s to the 2008 season–may it be as successful as this one was!

a few new rules for 2008 courtesy of George Carlin

Ladies, leave your eyebrows alone.  Here’s how much men care about your eyebrows: do you have two of them? Okay, we’re done.

Competitive eating isn’t a sport .   It’s one of the seven deadly sins.  ESPN recently televised the U.S. Open of Competitive Eating, because watching those athletes at the poker table was just too damned exciting.  What’s next, competitive farting???  Oh wait!?  They’re already doing that.  It’s called “The Howard Stern Show.”