Tag: G Anne Bassett

How It Happens: The Downward Spiral Part 2

~ gannebassett ~ 1 Comment

Your realtor tells you to talk to a lawyer who specializes in foreclosures, who can advise you properly. She has the name of someone who’s helped quite a few of her clients.

How will you ever pay for a lawyer?

You call and leave a message, then wait the nail-biting two days for a response.

The mortgage company is still jerking you around about the loan modification papers, asking for clarifications, letters and signatures to back the information that has already been certified.

And they continue to return your payments.

You talk to your roommate, guilty and sad that it is going to affect him, too. It doesn’t matter that he knew the situation going in, that you kept him abreast of the job search and the uncertainties you were facing. You still feel like you’re letting him down.

You start cleaning house. There are things you don’t want to risk losing. Mostly your mother’s things. You stopped being sentimental about your own things when you were forced to start selling them to make ends meet.

But her life mattered. Her memory matters.

Remembering how she loved you, believed in you brings more shame.

What a disappointment you are.

And yet even now you hear her voice. She would never be ashamed of you. Not even now. You know beyond any doubt, her love for you never wavered. She would cherish each shattered piece of you. It somehow brings comfort.

People tell you to be strong, go to church, stand on the Word. Some pray, some cross their fingers, some send good wishes. Mostly people feel afraid because they don’t know what to say, so they disappear. You’ve been there before; it’s not an unusual response. The friends who say “I don’t know what to say” then talk you to distraction are a relief. For a few moments, you can feel normal. For a few minutes you have a place.

The lawyer says to take a deep breath, it’s going to get worse before she can step in and hopefully make it better. There are no guarantees.

You’re barely treading water. That means you’re going under. The “deep breath” is good advice.

She has a plan, though. You have no choice but to trust her.

Trust is hard. Faith is harder. You remember when they use to be so much a part of your being it felt like they were part of your name. That was years ago. Before the disappointments. The miscarriage. The loss. That was before death had taken its toll and life had pummeled.

“If you need to talk…”

You don’t want to talk about it. You don’t want to think about it anymore. But it’s taken over your mind.

The light is getting dimmer every day. You’re not sleeping well and it’s hard to get out of bed. But you force yourself. You have to move. You have to keep trying, keep pushing. That’s what’s expected; that’s what you do. You may fail at life, but it won’t be because you slept through it.

More phone calls. More applications. More resumes. The only thing darker than the black hole of the job search is the black hell inside. That’s where demons reside. They have talons of humiliation and fangs of shame. They peck and bite and sneer. They mock you for believing you have something to offer, for thinking you still have value.

“Being hopeless won’t get you a job.”

“You need to think positive.”

“Every day is a new opportunity and you’ve got be be excited to embrace it.”

You feel the bitter shroud closing over you. The cliches are slaps when you need a soothing touch.

A friend from France calls. She sounds happy just to talk to you. You cling to the knowledge that it’s real. She’s too blunt to patronize. Besides, she happily gives you hours of her time. She doesn’t have to.

Another makes contact to tell you people only speak the best of you. She insists you are more than the circumstance.

You wish the voices across the ocean could mute the voices in your head. The ones that say “People are talking about you.” You can sense it, feel it in every interaction, see it in their pity-filled eyes, hear it in the judgmental counsel.

You find yourself raging on the inside, desperate to be free, to have the chains of bondage broken.

You think about the homeless you’ve seen under the bridges and along the sidewalks; their animated talks make sense now. A frightened soul can’t stay silent; a broken heart needs a voice to survive.

Your voice carries a pen. So you write.

This is how it happens.

Quickly, but in slow motion. Each step to the gallows accompanied by whispers.

I understand.

Today I gave John my granola bar. He’s a veteran, and homeless. For a little while, the voice he heard was mine. I hope he heard: “You matter.”

Click here for Part One: http://wp.me/p3HHLR-9g

Before…

~ gannebassett ~ 1 Comment

“Before you assume, learn the facts. Before you criticize, understand why. Before you hurt someone, feel…”(paraphrase, Kalifa)

When I read this quote it really resonated with me.  Too often people make assumptions without knowing the facts.  From these assumptions, they build stories that become the foundation of their perceived truths.  They criticize and build walls of defense against an illusion, sometimes entering a battle to protect and right a wrong, starting a fruitless war that in the end causes pain for everyone involved.

Recently, I’ve seen someone slowly alienated and closed out from his group of friends.  An assumption was made, without any background information or questioning, and what began as lighthearted teasing, grew into bitterness and resentment.  He’s been falsley labeled, and the trust between friends has disintegrated.  He knows they are missing important information, facts that totally reframe the situation, and yet he cannot and will not share them because that would require sharing information that is not his to share.  His only way back into the fold is to betray a friend, to tell a confidence. So he has remained silent and alone; an unseen hero.

I’ve also been the brunt of such judgement and faulty perception.  The attacks are as shocking as unmerited.  I wonder what would change if they took the time to know the truth?  Would they still expect the same things if they understood it was unethical?  Do they place more emphasis on emotion than morality, on friendship above honor?  Does a lack of information justify lack of character?

Knowing people react from a place of ignorance does not ease the sting of judgment and hypocrisy. It’s difficult to recover from the pain; the damage is multi-layered and scarring.

I learned at an early age not to react in a moment of pain or passion.  Knee jerk reactions are rarely productive; words spoken without thought and examination more often than not bear rotten fruit.  That’s frustrating for some people; they want to argue it out, to prove they’re right.  I’d rather step away from the emotions and rest in the peace of truth.  After all, you can find peace with a painful truth, but can only shadow-box a delusion.

For now, I’m going to leave the stones on the ground and strive to love.

 

Leonardo di Vinci’s Resume

~ gannebassett ~ Leave a comment

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There has been some talk in HR and resume forums surrounding what we can learn from Leonardo di Vinci’s letter of promotion and interest (resume of the time). It has been suggested such an approach would set an applicant apart from all other job seekers and result in a successful hiring. I wonder if it would be received or rejected. Would it be considered a creative, standout approach? Or rejected for the length? Wordiness? Arrogance? Is it really a model? Or is it just another retrospective glimpse of the era?

Perhaps I should test the approach out on my next cover letter:

Most honored hiring manager,

Having sufficiently examined this synopsis of anticipated tasks and duties, and the expectations for an applicant, bearing in mind expectations and need are not equal, and personality with possibility exceeds skill without character, and dutifully weighed the totality of my offering against the considerations of potential contenders for the same position, I submit to you without prejudice, but in truth, the outline of my accomplishments and the transferable skills therein defined that would be most beneficial to the goals of your organization, the mission of your project and the functionality of your team., notwithstanding the pleasure to be derived from partnering with personality.

I have depreciation schedules with profit and loss spreadsheets that lift the burden of tracking and solicitation to encapsulate and reflect through pivot tables and illustration financial stewardship of million dollars budgets within a 5% margin…

What do you think? I bet I get an interview. Or at least a RT on Twitter.

Below is a translation of Di Vinci’s letter, certainly fascinating, and perhaps a bit insightful. He did know how to sell his skills for a specific need.

“Most Illustrious Lord, Having now sufficiently considered the specimens of all those who proclaim themselves skilled contrivers of instruments of war, and that the invention and operation of the said instruments are nothing different from those in common use: I shall endeavor, without prejudice to any one else, to explain myself to your Excellency, showing your Lordship my secret, and then offering them to your best pleasure and approbation to work with effect at opportune moments on all those things which, in part, shall be briefly noted below.
I have a sort of extremely light and strong bridges, adapted to be most easily carried, and with them you may pursue, and at any time flee from the enemy; and others, secure and indestructible by fire and battle, easy and convenient to lift and place. Also methods of burning and destroying those of the enemy.
I know how, when a place is besieged, to take the water out of the trenches, and make endless variety of bridges, and covered ways and ladders, and other machines pertaining to such expeditions.
If, by reason of the height of the banks, or the strength of the place and its position, it is impossible, when besieging a place, to avail oneself of the plan of bombardment, I have methods for destroying every rock or other fortress, even if it were founded on a rock, etc.
Again, I have kinds of mortars; most convenient and easy to carry; and with these I can fling small stones almost resembling a storm; and with the smoke of these cause great terror to the enemy, to his great detriment and confusion.
And if the fight should be at sea I have kinds of many machines most efficient for offense and defense; and vessels which will resist the attack of the largest guns and powder and fumes.
I have means by secret and tortuous mines and ways, made without noise, to reach a designated spot, even if it were needed to pass under a trench or a river.
I will make covered chariots, safe and unattackable, which, entering among the enemy with their artillery, there is no body of men so great but they would break them. And behind these, infantry could follow quite unhurt and without any hindrance.
In case of need I will make big guns, mortars, and light ordnance of fine and useful forms, out of the common type.
Where the operation of bombardment might fail, I would contrive catapults, mangonels, trabocchi, and other machines of marvellous efficacy and not in common use. And in short, according to the variety of cases, I can contrive various and endless means of offense and defense.
In times of peace I believe I can give perfect satisfaction and to the equal of any other in architecture and the composition of buildings public and private; and in guiding water from one place to another.
I can carry out sculpture in marble, bronze, or clay, and also I can do in painting whatever may be done, as well as any other, be he who he may.
Again, the bronze horse may be taken in hand, which is to be to the immortal glory and eternal honor of the prince your father of happy memory, and of the illustrious house of Sforza.
And if any of the above-named things seem to anyone to be impossible or not feasible, I am most ready to make the experiment in your park, or in whatever place may please your Excellency – to whom I comment myself with the utmost humility, etc.”

Fat Words Do Not Equal Wisdom

~ gannebassett ~ 1 Comment

“She can’t be that bad off,” he says. “Look how heavy she is.”

It’s just another head-to-desk moment in the face of ignorance. Such words do not reflect reason or rationality, much less wisdom.

Let me start with a disclaimer: I am not on food stamps, nor do I receive any subsidies, TANF support or temporary crisis relief from the government or any affiliates. I have, however written grants for a food bank organization that provided me as a “thank you” two months of the standard monthly food supply box they issue program participants. I have also volunteered with several organizations, packing said boxes and preparing fresh food (I use the term loosely – no, in fact I use it in error) for the needy. Since my current job involves cooking for the less fortunate, and part of my pay includes the food prepared, I have a unique perspective

As I hear such comments it only reveals to me the level of ignorance pervasive in our society.

Let me tell you the contents of my last food box:

• 1 – 2.5 lb. Bag Chicken Nuggets (Fully cooked processed meat for your convenience)
• 1 – 5 lb. Bag Potato Wedges (So you always have a starch)
• 1 – 8” Frozen Pizza
• 1 – Bag Totinos Pizza Rolls (For your quick lunch needs)
• 1 – Box Spaghetti (In a brand unknown to man)
• 1 – Can Spaghetti Sauce (A Mexican brand for authenticity)
• 2 – Can Cream Style Corn (Additional cream in your starchy vegetable is a must)
• 2 – Can Green Beans (with 413 mg Sodium, for added supplementation)
• 1 – Bag of Onions (1 rotten in the bag)
• 1 – Jar Peanut Butter (Likely made from the shells and not the peanuts)
• 3 – Boxes of Cream Cheese (Frozen, and therefore adequately separated)
• 1 – Bag Powdered Donuts (For a healthy breakfast alternative)
• 6 – Croissants (only hardened on the corners)
• 6 – Bagels (Rock hard and ready for weapons)
• 1 – 12-Pack Hot Dogs (A value brand with more chemicals than rejected meat parts)
• 1 – Frozen Apple Pie (With more apple filling than apple)
• 1 – Box Fig Square bars (An experiment on the Fig Newton)
• 4 – Bars of Soap (unboxed and loose in the bag)
• 1 – Can Pork and Beans (Van Kamp is to be commended at this point)
• 1 – Bag White Rice (Good Choice)
• 1 – Bag Dried Pinto Beans (Another good choice)

Now, in reviewing this list there are two very accurate statements to be made: 1. This amount of food will really help a hungry family and is a blessing, and 2. The contents of this box contributes to weight gain, diabetes, high cholesterol and an overall lethargic state of health.

Now, if you fall far enough below the poverty line, you can also get an EBT card as part of the SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). This will allow you to purchase breads, cereals, fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, poultry and dairy products at the grocery store. That certainly helps balance the scales (no pun intended) a bit; except in reality the amount on the EBT card when applied to current grocery store pricing results in really only a week’s worth of “healthy” food supplementation. And, if you are even 5 dollars above that set poverty line, you do not qualify for the card, and therefore will be dependent on the content of the box alone.

I’m not knocking the Food Banks and Charity organizations that are so graciously providing food for the community. Not at all. They are a Godsend and are doing amazing work. These food boxes mean Americans who have fallen into adversity are not going hungry. This cannot be disputed. I’m only speaking against the judgmental attitudes of those who make ignorant attacks against the unfortunate, making statements that are counterproductive to the system and to any steps toward improvement.

It’s no secret the United States is known for their unhealthy food choices and lifestyle. Even the richest in our country fall victim to the processed and fast food epidemic. But a family in poverty, dependent on the provisions of charity and subsidy programs, without the choices available to most, the quest for health is close to futile.

I have travelled a lot throughout the years, and every time I am out of the country for more than a week, I can count on losing 8-10 pounds at a minimum solely based on the surrounding food philosophies. This isn’t just me talking, either. It’s a reported fact that the American way of processed, chemically manufactured and hormone-supported food is counterproductive to health and weight management. With obesity directly tied to these issues, is it any surprise the group without choice would fall privy to this issue?

I can tell you, I’ve never seen a food drive that produced organic donations. The possibility for fresh produce is non-existent simply based on the procedures within the system, and frozen vegetables are a rare donation since the average American family depends on them to meet their food pyramid demands. Additionally, real meat products are more seasonal than standard. On special occasions, such as Easter, Thanksgiving and Easter, a special meat will be provided in a food box, such as a small ham, a whole chicken or a roast. These generous gifts are from grocers who have overstocked for the special occasion and certainly not reflective of a scheduled supply.

The weight of a person is no indication of need. Can’t you see the problem?

Before you pass judgments on the true need of the less fortunate, why not think about the facts and do the math as you eat your second organic muffin and drink your grande macchiato?

A Week in the Life of the Lazy Long-term Unemployed

~ gannebassett ~ 1 Comment

My friend Max Weiss said I should blog about the long-term unemployed experience.

Who’d want to read about that dreadful, depressing journey? And why would anyone dealing with the day-to-day struggle want to spend even more time in the drudgery talking about it?

“It’s relevant, timely, and insightful; it challenges the narrow-minded thinking of the right wing. And it could be cathartic.”

She’s a magazine editor. Surely she knows.

A Week in the Life

Have you heard? The long-term unemployed are lazy, lacking drive and motivation, and entitlement programs discourage recipients from finding work.

This week, I applied for the following positions:

(4) Facilities Manager
(2) Project Manager
(1) Administrative Facilities Support
(1) Non-profit
(1) Teaching (TESOL)

For those of you who haven’t had the pleasure of completing online applications, correcting erroneously populated data fields, taking mandatory tests, personalizing the cover letters, and completing questionnaires specific to the company and job, the process is much longer than simply forwarding your resume.

Additionally, I signed up with an International Recruiting Company for opportunities in the US and abroad, resubmitted my Peace Corp application, signed up for the Foreign Services testing in June and worked on ramping up my LinkedIn Profile.

I spent two hours in a mandatory debt counseling class before I could talk with a lawyer about the bullying I have received from my mortgage company. After determining I had cut back expenses in my life more than most people, and had actually come up with quite creative ways to reduce costs, they forwarded me to another organization. I spent another two hours going through their process. I then spent an hour compiling the paperwork they requested.

In an effort to make a little extra money, I trained two people in a software program, created a database, pitched an article idea to a newspaper and a magazine, and sold a sketch. This was in between the time I caulked and painted around the top of the chimney, mowed the lawn, provided a statement to an insurance company regarding an accident I witnessed, assisted a stranded motorist in getting her car to the garage, completed two modules in a French course, participated in a conference call on networking in the FM industry, and had my car repaired when the gasket leaked.

Of course, this is all above and beyond the time spent doing laundry, cooking, cleaning, attending small group, and the other day-to-day responsibilities so often taken for granted.

I’ve been considered long-term unemployed for two years now, and yes, clearly I’m lazy (spoken with abundant sarcasm).

Here’s the thing. I’m busy trying to rebuild my life in a system that is blocking my every move. I’m engaged in a war that most people only peripherally know is being waged much less understand what it’s like on the front lines. Perhaps if people would put away their judgments and preconceived notions and actually do the work involved to understand what’s happening, they wouldn’t make such unmerited, foolish statements. But stepping outside your comfort zone takes work; it demands time, patience and attention. It’s a challenge, and more often than not the results of enlightenment are a whole lot of disappointment and hurt. It’s much easier to sit in the lap of luxury and call the less fortunate lazy.

Cheers! May you never face adversity.

What’s in a title?

~ gannebassett ~ Leave a comment

There comes a time when you have to start looking for jobs in areas that may not be your so-called area of expertise. I actually reached that point long, long ago, but today I had an interview that placed a spotlight on yet another level of insanity in the job search.

The interview was for a Customer Service Representative.

The job description explains the position would be in a call center environment, responding to new requests, complaints and service orders from established accounts. Systems furniture experience a plus.

I come from a Facilities Management background. For those of you who don’t know what that means, I have explained this further in a previous blog: http://wp.me/p3HHLR-7M. Relevant to this current job opportunity, I have been the person employees call when something environmental is preventing them from being functional and productive in their positions.

For the general “worker bee,” a colloquialism often used to describe the staff you find in support areas (such as the mail room, copy center or reception desk) and in the sea of standard cubicles, the requests would involve a wide range of issues. Fedex didn’t pick-up the packages, there’s no diet coke in the vending machine, there’s a foul odor coming from the drain in the restroom, the flourescent light is flickering, a power outlet doesn’t work, the cube isn’t set-up for a left-handed person, the copy machine is jammed, the keyboard tray is causing carpel tunnel syndrome, someone cooked fish in the microwave and the smell is causing mass nausea, the courier stole my honey bun…

Middle manager calls are geared a little differently. Their calls sound more like this:

* My team needs to be seated in the same cubicle cluster so they can effectively brainstorm
* We don’t have a departmental printer
* Our system needs UPS backup
* The A/V system in the conference room doesn’t work
* There aren’t enough filing cabinets
* It’s always cold
* It’s always hot
* Why don’t we have a bigger breakroom?

Then there are the executive calls. Mission critical resources need to have generator back-up, what are the disaster recovery plans, our competitor has Kate Spade chins, raised flooring is required, the caterer needs a serving area, the flower arrangement in the lobby is hideous, I’d rather have a cheery wood desk, someone is stinking up the executive restroom…

Yes, clearly the Facilities Manager job involves a great deal of customer service. Since it also involves space planning and the build-out of cubicle spaces using systems furniture, I’d be a great fit for this position. Right?

“I don’t see your Customer Service positions on your resume.”

There’s a reason the “experts” tell you to go with a functional resume when applying for jobs involving transferable skills rather than title matching for the position. It’s so you can see the actual “customer service” that has been performed. You can see the skill at work.

I point out the Customer Service section outlining this specific experience and my career successes.

“But you haven’t actually been a Customer Service specialist.”

I discuss how Facilities Management is by definition a customer service specialist, regaling him with a few stories of customer service scenarios and the aligning procedures. We talk about difficult situations and positive outcomes. We discuss systems furniture, the job specific requests and how I would approach the customer. He is clearly impressed.

Or is he?

“We’re looking for someone who’s been an actual Customer Service Specialist.”

Ummm…Forty minutes into this interview and it’s become clear experience isn’t as important as title.

Note to self: Next time don’t waste time on that “functional resume.” Just be creative with the job titles; it involves less editing since the experience remains the same. And if they call to check references, don’t worry about the lie. You can always say they did a re-org and the position titles changed. After all, what’s in a title? A title by any name is still the same.

And to the college kid who had Customer Service Specialist experience from his fast food service days and therefore got the job, but now has no idea how to handle the customer who just went ballistic because her ped drawer locked on its own and she can’t get to her cell phone: Congratulations.