automated answering services

Let me just start out by saying, I loathe automated answering services. I feel like we are put through so many of them these days that we (and by that I mean I) zone out the second they start talking, feeling the same sort of feeling when you are commuting home, like you already know the route and don't have to actually focus. It usually takes me a couple times of realizing "Crap! Just because all of these sound the same, doesn't mean the options are the same." Which, I mean, duh, of course the options aren't the same if you are calling health insurance people vs. cell phone providers vs. doctors' offices, etc. I feel like I've had to deal with an unusual amount of these in the past couple of months. I feel like ultimately phone processes would go much quicker if they just let you talk to a real person. I think this principle also applies to my current job hunt situation a little bit.

Let me explain. I have been applying to jobs off and on in the past couple of months, with little feedback from said hospitals. As a general rule, they do not contact you if you are rejected for a job, they only contact you if you are interested. They also rarely list a phone number online for any kind of HR person you can contact, and they NEVER list nurse managers or how to contact them. So, nurses looking for jobs are forced to just bombard the system, with no feedback on how to be effective. This is the second round of me essentially applying for jobs I am not eligible for. Now. If I had been able to track down the information I needed, not only would I have applied for the RIGHT jobs, but I would not have wasted hours and hours filling out other applications. So, that means that I had to do more work than I otherwise would have, and so did the HR people, because they still had to actually review and then discard my application. If they made themselves more available, I think that yes, initially they might feel a surge of extra phone calls and explaining things to applicants, but in the long run, it seems it would help because then instead of nurses applying to every job under the sun in hopes that they'll be lucky on one of them, they'll find out whether or not it is even worth it to apply, or whether or not they are eligible for said job. Grumble.

Anyway, that being said, huge shout out to Liz Williams for potentially getting me a nannying gig! I talked to the lady today, and she has a 2.5 year old and an 8 month old. She seems nice, and I'm going to meet her on Friday. I still aim to get back to nursing, but I'm determined to get something on a unit I want, which may take longer than I'd like, so at least this way I might not have to use anymore of my savings for a little while.

Notice I have yet to include anything about exercise. Sigh. That brings me to my next point. Cory and I have been on the hunt for an apartment, and we have hit as many snags there as I have trying to get a job. We were denied from the first place thanks to an issue from 2006 when Cory was blamed for stuff people who lived there after he moved out did, even though he signed a key release. So. At the next place, we let them know we were working on resolving the issue (which had been handed over to a collections agency). This required calling the apartment complex where the issue had happened, but they don't keep records past 5 years. So then we had to call the complex we'd been denied from, then call the people they get to do their background checks to get the name of the collection agency, then call them, and haggling with the woman on his case and offering something lower than what he owed, getting her manager to go for it, and then paying for it. The report could not be faxed until 4 days later, but in the meantime, the apartment complex we were/are currently trying to get into required me to bring in my social security card for verification purposes, after which point the "system" was still saying that my SS# had never been issued. Obviously there was some mistake because I've had no trouble with anything else: banking, health insurance, nursing licensure, etc. So my new best friend, Tracy (and by that I mean the complex manager who I have had a million and one emails back and forth with at this point), said she had to pass it on to her boss or something. Then yesterday I call our collections person (Lisa) to fax over the proof of payment report, and she says she'll do it in 10 minutes (this is like 9 am). At 3, after more emails, I get one from Tracy saying she has yet to see the fax. So one more call to Lisa, who says she's waiting on her manager's signature. One more email to Tracy to let her know that it hasn't been lost, just delayed. Today we call the complex and have to talk to Todd, who is not as competent or friendly as Tracy. He says the regional manager is reviewing the application. Cory called off and on all day, and apparently Tracy was stuck on a conference call for a while. Finally, I get an email saying, they just need verification of the proof of payment. I thought proof was proof but whatever. So when I last heard from Tracy she had a phone call out to the old complex where Cory had the issue, but that as long as they got that, we should be accepted. I did let her know the old complex didn't even seem to have record of his living there and talking to Lisa might be more helpful. This was around 5 pm, so I just pray I get some contact tomorrow. I would obviously prefer a "YES," but if another stick gets thrown in my path I'll deal.

So, you see Ladies and Gentleman, these are the gorillas I referred to in my most recent status quote:
‎"It's a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don't quit when you are tired, you quit when the gorilla is tired." -Robert Strauss

But the exercise thing. I just feel like once I'm not driving all over the northeast suburbs, and living half out of a duffle bag getting a routine will at least be theoretically feasible. 

Thank you all for your patience with my long rant.