Upswing

The change in the employment market is definite right now, at least locally. The number of listings overall is up, and today I got a call from a recruiter, who'd viewed my resume online. I haven't been getting response from my Monster nor LinkedIn profiles (the three or so people who have emailed me with "opportunities" to sell insurance or financial services - gah - do not count, frankly), so this is an interesting indicator.

I have scarcely considered contract work, to be honest. I see the names Ajilon, Spherion, or the words "Company Confidential" and I scroll on. I spent too much of my youth temping, and it feels at best like being a rent girl, which isn't a pleasure of any sort for me. I've had contacts, over the years, with people who were very excited to "put me on the books" and never speak with me again; I tend to be polite to this sort of recruiter, but entirely disinterested. Even the friend of a friend of mine I only spoke with in order to mollify my friend; and when I did (both times) I have to say I was dumbstruck by her ignorance of the field she claims to have such knowledge of, spanning so-and-so many years. The second one this friend referred me to also never contacted me once.


So, my response to contract procurers (ahem - and, yes, "hah") tends to be polite, but my expectations: nil.

Still, this woman was professional, which is unusual in itself; and she copped instantly to the fact that the position she was thinking of for me was one I was probably overqualified for. Which I was, unquestionably. She asked me to refer anyone I might know (I shared her contact info with that friend of mine who seems to collect recruiters), and assured me we would talk again.

I expect that will not happen.

But if it does, at least she apparently won't be dumb enough to be trying to interest me in entry-level stuff.



And there's that phrase again: So it goes.