Master Dating Thread

[FP TC etc.]

fwiw, trim is not doing a "point and laugh" routine here (at least not yet).  unless the situation has changed, even you're confused by this whole thing WS.  lots to put together to figure out WTF is going on with this very real life situation

I think OK Cat is though.

[Fedor]

that's valid.

maybe you should try sales at the radio station?     those guys sometimes get to be on air too 

Good call seven.  810 WHB is always hiring, how great would that be!  The BITB thread would no doubt need to be sanitized.  MODS!!

[Trim]

that's valid.

maybe you should try sales at the radio station?     those guys sometimes get to be on air too 

That would be good, although it's hard to imagine a long career in sales in a dying radio industry.  Could be a stopgap though, and a hell of a way to turn a termination into a strength in an interview - "Despite being in a new arena, I still had ____ in sales in my first 5 months.  They didn't think I was a good fit for their product, but I'd thrive in sales in an industry I'm passionate about..."

[Fedor]

fwiw, trim is not doing a "point and laugh" routine here (at least not yet).  unless the situation has changed, even you're confused by this whole thing WS.  lots to put together to figure out WTF is going on with this very real life situation

I think OK Cat is though.

Yep, Wacky's job died and...same ol' OK Cat.

[CNS]

This makes it even more confusing.

not there yet?? is this DCC Making the Squad?

are you supposed to get some software knowledge training and passion coaching and try again next year?

they knew your software background when they hired you and its not any of his rough ridin' business what you are passionate about.

Yeah, at 4 months in, the lack of grasp on their product has quite a bit to do with them unless there has been a significant amt of training in that same timeline. 

Wacky, are you promising the product will do something it won't?

[Trim]

This makes it even more confusing.

not there yet?? is this DCC Making the Squad?

are you supposed to get some software knowledge training and passion coaching and try again next year?

they knew your software background when they hired you and its not any of his rough ridin' business what you are passionate about.

Not confusing at all.  They expected him to put in the effort to gain the knowledge, but saw he wasn't into it.

[OK_Cat]

fwiw, trim is not doing a "point and laugh" routine here (at least not yet).  unless the situation has changed, even you're confused by this whole thing WS.  lots to put together to figure out WTF is going on with this very real life situation

I think OK Cat is though.

a little

[star seed 7]

This makes it even more confusing.

not there yet?? is this DCC Making the Squad?

are you supposed to get some software knowledge training and passion coaching and try again next year?

they knew your software background when they hired you and its not any of his rough ridin' business what you are passionate about.

the passion stuff is weird, but (not bagging on you fanning) not knowing the product you're selling (to the expectations of management) is valid.  i agree with CNS that this is the sort of thing that should be brought up in an evaluation and told it's something you need to improve though, not 4 months in and see ya later bro.

[EllRobersonisInnocent]

@PaulNyakatura works for a pretty boss radio station in KC. Maybe he can hook up our guy, Fanning.

[AppleJack]

get out of sales all together. never look back.

[FP TC etc.]

fwiw, trim is not doing a "point and laugh" routine here (at least not yet).  unless the situation has changed, even you're confused by this whole thing WS.  lots to put together to figure out WTF is going on with this very real life situation

I think OK Cat is though.

a little

That's our OK Cat 

[Tobias]

if i was fanning and felt that the reasoning given was valid/accurate/large factor, then that's maybe not the worst reason to get fired.  like trim said, that actually gives you a decent "out" to work in to future interviews if you want to stay in the sales arena but in something that you're more outwardly passionate about.  or if you can't fake up that passion/excitement to clients/bosses, maybe sales overall just isn't it?

[star seed 7]

if fanning were in the hit AMC drama "Mad Men", he would for sure be an accounts man. 

[CNS]

Guys, here the thing about sales.  Most ppl I know in sales are not passionate about their product, they are passionate about the sale/process of selling.  Passion is kinda silly to me when it comes to work.  I would venture to say that most ppl aren't passionate about their job or the work their company does.  They like it enough, but passion goes too far. 

[Trim]

Guys, here the thing about sales.  Most ppl I know in sales are not passionate about their product, they are passionate about the sale/process of selling.  Passion is kinda silly to me when it comes to work.  I would venture to say that most ppl aren't passionate about their job or the work their company does.  They like it enough, but passion goes too far. 

I don't think the boss meant to be passionate about the product, although he might have said that and that's def how fanning should spin it.  He probably meant passionate about the job, as evidenced by fanning not putting in extra work to know the product.

[420seriouscat69]

All good advice. It did make me feel a little better. I only got a weeks training and didn't get my account list till two months in. He said he could have done a better job of training me and he felt bad for that.

One of the confusing parts about it is he always said: "Don't get too wrapped up in knowing the product, just focus on getting the meeting setup, and we can bring in our IT guys to sale it for you." Which I obviously was doing a lot. I think they just got tired of me asking questions. It's probably for the best. Wish me luck on these interviews ahead of me.

PS- Radio sales is dead. I worked at Entercom (the largest conglomerate of stations in KC) and there is no money there. Almost impossible to start new, cause all the senior accountants have all the big accounts in KC.

[slimz]

"Passion" is just a codeword for "is this company your primary focus in your life?"

This actually sounds a lot like what you see when associates leave some big law firms. You aren't given a set amount of PTO ("take whatever you need!" -- not sure if this was the case here), but you'll be judged by how much you take and what you take it for. That, plus your billable hours, and the time you spend at the office on nights and weekends, giving up your personal life to do whatever your partners need, will go into evaluating whether you're a "good fit" for the law firm's culture (i.e., your passion).

The fact is, there are employers who want to be your primary focus in life, and they want to see that from you without having to be prompted, or without having to give you a "passion checklist" to complete. Judging from WC's last discussion, this seems like one of those employers. It can really suck if you're not into playing along, but probably better to figure it out sooner rather than later.

[The1BigWillie]

Setting up 4 interviews this quick is pretty impressive.

[Trim]

"Passion" is just a codeword for "is this company your primary focus in your life?"

This actually sounds a lot like what you see when associates leave some big law firms. You aren't given a set amount of PTO ("take whatever you need!" -- not sure if this was the case here), but you'll be judged by how much you take and what you take it for. That, plus your billable hours, and the time you spend at the office on nights and weekends, giving up your personal life to do whatever your partners need, will go into evaluating whether you're a "good fit" for the law firm's culture (i.e., your passion).

The fact is, there are employers who want to be your primary focus in life, and they want to see that from you without having to be prompted, or without having to give you a "passion checklist" to complete. Judging from WC's last discussion, this seems like one of those employers. It can really suck if you're not into playing along, but probably better to figure it out sooner rather than later.

Yep.

[Trim]

Setting up 4 interviews this quick is pretty impressive.

Good thing fanning's getting all the saying Fake Sugar Dick (WARNING, NOT THE REAL SUGAR DICK!) stuff out of his system on this blog and can now have better talking points in those interviews!

[Tobias]

"Passion" is just a codeword for "is this company your primary focus in your life?"

This actually sounds a lot like what you see when associates leave some big law firms. You aren't given a set amount of PTO ("take whatever you need!" -- not sure if this was the case here), but you'll be judged by how much you take and what you take it for. That, plus your billable hours, and the time you spend at the office on nights and weekends, giving up your personal life to do whatever your partners need, will go into evaluating whether you're a "good fit" for the law firm's culture (i.e., your passion).

The fact is, there are employers who want to be your primary focus in life, and they want to see that from you without having to be prompted, or without having to give you a "passion checklist" to complete. Judging from WC's last discussion, this seems like one of those employers. It can really suck if you're not into playing along, but probably better to figure it out sooner rather than later.

[meow meow]

Look at trim mentoring young fanman right before our very eyes  #1cat

[Trim]

Look at trim mentoring young fanman right before our very eyes  #1cat

I learned how to mentor kids in BBBS.

[CNS]

"Passion" is just a codeword for "is this company your primary focus in your life?"

This actually sounds a lot like what you see when associates leave some big law firms. You aren't given a set amount of PTO ("take whatever you need!" -- not sure if this was the case here), but you'll be judged by how much you take and what you take it for. That, plus your billable hours, and the time you spend at the office on nights and weekends, giving up your personal life to do whatever your partners need, will go into evaluating whether you're a "good fit" for the law firm's culture (i.e., your passion).

The fact is, there are employers who want to be your primary focus in life, and they want to see that from you without having to be prompted, or without having to give you a "passion checklist" to complete. Judging from WC's last discussion, this seems like one of those employers. It can really suck if you're not into playing along, but probably better to figure it out sooner rather than later.

Yeah, have worked for a company just like this.  It's a crazy thing to do unless you are all about work because no accomplishment or promotion changes expectations.  No matter how much you rise, you still have to live for them.  If this is what is going on, Wacky is better off given his obvs love of life outside of work.

[slimz]

And, let me add, when this goes down with associates in law firms for "not a good fit/lack of passion" reasons, it often (though not always) goes down similarly to this. They aren't given a pink slip and immediately escorted to the door by security. Instead, they have "the conversation" where the managing partner/head of the section says it just doesn't seem to be a good fit for the individual or for the firm, so it is probably time for the associate to look for a better fit. Help is offered, a timeframe of a few weeks to a month or two is laid out, the associate is encouraged to start contacting possible employers immediately. There's an understanding that the employer's not going to say bad things about the employee and vice versa, so everyone saves face. (Firms don't want to become known for firings; employees don't usually want to become known for being fired.)

This is what Trim was talking about when he posted this:

Because how you handle this will play a significant role in your future employment prospects.  Honor the contract you excitedly signed, and be honest with yourself about why they let you go and prepare to address it in interviews.