BigDavyG

Hasn't happened to me (yet) but I've some shocking hiring stories from others.
Worst one was someone who after 3 months finally got offered a job. Having been told during the interview process that $x would not be a problem they were offered $x-5 first off. They asked for $x and that was it - they wouldn't budge.
My friend refused to be messed about. The company subsequently readvertised the position but with a lower skillset and had to shelve projects they had coming up as a result of taking longer to get someone - all for a poxy $5k a year. Seems my friend got off lucky - what kind of morons think that makes a good business decision - getting a less skilled person who will have to be trained, taking time to interview more candidates and delaying work, all for the princely sum of $100 a week - nice work.

DEE_UK

Corporate words? We came up with "Brain-shower" - its like a Brain-storming session but with only 2-3 people.

We came up with this word when I was in England... ahhh, those fond memories!

Bob

to be fair, they are in the same state....what more do you want

Bob

thing is though, they tend to lower the prices towards the end of the day in the UK to get rid of all that fruit/veg/bread etc and stock up in the morning, over here, they don't, and they fill up the shelves during the evening, so it's hardly fresh every morning....not all places of course, but more than most.

Dan725

Seems to me there is none of that "proactiveness" they preach going on when it comes to hiring. The one job they told me I had was with a really large company who should have known better than to post jobs that were not yet approved by the budget.

It all seems very slipshod in comparison with the UK - here they never post salary ranges for professional positions, they never have defined cut off dates, and a lot of the time they don't even reply. Note that I'm not talking about applying on Monster or such, I'm actually getting past that stage to real individuals who then see fit to ignore you after stringing you along. I just think ignoring people is the worst thing you can do and surpasses all other bad manners tenfold.

I sometimes wonder if it goes down to the no-nonsense British thing - if I'm not a suitable candidate I want to hear exactly that - I have broad shoulders. Perhaps here they don't want to offend anyone - but to me its more offensive to be ignored (or "held on file") than being told to piss off and never come back.

I think the tight economy having an impact on attitudes, in todays environment the employer is wearing the shoes. But it really gives you a very bad impression of them when you get ignored, and it will surely backfire on them in future, when the market turns for the better and there are more jobs than applicants, and all they can employ are the lower skilled ones.

Hayley

They either don't know how it works elsewhere or I think they feel that there is no way to make such a system work in the US without us all going commie or liberal (liberal is a dirty word in much of the states)

Dan725 has said all you need to know really, work in the US is not separate from home, they want your life. Hence the most important family holiday in the US Thanksgiving gets a whopping one day to be enjoyed. Lots of my friends have returned to work 2 weeks after their babies were born, you get medical benefits through work but often times they are not adequate I could go on but I do have a somewhat tainted view seeing as I'm just a bitter haglet off to Blighty in 2007.

Ray

LOL...thats gotta be your title Hayley ....

Hayley

Couldn't fit it all in

Hayley

As the actress said to the bishop

angelman

The real irony here is that whilst espousing their so called freedoms they put down anyone daring to use the term liberal..
liberal - liberate - to free something - freedom...
in a sense arent these words interchangeable. I have always wanted to ask an all american freedom nut this question. How can you talk about freedom and at the same time put down anyone using the word liberal. Surely the two are part of the same?

Ironically again America feels very close to a socialist state. Huge amounts of red tape, punitive fines and actions but hard line law enforcement. A very large and intrusive security service, ever diminishing freedoms of speech (no swearing please), over bearing use of eminent domain means the government effecitvely controls land use as they please, lack of choice in almost everything (there is an illusion of choice created by putting the same product in different coloured boxes and sometimes dyed different colours but its not actualyl a real choice), conformity, monopolies. The difference between the US is that in say Russia it was all down to the unelected government whereas here its a sort of unholy collusion between big business and government, neither of which really has much interest in the welfare of the people I think.
I am continously amazed at how centralised this country is. How can the most capitalistic soceity in the world be so amazing uncompetitive? Just look at cable, tv, phone, internet.. in reality there is very little choice and worse still very little oversight...

Hayley

Wow what an outstanding post! Can't top that.

Old William

I bet you feel happier now you've made the decision?

moving2montreal

here is a nice little movie to watch about americas "freedoms". its directed by aaron russo, producer of trading places. watch and learn!

http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?...dom+to+fascism

Hayley

You'd think so wouldn't you but I can't sleep now. should have been a catholic- what am I doing to my family? wringing hands et al.

Realtor came and is keen to list at price we wanted. feel very ill bag of nerves- what if I end up playing with the chavs?

chester281

Free to make more money. hehe

Free to pay less for food, maybe???

Btw, while living in the UK, I never felt any less freedom than in the US. Didn't feel any freer, pretty much felt the same. Except for the fact that I'm of Irish Catholic background. Sort of a problem, if one doesn't like to be the butt of bad jokes...Then again, that happens in the US, especially outside of places like NY, which have huge Catholic populations. Oh, I'm not a practicing Catholic...lol.