THEY SAY BAD LUCK COMES IN 3’S – I HOPE THIS IS MY THREE…COZ I JUST WANT TO MOVE ON FROM THIS PERIOD OF MY LIFE.
Man, I just can’t seem to take a trick at the moment…and forgive me if I sound like a whingeing bastard. Let me just run you thru what’s happened in the month of December for me – possibly the most frustrating and demoralising month for me in a long time.
Okay, #1 –
You may remember me mentioning that I was applying for a job with Flight Centre Travel Agency, basically for me an entry into an industry that I had decided I wanted to pursue a career in after not knowing what I wanted to do during my entire adult life. I didn’t get it. In Australia, this is the one and only Travel Industry company that advertises its positions as ‘no experience required’. All other travel agencies require at least 1-2 years industry experience. As a result, Flight Centre is recognized as the main ‘foot in the door’ to this industry. It seems as though if you can’t get in here, then the rest of your opportunities are incredible limited. As I say, I didn’t get the job, and I was well f**ked over in the way it all happened.
After getting thru most of the rather gruelling interview process, including an interview with an Area manager (which went very, very well in my opinion), I was granted the opportunity for an in-store assessment, and at this stage I thought it was a mere formality that I’d be hired, it was in the bag, it was a done deal. I was very, very excited, and anxious to get moving on this fantastic new role. They said that they would ‘get back to me’ regards an opening. After a week and a ½, I was told that they’d ‘get back to me in another week’ with some news. A further 10 days after that I contacted them again, only to be told that suddenly no place could be found, and that my application would be placed ‘on hold’. It remained that way for almost a month.
Any communication with the HR folks only occurred when I chased them with a phone call – very frustrating, as they were hardly forthcoming with any news themselves.
I then finally received a call suggesting another interview with another Area Manager – which I readily accepted. Another week after that passed with no word. I finally called them again, only to be told that “my application was unsuccessful” – the 2nd Area Manager interview was given the thumbs down, and that they would not be pursuing any positions for me…despite the first Area Manager willing to place me as soon as a position became available.
I was asked if I would like any ‘feedback’ on why I was not successful - of course I would!! – but it’s been another two weeks and I’ve heard nought back. A very disappointing outcome, and a very disappointing way in which Flight Centre have handled my application. I honestly get the feeling that had I not chased them on any news, I would have died waiting. Very unprofessional. It doesn’t take much to make a phone call in the timeframe you promise to.
Right now then #2
Leading up to Christmas I was looking for some extra work to bolster my cash supplies and help pay off my Credit Card debt. I happened upon a potential mini-goldmine doing a 3-day temping gig for Telstra on Dec 24, 25, 26 – that’s right Christmas Eve, Day, and Boxing Day – doing Inbound Call Centre mobile phone activations. At close to $40 per hour, it was simple work and easy, easy money. I would earn close to $1000 after tax! Or so I thought. After having this work guaranteed and booked in for almost a month, Telstra pulled the pin on it on December 23rd – they hadn’t sold enough pre-pay phones and had over-estimated the number of Call Centre staff they would need. I was one of the crew that got cut. Bummer. I was soooo looking forward to that little bonanza.
And finally, #3
I did manage to snaffle a little bit of extra work on New Years Eve, working as a Crowd Marshall in the City, helping to direct foot traffic around the city to the various celebratory locations and fireworks viewing points – a 13 hour shift earning close to $300. I almost wish I hadn’t taken it. At the close of the shift at 2am, with nothing else to do (after trying to contact 4 of my friends to hook up with for NYE drinks), a co-worker invited me to a house party she was attending in St. Kilda.
Kate and I arrived at around 3.30am, stone cold sober. She only knew one other person there – it was a pretty open party – and we sat down with her mate Gareth at the rear of the enormous backyard. It was pretty happening, despite the late hour. There were still at least 40-odd folks dancing around to the music, and everyone was very, very drunk…mostly paraletic in fact. The hour being what it was, there was almost no booze left…except - there was a cask of (very bad – as we would find out later) cask red wine untouched, and we were invited to drink that. It was horrible, but at least we were getting a drink in on New Years Eve.
About an hour and 2-3 polystyrene cups of wine later, we spot Gareth stumbling in the backyard holding a massive wad of tissue paper to his head drenched in blood. He had tripped over and face-planted to the concrete, cracking his head open. Everyone else was like “oh my God, what do we do” – so drunk they couldn’t function. I decided to play Good Samaritan and call the Ambulance and make sure this guy gets help. I’m on the phone to 000 and waiting out the front to flag the ambulance down, but them I’m told “Cancel it – he can’t afford the fee, we’ll take him to hospital in a cab”. The cab arrives, he and Kate and another guy get in and head off. I head back in to the backyard, back to where we were sitting…..AND MY BACKPACK I WAS CARRYING IS GONE!!! MISSING??? STOLEN???? I have no idea. It had my ipod (!!), sunnies, clothes, shoes, a notebook/diary with about 100 numbers and addresses in it, and assorted other valuables and kick-knacks in it. About $800 worth all together. Some f**king prick took my bag while I was helping out a guy - a total stranger no less - in serious trouble, severely injured – a guy I had known for only 2 hours. What a f**king bastard!!!
I was furious and frantic at the same time. I spent the next hour searching around and asking everyone around if they had seen it, but nada. By this stage the party numbers had dwindled quite considerably, and daylight was coming. Even with the help of the light, I had no luck. My bag was gone. When I realised this, I felt demoralized, dejected, deflated and flattened, and purely downright beat. I almost wanted to slit a wrist.
All there was left to do was to go home. Which I did, alone and depressed, along with the last of the New Years revelers and stragglers, and on the train with ½ a dozen arrogant, arsehole Macedonian teenagers – who heckled, harassed and harangued everyone they laid eyes on. Finally, I got home to bed, but then to make matters worse, after I woke up, that 4 or 5 cups of cheap nasty cask red I’d had came back to haunt me with the most severe hangover I’d had in ages, rendering me couch-ridden, vomiting pure stomach bile into the bathroom sink all afternoon
Over the next few days I lodged police reports, tried filing an insurance claim, and attempted to contact a couple of people whose numbers I got from the party to no avail…it was, gone.
So, my unlucky three – missing out on a dream job, missing out on an easy $1000 work, and losing $800 of personal belongings – all in the space of about 10 days. When the last of these happened, I was honestly thinking “what in the world have I done to offend the Gods, Why me???” I honestly have no idea as to why this run of luck has happened to me, it seems I can’t take a frigging trick at the moment. It’s like a kick in the guts, a blow that has really sat me on my arse and left me feeling at a truly low ebb. Here I am trying to get my life back in order, making a go of things to live the kind of life I want to live, working hard, and all this shit happened to me.
I really feel in a bad place right now. Again, I just needed to get this off my chest, so that I can move on and try and put it behind me.
Cheers, Tony
