This is what happens when one gets behind in writing entries.
If I'd written this entry Monday, I'd have said: "OH MY FUCKING GOD YOU GUYS, an employment agency just CALLED ME OUT OF THE BLUE, HEADHUNTER STYLE to ask me if I was still looking for work! They want to match me up with something! Holy fuck!"
If I'd written this entry Tuesday, I'd have said: "Oh wow, guys, I hope this is going to work out. I just interviewed at the employment agency, it's actually a subdivision of one that my aunt recommended to me. They had the same stupid programs to assess your abilities on Word and Excel that the other agency had, but at least I was doing it on their computers, the interview went a lot better, I was a lot more targeted this time, and I totally blew well past their averages on both Word and Excel, and did not do so badly on typing either. Thank you for being willing to be references for me,
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
zarhooie and
![[staff profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user_staff.png)
denise (and the awesome manager from work2); I really appreciate it. I couldn't find my red interview sweater, but that was okay since I had a perfectly good black top that I've never worn before."
If I'd written this entry yesterday, I'd have said: "HOLY FUCK YOU GUYS I WAS TAKING A NAP AND MY PHONE RANG AND IT WAS THE AGENCY AND OH MY GOD I GOT IT. THEY PLACED ME WITH THE PLACE. HOLY FUCK I HAVE A JOB. HOLY FUCK. ABOUT FUCKING TIME."
But I'm writing this entry today. So:
Today was my first day. It's a vaguely-nine-to-five job (actual start time is 9:30; today I got let go at 4:30 on account of being quick on the uptake and my immediate supervisor not having enough sleep). The business is experiencing rapid growth, and needed more people to wrangle their sales contacts. I will be getting to know the SalesForce CRM up close and personal. Unlike previous places I could mention, no one has mentioned sales quotas: this seems far more to be about building relationships with potential customers and answering informational questions than it is about selling. As always, the identity of my employer is anonymous.
The office is nice. I have my own little cube. I'm asking interesting questions like "Is there a document or wiki or something for all these terms of art, or is it just pick-it-up-as-you-go-along?", and making obvious statements like "I got the email with my login; I've logged in and set my password and started reading the FAQs." I have a counterpart, another agency placement. She is asking hard-to-answer questions like "What does it mean, some information will be lost when saving in this format?" and making obscure statements like "Oh, the tab button? Not the enter key?" She arrived the day before I did, and is thus a day ahead of me in her training. She is sweet, means well, and is in the cube over the wall from mine. I am not responsible for training her.
It is supposed to be a 3-month contract, and experimental for them on the "do we really need this many people; is this volume sustainable" front. I am technically an employee of the agency. I am eligible for health coverage (including dental and vision) through the agency, as of pretty much the first paycheck. The pay is not much by tech industry Bay Area standards, but it is technically more than call-center-in-Phoenix standards, though adjust that for local prices, and yow. :-\ But! It is more than nothing, and more than nothing is good. After the contract runs out, the agency will look for another place for me. Having been awesome once increases my chances of being awesome again, and all.
There will be more work tomorrow. It will be interesting. I can hardly wait.
