Do not annoy the receptionist
I wish this was easier said than done.
Easy ways to annoy the receptionist:
--Keep playing with the bell. The basic reason for a bell to be there is so that you can get someone's attention when I am away from my desk, or, more rarely, when I am fully ensconced in some project and have not realized you were there or have finished filling out an application, for example. Because of the whole wind tunnel effect in the lobby, pretty much anyone can tell when you've walked in there even if they're not in the immediate area. Therefore, at this point in time there is no reason to ring the bell when you first walk in. We will be with you shortly. I'm finding that small children are fond of the bell, which is understandable, except that this is a place of business and not a playground. I'll let you ring the bell once. After the second time, I will glare at you, and after the third time, I will say something to your mother, who is paying more attention to the English she cannot understand on the application she is filling out than you and your siblings. No, I am not making this up. And, I also do not see what is so fascinating about a bell that you must keep ringing it or leaning up against it when you are over the age of five. You are annoying, and you should be glad that you're not the one applying, because I would find a way to mark your application as rejected. No, actually, I wouldn't, but I'll get into that in a minute.
Conversely, the bell is there to be rung. I do get a half-hour for lunch which I do my best to take in its entirety. If you happen to come on the rare day when it is above freezing and the wind tunnel has died down, then you *will* need to ring the bell so that the other people in the office know you are standing there. They are not mind readers. There is no way they can see that anyone is at the window. They can, however, hear the bell. Ring it. For you, it is not merely decoration.
--The pen and clipboard on the little shelf by the window are not to be used for doodling. It is our sign-in log. If you are a visitor, you sign in. If you are merely filling out an application, there is no need. Step away from that pen and clipboard.
--Do not touch the window.
--No, seriously, I am not kidding. Do not touch the window.
--What part of DO NOT TOUCH THE WINDOW do you not understand? It is there for me. Not you. It is there to help me do my job, which sometimes involves me being on the phone or dealing with multiple pieces of paper on my desk. I have mentioned the wind tunnel effect of the lobby. Trust me, you noticed it upon walking in as you saw the ceiling tiles raise when you opened the door. If my window happens to be open when the door opens, I get a faceful of cold, gusty air. That is not pleasant. Also, things tend to blow off my desk and even some of the nearby file cabinets. That is why, right now, the window is only to be opened by me. Also, when I am on the phone giving directions that you can hear me giving, as the glass is not soundproof, and you dare to open the window, I will close it right back up. Okay, maybe your English is poor enough that you can't tell what exactly I'm saying; you can at least see that I am on the phone. The phone rang before you finished your app, so therefore the caller takes preference. That's how it works.
I can't wait to get the new non-sliding window. I don't know how soon that will be, but I did overhear the GM telling Big Boss about it; he'd missed the excitement of last week, and the GM mentioned something about not wanting me to get hurt. Thanks. I do appreciate that.
--Above, I mentioned applications. Oh, yes, we're still handing them out like it's candy on Halloween. I really wish I could reject certain ones due to blatant stupidity. Believe it or not, I do give some leeway with the ESL people; I have a vague admiration for those who come in by themselves to fill out an application they can't understand. But for those people who claim to be bilingual, there is no excuse for filling out an application incorrectly, for missing questions, things of that nature. Also, why would you come to fill out an application unprepared? You made a conscious decision to come here and fill out an app. It's not like you just appeared here and we took one look at you and decided we wanted to hire you on the spot. Telling me that you just came from work and you do not have any phone numbers on you--one woman didn't even have her wallet on her--shows me that you do not plan ahead. Depending on the position that's open, that does not bode well. And, I hate to break it to you, but your social security number is important. You should have it memorized. Until you have it memorized, perhaps you should keep your card on you just in case. That really isn't something I recommend in this day and age, but if you're filling out important paperwork, you'll need it. Yes, we do need that number. We cannot hire you without it. If it's not on the form, then we may not even call you in for an interview because it looks suspicious. Speaking of calling you, make sure you have a working phone number where you can be reached. We will call you for an interview. We do not work telepathically. And, trust me, we're over 225 applicants at this point in time--we definitely do not want you calling us.
Can you tell I have some frustrations about this whole process?
The good news? Girl Scout cookies arrived. I have four boxes in my bag...that I can't eat until after Easter. Que sera sera.
Easy ways to annoy the receptionist:
--Keep playing with the bell. The basic reason for a bell to be there is so that you can get someone's attention when I am away from my desk, or, more rarely, when I am fully ensconced in some project and have not realized you were there or have finished filling out an application, for example. Because of the whole wind tunnel effect in the lobby, pretty much anyone can tell when you've walked in there even if they're not in the immediate area. Therefore, at this point in time there is no reason to ring the bell when you first walk in. We will be with you shortly. I'm finding that small children are fond of the bell, which is understandable, except that this is a place of business and not a playground. I'll let you ring the bell once. After the second time, I will glare at you, and after the third time, I will say something to your mother, who is paying more attention to the English she cannot understand on the application she is filling out than you and your siblings. No, I am not making this up. And, I also do not see what is so fascinating about a bell that you must keep ringing it or leaning up against it when you are over the age of five. You are annoying, and you should be glad that you're not the one applying, because I would find a way to mark your application as rejected. No, actually, I wouldn't, but I'll get into that in a minute.
Conversely, the bell is there to be rung. I do get a half-hour for lunch which I do my best to take in its entirety. If you happen to come on the rare day when it is above freezing and the wind tunnel has died down, then you *will* need to ring the bell so that the other people in the office know you are standing there. They are not mind readers. There is no way they can see that anyone is at the window. They can, however, hear the bell. Ring it. For you, it is not merely decoration.
--The pen and clipboard on the little shelf by the window are not to be used for doodling. It is our sign-in log. If you are a visitor, you sign in. If you are merely filling out an application, there is no need. Step away from that pen and clipboard.
--Do not touch the window.
--No, seriously, I am not kidding. Do not touch the window.
--What part of DO NOT TOUCH THE WINDOW do you not understand? It is there for me. Not you. It is there to help me do my job, which sometimes involves me being on the phone or dealing with multiple pieces of paper on my desk. I have mentioned the wind tunnel effect of the lobby. Trust me, you noticed it upon walking in as you saw the ceiling tiles raise when you opened the door. If my window happens to be open when the door opens, I get a faceful of cold, gusty air. That is not pleasant. Also, things tend to blow off my desk and even some of the nearby file cabinets. That is why, right now, the window is only to be opened by me. Also, when I am on the phone giving directions that you can hear me giving, as the glass is not soundproof, and you dare to open the window, I will close it right back up. Okay, maybe your English is poor enough that you can't tell what exactly I'm saying; you can at least see that I am on the phone. The phone rang before you finished your app, so therefore the caller takes preference. That's how it works.
I can't wait to get the new non-sliding window. I don't know how soon that will be, but I did overhear the GM telling Big Boss about it; he'd missed the excitement of last week, and the GM mentioned something about not wanting me to get hurt. Thanks. I do appreciate that.
--Above, I mentioned applications. Oh, yes, we're still handing them out like it's candy on Halloween. I really wish I could reject certain ones due to blatant stupidity. Believe it or not, I do give some leeway with the ESL people; I have a vague admiration for those who come in by themselves to fill out an application they can't understand. But for those people who claim to be bilingual, there is no excuse for filling out an application incorrectly, for missing questions, things of that nature. Also, why would you come to fill out an application unprepared? You made a conscious decision to come here and fill out an app. It's not like you just appeared here and we took one look at you and decided we wanted to hire you on the spot. Telling me that you just came from work and you do not have any phone numbers on you--one woman didn't even have her wallet on her--shows me that you do not plan ahead. Depending on the position that's open, that does not bode well. And, I hate to break it to you, but your social security number is important. You should have it memorized. Until you have it memorized, perhaps you should keep your card on you just in case. That really isn't something I recommend in this day and age, but if you're filling out important paperwork, you'll need it. Yes, we do need that number. We cannot hire you without it. If it's not on the form, then we may not even call you in for an interview because it looks suspicious. Speaking of calling you, make sure you have a working phone number where you can be reached. We will call you for an interview. We do not work telepathically. And, trust me, we're over 225 applicants at this point in time--we definitely do not want you calling us.
Can you tell I have some frustrations about this whole process?
The good news? Girl Scout cookies arrived. I have four boxes in my bag...that I can't eat until after Easter. Que sera sera.