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First, I fully agree the honest approach on why they contacted me is:
1) they want access to my contacts
2) they don't think highly of me; they probably have no idea who I am, but I
have their company in my profile
3) they want to build their own database for future jobs where they need
people and avoiding job shops
4) they are looking for connections for their own future jobs because they
have been laid off or quit.
On negative comments, I'd never do that. It can only serve to bite you in
the long run. The next employer may have been your past employers college
roommate.
I wasn't planning on giving positive comments. No one brags on me after I
put in 60 or 80 hours a week for two or three weeks because some manager
wants to pull in his schedule two months. They just expect it.
Yes, some of these guys I could connect with as there is no ill will and
luckily the ones I have no desire to ever see again haven't requested.
I don't see what the good ones can do for me, and if I do later, I think I
could always connect with them then.
In reality, while the network thing seems great, so far it has only
succeeded in connecting me with people who are in old jobs and not helped to
get a new job. Typically I don't connect with many. So ignoring them isn't a
big deal. I don't need 10,000 contacts who can't get me a job; 20 contacts
are more than enough to not get me a job.
Departure was mixed. This became evident soon after getting there they
would be cutting people to by time with the customer. "We would be on
schedule, but John Doe here has been slowing us down, so we fired him."
I've seen too many play that game in the past. So I don't take that
personal although I think they could have been more upfront as they lied
about everything on the job to everyone who came in.
I was on an intense job where we had 6 weeks to produce 150 documents and
there was no time to slip. Deliver, or get nothing. The company was honest,
told us to work whenever we wanted and as long as we wanted. They brought in
lunch and dinner so no one had to waste time going out. They provided rooms
so we didn't have to drive 30 miles to find cheap ones. And we put out
those 150 documents and solved the problems.
This one had the same issue, but told no one there would be intense
overtime. No one was told we would be working second shift. No one was told
we would not be in an office environment. No one was told most of what we
encountered. It was a hot dirty factory environment that destroyed office
dress clothes. You had to have safety shoes and safety glasses, which we
had to buy. They couldn't supply enough equipment yet wanted us working,
sometimes three on a computer. It took three weeks to get everyone on a
computer.
We did get free water, though.
There was a group brought in of about 15 that ended up replacing most who
were there before. They thought they now owned those jobs, so 6 months later
when another 30 people came in, they were not the friendliest of campers.
There were daily butt chewings because the work wasn't getting done.
There was a lack of support from IT on getting computers, network
connections, software, and so on just to work. When the really junky old
equipment failed in the hot, dirty industrial environment we were in, they
might never replace it. Go find it on your own.
Too many Chiefs, not enough Indians. Not PC but you are all old enough to
understand that. As such, many Chiefs contradicted each other. Everything
had to be approved, one person might approve and you passed. Another might
not and now you had to do it all over.
I was annoyed but not surprised. I had a run in with one boss two days
before when he said that "Bill" couldn't validate my documents and I told
him "Bill" was wrong because "Dave" and I had run the entire procedure ON
the equipment start to finish, not just make it up from the desk, and then
"Ed" who was the other QA guy validated it. "Ed' had even found me to say
it was one of the best he had seen that week. I think the boss was looking
for an excuse.
I was about the 15th person out the door from the second group. Another 10
went over the next two weeks until the last week and then they dumped
everyone but 4.
No one received any notice other than a phone call of "don't come in" or
"turn around, you're done" if they actually made it in the plant. Some
simply found their badge didn't work.
Now some of these bosses want to connect? I'm sure they don't know who I
am. I just have their company name in my profile.
The pay was good. Maybe that is all the reason I need in case they have
another job like this. Work a month or so for two or three month's pay can
be a strong motivator. I can put up with almost anything for the right pay.
And vice versa.
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