By Glenn Demby

Dear SafetyXChange Members:

Lauryn's off this week so I'm filling in. Sorry about the rather indelicate title of this story. It's a lyric from a popular song that I'm sure you've all heard. I decided to use it, and risk the ire of some of the more squeamish members of SafetyXChange, because it's a perfect response to Lauryn's piece of last week.

If you missed it, the story, entitled "The Inquisition," detailed the harrowing experiences of a job candidate who was treated with rudeness and disdain by his interviewers. The tale was meant to illustrate an important point: Interviewing works both ways. If you don't like the way an interviewer is treating you, you don't have to take it. You can and should walk away. After all, do you really want to work for a company who entrusts a jerk to recruit talent?

The Members Respond

The story and its moral obviously touched a nerve with some of the members of SafetyXChange. We got a lot of great responses. This one was our favorite. We think you'll enjoy it too:

The Worm Turns

I had a similar situation to the one with the interview in a sports bar. I was being interviewed by a major broker, and the local manager wanted to meet for dinner at his favorite restaurant. Well, he knew everyone there and was constantly stopping the interview to talk to his friends. After about the 5th time, I politely closed my portfolio, shook his hand and politely said, "I'm very sorry that you are not interested in me as an employee, so I will leave now and you can have dinner with your friends." With that I put out my hand to shake his, which he didn't accept as he sat there in disbelief, and I left.

I did write a letter to corporate expressing my regrets that the local manager wasn't interested in me as an employee, after meeting with the ExVP and CFO previously. Result, I was hired in a different office and the rude manager was reassigned.

Conclusion

A tale like this restores your faith not just in the corporate world but in people. It's worth keeping in mind in case you ever find yourself getting abused in an interview.

MARKET VIEW

Taking the Pulse of Safety Professionals

How much money do safety officers make? Are their budgets growing or shrinking? What do they consider to be their biggest challenge? What do they think about the culture of the companies they work for?

Industrial Safety and Hygiene News recently asked 152 of its readers who have full-time safety jobs these and other questions. Here are some of the highlights from the ISHN White Paper, entitled "EHS Nation '05." If you want to see the entire report, go to www.ishn.com.

What's your current salary?

Average: $59,974

Which factors drive EHS spending?

• Compliance: 67%
• Organizational values: 57%
• Workers' comp: 46%

Do you plan to increase or decrease staffing in the coming year?

• Increase: 18%
• Decrease: 10%
• Keep the same: 72%

Do you plan to increase or decrease budgets in the coming year?

• Increase: 31%
• Decrease: 15%
• Keep the same: 54%

What's your toughest sales job?

• Behavior-based safety: 35%
• Engineering controls: 24%

Which of your job responsibilities is expanding the most?

• Hands-on safety work: 57%
• Emergency preparedness/response: 52%

How would you describe your company's health & safety culture?

• Complacent: 25%
• In need of improvement: 47%
• Average: 43%
• World class: 9%

Where does your company's culture most need improvement?

• Accountability: 71%
• Employee ownership: 60%
• Management leadership: 50%

How do you feel about your career?

• Satisfied with my job: 46%
• Worried about job security: 13%
• Hit a career advancement wall: 13%

Which programs do you deem most critical to reduce injuries?

• Use of PPE: 82%
• OSHA compliance: 77%
• Ergonomics: 58%

Source: Industrial Safety & Health News, EHS Nation '05

Story Tools:  Email This Post  Print This Post Top