Pyramids, Prudential and Puppies
To bring you up to date, I had my follow up and diagnosis from Dr. Smith. Come to find out I have been walking around with mononucleosis (“mono”) and hepatitis A (“hep A”). Well that explains a lot. Smith complimented my immune system and said, “It’s almost run its course.” Fantastic, but no one noticed some hep A and mono in the extensive blood work I’ve had done? Interesting.
All I know is the doctor told me to get plenty of rest and now that I know the seriousness of my illness, tail-end or not, I have been sleeping a lot. And since being diagnosed, my attitude toward myself has changed. Instead of beating myself up over what didn’t get done by the end of spring, I am praising myself for getting anything at all accomplished. In my mind, Blunder Babe makes for a good summer read anyway.
Just to recap, I started the self -publishing process and am close to the finish-line, been working with a publicist on building a platform, started a blog, been preparing for a book launch, managing a family, adopting a puppy and working part-time. Oh did I forget to mention Prudential? With all the health backstory, I’m sure I didn’t say that I am working 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., four days a week since the end of February but my job search started months before.
Probably around Thanksgiving, I threw my resume up on Monster.com and started trolling through their classified ads. I had promised my husband I would have some sort of income by the end of the year. Because I used to have a Series 6 license, I would get random companies contacting me for interviews. Beware of the scammers! Lots of them out there and very elaborate schemes too. One interview I pulled up to an abandoned building, encased in caution tape adjacent to a diner on Eagle Rock Avenue. I saw a mail carrier go in but was still nervous about entering so I called my hubby. All he cared about was the possibility of another paycheck after my hiatus.
“Go in Bern. You’ll be fine. A mail carrier means someone is doing business in there,” he reassured me. I crept up the filthy stairs with him on the phone. If he was okay with putting me in harm’s way, he could listen helplessly should something occur. The building was dilapidated and empty except for the floor they were operating on. That level was beautifully decorated with hardwood floors, Italian marble bathrooms, big screen TV, leather couches. I listened skeptically to the spiel which sounded too much like a pyramid scheme so I made like I was going to pee and bolted.
Another ad I answered on Craigslist was for Toyota or so I thought. The orientation was held in a vacant building next to a Toyota dealership. The woman even had “salespeople” come and talk to us about all the money they were making with Toyota. I told her I didn’t want to be in sales and she assured me I could work in the dealership’s BDC department making $60k a year. This sounded too good to be true to me so I reached out to a high school chum that I reconnected with through Facebook. He is the automotive industry, but didn’t answer. When the instructor took our class over to tour the dealership, I looked around to see if I could spot any of these people that left work to inspire us and not one familiar face. Red flag. On our trot back to the empty building, my buddy called me and told me to get the hell out of there.
“It’s a scam!” he yelled.
He knew of the bitch hosting the “training” and told me BDC pays eight bucks an hour. This scam almost got me because I had to ante up $698 to take this course. I was uncomfortable with fronting the money so she let me put half on a credit card with the other half due upon completion. Red flag. If you have to put up any money to get a job, run! I did midway through the second day and tried to stop payment on my card. My claim was put in dispute pending an investigation. I had to write a letter telling my side and she did the same. It really was a nightmare trying to get my money back. In the end, I won, but I came very close to forking over the cash. I tried to file a police report but since I was able to retrieve my funds no crime had been committed against me. The officer did share with me this Toyota dealership has been involved in shady business activities for years and they were dying to bust them. Trust your instincts and use the internet. After she had my money and I had spoken to my friend, I did a search for scams that mimicked mine and multiple people had posted their experiences online. Unfortunately, their money was not recovered and all they could do was vent and try to warn others.
By the time Prudential called me, I was jaded; a complete bitch to the woman on the phone. I ranted about all I had been through, worried about being raped, losing money, wasting my time, you name it and I said it with attitude. She was sweet and understanding, said I was not the first person to tell her such outlandish tales. For a nanosecond I thought she was patronizing me. She had all the right answers. After determining the interview was in a real building, with lots of people, every floor occupied, I agreed to meet the managing director.
You want to work for Prudential be prepared to fill out a 50+ page application, pass an extensive drug test, be finger printed, have a credit, motor vehicle and background check performed and wait five weeks to start. It takes that long for all the information on you to be gathered. Prudential doesn’t play. They have been around since 1875 and have plenty of moola to spend investigating candidates. Fine by me, check away, I was so tired I could barely function and the prospect of working for Prudential pacified my husband. I am so grateful to that woman for not being put off by my mouth.
Oh the puppy? I did gloss over that. You want to hear about him. Cute as hell, fill you in next time.