Employment Agency: The Legend Begins

As a good reader you already know I've mentioned the employment agency before. Now I decided to name the posts after the agency itself because I think it will become a series of posts. Just to catch up with what happened, I will write down my personal history with them.

It started many years ago when I went there first. There's actually not much to say. Comments like "you don't know what you want" or "if you present yourself like this, you won't get any job" were the first encouragements I got. When I went there, it was always to receive information, but what I got was that I should look for it myself. Basically their only responsibility seems to be to get people work... but don't get me wrong, I'm only talking about the people who already sit in the offices of THAT building... not the people who seek help there.

Last time I went there, I asked for help in a way that I wanted to know what my options are. I was more prepared than before because I could say what I did, what I will do and what I want, roughly. Then this lady told me to wait for a phone call where they will help me out, I also mentioned I might want to have an advisory session where they help me (once again). She asked me when I have time to be called on a thursday, I told her, and in the blink of an eye I had a red piece of paper in my hands with the respective date... well, not quite, it was a tuesday instead, but mistakes happen.

Now was the magic day. One of the days that always show how well this agency functions. I was home early enough, and my imagination was that I would talk to a person who will listen to my problems, say that it's too much to talk about on the phone and that we should make an appointment for a real conversation. I knew from talking to the lady that I should only receive the call, therefore I thought all that would be there to do was to be prepared for the phone conversation in the same way that I had talked to the lady. Okay... the conversation went like this:

Me: *says my name*
Agent: Hello, I'm *very quick, not understandable words* from *can't understand* for work. You were asked to be called back, so I can note your details for being announced jobless *more strange words*. Do you have time now?
Me: Yes, I have time.
Agent: Where were you born?
Me: Leonberg.
Agent: ...Leonberg?
Me: Yes.
Agent: Your date of birth is 12 January 1983?
Me: Yes.
Agent: Alright. What is the number of your pension insurance?
Me: ......Oh........ I don't know.
Agent: ............................................... What is your bank number?
Me: Ummm..... I don't have that here now.
Agent: Okay.... what about your curriculum vitae?
Me: *Wondering what exactly he means about it. Maybe he wants me to have a completely written out version of it?* Um.... no, don't have anything available right now.
Agent: Hmm... well, you need those details. I should call you back another time. Is Thursday morning okay?
Me: No, I have school then.
Agent: When are you at home on Friday? Or do you have to work then? (Why work?)
Me: Oh... after 2:30.
Agent: Monday maybe, 3:30pm?
Me: Yes, okay. Um... so I need bank number, pension insurance number and what exactly about the CV?
Agent: Just what kind of work you had so far, what kind of training, and so on.
Me: Alright. Okay.
Agent: Okay, thank you. Bye.
Me: Thanks, bye.

Bureaucracy at its best. Okay, someone who's well organized would have known his bank number by heart. Someone who expects the unexpected or is experienced will have his pension insurance number ready. But come on, nobody who expects a simple phone call will have a list of work and training stations of his career ready just because that woman the other day said "you will be called back". I mean, I had no idea what to expect, and I actually expected something else than someone typing down my details so I can officially call myself member of the club of the unemployed. My central aim was not have to be unemployed, I'm looking for solutions. Now it looks like they either got it wrong, or they don't care, or maybe it's just a very complicated procedure that goes on and on with more formalities. I'm curious what kind of embarrassing situations await me, with more and more numbers, dates, details asking to be told, without me knowing them. At least this is how it works here.

There are other authorities where things work differently. There was one where I was shown what to do as if I was a kindergarten child. Even with pictures and everything. Amazing, I felt a little strange when that happened. Now it's the total opposite, lack of information, possibly lack of knowing what's going on there. They are so busy sending files of people around that the basic information, what does the customer want, gets lost on the data highway.

I'm sure I will write about this again. Will Mighty Mike survive the jungle of bureaucracy? What other authorities will make his life difficult? Does bureaucracy cause cancer? Who invented it? Many more questions to come...