traverselife

Wednesday, 27 October 2010

job applications - got to love them

Resumes; they’re not one of the more fun aspects of the whole job hunting saga are they. On the whole people seem to be confounded by the process, to the extent that some stay at home mums put it off entirely, throw their hands in the air and give up.

Teenagers often aren’t much better.

A number of my colleagues say they don’t get much satisfaction from working on resumes for their clients either. Maybe I’m a bit weird, but I enjoy sleuthing out your transferable skills (and stay at home mums have heaps of these! As do students, and of course those who’ve been employed “yes, even as a teacher” – although the last group are often the most disbelieving).

I find it a challenge, as I said, to sleuth out your transferable skills (these are often called the ‘soft skills’), and then to find the right words to present you in the most favourable light. Not lying of course, that’s not where I’m at. But to show that you have talents and skills that are of value in the workplace.

I love the look of disbelief when we begin. “Nope, not me, I’ve got nothing to offer”

“Oh really? Well, let’s give it a go anyway will we?”

It’s great! Sometimes, people will just sit back at the end of even half an hour and say, “wow”.

And I’ll ask “Is it all true?” and because I’m such a stickler for honesty in the process, all they can answer is a proud “Yes”.

Love it!

As to the typing, and formatting - not my strongest point. I prefer the interactive aspect best, but of course I can and will assist when needed; with pretty good results too. But generally I encourage my clients to give it a go for themselves. I believe it’s much better to be self sufficient and independent so you can go it alone next time. But I won't leave you high and dry, so if you want this support, just ask.

And now, because my posts are generally somewhat serious, I'm going to suggest you have a look at this brilliant application.

http://procrastinatewithtundiel.blogspot.com/2010/10/auror-application.html

Now, there’s someone who’s enjoyed the process!

Sunday, 24 October 2010

burnt fingers, but ok now

Now, I don’t want to open a Pandora’s Box here about poor hotel accommodation, I’ll leave that to Darren at http://www.travel-rants.com - a blog I wish I’d found months ago, as it would have prevented a lot of stress.

London Olympics

I really want to warn readers that with the Olympics coming up, to be very wary about booking accommodation in and around London, even if it is though your usually reliable travel agent - particularly if they haven’t visited the hotel personally. They’re relying on information given to them by their suppliers, and we international guests trust that this will be accurate. I’ve just had my fingers burnt, and as a result am significantly out of pocket after finding alternative accommodation at the last minute. But at least we were able to find somewhere else to stay - I doubt this will be possible during the Olympics.

The hotel room

On arrival last month at a ‘Two Star’ hotel in London, (booked weeks ahead through our usually trusty Travel Agent in Australia) we were horrified to find that the hotel room was smelly and dirty, with one broken window latch and the other missing entirely, split wood on the internal very dirty toilet door. It had toothpaste dribbles down almost the entire length.

A grubby tiny bathmat doubled as a fragment of carpet squeezed between the foot of the bed and the shower cubicle.

The ensuite: This area could have been a module, possibly designed for a trailer-home and seemed to have been added as an afterthought to the room. It was raised about 10 centimetres above the original floor, so you had to step up into the cubicle to use it.

The toilet roll was balanced on the miniscule sink, which abutted the toilet, and the shower curtain draped over you when you sat down.

The toilet: There wasn't enough room for your knees between the toilet and the door for it to close comfortably.

I suspect a man would need to have straddled the toilet if he wanted privacy to urinate. The toilet roll was balanced on the miniscule sink, which abutted the toilet, and the shower curtain draped over you when you sat on the toilet seat.

The shower: My suspicion is that you would have to have stepped outside of the cubicle to dry off after showering as there was so little room inside. I was unable to spread my arms out from side to side of the ensuite as it was so tiny, the shower recess was approx 15 inches wide.

On either side of this module were small alcoves, one with a short exposed metal rod (the wardrobe) underneath which was a chair. The other had a compact TV high on a shelf. (A short person like me couldn't have safely manouvered it to a more suitable viewing position).

Next to this was a grubby window looking out on to the street with a venetian blind covering the window with the one missing and one broken latch.

Presumably because the ensuite had (apparently) been added as an afterthought, it made what appeared to have originally been the central lightshade balance against the module door.

The desk

The bed appeared to be an old steel camp style that squeaked when you sat on it. It was pushed into a corner of the tiny room, so that the person on the wall side of the bed had to climb over it to get to their side.

I have never left a hotel in disgust before, but apart from the dilapidated, dirty presentation of the room I felt very unsafe as the room was on the ground floor and as I’ve mentioned the window didn’t latch securely.

The young man at the front office area said we could change rooms, “but they’re all the same, I’m sorry”.

My rationale in booking accommodation through a travel agent was to ensure that we had a relaxing start to our holiday and for reassurance that things would go more smoothly than if I'd tackled the complexities myself. I expect them to take the stress out of travel bookings. London was a new city for me, and I was relying on their expertise (and that of their professional partners in the UK).

Star Ratings: how useful?

My expectation of two star accommodation is much the same as appears on the octopus.com website:

"If you are looking for a unique holiday experience, 2 star hotels are just perfect. 2 star hotels in London can be found in most areas and always offer the same high standard of hospitality. If you ever stayed in a 2 star accommodation before you know what you can expect. 2 star London hotels won’t disappoint and their outstanding charm never fails to impress". ([uk.octopustravel.com/hotels/3/uk/London/2-star-hotels/2/]Accessed 24 October 2010)

So, it seems that both my expectation and a published industry expectation of a two star hotel is very similar: clean, no frills and well run. Sounds good to me!

Other 2 star hotels we stayed in later in our holiday in Paris, Vienna and Milan were good, perfectly suitable for our needs and even better than described. I booked these through www.hrs.com a hotel booking website recommended by a colleague in Germany. It was easy to use and hotel descriptions and customer ratings were reliable and clearly presented.

Pam Foden the Operations and Industry Engagement Manager at VisitEngland says in a comment on travel-rants.com that“ Having an official star rating helps potential guests know what to expect.” [ http://www.travel-rants.com/2010/10/09/hotel-star-ratings-useless/] As a consumer I expect the rating to be reasonably accurate.

Google search

Since arriving home, I’ve had time to look at information from a few sources regarding a hotel, and I certainly wish I’d done this prior to booking, but even so the information seems inconsistent and isn't always easy to find. (But isn't that why I consulted a travel agent in the first place?)

The following 3 sites make for interesting reading.

I've discovered that booking.com makes it easy to assess if the hotel is what you're after.

But look at this one from a United Kingdom website. The words under the TripAdvisor logo read: "Sorry, no reviews are available for this property". No TripAdvisor Reviews? Really? We consumers really have to be vigilant and on the ball

And a comparison with an Australian web site - same hotel. There are 2 green dots next to the TripAdvisor rating, and you can click to get to the reviews and customer photos.

Confusing isn’t it.

But at least from the Australian octopustravel.com I can easily click through to TripAdvisor’s most recent reviews and photos and find information that would have influenced my booking. But I notice that no information is given about the rooms under "Information".

But what if I'd only looked at the UK site? There is some inconsistency in the amount of information offered.

What do TripAdvisors' travellers actually report?

By now, thoroughly intrigued and wondering what else I'd find, I went directly to TripAdvisor. I hadn't used TripAdvisor prior to this as I'd assumed hotels would post positive comments about their own establishments and scathing ones about their competitors. I also figured that there could be grumpy people who could post malicious unsubstantiated comments. I was skeptical.

But here’s a shot of what I found for the hotel in question, and when I started reading those 59 reviews it made me angry.

The consistently negative reviews go back to July 3^rd 2005 – that’s 5 years with 76% of customers not recommending the hotel. This isn’t an isolated grumpy person, but a pattern of scathing/shocked/horrified/distressed/disbelieving comments - whatever word you choose to use, there are many, many unhappy guests.

How is it possible that with 5 years of consistently negative comments many relating to the issues we confronted, that this accommodation was referred to my travel agent as an option? I don't object to the hotel's existence, it no doubt serves a purpose. I do object to the (dare I use the word misleading?) description passed on to me, and the fact that the 2 star rating description quoted above is so woefully inappropriate in this instance. It's not that the hotel has had a sudden change of fate, and recent sad things have happened, this is ongoing history. Off the top of my head I can't think of any industry where this kind of "service" would be tolerated and apparently condoned.

5 years of consistently negative comments is a fair amount of time by anyone's assessment. I thought there was a code of conduct amongst professional travel agents? What is going on in the hotel industry in London?

It seems we need to do a lot of independent research to find ... what? How do we know what's true, and what isn't? who's being open, and who's withholding information? and how far do we need to search? Which country's websites should we use? If you're moving to a new city every 3 or 4 days, this level of research would eat up a huge amount of time,and that's not why you're travelling is it?

Every cloud has a sliver lining J The young man at the hutch-like reception area kindly found the phone number of a major hotel chain and allowed us to use the phone to book through them. There was ONE room available within cooee – and what a room.

Chalk and cheese Just thinking about Hotel Indigo in Paddington is relaxing. Have you heard of the Golden Mean? The hotel is designed along those principles. It’s amazing!

Thank goodness we hadn’t yet maxed out the credit card as this put a serious dent in it. Sadly, it’s not the sort of place we usually stay in. Our budgeting is tightly controlled, and living simply is second nature. But as a salve to soothe the jetlagged, frazzled, frayed and jangled nerves, this was just the medicine!

The welcome was warm (I wonder if I exuded distress and the concierge took pity on me or if all guests are treated so kindly?) the room small and space was used well. the towels were huge and deeply fluffy.

Although the rate was 'room-only', we were given a breakfast voucher (the breakfast was lovely, generous helpings, and GOOD coffee!), and a discount voucher for a main meal. The staff were courteous and welcoming and so we naturally returned for the discounted meal later in the week.

(We then found a significantly cheaper chain for the remaining days – a long way out, but still just barely affordable - there was little choice available for an on the spot booking. An Ibis Hotel, we've stayed in them before: reliable, consistent clones, predictable, and an ok place to spend a night or 2.)

I’ve been known to get on my soapbox about different things from time to time, and a recurring theme is the ethical behaviour of companies as well as values and integrity. Many of my clients confront these issues at work - and I'm thinking a lot about them too right now.

I wonder what it would be like working in these two different establishments? I know all workplaces have their ups and downs, but ...

Back to the theme:

Do your research (whether for a career or hotel)

choose carefully and appropriately for your current needs

enjoy the journey!

photos were all taken by the author: September 13th 2010

websites were accessed and screen shots taken: October 24th 2010

Sunday, 10 October 2010

random thoughts about jobs, work, pride and happiness

I’ve been thinking of so many people I’ve worked with who are employed in jobs they don’t enjoy. Sometimes it’s unavoidable to work at something you’d prefer not to. Young people who are earning money to pay their uni fees, or who are saving to travel and young couples paying off a mortgage. Many of these people are able to remain positive and enthusiastic as their goal more than makes up for what they see as a short term discomfort. They are able to maintain a positive attitude and the sense of purpose ensures their mental wellbeing.

But how about those whose circumstances aren’t quite so privileged? I was watching a street vendor the other day. His tray of goods was about 40 cm square, and he was taking great pride in displaying his meagre range of goods to be most enticing to passers-by. He constantly buffed and polished each item, arranging and rearranging as goods were sold. The goods were displayed with the largest chunky bangles at the back, through in descending order of size down to the tiny toe rings at the front of the tray. Everything was neat, and good use was made of empty space – the “less is more” artistic mode of expression.

In dramatic contrast was a vendor not far away. He had a similar range of goods, but they were jumbled all higgledy piggledy, tarnished and unenticing. It was an interesting insight into what could be seen as ‘making the most of your circumstances’. One of those men will possibly go home at night having had a disappointing day of sales, his apparent grumpiness wasn’t drawing tourists to buy; the other was experiencing positive interactions with customers, and earning some money as well, his cheerful welcoming smile drew tourists, and even though not all of them bought goods, they all interacted positively.

Another event I was most bemused to observe was a small group of Roma women (gypsies) ranging in age from approximately mid 20’s to mid 50’s. They walked as a cheerful group into a tourist precinct laughing and chattering happily amongst themselves. It was early, and there weren’t many tourists about. But as soon as a busload of tourists was disgorged from a bus, it was all action stations. Clothing was tweaked, faces became sad and mournful, plastic cups were produced from capes and shawls and rattled in front of the new arrivals. Then when the tourists moved on, they regrouped, faces became animated and smiling again and they appeared to brag about their success. I couldn’t help but wonder if they go home at night and compare notes “tough day at the office today” or variations on the theme, depending on whether the tourists have been generous or lean.

These women appeared to be taking a certain pride in their work, apparently supporting each other and they appeared to be celebrating their successes as well. Were they proud not only of their ability to badger tourists into giving money, but of their acting abilities as well? It was an interesting observation, made all the more entertaining when I realized I’d been watched watching them. (One of the more senior women had been watching me - thankfully without malice as they can be somewhat intimidating when they are ‘in your face’).

But, I’ve been wondering: What would happen if someone from this group wanted to break with the norm and do something completely different. How would they fare? Is the group expectation too strong to challenge? Would they be supported or ridiculed?

Monday, 20 September 2010

Freedom is precious

Isn’t it great to see a dog shaking itself vigorously and enthusiastically after it has just been swimming in the sea. Water flying everywhere, the head, ears and tail all get a thorough going over. And then that fabulously enthusiastic romping along the beach; and you can tell that as much as the dog has enjoyed the sea, the land is its more natural habitat.

It’s rather like I feel at present. You see I’ve recently had a great visit to China. Not far into the mainland, but far enough for Westerners to still be a bit of a novelty for some locals. It was my third visit – I’ve loved each experience though they’ve all been very different.

I remember studying Chinese history at primary school, and became fascinated with the culture. I immersed myself in Chinese fairy tales and dreamt of a time when the country would once again be open to foreigners.

In 1979 I joined a highly organized tour; at that time there were massive restrictions on the movement of both Westerners and locals. Mao suits were common, the bicycle was king, neon lights were a rarity and a local talking to a westerner was sure to be keenly watched by the police.

The countryside was everything I’d imagined making the fairy tales of my childhood come alive. The richness of The Opera and vibrant colours of circus performers, with acrobats doing amazing contortions and visits to kindergartens with brightly garbed children were at odds with the drabness of daily clothing on the streets. It was a dramatic contrast between the old and new.

My second visit was a couple of years ago. I wanted my children to experience a completely different culture; one rich in history, with a language, customs and political system so different to our own. China was going to host the Olympics, and it was a good time to visit.

How much the country had changed: stylish young ladies sashaying around in short skirts and heels with mobile phones to their ears; young men in shorts and t shirts with logos. Neon lights everywhere, advertising foreign as well as local brands, so many cars and so few bicycles. It was a culturally rich visit, and politically fascinating, particularly as one of our young guides wanted to discuss many of the changes that had taken place in recent years. China had taken massive strides to modernize and embraced many of the good (as well as some of the not so good), things from the west, and many citizens were clearly enjoying the changes.

And now we come to my recent visit and my Teflon brained forgetfulness. I’d forgotten that wearing modern western clothing and using computers and mobile phones has little relationship to the freedoms we in the west know.

Freedom to use and explore the internet - including blogs - is controlled in many countries.

I’m enjoying my foray into blogging, and appreciate contact with people throughout the world. However I was unable to access either my blog or any others for the duration of my otherwise very enjoyable visit. I was surprised at how cut off and frustrated I felt; I was able to see that people had commented, (via Gmail) but was unable to reply as I would have liked. I felt that I was rudely snubbing my visitors and wanted to apologise. I was champing at the bit waiting to find an airport hotspot where I could explain my predicament.

And so, back to my dog (I hope this analogy - or is it a metaphor? - is working). Like it, I have enjoyed my dip in the ocean, but unlike it, I am aware of undercurrents that may be hazardous. It’s good to be back on dry familiar land, have a good shake and resume my romp around the internet. This environment feels natural to me, but the freedom is a privilege which can be eroded all too easily.

Tuesday, 7 September 2010

Clever science

Boonie over at Boonies Thailand Photos recently wrote about his encounter with a mean attacking centipede. Anyone who has been bitten by either a Bullant or Jumping Jack will know how he felt. His description of the attack is superb: (I hope he doesn't mind me quoting) "long, live, wriggling, back-arching, human hating, forcipule thrashing, victim seeking, centipede ... We killed the psychotic bastard without a second thought." Cheers to Boonie and Mrs S, prevention is better than cure, particularly after a horrible scary episode.

For those in Southern Australian areas where Jumping Jacks abound, the description would read: tiny, aggressive, jumping, human hating, mandible munching, victim seeking, and most certainly psychotic. Sadly, Jumping Jacks aren't as easy to kill as his 15cm horror. You really need to stomp and twist and mush to smithereens, scattering body parts in all directions, because unfortunately they are remarkably resilient.

Jumping Jack, showing golden legs and feelers (found dead on the beach)

Overseas visitors have been known to scoff, after all these little ants are only about 1cm in length, and quite elegant with sleek black body and golden mandibles. But they're aggressive, tenacious, and psychotic and when they get a grip they keep on biting, somehow alerting their mates that there's an intruder who needs to be seen off. So they march out, rank upon rank of them, then leap with vicious intent. It seems to me they can jump around 10cm when really riled, but that could be a paranoid exaggeration.

People who aren't particularly sensitive to their bite could just have mild localized swelling. But in more extreme cases dramatic swelling is accompanied by difficulty breathing, the skin can become raised with welts and pustules all over the body, heart beat is frighteningly fast, and the throat constricts, making swallowing difficult. You know beyond the shadow of a doubt that something is dreadfully wrong. In cases like this, you have about 15 minutes to intervene with antihistamine before anaphylactic shock puts an end to your time on earth. Ideally you'd take an antihistamine pill immediately when you've been bitten to prevent the more dramatic scenario.

Jumping Jack. (not actual size)

The EpiPen is a really clever device designed for people who are known to have experienced an allergic reaction (not only to ant bites, but bee and wasp stings or peanut butter). It's an auto injector, filled with adrenaline. The idea is that any noddy should be able to inject a person who is suffering with Anaphylaxis, thus saving their life. Of course, these aren't available over the counter, you have to make an appointment with your doctor, and prove that you are a sensible person, and that the recipient has had a major scare. Like any medication, it can be dangerous if given inappropriately.

It's an old wives tale that you can grow out of having a reaction, at least to Jumping Jack bites and it seems that with each subsequent bite, the reaction is more severe and happens quicker.

When we shifted house a couple of years ago, my main interest was in walking around the yard, head down looking for evidence of Jumping Jack or Bullant nests. I wasn't so interested in the house, just the potentially deadly blighters. No matter how lovely the house, or enticing the surrounds, the merest suggestion of ant nests put an end to the inspection.

Thank goodness scientists and chemists have developed these life saving medications. Science is indeed clever.

Bullant - about 2cm long

Thursday, 2 September 2010

Foot in mouth

“You want to be a WHAT?”

“You’re kidding aren’t you?”

No he wasn’t kidding. On the contrary, he was enthusiastic and keen, in spite of my less than encouraging response.

Will I ever learn? When dealing with family and close friends I must try to remember some of the tried and true rules for effective communication. My scorecard when I’m at work isn’t too bad. At home, it’d be fair to say there’s room for improvement.

Rules include, but are not limited by the following list:

a: be calm and measured in tone to any announcement, no matter how radical

b: do not shriek

c: be rational

d: discuss openly and calmly the pros and cons of announcements

e: do not under any circumstances look horrified – body language IS important. Any grimace, frown, twitch or blink will be regarded as negative

f: be encouraging

g: do not impose own paranoia/prejudices on others

h: spluttering or chocking is a definite no no

Blast! I’d broken the lot of them…again.

But really, a driving instructor? I couldn’t think of anything worse…well that’s not exactly true; being a trauma cleaner would have to be up there, and accounting doesn’t excite me, neither does cleaning windows on a skyscraper, or anything at all to do with heights, or being the first person in a submersible, and I don’t think I’d like to go to Mars. But a driving instructor, ugh. Where on earth had that idea come from? I’d be TERRIFIED.

When it comes to ones nearest and dearest, it’s hard to maintain the composure and demeanour that would automatically kick in when ‘on the job’. My professional life is on hold for the weekend and I’m relaxed and off guard. So, of course, way too often an uncensored response escapes.

A friend had a similar reaction (although with more expletives) when her son announced he wanted to be a stunt man. I remember fear gripping my stomach when my teenaged daughter said she wanted to do free diving. Some statements seem designed to elicit a dramatic reaction. (Now there’s an understatement!) You tend to want to say “Over my dead body”, and forbid the activity.

Unfortunately, off the cuff, horrified responses are more likely to close the lines of communication rather than open them. By this I mean close effective lines of communication – giving the cold shoulder, arguing and shouting do not count in this instance as communication. And it’s best to keep the communication going, particularly with ones nearest and dearest, including the teenagers! Especially when they’re going through the grunt phase.

So next time, I’m going to try and remember to include the following:

· Mmmm, that’s interesting

· Tell me more

· Where could you get more information?

· Wow, really! I’ve always wondered where those guys get insurance, do you know?

· Who could you talk to about that idea?

· Do you think you could get some work experience?

· Do you think it’d be possible to do a course?

· Or even: Gosh, really? What appeals to you about that?

To give myself time to think, I feign absorbed interest in the task at hand, whether it be chopping vegetables or hanging out the washing, or some other mundane task. It works wonders, as you can chew on a carrot stick or a peg and pretend to get it wedged in your teeth. This gives you a reason for spluttering which naturally has nothing at all to do with the bombshell announcement.

By responding “nicely” there’s less chance of a retreat into a sullen shell (it might still happen, but could be due to shock at the oh so rational response). An added bonus is that the whim (often) evaporates, self esteem increases (after all you’ve responded adult to adult) and mutual respect can grow.

Pretty neat huh!

***