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I went to a job fair this evening. It's not easy for me to go to a job fair after work. It's not easy to juggle work and job-hunting, at all. But I need to get out of this job somehow. I left work early, drove up 93 and into Kendall Square at rush hour, and paid for parking, so I could be at the last 80 minutes of the event called the "Genetown Career Fair." (Oh, aren't they just too cute? The same organization has one in PA they call "Pharm Country Career Fair.") These are specialized events, where one has to submit one's resume in advance and have it approved by the organizers to even get in the door.
I wanted to talk to somebody from Millennium Pharma. They're in Cambridge. They seemed like they could use some QA help that isn't completely biochemical. A lot of people wanted to talk with them (mostly biologists of one sort or another, it sounded like), so there was a long line. I was sort of expecting that from a job fair, and wanted to accept it with good grace. But after I stood in line for 20 minutes, under badly flickering fluorescent lights, the Millennium rep looked at my resume in a politely distracted manner, handed it back to me, and advised me to apply via the company website. It was hard to accept that with very good grace.
But I went to the next company of interest, Vertex. (Also in Cambridge.) I'd applied for a very interesting job there last year, through a recruiter, and it sort of evaporated as the delays stretched out. I wanted to inquire about it, because it was *so* intriguing, and let them know I'm about to be available for such a position (or even a considerably less interesting position with their company.) After another 20 minutes under more flickering fluorescent lights, I got a chance to express my enthusiasm to a recruiter who would look me in the eye, take my resume, and talk to me. Unfortunately, she said she was not the person who dealt with the Quality department. When I asked for the name of the person I should talk to about the Quality department, she acted like I'd caught her in an embarrassing, unprofessional, indiscretion. "Oh! We can't give out names at these events. There are way too many people here. Heh. Heh. I'm sure you understand." Actually, I don't understand. But I don't have time to ask for an explanation, and doubt your explanation would help much.
A couple of temporary staffing agencies responded to my resume in the manner that used to be considered professionally courteous. They thanked me. They asked a couple of questions about my experience. They said they weren't sure if they had positions that were right for me now, but they would check tomorrow...and what were my salary expectations? If there wasn't anything good now, they'd keep my resume on file and let me know if something turned up.
I wanted to talk to somebody from Millennium Pharma. They're in Cambridge. They seemed like they could use some QA help that isn't completely biochemical. A lot of people wanted to talk with them (mostly biologists of one sort or another, it sounded like), so there was a long line. I was sort of expecting that from a job fair, and wanted to accept it with good grace. But after I stood in line for 20 minutes, under badly flickering fluorescent lights, the Millennium rep looked at my resume in a politely distracted manner, handed it back to me, and advised me to apply via the company website. It was hard to accept that with very good grace.
But I went to the next company of interest, Vertex. (Also in Cambridge.) I'd applied for a very interesting job there last year, through a recruiter, and it sort of evaporated as the delays stretched out. I wanted to inquire about it, because it was *so* intriguing, and let them know I'm about to be available for such a position (or even a considerably less interesting position with their company.) After another 20 minutes under more flickering fluorescent lights, I got a chance to express my enthusiasm to a recruiter who would look me in the eye, take my resume, and talk to me. Unfortunately, she said she was not the person who dealt with the Quality department. When I asked for the name of the person I should talk to about the Quality department, she acted like I'd caught her in an embarrassing, unprofessional, indiscretion. "Oh! We can't give out names at these events. There are way too many people here. Heh. Heh. I'm sure you understand." Actually, I don't understand. But I don't have time to ask for an explanation, and doubt your explanation would help much.
A couple of temporary staffing agencies responded to my resume in the manner that used to be considered professionally courteous. They thanked me. They asked a couple of questions about my experience. They said they weren't sure if they had positions that were right for me now, but they would check tomorrow...and what were my salary expectations? If there wasn't anything good now, they'd keep my resume on file and let me know if something turned up.
