It's Friday...

and, as the immortal Ice Cube stated in the epic film Friday, "ain't got no job, ain't got sh*t to do..." Fill in the blanks with the rest if you like.

I will now share an recap of a conversation I recently had with a Mutual of Omaha District Manager. If you recall, I believe I posted the initial email I sent him. Very professional. I'd been told by a recruiter that I should investigate Mutual of Omaha's Life Experience Hire Group Benefits Rep program. So I respond to this gent's job posting on LinkedIn. I kind of knew he'd be looking to hire straight commission Insurance Agents, but figured I could just talk to him and pick his brain. Get pointed in the right direction, if you will. We finally caught up and oh my, what a dbag. Hence, I will now refer to him as "said dbag."

Said dbag first asks what I've been up to. I tell him my story. I mention what I like about sales and don't like, and what type of sales job I'm looking for. And not looking for. After saying I didn't want the type of gig where I'd have to sell all my friends and family and work on straight commission he immediately got defensive. I then told him how I had a friend who does very well in the group benefits field. And I was looking for a wholesale role.

Said dbag than proceeds to jump on his soap box and belt out quite a soliloquy; saying he's been a wholesaler forever and companies only want to promote from within; if you don't bring in tons of business they will fire you. "If you don't have established relationships you will not succeed. The days of wholesale reps making 250, 300k are over" he whined. "Why is that?" I ask, looking for a somewhat constructive answer. "Because that's how it is", lamented said dbag. I'd already been thinking that this guy sounded like he'd been burned in the past; that he'd been bent over a time or two...at his request. But after his "because that's how it is" line I knew this guy was a joke. Even if he was right, he was a joke.

I then mention the name of the recruiter who told me to check out Mutual of Omaha for group opportunities. And by the way, I felt this recruiter was super professional, knowledgeable, and an overall useful asset. Said dbag says first that, M of O doesn't have wholesale reps. Ummm, OK. Then he says that the recruiter I spoke with "was OK...he's not a heavy hitter by any means." At this point, said dbag sounded like whiny little b*tch. Bashing recruiters? Come on. Really, speaking negatively about anyone, especially during the first conversation, is quite tacky. Ashy. Very little class. Thats why we call said dbag, "Said dbag." The conversation didn't last much longer. I asked if knew of anyone I could speak with further, or could make any recommendations. He rattled off a few names, didn't know how to spell them and didn't give company names along with them. OK, thanks for your time, said dbag.

This exchange basically reminded me that there are going to be those people in any profession. The bottom feeders. The dbags. The people who don't get it. The people who have a chip on their shoulder. The people who don't have a lot of friends. The people who are negative, and have an overall negative impact on society. And as is the theme with my life these days and my job search, one must remain positive, because you have to sift through a lot of BS in order to make it in the world. There's so many obstacles to hurdle, it's difficult to stay positive and focused, but we try. We try. We vent in blogs. Even if we don't vent in blogs as we did a few months ago...but I digress...