The job centre is a joke 6 September 2010
I'm going to a job interview in Stockholm tomorrow and since I can't afford train tickets myself, I had to apply for travel expenses compensation at the job centre (sve. Arbetsförnedringen).
Apparantly I had to apply before departure and it had to be done face to face, so I visited their office - feverish and weak due to my cold that won't loose its grip. It was really painful, but I had no choice.
I got assisted by an older lady at the job centre. I had brought interview-verification a contact's name and phone number. She made it very clear to me that she was in charge and that I wouln't be so sure that my application would be accepted.
She had to search for the company in the job centre's register, but apparantly my information was insufficient. She told me that it would be extremely complicated to add a new company to the database if it wasn't already registered (yeah, right...)
She typed very slowly with her index finger and seemed quite unused to computers. I get so frustrated by that.
Companies and organisations which employees must work with computers should offer them a basic education in typing and computer use.
This was absolutely ridiculous. But what could I do more than sitting there, trying not to show how frustrated I felt.
Typing, typing wrong, erase, typing.... she couldn't find the company in the register. I told her that she probably typed the wrong name (I saw that she actually typed it wrong but didn't want to sound rude.) She just didn't get it.
She also found it confusing that the company name ended with ".com". Like that would be unusual? Apparantly that ending was unfamiliar to her.
She talked with a colleague who thought ".com" sounded like "King Kong" and then they laughed for some seconds while I forced myself from throwing them out of the room so I could do the search myself.
"I don't find anything. I need the company's organization number." she said. "Do you have it?"
How often do you know the organisation number to a company? Of course I didn't have it.
At that moment it seemed like she wanted to interupt our meeting. She wanted me to look up the organisation-number and then come back. But since I didn't have much time and since I was sick as hell - that was out of question for me.
I said that we should be able to find that number on the Internet. She seemed a bit unwilling at first and soon I understood why: she could barely use a browser or understand Internet. I was about to explode.
I tried to guide her in what to search for, which wasn't easy since she typed slower than a turtle crawl - and moreover - constantly typed wrong.
After a lot of struggle we finally found a number that we could use. A normal person would select the number on the screen, copy it and then paste it into the form. But not this person. She wrote it down - analogous - on paper, very slowly to get it all right. Then she closed down the browser window holding all information! *gasp* Ever heard about tabbing-navigation??? I begged to the Goddess that we wouldn't have to find it all over again.
Then she started to type the number in the form. She constantly typed wrong number and I had to correct her so many times that it got embarassing. She still acted like she was a god doing her holy work for an unemployed looser who didn't had the right to question her. She got the power to deny or accept my application and in other words decide if I could go to the interview or not, so I better behaved.
Finally we found the company in their database. *phew* I think it all took like 40 minutes or so. I was burning up with fever and hoped it was all accomplished by now...
But don't count your chickens before they're hatched. She accepted my application but now I had to call the job centre so they could book me a ticket.
Hey, wait... I'm at the job centre RIGHT NOW, ain't I?
"Well, it's the work of another department and it works that way."
"Do you mean that I must go home and call you to get my ticket?" I asked.
"You don't have to go home. You have a cell phone right?" she said.
I got quite angry right now. Yes, I do have a cellphone but I can't afford sitting in a telephone queue at the moment 'cause I don't have any money 'cause I'm UNEMPLOYED - and that's why I'm here trying to get to a fu**ing interview!
When she understood that it was an economical issue for me, she seemed to feel bad for me and offered me to borrow her personal cellphone.
Can you imagine that? I was sitting at the job centre, calling the job centre from one of the job centre's emplyee's personal cellphones. I must say this system is too perfect and efficient!
But anyway - that was what I had to do and I'm grateful that I could borrow the phone. I made my call, they made my booking - and then I had to go to the train station to print out the ticket.
Regardless if you're sick or not - this procedure is extremely irritating and tiredsome. It would be so much simpler if I could buy the tickets myself and then send them the receipts retroactive. This system is so dumb I can hardly find it believable. I hoped someone whould jump out from a corner and shout "Hey, you're on candid camera!"
But maybe the reason behind why it's complicated is to annoy you in such an extent that you're willing to spend 1000 SEK just to avoid it.
There's so many stupid, unefficient systems in this country. So much money and so much work force for nothing.
Well, I got my ticket now. All I have to do is to take care of myself and hope I'll feel better tomorrow so I can make a good interview. Keep your fingers crossed for me, ok?
6 comments (Latest: 2010-09-06 17:44:28)
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Last Comments:
The job centre is a joke
Dan Eriksson
(6/9 2010 17:44):
Ï know the feeling, especially about sitting and watching someone typing a large chunk of text with ... More
The job centre is a joke
Linnea
(6/9 2010 15:27):
Å fyfan. Detta ska du absolut översätta till svenska och skicka till arbetsförmedlingen i Skövde sam ... More
The job centre is a joke
Lasse
(6/9 2010 15:10):
Actually, I've recently gone through this procedure. It was just about the same for me. What I hated ... More
The job centre is a joke
Iona
(6/9 2010 15:06):
Tanks! :-) ... More
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Ladida 5 September 2010
We say "Ladida" way too rarely. It's a fun expression. I will use as often as I can from now on. ;-)
And I like the word "ghastly" as well. GHASTLY! More ghastly this and that! *makes a note*
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TH Tribute 5 September 2010
I just read this quote on Hanna's blog and got really touched. But I guess only TH-fans will understand why.
"When I thought that everything was black,
and that love is dead,
they came to rescue me.
When I was on the edge,
and I wanted to break away,
they told me to dont jump.
They told me to scream it out loud,
and when they said ready set go,
not even 1000 oceans could stop me.
They told me to live every second
as if it was the final day.
But most important of all, they told me:
"I am by your side
and to me you´ll be forever sacred."
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Ugly dance app 5 September 2010
This must be the funniest app of the week.
You upload a photo of yourself and the next minute you'll see yourself dancing a silly dance.
Hilarious!
Auntie Iona dancing in auntie-clothing. ;-)
Take a look at me making a fool of myself, or try it out yourself! ^_'
My dance: Iona dances an ugly dance
Your dance: Make a new one
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Child birth 4 September 2010
I'm still sick, feverish, caughing and snotty. Seems like I might have an important appointment on tuesday morning so I hope I'll get well before that. :-/
I just watched a child delivery on TV and thought about how traumatic the actual birth experience must be - not only for the mother but particularly for the child. Suddenly you're exposed to cold, bright light, noise and an unfamiliar environment. And like that's not enough - the first thing that will happen to you is that someone slaps your butt 'til you cry.
"Hello world!"
Yeah, I know - that's how it must be done, but I guess that means we all get born traumatized, more or less. That's not a great start, is it? Not to wonder most of us are pretty damaged to begin with. ^_- Hopefully, our brain can suppress these early memories, but what if it doesn't?
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Metaphorical and not 3 September 2010
Would my apartment be less messy if I had a larger litter-basket?
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Politics 2 September 2010
Everybody talks about politics nowadays. Not to question since it's time to vote.
And people seem to be more confused than ever.
Well, I'm confused too. Or rather desolated.
I guess most of us at least once have found ourselves in a situation in which we must sacrify our ideals to win the game. Some manage to do so while others quit the game.
Some of these situations are tricky and we rarely realise that we're being controlled by an outer system of regulations before it's too late. Sacrificing dreams for ideals is often hard.
A perfect world would let dreams and values go hands in hands.
It's not like I'm not sharing any of the political parties' ideals. I might like the party programme and agree with most of its standpoints - it's the politicans I don't like.
I don't trust them.
Why?
'Cause the path of progression withing the world of politics is posionous. If you weren't an ass to begin with, that career will make you one. Or preferably - you swap to another profession when you realise that you can't stand the dirty game.
I used to be very political active once. I had my beliefs and strong values - I still have them. But when joining political organisations I realised that it's damn ugly. More ugly than I could stand.
For instance, a youth association that I used to be a member of cooperated a lot with its "mother party". We had a hard time to collect money to finance our projects. For instance, we held fleemarkets - standing there in cold and rain during weekends and after school. Remember - we were kids at that time.
Right before the days of voting, the mother party's accounter embezzled all our money. Not just the mother party's money - but even the youth associations money! We wanted to frame that guy - of course - but were ordered to ignore the whole incident.
Why?
'Cause it could damage the reputation of the party in the worst of periods and would probably affect the voting.
The accounter wasn't stupid. He knew that it would be the best time for this action. I realised then that even though you consider a person as a friend, been in their home, helped them move and so on - it doesn't meen that he or she is trustworthy.
This was a small incident in a small part of the organization. But I'm sure that foul plays exist in all corners of the hive, in all shapes and in all dimension. Much much greater dimensions.
I guess we all experience this over and over in life. The career of politicians is hardly the only one filled with hypocrisy and foul play. It wasn't that long ago I experienced being stabbed in the back by my fellow colleagues in their strive for higher positions. I was the "stupid one" who didn't join the game and hence I got punished.
What I want to say is that these "games" we're being tricked into within different social structures have a tendency to suck out people's good intentions and ideals. Humans are actually quite simple creatures, easily manipulated by their environment.
My opinion is that the world of politics is one of the most ugliest of worlds and that noone that enters it stands unaffected. I have a hard time to believe that persons can survive in that harsch environment without covering themselves with shields of apathy and selfishness.
Sooner or later they will become that shield and lose their original values.
I just can't trust a politician - irrespective of how nice he or she might smile towards me.
They have all been shaped by the machinery.
Those who fought against it and managed to keep their original shape, believe me - they don't smile.
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Happy Birthday Kaulitz twins! 1 September 2010
This is a very special day, 'cause 21 years ago two little boys in The Kaulitz family were born. Who could have known that they very soon would turn into successful celebrities all over the world.
One of these boys is of course my special german boy - Bill Kaulitz:
And yeah, he's twinbrother Tom turns 21 as well.
Bill, I've seen you live twice. Once in Dortmund Germany, 13/6 2008. And once in Stockholm, Sweden, 5/3 2010.
No matter what you do and no matter what anyone say - I will always love you, Bill ("fan-love" - nothing else, ok? ^_-) I wish you and your brother a very happy birthday.
You probably think you look cool on this matcho-thingy, but I would rather see you on a toy horse. ^^
And btw - this has nothing to do with their birthday - they just claimed on TV that men that get turned on by other men in dresses rarely are gay. ^_- That information might calm down some of my friends... *he he he he he*
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