I feel as though I was offered a very significant career opportunity but it was pie in the sky. Paula is a typical “used car salesperson” type and uses these techniques in interviews.
I had accepted a different opportunity but decided to go with TS. I expressed this and was hired on the spot. My first day of work Paula asked me if my other offer was true and when I replied of course, she looked disappointed. I should have known then I was in for a rude awakening.
Early on while working with TS I had a death in my circle. I asked if I could go to the funeral and come back. Paula talked to me several times saying are you sure you could come back after the funeral, I think it would be really hard to come back. She appeared to think I should not come back afterward. Because she pushed this I decided she would think badly of me if I came back after, so I finally said, you’re right. I should not come back. Then she was angry with me. Her management style as well as her personality is very passive aggressive. While working there I expressed concern to other employees because they never covered their noses or mouths when coughing or sneezing. The quarters are tight and it is a damp, dingy, smelly, basement or breeding ground for germs. She must have over heard this because one day she stood in front of my desk and loudly discussed how she wasn’t afraid of germs. I also took exception to the fact employees would fill up their water from the bubbler, placing the lip of their cup on the spout. Not too long after this the office had an outbreak of intestinal flu that took 3 days to get over. I have thought back on this as Covid ravishes the nation with concern. One employee came into work with puke on his shirt. That’s how relaxed the dress code is. She ended up spending hours in the ER with this employee for nothing. She also spent a great amount of time taking care of another employees mental health needs. He lived about 45 minutes away but she put everything on hold to, what, I don’t know? He was married and lived with his mother. Why she felt the need to be this involved in these employees who were misfits, I don’t know. I hope she takes germs and personal hygiene more seriously now. Hygiene was also an issue there. One man would wear Trek sandals and every step he took, the smell would waft around the room. He was related to her, how do you address that? She often wore hats because she did not want to wash her hair. She told the entire staff this.
Often she would say to me, you know we all had great jobs before this one. I would just look at her, puzzled. I never talked about my previous employment. I had heard wonderful things about what a spendthrift Paula was and it helped her to be competitive. It was an attribute I was very interested in seeing and learning. I never compared my fortune 100 background to a grassroots private business. Again, a very passive aggressive trait. There were certain practices of hers business wise that I would often comment on because I sincerely thought they were innovative and cost savings affirmed, she quickly got rid of those things and bought new. I believe she was projecting her passive aggressiveness on me and became offended. Once she wanted the staff to take a off the day after Thanksgiving. None wanted to. We all needed the pay. She was pretty upset with us but finally gave us the day off with pay because she didn’t want to come in.
I was promised endless opportunities, existing accounts, loads of training and help, once I asked one of the managers how to best describe and use verbiage to try and get more sales. Questions to ask, etc…I had been clear in my interview I needed this. He went to the white board and started writing numbers down in between his routine/habit/superstition of waving his arms, twitching, touching his face a certain a number of times, and various other tics. All of it was overwhelming and useless.
In addition this is a draw position. You have to pay the company back before you make any commission. “ A draw is a simply a pay advance against expected earnings or commissions. Sales commission structures are usually designed to give an employee some control over how much they earn during a certain time period. It adds a direct incentive to performance: The more you sell, the more money you'll make.”. It truly is.
I CAN TELL YOU MANY OF THE OTHER REVIEWS HAVE BEEN HEAVLY EDITED BY PAULA. HER COMMENTS HAVE BEEN DELETED. AND SHE HAS WRITTEN THE GLOWING REVIEWS HERSELF. she has to, because it is a very toxic environment, with little training, and an unforgiving CEO who is out of her depth. Work at a fast food joint instead.
