OK Boo-Ma
(My wife has been looking for a new job and spends most of her day off on her computer, applying to places. My mother-in-law stops by for a visit and sees my wife, her daughter, on the computer.)
Mother-In-Law: “I thought you were job hunting today.”
Wife: “I am. I’m in the middle of an application.”
(And my mother-in-law says what most older generation people say.)
Mother-In-Law: “You should really go in and give them your resume in person. That way they’ll see your face.”
Me: “Actually, I get a lot of resumes handed to me at the office. My boss always tells me to write their names down–“
Mother-In-Law: *triumphantly, to my wife* “SEE?!”
Me: “–and throw away their resumes while he adds their names to a no-hire list.”
Wife: “Ha, see?”
Mother-In-Law: “Wait, really? Why?!”
Me: “Because the application process is online. Every application process is online nowadays. Our website even says to not bring resumes in unless you’re in for an interview. The boss says if they can’t follow those instructions, he definitely doesn’t want to hire them. So dropping off a resume face-to-face costs them a job.”
Mother-In-Law: “But… you work in an office! For a big company! That should be standard process!”
Me: “But we have to stop our work to talk to a person who interrupted our workday by not following instructions. That’s why a lot of hiring processes are online. In fact, it’s very weird now to not have an online application.”
(She stopped nagging my wife about going in person and left her alone. My wife got a job that she applied to online.)
This story is part of our Mother-In-Law roundup!
Question of the Week
Tell us your story about a customer who couldn't understand the most simple concept.
