Logic. What Is it Good For?
By Jim Bauer
@porwest (96697)
United States
November 8, 2023 2:01pm CST
Logic. Sometimes it works. And sometimes it just falls flat.
I recall, many moons ago, when I worked for Coca-Cola. Like many jobs we hold throughout our lives, I was simply ready for a change, and so I applied at a corrugated box company called Smurfit-Stone. I had been at Coca-Cola for 6 1/2 years, had a pension, 401k, seniority, and four weeks of vacation.
I made pretty damn good money too. But like I said, the spark had died. The luster and shine had worn off. I was just "doing time."
I hiked my butt over to the company for my interview, the plant manager asked all the usual dumb questions you get asked during interviews, and I provided all the usual half BS, half honest answers I usually provide to said dumb questions.
We got to the end of the interview and the plant manager asked me if I had any questions for him, and I said yes.
You see, a lot of managers think the only one in the room being interviewed are the ones seeking the work. Look buddy, I'm not some robot here. And I'm not just anybody. I'm freaking Porwest! You have to sell me this job just as much as I have to sell you on hiring me. This ain't no one way street!
"How solid is your business?" I asked him.
He smiled and proceeded to tell me, "Well, consider that anything you buy goes in a box first. We make those boxes."
It was honestly a brilliant answer when I think about it. It seemed reasonable. It made sense to me. What could go wrong?
I took the job.
Three months later the company filed for bankruptcy. Two months after that they laid me off.
So much for logic.
12 people like this
12 responses
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@RebeccasFarm (92428)
• United States
8 Nov 23
We have all made mistakes too. I so agree with that..logic is not always key.
3 people like this
@LindaOHio (183935)
• United States
9 Nov 23
I doubt I would have left Coca-Cola. I would have stuck it out with perks like that. I stuck out 15 years at my last job, was making excellent $, 401K and 4 weeks of vacation. Then they went bankrupt; and there I was, 62 years old and no job. I had planned on retiring from the company. I think they purposely went bankrupt because they became another company or were bought out by another company and continued operation. Have a good day.
2 people like this
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@LindaOHio (183935)
• United States
9 Nov 23
@porwest How long were you at your last job?
2 people like this
@porwest (96697)
• United States
9 Nov 23
The problem with me always was that I'd get antsy. It was no longer a challenge. It was no longer something I did not mind doing every day. It just lost something, and it became time to go. At the time it was the longest I'd stayed anywhere. The average for me was always 3-5 years.
2 people like this
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@thislittlepennyearns (63619)
• Defuniak Springs, Florida
8 Nov 23
HA, I just commented on one of your posts about logic!
3 people like this
@thislittlepennyearns (63619)
• Defuniak Springs, Florida
8 Nov 23
@porwest It was i think the comment I posted right before seeing this article. It was in our thread about the two most notable people who have left the site in the last couple months.
3 people like this
@porwest (96697)
• United States
8 Nov 23
@thislittlepennyearns Ah. I don't think I have come across that one yet, but surely I will in no time. lol
1 person likes this
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@Beestring (14950)
• Hong Kong
9 Nov 23
May be the plant manager was not honest with you or not aware of his company's financial situation.
2 people like this
@porwest (96697)
• United States
8 Nov 23
No. I just moved on and a couple of weeks later took a job with Nestlé. Unfortunately that one did not pan out either. I was on probation for 90 days and a couple weeks before I was done with that I had a broken tie rod and was 2 hours late, and they fired me. After that I took 2 years off and did my own thing. lol
2 people like this
@JESSY3236 (20254)
• United States
14 Nov 23
lol Boxes do fall apart sometimes. lol
1 person likes this
@lovebuglena (45662)
• Staten Island, New York
10 Nov 23
I’ve been on interviews where I was asked if I have any questions for them. I never knew what to ask them lol. I wonder if it goes against us if we don’t ask them any questions and just answer theirs.
1 person likes this
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@lovebuglena (45662)
• Staten Island, New York
13 Nov 23
@porwest I actually never thought of this... that you can just decline their offer. I always thought of the scenario where they don't want me lol.
1 person likes this
@porwest (96697)
• United States
14 Nov 23
@lovebuglena I have turned down many jobs in my life.
1 person likes this
@porwest (96697)
• United States
11 Nov 23
I always put interviewers on the spot. I look at it this way, I am not the only one in the room that has to sell something. You have to sell me the company and job just as much as I have to sell my services, and I like to remind them I am not just anyone looking for a job and will take whatever comes along. I have value.
If their responses suggest my interests don't matter, I won't hire them to be my boss.
1 person likes this
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@innertalks (22369)
• Australia
9 Nov 23
There is such a thing as faulty, or flawed logic, but in your case, his logic did seem sound.
Perhaps, they boxed themselves into a corner, and couldn't get up again from that knockdown blow.
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