My day was great. I was looking forward to tomorrow. SO let’s resume the whole thing in a chronological way. Online story of ‘getting hired’.
Some days ago I sent out my CV. People who know me, know it is a fucking great CV (I removed the spaces in the quotes)
I just noticed your classified online. I am Belgian and currently staying in the UK, planning to live here for a longer period. I have gathered a huge bar experience in several countries, Belgium, The Netherlands, France and Germany as well as in the UK, and am currently interested in making a ‘comeback’ in the bar business.
The past year I have been travelling the UK and Europe, as well as working as a web designer and helping out bar friends in Germany.
I speak fluently English (better as I write it), German, French and Dutch (my mother tongue).
Attached my curriculum as .doc file.
I tried not to harm any spell checkers with this mail or with the attachments.
I would love to hear from you (contact details are in the attachment).
Greetings,
Some days later, exactly 23 hours ago, I get following answer.
Call me on 01676 523798 as soon as possible, I have live in available staright away and I am recruiting fast for great people, hopefully you will be right for the job!!
This morning I do call and he hires me, requesting a picture. I didn’t ask for too much of information either, since I had to mail him anyway.
As promised a (some) picture(s). Sorry for the quality but the photos have been taken with a webcam (no photoshopping has been done).
As promised the picture.
Could you please mail me the address. A friend is driving me to Meriden tomorrow. We will leave around 16.30, so hopefully we will be in Meriden before 19.00.
Greetings.
Now I am first to admit that I am not THE most handsome bloke, but hell there is a lot worse walking around on earth, in this country. And I certainly do have my charms.
This was his answer.
Apologies but my house is now full and I cannot take any more people on, with your experience and willingness I am sure you will find somewhere soon,Thanks for your interest.
My answer, sweet, short and cute. I even didn’t insult this person. Just like he knows ‘howto-avoid-legal-problems-by-not-saying-your-not-handsome-enough’, I do know that insulting calling someone a bastard is also illegal. Even when you say the reality.
Hello Barry,
judging on pictures is a really nice thing to do. Actually too bad because you miss out on a great bartender, waiter, flirt behind the bar. Above all someone with a huge bar experience. Anyway thanks for having made me take care of everything to allow me to move and come down to Birmingham tomorrow.
But funnily, due to the huge amount of information you have provided me with at the phone, I even am not surprized.
I genuinely do hope you find an as experienced barperson as me, ready to bust his ass for his boss the way I do.
Good luck, obviously you’ll need it if your first ad is 3 weeks old and you still didn’t manage to build a team out of the first crew.
Sorry for the ‘bitterness’.
Greetings.
And to be complete, my picture and Barry’s email :: barry.chainey@btinternet.com
8 have made me smarter ↓
1 suki // May 24, 2006 at 12:13 am// View all comments by suki//
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Maybe he just wanted a smile. :P That sucks though. That’s why I could never become a bartender or waitress - it’s all about the looks, isn’t it?
2 J. // May 24, 2006 at 1:28 pm// View all comments by J.//
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What an asswipe.
I, for one, am loving the pic! *wink*
3 kebmillard // May 24, 2006 at 6:13 pm// View all comments by kebmillard//
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Damn MB, you are hot! Too bad I’m married!
4 Lisa // May 25, 2006 at 1:03 am// View all comments by Lisa//
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First of all…if he didn’t hire you based on looks…well I’m sure I understand that because you are very good looking…I’d sit in a bar and flirt with you all night ;) (no offense or disrespect to your girlfriend…I’m just saying).
Second, I’m not sure what the employment laws are in your country but I think in the US it’s illegal to discrimminate against someone based on looks. Again I still don’t understand why this bar owner would discrimminate against based on that.
Overall what I’ve found in general with the job market here in the US is that employers are generally fucked in the head when it comes to hiring. The criteria that they come up with for recruiting and hiring is so stringent that I’m amazed anyone gets a job.
5 Franky // May 25, 2006 at 1:17 am// View all comments by Franky//
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Lisa,
of course also in Europe it is illegal to not hire someone on looks. And his mail didn’t state it anywhere. Guess why.
Managers are experienced. So am I, I also do know all the tricks.
And all of you, thanks. But I am not the kind of ‘goodlooking’ that is ‘required’ in bars. I am not the ‘dandy worked out type’, a la Tom Cruise in (no not Cocktail) Top Gun. I am more of an ‘Eduard Norton in Fight Club’. But trust me, I am a great flirt behind the bar. 10 years hehe. And the little French accent (whenever I feel like, read :: whenever I think the barfly will like it) always does the job as well.
Anyway too bad for him.
Why do they base upon that? Because the customers are dumb. Remember the scene in Fight Club where the Narrator asks about the cK ad?
Too many barowners prefer a dumb blonde (no offense to blonde women) with big boobs behind the bar. Because men will come. I say wrong. Get a ’smart looking’, but better even a smart guy behind the bar. Interested in sports, and depending on the style of the place also in the news, for the guys. Preferably polyglot and ‘a real slut’ (at least during working hours). They will flirt with women. Women love ’sluts who speak several languages’, just like me. Besides that I am a professional, to stay upto date I also read Vogue and Cosmopolitan (I know all what goes on in your mind). But lets keep it short.
You will come back, because the bartender took care of you. And you’ll bring your friends as well. Women will love the bar because women are frequenting that place.
But where are the blokes in the bar? Instead of staring at boobs, drinking loads of lager/beer and having a tongue 4 inches longer every 30 minutes, they will come because they know there are great (looking) women in that place. They’ll buy rounds instead of only a shot for the barmaid every round. At the end of the month even the barowner is happy because his intakes were ‘huge’. Sadly the dandy cK boy is more popular than Eduard Norton.
Now will cK Boy keep the women for as many drinks as Eduard will?
6 Kentucky Girl // May 25, 2006 at 2:02 am// View all comments by Kentucky Girl//
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He didn’t hire you because he didn’t like your looks? WTF? You’re like hot and stuff!
7 Sarah // May 25, 2006 at 11:21 am// View all comments by Sarah//
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What a dick. I’d have hired you, if I had a bar that is.
Glad to see you picked a colour scheme that is easier on the eyes btw! :)
8 Felan Hennigan // Nov 24, 2006 at 12:12 am// View all comments by Felan Hennigan//
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Think you’ve got a few hang-ups sunshine, I worked at the Bulls Head for 2 months as head chef and found Barry to be a sterling gent. I left due to the management above him. Rather than your looks I know that due to the influx of applications, he had already filled the 4-bedroom staff house with about 6 members of staff.
Rather than abuse someone who can’t reply with your inane childish gibberish and insecure hangups, just crack on and get yourself a job. Oh, and if you’re going to let people fight your corner as you have done on this website, at least make them aware of all the facts like even half a man would.
Regards,
Felan.