Interviews - Oh my God, Why!?!?!

There are millions of Americans looking for jobs and are in desperate need of one.  In the same token there are also millions of American who are just plain sick and tired of working, the interview process and just giving part of their life away to a company who quite frankly can give two shits if you live or die.  With that being said here are a few things we are tired of:

1. The interview process -  First of all stop asking applicants, "tell me about your resume", honestly didn't you look at it, did it seem to be a fit, why tell you about my resume and basically re-explain.  We are so tired of this BS question.  I am dying to tell an interviewer, "did you read it", "now what questions do you have", don't make me regurgitate what's already in front of you.  This process is stupid and a waste of everyone's time.
2. What can you do for me - This question during an interview makes me laugh.  What can I do for you? Let me approach this a few ways 1) what attracted you to my resume, apparently you think I can do something for you, so you tell me what is.  The reason I bring this is up is the interviewer should know the ins and outs of the job and therefore is the one who recognizes you are the fit accompanied with the reason.  So, the question what can you do for me is basically null especially when they know the answer already. What an interviewer should do is fill in the gaps about the position regarding company culture, co-workers, management, deadlines, etc. And then ask how do you think on personal level you can fit in.  Ah, that makes more sense as oppose to you wanting me to sell myself when apparently on the surface you already like the product!
3. The Callback - This goes out to recruiters, do not sweat me for my time, blow up my phone and emails; only for you to do the following: 
1. Have about 10 other applicants from your agency also interview; which in turns reduces my chances.
2. Refer me to a position in which some aspect I'm not completely qualified for just to pad your roster to the client
3. Feedback - learn how to keep in touch even when an applicant doesn't get the job.  It would be helpful if you gave constructive feedback instead of dropping an applicant like a one night stand.

Personally I view Corporate America as toxic as heroin.  With all its methodologies, titles and bureaucracy it is no wonder nobody is chasing to go back to work.  I know some of the smartest people who have been out of work for 2 years plus, while they may be stressful in paying the bills, they are however some of the most stress free happy people I know.  While this re-election may finally bring about some jobs, Corporate America needs a make over in particular the interviewing process.  Stop treating people like they don't have experience, or as if they're desperate.  It's time to treat people like guess what PEOPLE!  Treat interviewees as if they're intelligent stop wasting their time and exercising your bravado/authority.  Your actions aren't impressing anybody it just frustrating a certain sector.  Most companies like to complain they're aren't enough qualified applicants yet the real issues is they're aren't enough qualified interviewers.  Get it together people stop the BS and get with the modern times and learn how to be REAL!

Peace Out,
Blacktina

OJ vs Obama - Whitey Anger!

It may be just my imagination but white people are mad as all HELL!  They're mindsets are like OK we let you in one time, but twice, that's it, Damm it I am pisst off.  You know when white people say "damm it", all hell is about to break loose.  The clear realization that they are no longer the majority is freaking them out like no other! What makes matters worst they cannot even condemn one race, it's not a black, brown or yellow thing, it now seems like all colors are working together and white man particularly the Republican party is on the oust.  A perfect example of their venom towards this shift is the 400 crowd protest at Ole Miss.  Btw - what a waste of education if you're spending your time protesting a black man being president.  What the hell are you guys learning there? You would think this generation would have more sense than their Grandpappy's, but I guess not.  Blood is thick and so are the prejudices that run through it.  Check out this article courtesy of the MPB News.  Take note of the quote "The south will rise again."

Anti-Obama Protest at Ole Miss Opens Old Scars

Peace Out,
Blacktina

Tea, the Beverage of Choice?

He did it again! Barack Obama is officially the President re-elect! We can all breathe a sigh of relief, take a long nap and overall just feel proud that we live in a democracy. Despite all of the rhetoric we the people have choose our leader.

While on a personal note I am elated that Barack Obama has been re-elected, I am equally saddened by the state of our country in particular the division of parties.  Historically the parties are meant to be divided, however the separation of today is much more visceral to the point where it's dangerous and irresponsible, can you say Donald Trump.

Throughout the legacy of politics parties have worked together for the betterment of America. During the Reagan years many Democrats worked with Republicans in implementing some of the social programs that are privy to us today.  During the Nixon years in which by the way he's the President who enacted Section 8 and was a Republican, he too worked with the Democrats, despite his Watergate issues (yikes).  The point here is we always found a way to compromise.  As we look at our current times we can only wonder, what happened? Why the change?

One of the main changes that I've witnessed since Obama took office in 2008 is the emergence and the affect outside groups have had on a party, in particular the Tea Party.  The Republicans complain the Democrats do not have a backbone yet their the ones who succumbed to the whims of this radical party who give a poor reputation to the original intent of the Tea Party.  Never in the history of politics have we seen a party become demoralized, negatively influenced and exercise poor judgment as result of coupling with a group of radicals.  Republicans we need you, the nation needs to become one.  Despite disagreements we can still make this the America it should be.  Stop drinking the tea! Give it up, be you, regroup. Re-acquaint yourself with original morals of the Republican party.  After all you're the ones who freed the slaves, don't retract what your party has done all to align yourselves with a group who clearly lacks vision and intelligence.  Drop them peeps!

While I'm sure parties will continue to disagree at least the disagreements would be based on merits and not on radical speculation.  American let's come together and stop the bull! The people who have voted you in have done so with the confidence that egos and tea will be left at the door so you the elected officials can walk into chamber and continue to make this the land of the beautiful and home of the brave!

Peace Out,
Blacktina

The Vote - Am I My Brother's Keeper!

Every time I hear the phrase "Am I My Brother's Keeper" I think of New Jack City.  Contrary to the premise of New Jack City, this phrase has wandered through the minds of many within the Black community throughout this election.

Many pundits have insinuated that African Americans vote for Barack Obama because he's black.  While I disagree with the overall statement I have to concur that part of me does vote for Obama because he looks like me, acts a little like me and for some reason I kind of think he knows what we go through as a person of color. After all before he became President he was just another black man, regardless of the white in him, which biologically was clearly wiped out. When you see Barack Obama and hear his name you think Black, period!  But while white people love to contend this is a race thing, then they should also be brave enough to admit that they too will vote for Romney because he's white! Here's where the difference lies if Barack Obama was a "Herman Cain" for the most part black people wouldn't even bother; it would be Clarence Thomas all over again.  However with white people who are suffering just as much as we are and are part of the 47% will still vote for Romney not only cause he's white but because Barack Obama is black!  This act of ad hominem which appeals to the feeling of prejudices rather than intellect is what has drove this country apart.  I truly hope for the sake of this country and the well being of all Americans that we vote based on issues, resolutions and overall betterment of America!  Despite who you choose, choose for the right reasons not just for same color!

Check out this article by Slate, excellent perspective on white voting!

http://mobile.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/scocca/2012/11/mitt_romney_white_vote_parsing_the_narrow_tribal_appeal_of_the_republican.html

Peace Out,
Blacktina

Surprise Surprise! White's Racism Towards Blacks Worsened in Last 4 Years, Study Shows

As if we didn't already know! Read on, educate and inform.

White's Racism Towards Blacks Worsened in Last 4 Years, Study Shows

The Message

Don't push me cause I'm close to the edge, I'm trying not to lose my head - The Message by Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five (Mellie Mel).  The Message was one of those songs that had it's  first lyrical conscious rap.  This song will remain timeless for a myriad of reasons.  However, its main lyric or should I say "hook" has been my corporate personal mantra for the past few weeks.  By the way my first rap corporate mantra is DMX's Ya'll Gonna Make Me Lose My Mind; works every time when an "all hell break loose" moment is about to erupt :), but for now let's talk about pushing people close to the edge.

Recently a situation occurred in which I facilitated a training session with staff and managers. The managers were belligerent, discounted everything I said, was disrespectful to their staff and worst of all sucked out any positive energy.  It was almost as if the Dementors from Harry Potter were present.  As the session ended I was extremely happy that the terror had now ceased; this happiness was very short lived as I heard the dreaded words, "Blacktina, there's been another class scheduled for this group with different team members but the same managers.  Y'all know I had an "aw shit" moment, mouth curled, eyes rolled, head shaking back and forth you name it moment. But wait there's more, just when I thought it couldn't get any worst, an email was sent to me my by the two Senior Managers requesting a meeting on training suggestions.  While part of me cringed at the thought of talking to these Senior Managers who I will refer to as Heckle and Jeklyl, I knew in my professional heart I had to concede and grant this request.  In an effort to appear fair and embody the team player mentality I agreed to the meeting and sent out the invite. Well unbeknownst to me Heckle and Jeklyl planned on having some sort of battle royale meeting in which I would be the weaker opponent. This little plan came to light when I noticed my meeting invite was forwarded to five additional managers.  As I retreated back to the "aw hell no" moment I quickly decided not to hold this in and take a minute to cool off which I normally would do. Nope, I decided this was one of those times where someone was trying to push over the edge and in the words of Mellie Mel "I was about to lose my head"! With this mindset I sent am email and stated the following:

Heckle and Jeklyl
To my understanding the proposed meeting was intended for Heckle, Jeklyl and myself.  I now see the meeting has been forwarded to several managers.  The presence of others managers who weren't on the original invite lend the impression that this would be an "attack" session in which I would be the one being attacked.  Considering the behavior of all managers during our last training session, it leaves me little to believe the contrary.  The purpose of this email is to set clear expectations, I will not be involved in a meeting reminiscent of the OK Corral. I want to be very clear this meeting is to take place between us three to provide training suggestions with the intent of enhancing training.  If your intentions are to alter materials then I suggest you contact the course Program Manager who will be more than happy to assist; other than that I have no problem meeting with the two of you as long as the conversation is civil, insult free and productive.  

I'm sure you could guess Heckle and Jeklyl's reaction. First let me tell you I was dealing with a white woman and a black man.  The black man by the way is married to a white woman and it's clear he has little respect for his kind (other situations provide credibility to this statement, that's another article :)).  The first response was from the white woman who did one of their common responses "I'm sorry you were offended, those were not my intentions."  Black guy's response "I think you mis-interpreted our intentions." Honestly, I knew I had them backed in a corner; my email was professional yet candid and to the point. Basically a translation of my email was "Um, hell no you said between us and I'm not about to get set up, so either y'all chill and leave as is or bounce boo and check your situation with the next one."  This whole little debacle did end with me just meeting with one of the Senior Managers, the Black guy, who apologize profusely regarding their behavior in my last class and only wanted to convey if I can skim over some topics they are not using and provide greater detail on processes his team is using.  I agree but I also told him this could of been conveyed in an email and you really didn't need 7 managers on a conference call to tell me that.  Again he apologized if it appeared as such.  BTW - Notice between the two Senior Managers the fake brotha is doing all the apologizing. Can you imagine the conversation between him and Ms. White Senior Manager about how to approach this situation, Arsenio throwback, things that make you go hmmmmmm.........

This scenario taught me a few things:
1) Never be afraid to call a spade a spade; if you feel it to be true then call it out
2) The truth will set you free; if you don't exercise it you will be imprisoned with some bullshit handed your way and
3) Remain professional and have your facts straight. Corporate America loves to see the angry black woman/man it gives them justification.  However, just because we want to avoid that stigma doesn't mean we shouldn't defend ourselves, we just need to learn how and when!

After all was said and done I was proud of myself. Yes I patted my back, wrapped my arms around myself gave me a big hug, hell I wanted to kiss myself in the mirror I was so proud!  As I get older I know one thing I like to sleep at night and there's no way I could sleep peacefully if I could let bullshit like this go on throughout my day.

Hope you enjoyed this story!

Peace Out,
Blacktina

The Truth Will Set You Free

It's that time of the year again where elections and feelings are running high. Either you're a die hard Obama fan or loving you some Romney; either way when it comes to the election and these spectacular debates the one thing that resonates with everyone is truth.  As in who's the truth??  According to the last presidential debate Romney seemed to be himself in which some critics have characterized his performance as the "true" Romney.  Obama on the other hand was viewed as tired, inexperienced and docile to Romney, which forms the questions was this the true Obama?

For many African Americans I think we know this wasn't the true Obama, however, his actions were very truthful to how some of us act when we're in professional debatable scenarios with white colleagues. Yes I know race isn't everything but to us African Americans and Latinos our interactions with the white race will ALWAYS be about race and how our positions are displayed.  For example if I'm in a meeting and I oppose an initiative I'm viewed as aggressive, my white counterpart is viewed as passionate.  If I ask too many questions I'm dumb and not on target, my white counterpart is inquisitive and insightful.  If I appear confident when my boss or colleague is addressing me then I'm arrogant; my white counterpart is assured and is deemed with leadership qualities.  Get the picture!

As I looked at Obama's demeanor during the debate it was as if he was afraid to be himself.  It was almost as if he were more concerned that his appearance did not offend Romney, because such offense might be mistaken as a disrespectful badgerer.  It was obvious that his performance was lackluster and just plain ole terrible! But I wonder was it really that bad or is it really bad that we have to act a certain way in order for us not to be misjudged, and if so when are we able to show our true selves?

Recently while being interviewed I noticed that I was very uncomfortable with my speech, demeanor and overall conversation.  When I left the interview and got in my car I played my mixed CD of Biggie, Blackstar, Tribe Called Quest, DMX and Nas.  I felt relieved that I was done but more importantly I felt like ME! The sad part of assimilation for African Americans is we really can't be ourselves and if we can't then how in the world do we pretend to be happy when we have to act for at least 8-10 hours a day and I mean some serious Oscar winning performances.  This revelation made me realize that within certain circumstances like interviewing I have to be me! No I will not issue a response like "Gurl, I'm saying....",  but I and like many others have to find that median where we're not selling out to be sold out and remain true to ourselves.  First and foremost many of us are innately intelligent whether its academic or common sense, we need to understand that assimilation shouldn't mean dimming our light so others can shine.  Would this mean my chances of success are slimmed, maybe it is, but I do know it may also mean that my happiness and inner truth will be happy as all hell!  Maybe if President Obama can find his median and display his truth perhaps he will have a successful debate! Let's keep our fingers crossed that President Obama can set the standard of display that if we oppose you it doesn't mean we're Nat Turner and about to revolutionize, for God's sake all we want is to be able to be our TRUE selves!

Peace Out,
Blacktina