Business Networking, Business Calls

I came into the office this morning to do interviewing... I really think I need to cut down on my interviewing schedule, because it was getting a bit dull... I half-heartedly listened to my candidates, but I was truly bored. At the end of the day, hired one while rejected the other, and probably totally gave myself away to the one we hired by how much I grilled him on start dates. Yeah, he had to know we were going to hire him!

I then spent much of my afternoon just doing work, finally dashing away from my desk to attend a networking event at 6 PM. It was ostensibly an opportunity for people from Accenture to meet and network, although the excuse for getting us together was this random speech by a girl, Sarah Outen, who had rowed solo across the Indian Ocean. For a 24-year old, she actually was an excellent and well-composed speaker, although it really sounded like she had given this talk quite a few times before, as apparently she was a fan of going to schools and talking to school kids. Apparently she'd originally wanted to be a teacher, but had fallen so in love with adventuring, that she realised she could have interactions with kids in the classroom in other ways, mostly by being a speaker.

Earlier in the day, my boss had asked me if I could do a late call. Since I was still going to be in the office, I'd said I could, but had protested that the event didn't end until 8. But he went ahead and scheduled the call for 7:30. In retrospect, I really should have stuck to my guns and said I couldn't do the call until 8, but I suppose these are the lessons you learn. Because at 7:30, this girl was still speaking, and the talk was fascinating, yet I had to be that person who stands up and draws everybody's attention and leaves the event early. Sooooooo embarassing!!

So I went back to my desk and wrapped up a few things, but finally I was just too annoyed to stay in the office any longer. Time to go home!

I raced back to my desk and to the call, and managed to get through it and even pay attention much of the time, although I will confess that I was mostly just angry the entire time. Angry at my boss for dragging me out of the event, making me do this call, and angry at myself for allowing it to happen.

When I finally managed to hang up the phone, I raced back to the event in the hopes of catching a few last-minute networkers, but the entire place was deserted, I was too late. Which had me once again ready to stamp my foot in frustration, I was so annoyed, both at my boss and myself for making me miss the entire point of the event, which was to network and meet other people!

So I went back to my desk to finish up a few things, but I was so annoyed that I couldn't stay in the office for much longer. So I packed up my things and got out of there, it was definitely time to go home!