Odd "opportunities"

Seems that once you post your resume on the Web (I think I'm on five job boards as of today), you become fair game for desperate recruiters.

I say "desperate," for today I was approached by an international financial services firm to become a "Financial Advisor." Me, a financial advisor?! Surely, you jest!

Just because I have been taught by (often painful) experience to never say never (I am a lesbian who was convinced she was heterosexual for 30 years, after all), I checked out the "opportunity." I didn't just look at the clever and catchy recruiting materials on the firm's Web site, I also Googled the company and came across a site that served to nip this budding financial advisor's career in the bud.

The firm is being sued for deceptive sales practices, and from what I could discern, "advisors" are truly glorified sales agents who are pressured to sell unsuspecting clients the firm's over-priced, not-terribly-rewarding products.

In other words: Forgetaboutit. I read somewhere once that a survey of professions and their rewards found that certified financial planners are a content lot, but I think those that find the career rewarding likely inform people about their many alternatives while suggesting only products/services that are truly in their best interests.

Yes, I am an idealistic soul--hopelessly naive, if you insist. And though I do avoid major declarative sentences where my future is concerned, I think you could safely bet I am not going to become a Financial Advisor any time soon.

On happier fronts, yesterday I sent out my first query letter, even though it took forever and a day to get it to land where I wanted it to (the publisher's firewall kept bouncing my attempts back). Chasing down freelance writing gigs always seemed too fraught and frustrating to me back in my full employment days, but these days, in my "never say never" frame of mind, I am willing to give it a try. Yesterday's attempt is the first of many--I'll see what, if anything, comes of it all, then decide whether or not this is an option for my future care and feeding. Can't hurt, right? Besides, it forces me to focus on what I really, truly know--and can write about with assurance. A good thing, indeed.

Well, today my last update for my managing customer service guide is due, so work I must. It's a bittersweet thing, a final deadline. I've always admired the organizations that do customer service well, and have enjoyed doing my little bit to help more people become good customer service providers. May be stating the obvious, but it's a dying art....