Around this time last year, with the stress and limitations of the pandemic, all my freelance work in music and audio engineering had dried up and I got pretty desperate. I ended up applying at a giant musical instrument retail conglomerate here in Canada and spewed as much corporate bullshit as I could to get to the final interview. It went well all things considered, and the hiring managers told me they’d give me a call within the next week.
Cut to about 5 days later, and I’m walking in to buy some drumsticks and heads (this company bought most of the good mom and pop stores in my city so I really don’t have a choice) and I saw the hiring managers. I lit up a little bit and said hi, but the two of them seemed VERY sheepish. As I walked to the back of the store, I saw a good friend of mine getting trained for the job I had applied for. (Love that guy and hold nothing against him) No call, not even an email letting me know they went with someone else.
I left the store feeling EXTREMELY defeated that day. “If I can’t even land a job selling instruments, what am I doing in this industry anyways?” I thought to myself as I walked back to my car.
A couple weeks later, I found myself back at the store again, and got approached by the hiring manager again, this time with a very different demeanour. He let me know that they were short staffed, and asked if I was still interested in a job. Something clicked in that exact moment, and I decided that if they can’t even give me the decency of a phone call that is a place I DO NOT want to work at. I let him down gently in the store but oh boy I was fuming a little bit on the inside.
About a week after that, restrictions started lifting, and work started to pick up for me again more as a freelancer. Fast-forward a year later, and I’m making more monthly than I EVER had in my career pre-pandemic. I’m surrounded by clients and colleagues that I have no problem calling friends first, and are some of the nicest and most supportive people I’ve ever known. I work on my own schedule and take care of myself as much as I need to.
The best part to all of this? That same store is STILL posting the same job offer and have even resorted to using Craigslist ads in the city. They’re constantly short staffed and it’s a hot conversation topic every time I have to go in there. A lot of the staff there are friends or people I’ve come to know as such, and I’d never wish any ill on them but the company as an entity can rot for all I care. The country needs more independent mom and pop shops anyways!
I just wanted to post this to share my experience. I had a brief moment where I let a giant conglomerate ruin my self worth and confidence for a couple weeks, but thankfully the turn tables over a year and it feels SO good to not need them anymore.