[Jewelry making - Article 00142] - Re: [Orchid] Employment frustration

[walt999]

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Orchidians,

    Back in the early 90's I found myself in Susannah's shoes. I'd grown
    up in the industry like many of you. I had 8 years of bench time
    under my belt, & we closed down the family business in a small
    farming community in So. Calif. I thought with all my contacts in the
    LA area, I'd just move to where the jobs were just begging to be
    filled. WRONG!! What I got was a series of "bench" tests from 4
    different employers. I'd go in and be handed a stack of minor to very
    labor intensive pieces. I'd end up w/ about 10-15 jobs each time. I
    was given (usually) about 3-4 hrs. to complete as much work as I
    could. Within just a few minutes of sitting down  AT  the bench, I
    realized what Michael Jordan must have been feeling when he tried to
    play baseball after a very long & productive career in the NBA. I was
    a duck out of water! Why? Simple...I was in someone elses shop. I was
    at another persons bench. I had no idea where to find the solders,
    the heads, yes..even some basic tools were inexplicably missing. At
    one shop, I think out of the 3hrs. I was given to complete my task,
    I must have spent half of that time just looking for stuff. One bench
    was set up for a left handed individual. Not bad except I'm right
    handed. When I asked the manager where certain parts were located, he
    just shrugged & moved on. 

    I decided when I was about to start my 4th bench test, to set a few
    ground rules w/ the potential employer. Nothing threatning mind you.
    I just explained to them that I would be happy (all the while biting
    my tongue in half) to do a bench test for them..however I asked to be
    allowed to work (at no charge) for a regular 8 hr. shift so that I
    could familiarize myself with where everything was at. I would return
    the next day & they could then "start the clock" on me. It worked.
    But I learned an ugly lesson with those jewelers. They were 
conducting
    "bench tests" alot. I mean that no one ever got hired. They simply
    had a big pool to draw from in the LA area, & lets face it folks, if
    you have a constant revolving door of workers doing a bunch of jobs
    for you for free...well you get the picture. I now work only for
    myself here in big sky country & I wouldn't trade it for anything.
    Lifes little lessons can be very tough & demanding but sometimes
    there is something called poetic justice. I found out (after moving
    up to Montana) that every one of those places that I did a "bench
    test" at, are now all out of business. What goes around comes around.

Walt Teats
American Goldworks
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