Cattle Call

I have often heard this term used when there is an open audition for theatre or movies, when anyone with or without an agent gets an opportunity to audition and get their chance at fame however last night I went to what I would categorize as a cattle call, although the company likely would have called it a “job fair.” If you have never been to one it is somewhat of a humorous sight. People milling about with their resumes, half of them looking lost while some look totally bored as they wait for their names to be called, staring off into space as the interviewers run about overwhelmed with the number of applicants.

Last night I found it particularly amusing due to the fact that when I arrived they had a greeter at the door and I was told that I would not be seen today but would have to wait in line to schedule an appointment because they underestimated the number of people that would show up. I stood there for a moment thinking all kinds of things while smiling and nodding at the man standing there talking to me. When he finished I politely thanked him and made my way to the line up. Now if you’ve ever been to one of these things you know what happens next and you also know that there is a much more efficient way they could be doing this but alas – you get in line and wait to reach the table with the company reps – you get there and you have to sign in, your name, the time and how you heard of
the fair, someone then gives you an application and sends you on your way to another line up, which by the way ends at the person sitting next to the person you were just talking to – to set up a time to come back the next day.

You’re in line with this application and not sure how long you’re going to be but you were told to take the application with you and to bring it back. If you’re smart you likely would have brought a pen with you and something to write on along with a copy of your resume (side note: I can’t believe how many people in this day and age still don’t have a resume) so while you are standing in the slow moving line to get your appointment time you start to fill in the application so you finally get to the girl sitting right beside the person you spoke to when you first arrived and she asks you for your application – WAIT – WHAT? I was told to bring it home and fill it in and bring it back with me. Luckily I filled it in while in line , so I hand in my application along with a copy of my resume which I’m sure they’ll lose and I’ll make sure I have another copy tonight  and get my appointment time. Tonight the saga continues and hopefully they’ll be prepared for the next thousand people so they can schedule their appointments for tomorrow. While I stand there and secretly laugh and call them suckers in my head.