Fooled A Boss To Get A Job?

Here’s the question, have you ever applied for a job that required you to be trained or had done the job before, but you never had or even had any training. Did you make up some job history, or just be liberal with the truth.

I was 19 years old and needed to get a job like yesterday, there was nothing really on offer, most had some interview date set some time in the future, but I was looking to start as soon as possible.

There was one job that required and immediate start, only it was for a fully trained butcher and I only knew one end of a cow from the other, based on what came out of one end of the cow. Still I had nothing to lose and the job centre rang up and I was asked to attend at one of the company’s shops the next day.

I got lucky because the area manager who interviewed me, knew my brother very well, he had picked up on my name and asked if Peter Roach was my brother. Now Peter was well know in the meat trade here, as a top class butcher, so I said that he was and my brother and had taught me all I know.

Well he said we can skip the block test for you, (part of any interview would have consisted of cutting some meat up, to show how good you were) any chance you can start on Monday at our Bank St Branch in Teignmouth. The manager is really short staffed and later if you want you can move to another branch.

I had a job, I was going to be starting on Monday, It would be OK I told myself, how hard can it be. I got to the shop at 5.30am, the manager put out his hand to shake mine, “Charlie is my name “he said, “I’ve heard all about you, so glad to have you we need a top man here”

He showed my around and pointed me to where I would find a butchers coat and apron, “ when you are ready, pop back into the shop and I’ll tell you what I want you to do first” I took my time but in the end walked into the shop and waited for his instructions.

“Right get out a hindquarter; I want the topside and silverside rolled up as joints. Keep the best half of the top rump for steaks and roll the rest. Leave the rump on the bone for now. Take out the thickest part of the fillet, say about 10 inches worth, bone that end of the sirloin so we can use it for steaks. Cut about seven T-Bones steaks from the next piece and then roll what’s left.

Fine I thought, I'll have a go at that, I walked into the very large walk in fridge and looked around. I could see there were two different very large parts of cows hanging on a rail, four complete pigs with their heads on and three English lambs. I stood there and just did not know what piece I was meant to bring out and start butchering.

After a short while Charlie came to see what the problem was, I just said to him if he could point to the bit that was the hindquarter, then I would get it on the block and make a start on it.

“Are you not a qualified butcher” Charlie asked, I was told you brother Peter taught you, he is a top butcher that one” “Well I never said he had taught me to be a butcher, only that he had taught me all I know, he had not got around yet to teaching me to be a butcher” was my reply.

Charlie laughed and said he had admired my cheek and knew I had done so to get a job. “I won’t tell if you won’t” he said. that man stayed hours after the shop closed night after night training me and I have never forgotten him.

So do you have any work stories like this one?