Beware Employers That Are Looking For "A Good Fit"
Pros
Working around books is never a bad thing. You get to be around books. You get to be around people who like books. It's a great feeling helping people out, and the customer service aspect was highly enjoyable. In addition, the pay is good, and they give great discounts.
Cons
Out of respect to the company as a whole, I'm assuming the problem with the branch I worked at was a couple of bad managers--that is, a couple of rotten apples spoiling the tree. That being said, the managers I dealt with were often rude, and toward the later end of my employment, even passive-aggressive. On one occasion, I asked another manager for assistance in an activity in which I was still learning the ropes. His response was to snap back, "I already told you how to do that!" On another, I inadvertently snapped at another manager out of nervousness, but was quick to apologize multiple times. I wouldn't have blamed the manager for firing me right then and there--it was my fault for snapping at them, and I owned up to it--but at the time, the manager indicated that they understood how nervous I was. However, this same incident came up later as evidence that I may not be "a good fit," even though I had apologized repeatedly, and the incident in question had occurred several weeks prior. Though I apologized further, I ultimately realized that it made no difference, as my "negative behavior" continued to be cited as evidence that I wasn't "a good fit." I had explained to the managers that I'm not very strong physically, and had understood the position to be primarily customer service-related, anyway. They assured me on several occasions that my performance would improve over time. It did not, and the managers soon employed passive aggressive--not to mention duplicitous--tactics to force me out, such as saying my "negative behavior" was unacceptable, along with increasing my workload and then telling me that my performance was unsatisfactory. Having spoken to the employee who had previously had my responsibilities, I was shocked and angered to learn that the workload I had been given far exceeded any given to employees currently working there. The behavior of the managers also shocked me in how much it contrasted with that of the owners. Half Price Books is, after all, a family business, and I was grateful to be working on one of the rare days that members of the family came in to visit. The two men were definitely stand-up guys, treating a low-level grunt like myself with dignity and respect, which reinforces my earlier opinion that this particular location merely suffered from poor management. Knowing what I do now, I realize warning bells should have gone off the moment the managers told me that this was all a good opportunity to see if I was "a good fit." There's literally an entire discussion, both on LinkedIn as well as in the U.S. job market at large, about what this deliberately-vague phrase actually means. The general consensus seems to be that employers hiring people who "fit" the position are best avoided. I would tend to agree.
