"We'll be in touch..."

I have never understood why people say they'll do something when they have absolutely no intention of following through. Is it better to be known as someone who does what he says, or someone who says what people want to hear, and then have to follow up with a litany of excuses for failing to follow through.

I am very easily lied to. If you tell me something, I will believe you. And I will hold you to your word. FOREVER. Now, I understand that circumstances change and there are times when promises simply cannot be kept. I'm a reasonable, rational person. Just tell me things have changed. Don't leave me hanging.

Yet, it just seems that more and more that silence is increasingly becoming an acceptable form of communication. In the past year, twice, I've had friends who've been rushed to the hospital. In both cases I sent them flowers while they were in the hospital. And in both cases, neither person acknowledged the flowers. I have sent professional requests to people, who simply ignore them. And these are people I see on a regular basis. They simply do not respond.

There was a time when I got upset about such things. But life is too short to waste on people who cannot master the basics of social intercourse, let alone professional courtesy. I simply move on.

Yesterday I met with a recruiter, who repeatedly told me how ethical he was. He viewed ours as a working partnership. I was to send him a revised copy of my resume and he was going to send me information on a job he thought I was right for.

Silence.

I had a phone interview yesterday with a recruiter, who was breathless at my qualifications. "Send me your resume! I want to talk to you about it over the phone." Resume sent. Promises that it would be forwarded to her manager and she'd get back to me today...

Silence.

I don't really take it personally. I'm quite confident that I'm not the only person they treat this way. But, they tell me to keep checking in with them on a weekly basis. So, I do. I completely ignore the fact that they haven't returned my calls. I leave light, charming messages once a week. And then, when I get a job and they contact me, wanting to work with me...

Silence.