Oh Brother

Oh man, my poor brother.

I put him down as a reference on my job application. I am not a full time employee, but I do get paid to do data entry for him as well as monthly reports. Normally I don't list the work I do for the family businessses on my employment history (I have always been the number/computer geek for both my mother's and my brother's salons since they opened), but I threw one of them on anyway to avoid the two year gap in my job history - which is a whole other topic I shouldn't get on my soap box about. Staying at home with your kids for a few years shouldn't make you unemployable.

The job I almost have involves a few different steps in the application process. Yesterday I filled out yet another job history. This form didn't have a spot for what my position was, just what type of business. I didn't call him to give him a heads up because it wasn't like I made up a story and needed to fill him in on everything. I was confident he would tell them the truth. Yes, she's my sister, she runs my reports.

My new employer calls my brother (keep in mind we share a very uncommon last name) and asks him to verify my employment. He says yes, she works for me. Then he was asked to verify I was working as a hair stylist. No, no, no, no. Me as a cosmetologist is absurd. Instead of saying, no, she does data entry, he froze up. He knew it was unlikely I was claiming to be a full time stylist, but he didn't want to rat me out if for some reason I had. He told my employer that he would need to call the manager of the salon because he couldn't verify that part.

ACK!!!!!

He calls and yells at me! No dude, I simply said it was a hair salon, not that I was a stylist. Sheesh. If I just went through three weeks of unpaid training and I get denied over my brother trying to cover me, I am going to FREAK OUT! I guess it is my karma getting me gain for asking my baby brother to be my alibi all those teenage years.

Another lesson learned. Give the guy a heads up.

-Sara