Are any other words so universally despised when heard on the phone as these? “Hi, I’m calling about your PPI.” Wasting thousands of people’s time every week, the cold caller is a job that surely no-one aspires to attain. Still, at least the recipient has the option of instant termination, or better yet stringing along the caller for a minute or two before cutting them off. Cold-calling is often just a single element of a marketing, sales or other job, but it has grown into its own entity. And yet really it is often only a version of a shop assistant talking to you about a product.
Could you do a job where you are hated? Not a job that you hate because it is in itself potentially unenjoyable or dangerous such as prison officer or fire-fighter, but one that is regarded as dreadful to everyone else – and you yourself are hated.
The reality can be very different of course. Take an ultimate example of a job for the people: the MP. Once upon a time members of parliament were respected and almost revered. Constituents were proud that a figure would equally fight for them in the House of Commons and the local town hall. But in recent years, and particularly in light of the Telegraph expenses scandal, that esteem has fallen.
Some years ago a local newspaper investigated what young people thought of politicians and councillors in the area, as part of Local Democracy Week. A survey discovered that only 17% could name their local MP, only 5% knew their local councillor, and the average trust rating for politicians was only 35%.
They’re regarded as arrogant, and liars, and crooks – often with little substance behind the claims. Examine your Facebook feed and you’ll find that Members of Parliament are now targets for much of what is wrong with society, rather than a force to alter it for the better. Some capture the mood of their targets, like Nicola Sturgeon and Jeremy Corbyn, and ride to power or prominence, but these moods are generally fleeting. What’s more, social media allows untruths to perpetuate, with little room for legal redress from the politicians themselves, and these negative connotations persist.
Take anyone who works for the HMRC, or a car parking attendant. The latter is a particularly unlikeable role for anyone arriving at their vehicle 31 minutes after parking, to see a smirking attendant slapping a yellow form onto the window. There’s a perception that such workers gleefully enjoy extracting money, and will refuse to warn or advise drivers; instead they’ll sometimes stand and watch as people park illegally, and only move in when the driver has left the vehicle unaware.
Perceptions of other jobs can fluctuate between wild popularity and bitter hatred, especially where public opinion is based on performance. Some singers and actors are beloved until they utter one controversial opinion that renders their career irrelevant. A comedian might be the voice of public reason to some, but their particular brand of humour might be revolting to others.
And what of those involved in sport? There are many particular figures in the sporting arena who can be loved when the goals and tries are flying in, and ridiculed when form dips. Even those who cannot directly influence results on the pitch can suffer the wrath of fans. Managers and chairmen, for example, are more exposed than ever before in the digital age, where twitter trolls share their ‘opinions’ and sometimes even contact the figures in the firing line themselves. One could never imagine the case of the Oystons at Blackpool taking place pre-social media, simply because there was no platform for the fans to use.
Other than making money (by no means certain) and supporting your local team, why would one ever choose to own a football team? Another Peterborough figure, Darragh MacAnthony, spoke about taking over as chairman of the city club to the BBC: “To be not liked by a lot of people in football, I couldn’t care less. It fuels me and my club to be different. I’m a rebel who wants to change things in football.
“When I came into real estate it was a closed shop. People were telling me to forget about it, ‘you’ve got no chance’. When I bought Peterborough United and said we’re going to get out of League Two and League One, all the usual people were laughing and sneering at us.
“I like being written off. I like proving them wrong.”
Another unpopular job where proponents use their physical gifts is that of bouncer and doorman. It’s not totally fair, given that they have to deal almost exclusively with nightclub drinkers who are inebriated or using drugs. Up and down the country on weekends, thousands of lives are saved and fights are broken up by doormen, and yet negative connotations seem to trump the positives.
A final profession that is widely regarded as unpopular; the estate agent. The perceptions are that they’re incredibly pushy until they get money, when their pressures and attitude seems to tail off. They will bend the truth to get a sale and offer options that are unnecessary and unneeded, draining your wallets further.
Again, the reality is not so clear-cut. Online estate agents have changed the game completely, since they recognise that their advantages are time, money and simplicity. If you’re selling your home an online agent can cut your fees by an average of £5,077 and the length of time by nearly 50 days. And they’re nice.
Job popularity is not really essential in life, as long as the participant enjoys the process.
If you hate your job, then move on, but if someone else hates it… well, they’ll get over it.
