The Bee Job Question

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4 Comments

Andy Cooper on June 21, 2013 at 11:51 am

Though some of this remains familiar with the disappointment of Doncaster game and Wembley, I think it would be unfair to suggest where we are now isn’t dramatically improved on the circumstances when I wrote that in 1997. I’m guessing I was heavily influenced at the time by the Forster sale, and the customer service ethic of the club was widely derided. Last season’s was a young team with who gave it all but couldn’t quite get there, not the plaything of miscreants such as Webb or Noades. The atmosphere and customer service has, for the most part improved since then, whether or not you are insulted by the term “customer”, it’s definitely better.

Just as a post script to this article, the prospective employers did come back later and offer me the job (after their first choice didn’t take it), but by then I had got another job that set in motion my eventual move to Hong Kong, which has been a fantastic opportunity so I’m glad it went that way looking back, although I don’t get to as many games these days. Let’s hope this time next year we in the Championship after a storming season, reflecting that it worked out for the best as we are better equipped to compete with a more experienced squad!

BillytheBee on July 4, 2013 at 1:24 am

I chuckled when I read this. Back in the day, I was trying to switch career from tedious computing to glamorous marketing .. Albeit with no experience. The only experience I had was my scrap book of Brentford trips I used to run (unofficial coaches, boats etc).

One day I applied for this event management job at a sponsorship agency and I got an interview. Up I turned up with my scrap book and waited nervously to see the boss.

He called me in. He was very polite. We started chatting about my backrground and what I had done. He asked me what attributes and formal experience I had in the area of sponsorship and event management and I said “None. But have a look at my scrap book”.

Very excitedly I started flick through it describing various trips. Days out like the “Lakes Larks” trip where we all went mountain climbing in the Lake District after an away game at Chester. And the “Bee Brum Brom” when our game was called off at Birmingham City and we ended up at West Brom … plus loads more.

Then very strangely, he just grabbed the scrap book from me and started flicking through it excitedly. “I didnt know you organised the boat to Southend” he said. “And I didn’t realise you wrote to Cadburys about sending chomp bars down before the Bradford game”. This completely threw me. How did he know so much about all this Brentford-related stuff?

Then it twigged. Well it did when he said “By the way, I’m a Brentford fan”.

I almost fell off my interview chair.

For the next hour we didnt discuss work. We just talked about Brentford and their chances of going up that season. Needless to say, I got the job and had great fun over the next few years organising husky dog races for a Canadian beer company and swanning around the country organising art exhibitions for British Telecom. All because I was a Brentford fan.

My old boss still goes to Brentford week in and week our and is well known to quite a few Bees fans out there so I won’t embarass him by exposing him publicly.

But needless to say, I’m all in favour of the ‘what’s your football team?’ box on application forms. The only problem is it could get say Man United fans claiming to be Bury fans just to get to satisfy the ‘individuality’ and ‘resilience’ attributes required by their potential future employer.

Jim Levack on December 6, 2019 at 6:07 pm

If, like me, you’re always looking for a chance to get Brentford into the conversation – any conversation – then job interviews seem to be a doddle. Well that;’s been my experience anyway.
First up when I left London for the Midlands 27 years ago, I went for an interview at the Coventry Evening Telegraph. I thought the interview was going well when the subject turned to hobbies.
Here was my chance. I played my Bees card.
The News Editor, a lifelong Southampton fan, burst out laughing and the Managing Director, a Yeovil fan, could barely contain his glee.
“At last we can have someone whose team is more shit than mine,” he beamed. I doubt he’s laughing now.
Got the job though.
Fast forward to 2008 and I’m News Editor at one of the biggest regional papers in the country, the Birmingham Mail.
Papers are no longer being invested in and I’m offered redundo which after some deliberation, I take.
I cast the net looking for job and it’s a leap into the unknown. After all I’ve never not had a job.
Then I see a job as Head of News at West Midlands Police… lots of responsibility, decent money and a great chance to learn new stuff like crisis management, emergency comms and moreover keep in touch with my former journo mates. Only this time to keep the bad news out of the media eye.
Interview date set and I’m building it up in my head. Dealing with life changing incidents, murder inquiries etc will require a degree of gravitas – there’ll be no mention of football in this interview.
In walks my prospective boss in full uniform, Det Supt Mark Payne, a top bloke who is now deservedly climbing his way up the tree at the force because of his common touch.
After a gruelling half hour of questions “what would you do if…”, “we have a triple murder gang related in Smethwick near and old people’s home, what will you do first?” we seemed to be getting on.
Then Boom… so I see you played football for south of England schools, what team do you support?
Is it a trap? Keep cool Jim, don’t gush. Yeah right.
Ten minutes later we were still reminiscing about games at Fellowes Park and David Crown’s debut in a 3-2 win.
He was a big Walsall fan and we got on like a house on fire. I got the job.
The Gold meetings, where we’d sit with the Chief Constable and Operational chiefs, were always interesting whenever Brentford headed to the West Midlands.
They always made me stand up and promise that our fans would be on their best behaviour. Goes without saying.
Football, and in particular Brentford, is like an oil that salves conversations and eases our paths in life.
If people say ‘I don’t like football’ I know I’ll struggle to get the gig.