Well, hello there and thanks for surfing my wave!
I’ve been reading many blogs from us unemployed folk. Yes, lots of us are blogging away wanting and wondering who and what’s out there.
Nothing, just us. Is anybody listening? Hello (insert echo here)!
Did we attend college to spend our parents’ money or our three-jobs-to-pay-for-this-crap just to get a sharp stick in the ass educating ourselves to now find we’re over-educated, over-qualified and over-paid for whatever it is we’re applying for? We are being interviewed by people young enough to be our children (I haven’t been on an interview but this is what’s happening) and by geeks trained to program computers to read phrases and keywords on a resume that might get you in the door if you can crack the computer’s code.
Technology.
When I was in school, even college, none of this existed. We spoke to and met with real people looking for beating hearts to share a common goal; working to help some Companies’ bottom line. We were able to actually call a warm body (no emails then), leave a message if they weren’t in and got a phone (landline!) call back! Beautiful stuff. We were taught how to interact and engage with people. Now we’re fighting the modern elements of negative aspects of technology just to outsmart some computers’ software, meet with automatons – maybe, to get a squat salary just to save some Companys’ ass from going under.
California, our nations’ largest government-based economy second to Washington, D.C. is going broke (possibly already did by now) and wants to sell landmark real estate that people spent their lives building, maintaining and years exuberantly patronizing (even the jails!) to see it up for fire sales. America’s favorite pastimes have been tossed aside because of a few who don’t care.
Abuse.
Yesterday, I went with my kids to the dentist. What I witnessed was something to behold. Technology done right! The equipment in this office was immense, not in size but in scope. I can’t even properly describe it to give it due justice. If I had these highly trained and engaging professionals working on my teeth decades ago, I might have a better mouth today. Nothing short of amazing and inspiring for the Dental Industry.
My point is this: Why do we have to struggle with technology just to land a job? We do have very concrete proof of technologies that work and benefit the masses. It’s not all that difficult and, quite honestly, shouldn’t be; it’s not brain surgery – but if it were, we’d all be dead. Guaranteed. Why can’t technology work with us and assist us to get work? As advanced as this country is, it should endeavor a system to get the best there is, not negatively weed us out. This is, undoubtedly, what has occurred.
Trying to find work has been like getting kicked in the teeth; at least I know a good dentist.
TheUnemployMENTOR – email@theunemploymentor.com
Why Just Look For A Job…Create One!
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Congrats on your new virtual home and thanks for adding it to the blogshpere. I just had a quick comment re your Technology post. While your points are true that filters are used by recruiters to speed up their process, it is also true that the Technology available to the job seeker today is very powerful and enables them to view thousands of jobs across all industries and geography whereas in the old days you had the newspaper and stamps to lick and mail to wait on (not to mention all of the online resources for training / retraining and support like this blog.
Thank you so much for reading and commenting.
You are quite correct that today’s job seeker has a greater potential, but if the end result is to speed up that process to a fault, what good is it? What you are pointing to are tradeoffs. Your stand is well taken; given our choice we would much rather have it as we see it today, but still we need to outfit the other end better. Just because there are more fish in a bigger ocean doesn’t mean they know good bait when they see it.
Warmest Wishes-
TheUnemployMENTOR