Frustrated Job Seeker's Rant -- Feel Free to Add Your Thoughts

Good call,however I have written my congressman(Im paying his salary) about this,no response!Typical!!! And obviously voting the ++++++ out of office doesnt do any good,MORE come in behind them!Very slick,politicians,I would run,but nobody would know me since I dont have any raport with the talking heads.Screw this country,it is not worth the paper it was written on..........

hahaha, I agree with you dirtwhig, I hate those applications online, I am not trying to sound lazy, but one's cannot help to get lazy and my spirit is so down after wasting 40+ minutes per application to finish that horrible(10 times!) per day question.
Who the heck created those questions should be sued. I felt as if I'm getting discriminated against every time I have to answer those.
It's very long and yes maybe my attention span is very small but seriously...
Does people like me cannot get a job at all because I have small attention span and that I usually just keep on clicking neutral, nah I don't do that either, even if my head is spinning about these stupid questions.
But the thing is, my spirit goes down every time I got interviewed and I told the hiring manager about my employment gap and I thought that he would have understand my desperation for a job, but oh no, I bet he hired the next perky person. Oh well God bless him anyway
And I got a call from sam's club and I have been trying to get hired by wal mart, because I really see myself working at wal-mart, but they won't call me! anyway that sam's club unfortunately I had to say I can't get interviewed that same day because I have another appointment, but I guess the HR think I'm another lazy person, I will still see if she'll call me by Monday, but I bet she's already hired people.

So politicians, they must be good at something because we voted for them? why won't they able to end this recession, I think of many ways to rid this recession and I'm scared that the world if not will end by 2012, but the USA will be...
After all, where else are we able to get any more taxes if there's more in demand and less and less money coming in.

So my ONE prospect for employment wrote me this:

Thank you for interviewing for the position of Student Services Representative this past Tuesday. As you know I interviewed a number of candidates and at this time you have not been selected for this position. I wish you success in your ongoing job search. Thank you for your interest.

Regards,

This after waiting 4 days for a phone interview, and another 4 days for the results. This was for a position that required 1 year of administrative experience (I have 2+) and customer service experience (I have 15).

I felt like writing back "thanks for the opportunity to speak with you. I'm sure that you had many other candidates more qualified than a Master's degree holder with 15X the experience you wanted, who could have made a career with your company. Maybe next time, you can actually give me a chance to show up in person, rather than dismiss me out of hand for what seems like a very flimsy reason."

But I didn't.

Oh BTW, my unemployment is now at that point where they want you to keep a log of who you applied to, or you don't get a check. I'm not sure how this works with companies where you call them, and they don't call back, or don't answer. Like 90% of everywhere I've tried. =/ Good thing I have savings, huh?

I called unemployment when that happened to me and asked what about all the companies I applied to on line. She said the forms are old and a computer is just scanning to make sure you put something and actually unless you have left a blank space no human is really looking at it. If something is blank than it is kicked out and looked at. I just put the name of the company, for address I looked it up or faked it. Who I spoke to I put computer. Results I put await reply. Now I'm a 99er and don't have to deal with it.

freedomwhat in Las Vegas, Nevada said: hahaha, I agree with you dirtwhig, I hate those applications online, I am not trying to sound lazy,

Hey Las Vegas, hows the job market there? The resorts look like they are always hiring....

Thanks, Janet. The system is so backwards here, that I don't know what's going on. I got something in the mail that says I may be eligible for more benefits if I fill out the work log. The online version of the same thing says my benefits have been exhausted. I really don't want to make another trip to the unemployment office...I think I'll just submit a work log and see what happens.

I think SS is called entitlement because we are entitled to the money because we paid into it.

I have been searching forever, as most of you have. I have a great employment history, education, licenses, and certifications. Again, as most of everyone on here have. And it is truly disheartening to know that unprofessionalism in companies is so wide spread. We pound the pavement and keys to no avail. I, like most of you, have been on countless interviews to only wait in agony to never receive a reply. Its laughable, and cruel. I agree with the points made in this post, and am glad that it was created. I wish I could forward this to HR departments, and potential employers of all. Also, I wish they would please stop interviewing an obnoxious amount of applicants, lie to their faces, never get back, then repost the job the next week. I wish everyone on here all the luck in existence, and hope we all land on our feet.

<--------Officially unemployed in a few more days...

DontWantToBea99er in Somerville, Massachusetts said: Oh BTW, my unemployment is now at that point where they want you to keep a log of who you applied to, or you don't get a check. I'm not sure how this works with companies where you call them, and they don't call back, or don't answer. Like 90% of everywhere I've tried. =/ Good thing I have savings, huh?

When I was on unemployment here in Pennsylvania, I never had to keep a log of where I applied at. But back in the 80's, when I was on welfare and food stamps, I took part in a program where you had to keep a log of where you applied for work and send it in to them. The woman who handled this said that I was the only one who kept track of where I applied for work. Of course, they don't have it anymore.

The name of the program at the time was the PEP (Pennsylvania Employables Program) program.

dirtwhig in Breckenridge, Colorado said:

I applied for them, no one gives me a call.

John in Catonsville, Maryland said: Neither do I, which is a big reason I am so pissed off these days. The news media, congress, the president, all lying their butts off and their noses are just not getting any longer.....

All I have seen for the past few years is that lying, cheating, and stealing gets rewarded (the banks and other big business bailed out) while honesty gets punished. I made like a good boy and saved money over the years and lived within my means. After I got laid off, I can not get ANY help (food stamps, energy assistance, mortgage help, etc, etc) because I played the responsible part and have a couple dollars in the bank. That is just the way I was brought up, but what do I do now? I really truly do not want to wind up on the street. Do I really have to become one of the scumbags and start lying, cheating and stealing?!

Best advice I can think of is start keeping your money at home!!! When it gets to be too many bills then take them in and trade them for $100 bills at the bank......I'm starting to do that; give it a shot!!!

Well today, per my husband's insistence, I started just walking in to places to apply. Still nothing...I have to say the face to face letdown is even worse than filling out the ignorant web forms. Several places said maybe they would be hiring after school starts. Which brings me to...Lots of luck to anyone that is actually going to college.

Grant013 in Astoria, New York said:

I have walked in to shops, stores, etc. Nothing!
Wore my hair up, not worn it up.
Wore slacks and a blouse.
Wore a dress.
Tried to not sound like I know more than the Interviewer (even if the Interviewer doesn't know anything about the position and can't answer my questions).
Asked a lot of good questions.
Listened attentively (most interviewers like to hear themselves talk).
Laugh at their jokes (most think they are clever).
Ok I don't feel better...

I have had even less luck with walking into places. I have even been told by at least one retail store (no names, their initials are west marine) that one can only apply on the web. For a part time, low paying job. Yeah, ok.

Other places I can't seem to get past the secretary....

pebcle in Cleveland, Ohio said: What burns my buns is calling Social Security an "entitlement" program. Excuse me? Everyone who works has invested into Social Security just like we deposit $ into banks, & we trusted our government, like the banks in which we have our accounts, to manage OUR $ so that is available to us when we need it. The government makes it sound like they are merely giving us checks that we didn't EARN somehow, & don't get me started about banks! Both our government & banks have conducted SCAMS on us? & yes, Janet, what do we do if the government expects us to work older & older when we cannot find jobs if we're 40+ years old? Welcome to the decline & fall of the United State of America.

I don't know what is to become of our Country but I don't want to hear any excuses when it comes to SS. Can't guarantee SS checks will go out on Aug. 3rd....BULL! All of us whom have paid into the system need to raise cane about this!

I too wish I could send a link to this thread to every CEO and Interviewer in this country.

jberrie33 in Columbus, Georgia said: I feel your pain, but if you want a real kick in the gut, my wife got one last week. She was actually pulling into the parking lot of the staffing service and got a message on her phone to not bother to come for the interview. It seems the office manager had found out (from my wifes Facebook page) that she was pregnant... End of process, period. So much for the posted non-discrimination notices huh???

Well, unfortunately they didn't do anything illegal - there is no protection for pregnancy when it comes to discrimination in the workplace. Especially in GA, which is a right to work state.

As I'm sure you're both well aware of now it is best to keep any type of social profile down to a minimum and under lock and key. HR people do look and they do pass judgment. It's rough out there.

Grant013 in Astoria, New York said: You know what I would do? I would go to merchantcircle.com or other company review on yelp, etc. and bomb the sh*t out of this company's reputation. I would also provide the name of that interviewer who did that. There is a special place in Hell for interviewers/office managers like that.Karma will eventually strike when someone notifies the EEOC or hires the ACLU or some other such.

Even that won't do too much. The EEOC is great at giving out letters saying that you have a "right to sue" but most attorneys wouldn't touch that type of case with a ten foot pole. The poster's wife wasn't even an employee of the company yet and pregnancy isn't a protected condition.

A better option would be for them to take it to the local news agencies in their area. That would get people's attention regarding the matter.

J in Jacksonville, Florida said: So-----advice needed from anyone who is involved in the hiring process. All comments are welcomed.
Who out there is getting hired? You go through a phone interview with either a staffing firm or an actual employer, you have great conversation, give a positive and upbeat vibe and feel like something may actually happen. You even go through the exact same situation in person. AND THEN YOU NEVER GET A CALL BACK! Now; I hate to be critical but I encounter numerous people in my day to day dealings that I say to myself "how on earth did they get this job"?? I am so tired of people who cannot put a sensible sentence or email together getting hired for all these jobs. Do we need to toss our common sense/home training skills out the window? My very sweet parents, who have passed on, taught me incredible life skills/street skills (that's what I call it) for which I am eternally thankful.
There has to be some hidden cult-like method for getting a really decent job these days that I have not discovered.
Again; I welcome all comments and advice!
THANKS!

The past two jobs I had gotten in the crappy economy were via networking/recommendations. A family member pointed me to a big hiring with a large company (was short term - contract only lasted 2 years) and then a friend of a friend recommended me for my last job. My husband and I recently relocated because he had applied for and had gotten a job that his friend had recommended him for.

They weren't awesome jobs. They didn't pay well or make me especially happy. But they were jobs and I was glad to have them.
Bottom line? Talk to people. Ask if their companies are looking for anyone even if it is part time or short term. I plan on getting out to events in my field as soon as we're settled in our new town and apply the being nice to people and networking method here. Hopefully I'll find something in my new area. :)

Regarding working in healthcare, it is a VERY youth oriented field. You need to be young in order to work 12 hour and double shifts, flex back and forth from nights, to evenings to days. The stress in the hospitals is horrendous with ever increasing patient loads if you are a on hand caregiver like a nurse, respiratory/xray/lab tech. The HR people know this and just do not hire the older worker even if you have experience, because most older workers can not handle the aspects of the job. This is the truth. The push for going into healthcare is for the inexperienced younger worker to go back to school to become a healthcare worker, it is NOT intended for people over 40+ as these fields are expensive to go to college to learn, you will be in high debt before you even get a job, and THERE are tons of people who can not find a job even after going to school for these careers, stuck with school loans in addition to other bills. IT seems like the field to be in these days, no matter what the industry, yet, many do not have the intellectual ability to deal with the complexities of computers all day long. I really do not know where people are supposed to go anymore to make a good living. Everything no matter what it is only pays $10.00 hr. ever notice this? This is NOT a livable wage for most people with a mortgage, car loan, utilities, food and clothing. What are we to do work 7 days a week? I do know people who are doing just that, working 7 days a week at very low wages when just 2 years ago they had good, high paying quality jobs. This is serious business, when no one can afford to buy anything our capitalist society is in jeopardy, as we are based on buying and selling. We we no longer buy and sell, our country will stop literally. It is called a Depression, we are a heartbeat away from this. Doesn't seem like our government cares. I just don't get it, it is like the elimination of the middle class is OK with them, the backbone of American society being eliminated.

I'm seriously considering NOT filling out the "voluntary" race/sex questions at the end of applications. The truth (male/white) can really do nothing for me, and everything against me.

I'm 99% sure that I've lost at job opportunities in the past because the company in question had to fill a quota for a certain race/sex/disability. I've been told before that I was not the most qualified candidate for positions where I had 15X their required experience. So either I'm competing against God Himself, or they're filling quotas.

I wish someone would pass a law making those questions illegal, period. If they "don't matter," and are "completely voluntary," then why waste the page of paper and ink on them? Oh right, because they DO matter.

DontWantToBea99er in Somerville, Massachusetts said: I'm seriously considering NOT filling out the "voluntary" race/sex questions at the end of applications. The truth (male/white) can really do nothing for me, and everything against me.

I'm 99% sure that I've lost at job opportunities in the past because the company in question had to fill a quota for a certain race/sex/disability. I've been told before that I was not the most qualified candidate for positions where I had 15X their required experience. So either I'm competing against God Himself, or they're filling quotas.

I wish someone would pass a law making those questions illegal, period. If they "don't matter," and are "completely voluntary," then why waste the page of paper and ink on them? Oh right, because they DO matter.

I finally gave in and filed for food stamps and Medical yesterday. One of the questions was what race was I. What does it matter? I need food and medical care.

DontWantToBea99er in Somerville, Massachusetts said: I'm seriously considering NOT filling out the "voluntary" race/sex questions at the end of applications. The truth (male/white) can really do nothing for me, and everything against me.

I am pretty sure they justify this by saying the state wants to know this information. I have even been asked my age on some sites.

I give up. I wish Obama would read this site. Maybe we should all post it on the white house site?

I am in the same boat as you Dirtwhg (male/white)... I have started to chose the "decline to answer" option even though the companies claim they use those things for the federal stats. I live in an area where I am in the minority. I have seen ads encouraging minorities to apply. REALLY? They obviously had no clue what-so-ever about the race breakdown.

John in Baltimore, Maryland said: I

John,
please go to the white house facebook page and post for Obama to read the forum. I just did! Maybe we all can? But you are right, and i thought this stuff was illegal to ask.

It's supposedly voluntary information, but I bet more than one HR person sees refusal to answer as "being difficult" and into the circular file your resume goes.

If I see another job posted that's through a staffing agency, I am going to scream; especially the same jobs that are being posted all the time!

For once, can't I just simply go on to any of these job search sites and not find the same jobs being posted over and over again through these staffing agencies! Even the ones being posted directly through the companies is just as bad! They must have high turnover because of this. Or in the case of these staffing agencies, they might have long-term agreements with these clients.

I was looking at another job description today for the jack of all trades person. It listed the usual software used in my field then a few others that some places want depending on their needs. Then they listed at least 3 programs I never even heard of. I can't be the only one in my field that never heard of these. Where do these employers expect people to learn all these programs if schools don't teach such specialized software? It didn't even say that those software programs were a plus. It's getting impossible to learn all these things they want.

Are other fields as bad as graphic design is when it comes to this? What are you all seeing in job postings?

Janet in Van Nuys, California said: I finally gave in and filed for food stamps and Medical yesterday. One of the questions was what race was I. What does it matter? I need food and medical care.

Janet, applying for food stamps was the best thing I ever did. When I applied I got $100 in debit for immediate use (it letter said it was an emergency issue). It felt like Christmas.

Mary inTampa in Tampa, Florida said: Janet, applying for food stamps was the best thing I ever did. When I applied I got $100 in debit for immediate use (it letter said it was an emergency issue). It felt like Christmas.

My main problem is my teeth and Medical does not cover that. It is hard to find work with a broken tooth. If I can save on food maybe I could afford to have my tooth fixed.

designer bee in Waukesha, Wisconsin said: I was looking at another job description today for the jack of all trades person. It listed the usual software used in my field then a few others that some places want depending on their needs. Then they listed at least 3 programs I never even heard of. I can't be the only one in my field that never heard of these. Where do these employers expect people to learn all these programs if schools don't teach such specialized software? It didn't even say that those software programs were a plus. It's getting impossible to learn all these things they want.

Are other fields as bad as graphic design is when it comes to this? What are you all seeing in job postings?

Designer here too! What programs did they list, out of curiosity?

Frankensense in Warwick, Rhode Island said: Designer here too! What programs did they list, out of curiosity?

Contribute, Open Asset, Deltek, Constant Contact and Google Analytics. Maybe some of this is for web design? My background is in print design.

They listed 14 different software programs plus all the social media things and also they wanted someone who does photography and copywriting. Good gravy, I can't be good at everything.

Janet in Van Nuys, California said: My main problem is my teeth and Medical does not cover that. It is hard to find work with a broken tooth. If I can save on food maybe I could afford to have my tooth fixed.

Is there a dental college in your area where you could get something done for cheap? Just a thought.

Janet, yeah, I know scary having students practicing on you, but maybe it's not so bad since they are supervised by experienced dentists.

I don't have the fingers to count the "opportunities" around here that expect specialized experience that NO ONE has. Yet they keep reposting the "opportunities" anyway, rather than just say "hey, if we offered to actually train someone, we might get a LOT more applicants who are great matches other than their lack of training in this thing that no college teaches."

Even if you have experience and don't require tons of training, they will lay you off with some lame excuse. The last place I worked at I didn't need a lot of hand holding other than being shown the way they do things. That is to be expected at any new job. I took notes and asked questions and fixed my mistakes when I made them. I never complained or was negative. They told me I was doing good all along and then one day they laid me off out of the blue. Ugh companies these days!

Grant013 in Astoria, New York said: WHAT?? You can't have an emergency...staffing agencies only want slaves and automatons. :)No. You CAN'T have a life outside work..not in US. Need to go to Canada or Europe. :)All joking aside, I went through this years ago with the soul-sucking staffing vultures.They're vampire leeches who pimp out labor like some replaceable ho.Just think if a cataclysmic or environmental event happens, they will all disappear from the planet.NICE>>>>>

Grant: Another staffing agency has also posted for telephone sales reps not too far from where I live. But once again, they want people to not take any time off. Again that's crazy.

I will admit that when I interviewed for a telephone interviewing position with a staffing agency back in February, they had a two-day mandatory training period. I had a doctor's appointment scheduled for that Tuesday; which was the second day of training, but I was willing to change. I made an exception in this case. Well anyway, I didn't get the job.

How about this little doozy? Six months before 9/11, I had an appointment with a staffing agency in downtown Philadelphia for a data entry position. The assignment was supposed to run until June. When I was in the office, they asked if we had any other commitments. This one girl said that she had a court hearing on March 14 for child support.

A few days after I started the assignment, I got sick. In fact, I was coughing up a storm and my voice was very hoarse. The staffing agency rep was onsite inside the manager's office, and I asked to go home, but they wouldn't let me. The next morning, I was still the same and then I called out. Ditto for the day after that. I also went to the emergency room to get checked out, and they discovered that I had pneumonia in my left lung. They put me on antibiotics, medication, bed rest, and to follow up with my regular doctor. My father even brought over my medication and two huge bottles of apples juice.

Continued

They also wanted me to drink a lot of fluids as well.

After being home for three weeks, I went back to my regular doctor for a follow-up visit, and to get a note so that I could go back to work. While I was out, they replaced me on the assignment. The agency said that I quit, but that wasn't true. I told them that I would come back to work once I felt better, but it was too late. Even when I gave them the doctor's note, the agency said that they didn't have anything for me. (This agency has since gone out of business.)

I can understand that the work was behind. If I didn't get sick, I would have been glad to finish the assignment. But it's not my fault that I got sick. My health is way more important than some client deadline, and that's the bottom line.

Janet in Van Nuys, California said: My main problem is my teeth and Medical does not cover that. It is hard to find work with a broken tooth. If I can save on food maybe I could afford to have my tooth fixed.

Janet: I don't know how much it costs, but there's a clinic at the University of Pennsylvania Dental School where the dental students work on your teeth. Perhaps UCLA or USC might have one. See how much it costs.

Janet in Van Nuys, California said: I finally gave in and filed for food stamps and Medical yesterday. One of the questions was what race was I. What does it matter? I need food and medical care.

Janet: A few months after I came back to Philadelphia from your home city, Los Angeles, I ended up applying for welfare and food stamps. I did because I had to. I didn't have a job at the time and I didn't want to be homeless.

Twenty-seven years later, I'm still on food stamps. I can't get cash assistance because of my SSDI, and I can't get medical assistance because of my income. There is a medical assistance program through welfare here in Pennsylvania: Medical Assistance for Workers with Disabilities (MAWD for short.) But I don't have it now because I'm not working. I am looking around for Medicare supplement and hospital indemnity insurance. After all, Medicare only covers 80% of your medical expenses.

If there's a similar medical assistance program in California, by all means, check it out.

designer bee in Waukesha, Wisconsin said: Contribute, Open Asset, Deltek, Constant Contact and Google Analytics. Maybe some of this is for web design? My background is in print design.

They listed 14 different software programs plus all the social media things and also they wanted someone who does photography and copywriting. Good gravy, I can't be good at everything.

Yes, this! This is the same issue I keep running into when job hunting. They want someone who does print, web, programming and marketing but want to pay them a low salary. I studied print first but now feel that I have to go back and learn webdesign in order to be competitive.

And out of all of those the only one that I'm familiar with is Google Analytics.

Frankensense in Warwick, Rhode Island said: Yes, this! This is the same issue I keep running into when job hunting. They want someone who does print, web, programming and marketing but want to pay them a low salary. I studied print first but now feel that I have to go back and learn webdesign in order to be competitive.

And out of all of those the only one that I'm familiar with is Google Analytics.

Although I'm not familiar with your industry, it sounds like they want somebody who's the jack-of-all trades. They want an octopus, not a human being.

SharonMP in Lake Mary, Florida said: I don't know what is to become of our Country but I don't want to hear any excuses when it comes to SS. Can't guarantee SS checks will go out on Aug. 3rd....BULL! All of us whom have paid into the system need to raise cane about this!

I too wish I could send a link to this thread to every CEO and Interviewer in this country.

I agree with you Sharon. Obama and the Congress are playing around with our Social Security checks come August 3. They better do something soon. We Americans who depend on Social Security are not going to be put out on the streets and be homeless because of their stupidity.

Nanlisa in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania said: Although I'm not familiar with your industry, it sounds like they want somebody who's the jack-of-all trades. They want an octopus, not a human being.

I think if I glue suction cups all over my arms, I might qualify.

Nanlisa in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania said: Although I'm not familiar with your industry, it sounds like they want somebody who's the jack-of-all trades. They want an octopus, not a human being.

Right, exactly!

I joke with my husband about these postings "Must know print design, webdesign, illustration, coffee harvesting/grinding/preparation, must be able to walk and medicate small dogs and be on-call 24/7. Also, some light gynocology skills are preferred though not necessary."

That's about how bad some job descriptions are.

I hate when they ask for copywriting skills. I'm not a journalist. I just arrange words to look good visually. I don't write them. I also am not an expert at photography even though I took a class in it. I can do ok, but don't expect a lot from most of us.

Also web design isn't the same as web programmer. Some even ask for 3-D software knowledge. Others want you to play secretary or marketing person also.

I've seen ads for jobs for secretaries, marketing people, IT people, business analyst or even computer networker that asked for graphic design skills. Are those people creative and do they know the design software? I doubt it.

so now borders is closing all its doors and some 10,000 people will be out of work.

Everyone saw that one coming though...