Looking for work? Unemployed need not apply

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Discussions' started by rcreighton, Jun 18, 2010.

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  1. rcreighton

    rcreighton New Member

  2. Chebasaz

    Chebasaz New Member

    I've never cared about the current employment status of someone I'm interviewing, nor have I received any hint of such direction from my company. If you can fulfill the job requirements, you're hired. Lack of current employment is actually a plus, considering you can start right away. ;)

    The article quotes executive recruiters which are an entirely different breed and who handle an entirely different clientèle than most job seekers. The other examples are troubling, but seem to be limited (they only listed two).

    Businesses are not inherently evil; they just want to make a profit. Profit is made by following sound business practices. This is not a sound business practice, and the article fails to mention the logic behind it besides a quasi-"performance issue" worry that's as flimsy as tissue paper. Seems more like scare-mongering than anything else.
     
  3. dr.penguin

    dr.penguin New Member

    They're doing a good job! Luckily I'm employed, but it's still a scary notion.
     
  4. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    I listened to a news interview on NPR just today on this exact topic. With so many people looking for work, employers have begun to ask questions such as "Why has this person done NOTHING to move themselves toward re-employment over the course of the past 6 or 12 or 18 months?" They recommended taking courses, volunteer work, unpaid internships, etc. Anything to avoid the impression that you're just sitting there waiting for someone to offer you a job.
     
  5. StefanM

    StefanM New Member

    It's so ridiculous.

    Courses that you can pay for with all that extra money you have!

    Volunteer work (this one is possibly ok, but you still have to factor in transportation costs)

    Unpaid internships (this sounds easier than it is, and you still have transportation costs, etc.)

    I know it's the way the world is, but I don't think that an unemployed person should feel pressured into voluntary slavery just to fill a spot on the resume.

    It would be nice if something like "August 2009-Present, The economy stinks" would be acceptable.
     
  6. rcreighton

    rcreighton New Member

    This is not aimed at you, Kismet, by any notion but, O.K., I am one of these "unemployed" types and have been for the past 22 months. From the end of 2006 until September, 2008 I have experienced a reduction in workforce from one company, a second company closing altogether, and a third one declaring bankruptcy 3 weeks after I started there in which I lost my job after a whole 8 weeks.

    Since then, I have gone back and completed a bachelor's degree, am five months away from an MBA, have been doing volunteer work at a local church and school in which I have setup their computers and their network, updated software as needed and made myself available either on-call or over the phone for any issues. I come from 28 years experience in the printing and graphics industry, which I desperately would like to get out of altogether as it is an industry that has been greatly affected, in a negative way, by the economy and continual improvement in technology. As of this morning, I have applied to 406 openings locally, regionally, and nationally over 22 months. I have gotten 10 responses, two 2nd interviews, and no offers to date. I have tried email, telephone, snail mail, in person, networking, attempted follow ups, you name it, I have tried it.

    Obviously, either I am doing something really wrong or people like me are now considered refuse. Any clues, suggestions, job offers, networking assistance?? I am out of ideas guys. :confused:

    Rich
     
  7. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    Re: Looking for Work? Unemployed Need Not Apply.

    Now that's just a terrible attitude! I hope not too many employers really feel this way.
     
  8. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    I know. The story I referenced was trying to indicate that in a competitive marketplace prospective employers will likely raise the bar when deciding who gets the job offer. Here's a provocative question: If you're a hiring manager, do you choose the new grad with their shiny new diploma or the unemployed veteran, with all their experience? There's a decent argument for both choices.
     
  9. rcreighton

    rcreighton New Member

    Without question both sides have merit. The mentality is that a new grad can be hired for less and can be trained easier by the company. I, personally, disagree with both of these assumptions but that is what the prevailing beliefs are. Assuming the unemployed veteran is open minded to change, they should be able to get up to speed quicker than the newbie, assuming it is in a field that they already have some sort of knowledge and/or experience in.
     
  10. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    Good points by you.
     
  11. jaer57

    jaer57 New Member

    Have you considered teaching at the elementary or high school level? Or maybe a vocational school that teaches something you have a skill in? Of course you have probably have considered these, and I have no idea what it takes to become licensed or qualified to do those occupations, but I'm just thinking through my keyboard. I hope your situation gets better soon!
     
  12. mcjon77

    mcjon77 Member

    I can see it both ways. If you have not been employed for an extended period of time, you really need to be able to tell a prospective employer what you have been doing all of that time. One of the better ideas is to start your own business. Employers can understand a guy going on his own in a small business and it not working out. Another is to take classes.

    Before this recession, when I was working in a state government position, we were interviewing people for a tech position. We had several folks with the standard MIS degrees and MCSE certs apply, which was great. However, we also had one guy with an Electrical Engineering degree from a MAJOR engineering university (top 5 or top 10), that had no work history since he graduated FOUR YEARS AGO.

    Seeing a person with a degree like that, I wondered why he had no work history. I actually thought that he might have been in jail. My supervisor thought that maybe he left his current job on bad terms. We asked him about it and he just said that he wasn't working. We even through him prompts, asking if he did ANY kind of work then. He just said no. During the phone interview, my boss thought that he sounded weird. That, combined with the unexplained unemployment led to us rejecting him as a candidate.
     
  13. rcreighton

    rcreighton New Member

    Four years without working or volunteering is kind of scary. If it ever comes down to sleeping in my car or working at McDonald's, I will definitely learn how to ask others if they would their meal supersized or not.
     
  14. Lost.Monkey

    Lost.Monkey New Member

    Scary Term

    Gents,

    I too doubted the article, until I heard it from my own HR's mouth.

    Background:
    I'm trying to hire 2 guys to work for me as Flight Test Engineers, and have had a great deal of difficulty in finding quality candidates that are willing to move out into the desert.

    I spoke with my recruiter about the option of cruising monster or the like to take more of a hands-on approach (vs. waiting on HR to push me some resumes), and I was offered the term "passive job-seeker". This hit me like a ton of bricks, as she elaborated that my company is not interested in candidates that are not currently employed. We have well over 4,000 employees, and we're looking to double that in the near future.

    -The unemployed need not apply. How utterly cruel.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 14, 2018
  15. jeezem

    jeezem New Member

    it is a horrible job market, employers have tons of people to choose from for open positions, after 4 or 6 months of unemployment, you throw a red flag because nobody else has hired you, so - companies do assume there is something wrong with you, so - you have to add education, certification, volunteer, start a company, anything - to have current activities on your resume. also, companies from what I've seen are really targeting people 2 or 3 years after finishing a degree with 2 or 3 years of work experience, that is sort of seen as the highest value hire out there - educated and skilled, young enough to be eager and have a good attitude, not enough experience to garner a very high salary. i've been unemployed long enough at this point where I feel I need to add a new degree and change careers to an area that build on my experience, but is a new area and a move up in the world, a big problem companies have is that people are having to take jobs they don't really want, but they need a job - so, being able to show that you are ambitious and eager for the opportunity is paramount. trick is, do you have enough experience to qualify, with so many qualified people wanting that same job. it is sort of a catch 22.
     

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