Is This What It Takes to Get a Job These Days?

"British graduate scores in sandwich-board job hunt" Reuters

Every other week now it seems that I turn on CNN, Headline News, or CNBC and find a story about some, "creative", "industrious", "go-getter", who straps a board to him/her-self advertising his or her desire to find employment, and I become awash with a creeping sense of doom.

It takes a person who is completely bereft of ego to walk up and down the street prostrating himself before the masses in order to give executives (and/or glomers-on seeking to derive a marketing benefit for their company) the opportunity to discover your tenacity, so that they may offer you a job.
However, homeless people, and pan-handlers have been doing this since Lucy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucy_(Australopithecus), and it does not seem to have done much for most of them. I recall years ago seeing footage of people holding up signs saying, "Will work for Food" during the Great Depression. Is this what it takes to get a job these days? I hope not! However, I suspect that we are in for another several months of hurt my friends.

Like many of you I subscribe to a myriad of job sites, which tell me when jobs fitting my criteria are available, and occasionally, I receive a notice about a career fair in my area. Usually, I peruse the list of companies and come to the same conclusion that I don't want to join the Army, the Navy or the CIA and I forward the notice to my spam folder. Recently though, I decided that I should take a close look, and perhaps attend. To my dismay, I soon discovered that the notice, which was about three days old, linked me to a career fair in Chicago, IL that was BOOKED SOLID! Worse, it was not at a hotel, where one could expect capacity to be rather limited. Nor was the event scheduled to take place at a more adequately equipped convention center. It was to be held at Soldiers Field. Huh?... Rut Roh! How could soldiers' field be booked to capacity with jobseekers??? Yikes!
At the beginning of this recession I had heard that 20,000 people had showed up in Manhattan--forming a line that extended over a dozen city blocks--in order to attend a day-long first-come-first-served career fair that only had boasted, "dozens of employers". Since then, there have been several such occurrences, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezxJAs0TI54



Now, I'm not encouraging people to give up. I'm just saying that you might want to pre-register and show-up REALLY early if you don't want to wait in line all day at one of these career fairs. Make sure that your resume is (positively) impressive; where your best duds; make sure that the coiffure is perfect; and for gosh sakes get some professional associates to do mock interviews with you before you bother to show up to one of these things! (A nervous, bungling candidate will get nothing from a job fair.)
Will you have to attend a grueling career fair, or don a sign in order to get employment in 2009? I honestly don't know. So, you tell me, what you did to get your last job? Or, what are doing now to get the job that you desire?

The Future of Work???: RE: U.S. Career Institute

U.S. Career Institute

So, the weekend has rolled around and I'm feeling guilty that I've failed to post something for ... no ... it couldn't be... A WEEK! This morning I thought, what else do I have to say about this work thing? After 10 seconds of brainstorming, I was exhausted. But I discovered a nice little solution. I would type, "work" into the browser's Universal Resource Locator aka the, "URL" (you know the search engine at the top of the monitor's window) and MAKE THE COMPUTER DO THE BRAINSTORMING.
I quickly came across a couple of different sites about work, which I have decided to review for you today. The first is regarding the US Career Institute (linked above for reference), which purports to offer a variety of distance learning courses, aka: virtual courses, including: Accounting, Business Management, Entreprenuership (their misspelling not mine), Fashion Merchandising, Financial Services Management, Health Information Management, Human Resources, and Marketing.

Now I can not claim to have tried these services; but allow me to share my impression of the site & related offerings.

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Jobs, Employment, Hring at HHGregg

Hott off of the presses from Business Wire: HH Gregg is Hiring!. Good luck all!

"hhgregg Announces 80 Job Openings in Memphis


Sales, Warehouse and Management Positions Available in Memphis, TN and Southhaven, MS

INDIANAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Indianapolis-based appliance and electronics leader hhgregg (NYSE: HGG) is looking to hire about 80 employees for store openings in Memphis, TN and Southhaven, MS this fall. The company is accepting applications for commissioned sales associates, warehouse staff, customer service merchandisers and Manager in Training positions....

To apply online, [for these or other jobs at HH Gregg] please visit HHGregg.Com."

Blogging for Your Supper: It's Harder than it Looks!

Homeless Blogger Video, CNN.com Ted Rowlands Reporting 09 11 2009

Weeks ago I began this blog after numerous trials and tribulations that span about a decade. For years, my mother and spouse had encouraged me to write a book or two about a variety of topics, or regarding the various creative ideas that I've had. Although I always knew that I could do it, I could never justify spending the time, while we struggled, while working at low-paying temp jobs to keep our fledgling start-up data firm afloat from our living room. A few years, and several blows to our egos later, my husband found appropriate employment for someone with his/our level(s) of student-loan debt, and I quit my temp job.

We commuted for a while, and later moved to the state where he'd become employed, and suddenly, I had all of the time in the world to write. I began to write fiction, most of which is now stuck on the hard-drive my old laptop, which literally is in pieces. (I knocked it over a couple times.... I used to have to hold the screen up with one hand, while I typed with the other.... That makes for pretty good practice actually.)

Ultimately, with some cash in the bank, we determined to treat ourselves to a "normal" life, chocked full of every-other-week date nights. (In fact, I naively thought that we' invented them.) So, the night before I began this blog, we went to see "Julia, and Julia" ... you know.. the movie, about the book, about the non-fiction story of a blogger, who was discovered online, after she attempted to cook all of the recipes in a Julia Childs' cookbook. (Whew, didn't think I'd get through all of that). Long story short, after listening to the incessant cajoling of my loved ones, and watching my this movie I was inspired to begin this blog.

So, what does all of that have to do with the link above?...

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A Jab at Work REVIEW: "Now Hiring: Contract Workers?..."

"Now Hiring: Contract Workers?..." By Prashant Gopal

Nice Article.

As anyone who has read this blog is aware, I’m not a big fan of the whole, "contract employee" designation/status. As explained--I'm not sure how many posts ago--I once had a bad experience as a contract employee. Long story short, since there was no actual written contract... my employer paid everyone when he felt like it; he allegedly discriminated against some, while allegedly improperly fraternizing with others; and because of his leveraged position as the man with the cash, he insisted that we be “on call“, and travel to dangerous places.

Regarding Gopal's article in Business Week, unlike most things you'll find on my blog... it was neutral and balanced. He explains that during the height of the recession panic employers slashed too many permanent employees, and presently are choosing to replace them with contract/temporary workers.

Gopal uses "contract" and "temporary" interchangeably, which is a bit imprecise. In my experience, legitimate "contract work" should include a legally-binding written agreement, if the parties don't want to miscommunicate, scam/get scammed, and/or wind up in court. For IRS' purposes, contract work is considered independent work, for which you must file a Schedule C, and pay taxes quarterly... if you're not exempt. Whereas temp work typically is employment via an agency, which automatically drafts employment agreements as part of it's many legally-required duties to its employees. However, unless you work with an agency long enough to join their union, and therefore get benefits, they are much less obligated to you than is a permanent employer. Also, if you earn enough $$ at a temp agency, then you file a standard return at the end of the year. (None of the aforementioned is intended to construe legal or tax advice.) The point is that temporary employment and contract employment are usually different creatures.

Personally... I think that a lot of employers knew when they were cutting jobs that they were disposing of more employees than was necessary. After all, with all of the "Linkedin" folks pulling all of their buddies into jobs, there were bound to be some overpaid duds who employers were itching to expel. Now, they can hire truly qualified people, and avoid all of the expenses associated with health care, and perks (which apparently friends deserve, but qualified strangers don't).

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Management Interview Questions and Answers

Management Interview Questions and Answers

If you're considering a career in management, you should take a look at this site, particularly if you're wonky, or a perfectionist. I have a degree in management, and I got a bit dizzy reading it. I had to blink a few times, get up and walk around to get the blood flowing, and then get a cup of coffee to clear the cobwebs.

Anywho, if you r e a l l y want to be prepared for your next interview, check it out, read it, re-read it if necessary, and then follow the advice given there.

Good luck.

Need A Professional Survey for Work, or for Your own Small Business? Options abound, but here is just one.

While I was surfing the web today, searching for interesting employment blogs to review, I happened upon a UK blog "Measuring-Satisfaction.Com", which has a survey division called, "Survey Lab". It provides surveys of consumers, and employees... for businesses. Does Survey Lab service U.S. clients/tailor surveys to accommodate national/corporate cultural differences? I don't know. If you would like to know, here is their contact info: (If calling internationally, I believe the code that you must use to dial out of the US is "011" prior to entering the UK "44" country code. However, I would just go the cheap route initially, and just email them.)

john@surveylab.co.uk
+44 (0)845 6121 544 or
+44 (0)20 8090 0811

Surveylab’s website is http://www.surveylab.co.uk/

For those of you who do not need a consumer or employee survey, you may want to take a look at their site anyway. Of particular interest to me were the following blog posts: Measuring Satisfaction: "Employee Engagement: Being Overlooked in the Gloomy Economy" ; and, if you are trying to make a go of professional blogging, or some other form of self-employment... Measuring Satisfaction: "Where to Rent or Buy Email Lists for a Survey ; and, Measuring Satisfaction: "Consumers trust Strangers Recommendations" may be of interest to you, mostly anecdotally.

Get to Know Solar with the Big Boys (& Girls)

"Fast Track to a Solar Career with the ImagineSolar Workshop"

FREDERICKSBURG, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In conjunction with the 10th Annual Renewable Energy Roundup & Green Living Fair, ImagineSolar will host a workshop on photovoltaic system design and installation.

Roundup co-organizers value the benefits increased green collar jobs bring to renewable energy industry growth. This 40-hour workshop is an intensive training experience led by Michael Kuhn, one of only eight ISPQ Master Trainers (ACC affiliated) worldwide. ImagineSolar is approved by NABCEP to proctor the NABCEP Entry Level Certificate of Knowledge exam. Attendees completing our workshop will be eligible to take the 2-hour exam. There are no prerequisites and the workshop is open to all. “Through our training programs ImagineSolar is committed to being a leader in workforce development. Through our market transformation programs we are committed to increasing green jobs to benefit both individuals and the solar industry,” said Michael Kuhn, President, ImagineSolar.

The workshop includes:

• All of the NABCEP entry level learning objectives
• Hands-on experience using solar professional tools
• Textbook, “Photovoltaic Systems” by the National Joint Apprenticeship & Training Committee for the Electrical Industry (NJATC) &,
• Workbook CD-ROM solar resource material
  
• Daily lunch
  
• Complimentary 3 day passes Renewable Energy Roundup & Green Living Fair and more.
  

The workshop, staffed by industry leaders begins September 21 and runs through September 25. The price of the workshop is $1295.

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Work, Work, & More Work!

So, I was watching Fareed Zakaria, Sunday, as usual; I’m geeky like that. Fareed’s guest was Malcolm Gladwell, author of The Tipping Point “an examination of the social epidemics that surround us”. This guy looks just like what I think he is… A GENIUS!

[Admittedly, despite being a big nerd, I don’t read a lot, so I had never heard of Gladwell. I’m more of an audiophile. However, I love the idea of reading… so, occasionally, I go to the library, scan the shelves, lug a huge batch of titles over to a table, open one of the books, begin reading, and promptly fall asleep. Worse, sometimes, I go to the book store, scan the shelves, and buy a bunch of (inexpensive) books that I never get around to reading. So, what does this have to do with Gladwell? Nothing really; I’m just trying to excuse the fact that I haven’t read his book. Pretty bad, huh?]

So, what does Gladwell’s book have to do with this blog, or with YOU taking a jab at work? I‘ll tell you.

In The Tipping Point, Gladwell suggests that small things pick up momentum, and essentially snowball into larger things. Specifically, he compares social change to epidemics. (Perhaps this is where we get the expression, “going viral”). That is exactly what is happening to us today with networking and blogging; it’s becoming infectious. (Even I’ve caught the bug, which is impressive, since I’m a proactive germaphobe.)

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Best Job in the World - Ben's Itinerary

Holy cow! Ben's Island Reef Job!

(I)/(We)'ve missed a lot. So, I guess this is, "Hamilton Island Race Week 2009." Sheesh... and I'm still looking on Monster for jobs! I guess Ben knows a lot more than I do. (By the way, did anyone else hear that since the recession started that applications for reality T.V. have shot up dramatically? Great googly moogly! Now how are we ever going to have a shot at it?)

Aaaany way... Here's the link to what Ben is doing this week:
Hamilton Island Race Week


(... more info than I could even digest in one sitting.)

"The Best Job in the World" Hiring Again? YEP!!!

Remember Ben Southhall?... He's the winner of the contest for:

"The Best Job in the World"

-- A Caretaker in Queensland Australia

Reportedly, a new "Island Caretaker Helper Contest" begins August 26th, 2009. Do you have what it takes?

I got so excited when I saw this, I immediately shot off a big fat blog comment/questionnaire to Ben, not realizing that a lot of what I was asking him was already posted elsewhere on his blog.

So, I broke rule #1 of searching for, and successfully acquiring employment.

RULE #1: Do your research, before you begin asking questions. Ok, so that you don't make the same mistake that I did, here is the link to discover what you need to know about (& how to land) this island gig:

http://www.islandreefjob.com.au/2009/08/13/wanted-island-caretaker-helpers/

(When you're done there, come visit me at http://ajabatwork.blogspot.com/ or send me an email at http://www.ajabatwork.yahoo.com/).

Find Jobs - Admin/Sales Support Jobs in Parsippany, New Jersey - Advantage

Find Jobs - Admin/Sales Support Jobs in Parsippany, New Jersey - Advantage

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A Jab at Work Review/RE: "Four Lies [...]" by blogger: Single Edition

In the afore-linked article by blogger Single Edition, entitled, "4 Lies That Can Cost You Your Job", which was posted on Yahoo Shine Tuesday, August 04, 2009 the author (let's call her S.E., for simplicity) advises readers to clean up their acts a bit, when shoveling b.s. in the direction of employers. Ok. In short, I agree with S.E.'s sentiments.

But for interests sake... let's evaluate some of the more salient points. In the first scenario, we are introduced to Mark N. who loses his job for moonlighting, presumably in the same field as his day job. For those of you who missed the inference from the article... Mark was fired because what he did created a conflict of interest. His day-time employer must assume that Mark may have steered the client away from let’s call it xyz co., in order to get the proceeds of the business from xyz co. Essentially, keeping Mark would amount to paying the competition, educating him, making him privy to private company files/secrets/client lists, and giving him access to expensive & useful resources that he otherwise may not be able to acquire or utilize. I agree with S.E. on this one... that was what my mother would call a "No/No" Mark. Well, live & learn.

In the next example, Lisa is identified as a manager, who can spot new-manicure-sporting fibbers who claimed they had been sick, but must have been out taking a spa day. ... ... Hmm... Ok. I admit that I was a little annoyed by this scenario, for at least 2 reasons: 1) It bugs me to think that there are really people out there who do this sort of thing! I mean I know a few high-maintenance people... but none of them ever ditched work to go to the salon. Okay, I realize that I don't know everyone, and I guess that it is possible, maybe even probable; but this example still bugged me; and 2) The boss who fires a person who dons fresh grooming after returning from a sick day is assuming a lot. What if the employee's sister visited, brought her chicken noodle soup; chamomile tea; an ancient Chinese elixir; an exorcist; and a rigged eight ball? Then, after all of these methods brought the sickly girl nearly to the brink of good health ... her sister pulls out the final stop... ye old ... make-over! She gives her sickly sister some shampoo, to wash the sick smell out of her hair; a nice body bar to erase the stench of flu-sweat; and finally, the piece de resistance: the get back out there & get off of your (self-pitying, fever & nasty germ-infested-body supporting) feet, emotional confidence builder: the wondrous hairdo/manicure combo! Cured, & revived, the employee decides to come back in to work earlier than expected in order to demonstrate what a rockstar trouper, and truly dedicated professional team-player she is. Upon arrival her boss smiles, checks out the bouffant, & chiclet finger tips & promptly points her toward the exit. I LOVE IT! Just kidding... I think that my scenario is about as implausible as the one that triggered it. Still, you show me a woman who fires another woman for coming in w/her nails done, and I'll show you a set of incredulously rolling eyes. I'm not buying it. But what do I know?

Now to the nitty gritty... Lie #1 from the article: I'll get to the point quickly this time... I didn't like the, "be smart about it" or, the "schedule your healthy sick days on less conspicuous days" bit of advice. Just hit 'em with it Single Edition: (S.E). It's ok to inform people who don't know better, "DON'T PULL THIS CRAP!!!" That's my advice. There is no such thing as a healthy sick day! There are a lot of unemployed bloggers out here who would be happy to take your jobs!

Now, as if I don't go off on tangents all the time anyway, I must veer off of the track here for a moment to address perhaps my biggest pet peeve. Ready? Ok. If you ARE sick, please don't play the hero. Check your ambition on the inside of your own door; don't go out; do not collect $100; go straight to bed! Ugh... snifflers, viscous substance on the back of the hand wiping, coughers, throat clearers, and saliva broadcasters deserve the best at home care that money can afford. I would be willing to let all cold-carrying members of the sick party get an extra few days off just to make sure that they don't come in & make everyone else sick!

Although, admittedly, as an unemployed germaphobe, I am much more concerned about the lady next door, who occasionally stays home wheezing out a tuburculine-sounding (I sure hope it's not swine flu.) near-death rattle.

But enough of that; let's get back to business. S.E.'s right on target about the, "faux emergency etc." What would you do if you had a real emergency? I think we all learned this lesson back in kindergarten: no crying wolf.

RE, S.E.'s, "Pointing the finger point", she's right. Let's just give that the old Check mark (Sorry, if I had a little check-mark icon I would have used it there... but I don't).

However, S.E's advice, "You may hit your targets by rounding up to the nearest hour" gives me goose bumps. Should they do this? Really? I'm gonna put this in the, if it's allowed then it's allowed but I seriously doubt that it's allowed or that it is ethical column.

Enough said. I've "ego-tripped" on your time-line (for getting truly important things done) far too long now. Time for you to either make a comment, a donation, or a trip to Argo Tea. Don't have one of those? How bought a Jamba Juice; Boca Java (you can get there from this blog), or Smoothie King (Oh yeah... I think it went out of business.) Well, wherever. But if you go to Caribou make sure to get me something. (No; I'm not kidding. Seriously, I'm not kidding... O.k., I guess I'm kidding.)

4 bags of coffee and biscotti for only $15.95 + Free Shipping. Click here to purchase. Only at BocaJava.com

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Find Jobs - ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE - PURCHASING Jobs in New York, New York - Follett Software Company

Find Jobs - ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE - PURCHASING Jobs in New York, New York - Follett Software Company

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Find Jobs - Senior Account Executive Jobs in New York, New York - SmartSource

Find Jobs - Senior Account Executive Jobs in New York, New York - SmartSource

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Ever Tried SoloGig?

Sologig.com used to be a place where you would only find contract work, and independent gigs. Now IT IS SO MUCH MORE!!!

Find Jobs - Office Assistant Jobs in Chicago, Illinois - Small Office Near Daley Plaza

Find Jobs - Office Assistant Jobs in Chicago, Illinois - Small Office Near Daley Plaza

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"Let's Get Ready to Rumble" (WWF)

Originally, I began this blog to discover what other people's experiences have been, while interviewing, and working. Frankly, I wondered if other people have had the same or similar beefs/complaints as I did. After watching some YouTube videos about work stress, a few of which you can find in the lower left column, I remembered: EVERYONE HAS WORK ISSUES! It was right then that I decided to take myself a little less seriously, and just make this a let's-just-sit-back-&-relax-&-try-to-find-a-decent-gig-&-take-comfort-in-the-fact-that-somewhere-out-there,-there's-someone-more-miserable-than-us site!
Net Positive:

Recently, I discovered that some recruiting practices that I had believed were unfair, actually are commonly accepted norms. Specifically, I had thought that networking was a biased way to recruit. (Don't get ticked off just yet. I know that many of you got your jobs by networking. I'm not judging. I'm just jealous. Apparently, everyone's doing it (except me)!
[Note to self: GET SOME FRIENDS! ... Yet another good reason to join the socialnetworkingosphere (Note to you the reader... I've got 1st dibs on that 23 letter word. I'm hereby coining that one... I think that I'll also take this moment to coin socialnetosphere, & blogovoyeur: someone who watches, or follows a blog. (Not to be confused w/blogojovichovoyeur: someone who likes to watch Roddy B. make a fool of himself.))]
Net Loss:

Over the years, I've had several jobs, and thus far only one career. Little of this employment had anything to do with my aspirations, or education. Despite tailoring resumes to literally thousands of employers, to begin my CAREER, I have always had to take work wherever & whenever jobs presented themselves. However, my acceptance of part-time, temporary, contract, and project work did not scream, "Here's an industrious person!" Nor, did it lend comfort to recruiters, (even those at temp agencies!!!) who seek continuity of employment, and solid references from candidates.
Regarding the aforementioned, "career work"... I just fell into it; by (unintentionally/ironically) networking. It's frightening now, when I look back, to see how many times it happened that I had been offered a job because someone knew someone I knew. Anywho, at that network-derived one-time career firm, our executives worked so hard (around the clock), and were so productive that we were named #1 in our field. Unfortunately, the competition--a big fat conglomerate--bought our company's assets to garner the firm's reputation; the conglomerate hired the CEO, gave him a big fat salary & a non-compete, & left the rest of our "team" out in the cold. We had worked ourselves right out of usefulness (You might think that there's a UNION story in there somewhere... but there's not.) This company had been started during the Internet boom years, and we were all really eager just to be a part of it. We'd signed on as, "independent contractors" to be hired full time, if after three months we demonstrated worthiness, and a commitment to the firm and the work. Three years and a multitude of abuses later, we were all accepting the reality that the stock options we'd been promised didn't exist. We were just wondering if we would even get backpay; and, forget about getting references from someone who screws you.

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