I never had so much trouble trying to find a job in my life.
I know that these are tough economic times but maybe they would not be if people who had plenty enough were not so greedy. But that is another story.
I found this article on craigslist and I wanted to share it because it somewhat sums up the frustrations of trying to find a job.
Myself and many other young adults, broke our backs and necks to attend college because it was slammed down our throats that in order to live a comfortable life we needed a degree. So we worked hard to get one. But what did we get from it?
What I'm finding now is that even though I have a degree that most places are reluctant to hire me because I don't have enough experience (they say). But it does not take a rocket scientist to follow directions on a piece of paper and or on a HD LG screen. It just takes a person to know how to read and to comprehend what they are reading. Those are basic skills.
Most of the experience that I have is with modeling, working with children, administrative/clerical work, hosting and singing.
Yet, if I were to put all the experience that I have my resume would be over 5 pages long then because It is not set in perfect alignment with the rules of the "corporate" world then it gets tossed.
Perfect margins!
Double space!
No exotic fonts!
It has to follow the guidelines or it won't even be considered.
That's another limitation right there.
Why? because how can you see my full array of potential if it is not written in front of you, thus causing the employer to assume that I don't have any experiences in the field that the job is in, when I actually do.
Then even when I search for basic hosting jobs, I'm finding that they are asking for the person to do a lot more than requires of a basic host job, but they don't want to pay.
Not only do some places want you to seat the people but they want you to
Clean the windows/bathrooms/take out the trash
Help servers bring out their food
Sometimes take orders for the server
Run additional errands (not written in the job description)
Have a degree/be attending school
(Yep, just to stand at the front of the door and greet people with a smile some places require you to have some kind of degree)
Yet, I have been working long enough to know that there are always make exceptions to the standard rules.
That's why it is not so much about what you know in general (general knowledge etc), it is about who you know and what you KNOW about them.
Nowadays if you want to make an honest living by let's say working in McDonalds, you have to jump with hoops, walk on hot coals, swim with sharks, sit on an ant hill and all kinds of crazy things just to get minimum wage, which really translate too enough money to keep your lights on and the hot water running.
It is very sad. I have never seen it this bad before. A few years ago I could come home from college and just hop on craigslist and have about several interviews lined up back to back in one day. Now, I'm lucky if I get even one.
Then I have seen where they hire people who don't even want to work, don't have any of the credentials or qualities that the job description asked for but because he/she knew someone that knew someone well boom they got the job.
So the question is, what is the point in going to college at all? And what is the point of trying to keep yourself as role model citizen. What is the point in going for all the prestigious jobs just to keep up with the "jones" and or to keep a good name when in reality if you were to just meet any stranger who had money and a need for some assistance, you could get a job that quick???
Going through all the trouble to polish and primp and watch what we say and do good and volunteer and have the perfect resume etc And in the end none of that matters that much because it really is all about who you know.
