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Why is it so hard to find a stopgap job?
Wed, 04/27/2011 - 15:25
If one more person suggests I wait tables, I will scream.
Funny thing, it's not that I'm even opposed to it or think I'm above working retail, waitressing, etc. I'm not and I've done it before. I have tried. And tried. And tried. But I have better luck securing interviews for jobs that pay decent salaries with benefits than an hourly job.
And I get that nowadays every job wants to be special and couch itself as a "career" and not a job. But yikes, it's Macy's, not McKinsey. And this isn't to disparage retail workers, waitresses, etc. as those are tough jobs in their own right. It's just frustrating to get attitudes from managers like "Oh we're hiring...but not you."
Mon, 05/02/2011 - 12:50
#2
Yeah, I totally hate that
There is absolutely nothing wrong with any sort of labor; there is honor in all work.
What some people don't seem to "get" is that even crappy jobs are hard to get for a lot of people. I was rejected by RotoRooter, for goodness sake! Sure, I could shave seven years off my resume and, uh... stretch the truth about my (virtually non-existent) experience in the food service industry and MAYBE land a job as a waiter... or I could study, hustle, and claw my way into something more suitable.
Some years ago I took a low-paid job thinking it was better than no job. It was one of the biggest mistakes I ever made.
Mon, 05/09/2011 - 00:47
#3
Somebody hire me, damn it.
Chuck, can I just paste your response onto a calling card and hand it to people (or email an electronic version) every time someone suggests I go wait tables. Also, I burst out laughing at RotoRooter--sorry to laugh at your pain. I'm sure that was a kick while you were down at the time.
I agree that people seem to miss that it's just as much work to find a job waiting tables as it is to find an office job. Those jobs have a "type" just as much as a Boeing does. For the most part, I've given up with that route. I realized the energy and effort it was taking to convince Old Navy I'd be the best cashier ever was better spent hustling my way into something that matches my background. But despite the hard work and low pay, it'd be nice to have the feeling of contributing to something larger (even if it selling t-shirts or busing tables) and have someone reward you monetarily again.
Angela, I'm 25. I think I may be in the minority age-wise on this board. So I have the opposite problem--no one wants inexperienced people. As what I'm looking for...I'm hesitant to say anything but it's getting to that point. I think what's frustrating is that I have a supposedly practical degree in engineering, but no one wants to seem to hire an entry-level engineer outside college recruiting (I have a couple years of non-engineering work experience). Anyway, I'm trying to hustle my way around HR as much as I can for a few things. It's tough and frustrating, not going to lie. And I feel like this whole experience has definitely made me way too jaded way too young...
Mon, 05/09/2011 - 08:33
#4
Sure
Paste away...
I'm not sure that you're in a minority on this board. Maybe the older folks are just more active, but I do hear from a lot of members of your generation.
Your generation and mine have one thing in common: We graduated into an awful job market. Ours was probably not as bad -- crap jobs were still available -- but it was still a rough time.
One of my best friends, one of the smartest guys I know, spent several years after college delivering Chinese food. It was kind of funny because he's not Chinese but he gained all this "ancient Chinese wisdom" while he was working there.
Anyway, he's a big-shot international corporate executive now who travels the world and makes a great living. He's also still one of the nicest, most decent people you'll ever meet.
There's hope. As the Buddha realized while looking at the river, "The only thing permanent is change." Just keep rolling like the river.
Mon, 05/09/2011 - 08:47
#5
29 and an engineer
Don't feel in the minority, I am right there with you. Engineering is a great field and is something you have to be trained into. You always have to train for any job, it honestly doesn't matter the experience you have. All engineers highered to a new job don't have a clue what to do. With any profession it takes 6months of training to catch you up to speed with what is going on. So when they say "you don't have enough experience" What they are really saying is "This is the fastest blow off I can think of". You are an amazing engineer and you have all the experience you need. The best experience to help you in engineering is to have a healthy social life. It gives you a good outlook on projects.:)
Mon, 05/09/2011 - 10:59
#6
Thank you!
Thank you, Anez. That's exactly my point--engineering school is so theory-heavy that it basically is an apprentice-based position. It's just kind of laughable when companies claim they want a certain type for Engineer 1/2 positions when all you should really need is the degree, maybe an EIT, and US person status for some jobs.
Sometimes I wonder if HR being involved in hiring is part of the problem. I definitely agree they should be involved in all the on-boarding, but when HR gets involved in screening candidates, they get so fixed on finding people who EXACTLY match the profile instead of letting a hiring manager see what a candidate can actually do for a position.
Mon, 05/09/2011 - 17:01
#7
I too am in the same boat...
I am also in my 20's, 26 to be exact. It's horrible, people tell me that I'm still young, and I'm still just a kid. It doesn't make it any easier, especially when I had plans to start a family, and now those plans have to be put off for now until I know what's going to happen in my financial situation.
Mon, 05/09/2011 - 18:53
#8
Stopgap jobs
After 10 months unemployed, I finally landed a little something. Saw a cashier at the package store crying and asked if she was ok. To make a long story short, her mother was just diagnosed with a terminal ollness, and she can't take time off to visit her in the hospital. I gave her my number if she needed to talk, and a few days later the owner called me and asked if I wanted to "substitute" on days she needs off. WOrked Friday and Saturday night, and it is a LONG WAY from the Christian school teacher I was, but it bought food for the week! SO far there are only 2 more days they have scheduled me, but I am also beginning to substitute teach. Both are horrible jobs,and my mother is furious that I'm working in a liquor store, but it's money!
Tue, 05/10/2011 - 00:05
#9
In case anyone missed this...
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/03/worse-than-unemploym...
I'm not sure if I entirely agree--somewhere it was pointed out that Australian unemployment benefits are a lot easier to get and have fewer strings attached that unemployment benefits in the US. So given the choice between getting money to focus on finding a suitable job and slaving away at a low wage job unrelated to your professional interests, I could see the benefits of just taking the UI. And I could see it adding to all the "emotions" of being unemployed if you had worked away for a masters and were stuck waiting tables. But I would still say there's some benefit to feeling like you accomplished something, doing some kind of work.
Hi smjennings:
LOL, I feel your pain as at age 52, not even McDonald's want me.
But to be honest, I am glad they don't as I am not very good in these types of jobs and I end up eating too much. I did those fast food and waitressing jobs in my 20's and proud to say, I did them well.
I don't know if it is my "senior" brain that just can not do those jobs any more - but don't get me wrong, if I had to, I would have to figure out a way to FAKE it.
What type of job are you seeking?
And how old are you - if you are okay with sharing this?
Reason for the questions:
The over 50 crowd, like myself - are facing "age discrimination" every day and the recession is not helping.
I have found that my 57 year old boyfriend was able to find a retail job because he has done it for years and knew how to SELL himself. I use to take it personally, but do not do this anymore as I finally realized that he would not be able to get a job in my field - OFFICE SUPPORT due to not doing it and not being comfortable with a computer(lol).
I have shared all this in the hopes of encouraging you to now allow folks to discourage you - find something you can do well and hopefully like. And keep knocking on those doors - one will OPEN up :)
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