Dear Charlie,
I can’t find a job! I lost my job several months ago and have been out of work since. I’m in marketing but considered being a waitress to make ends meet. Every time I go to an interview, there are about 30 other candidates waiting in line, or even worse, it’s a group meeting. I’m so frustrated. I have been pursuing a job that I really want, but the interview process has continued on for 2 months now. I still don’t know if I’m hired or not. I don’t know what I’m going to do!
-Desperately Seeking Employment
Dear Desperately Seeking Employment,
People may feel that they are all in the same boat here, but the boat is small and running out of room! The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported this month that the current unemployment rate of household persons is up to 9.9 %! Some states have an unemployment rate as high as 9.6 (Michigan). In NY it’s up to 6.1 and most states fall somewhere in between, but this is serious and not to be taken lightly. Some feel it has become a global crisis, but this is definitely the most talked about issue in America to date. We are far from improvement too. Former Clinton Labor Secretary Robert Reich wrote “many outsourced jobs will never return, and median income will likely continue to fall as it did during the last so-called recovery.” CNBC reporter Rick Santelli states; “I'm assuming the economy is going to be mediocre for many years, three to five, meaning 2 percent to 3 percent growth is going to be good. If it gets better than that, I think interest rates will rush up much more aggressively in 2011.” Even teenagers are discovering there are no jobs to be found. Everyone is suffering right now (save for lifestyles of the lavishly unscathed). For working class people, this has become a rather desperate situation on a NATIONAL scale. People report that they’ve applied for hundreds of online jobs without even receiving a response, or “thank you for applying but…” Some have gone to great lengths, like Chris Adams in Sacramento, CA who stands on a street corner in a suit and tie with a sign that says “Hire me”. Another man became homeless after being laid off from an IT position 19 months ago at a major software company. He is able to live off of his frequent flier miles by budgeting $5 a day for food, and looking for hotels with free breakfasts. He must have traveled a lot to rack up those points! Census jobs had more competition than ever this year too, with everyone from the legal field to former medical staff in the running. As you can see, our current unemployment is like a bowl of soup that spilled in the fridge; pouring onto everything and now it's all soiled. How disastrous. An “economy” by Wiki definition is “the end result of a process that involves its technological evolution, history and social organization, as well as its geography, natural resource endowment, and ecology, as main factors.” It takes forever to build and when it crashes, you’ve got a real mess on your hands. Incapacitating unemployment is to follow. As for your personal situation, some employers are MAJORLY taking advantage of job hunters right now.. A friend of mine who was laid off also began pursuing a job which was stretched out for a couple months. After all she went through, she was finally given the “offer” to work the job for 2 weeks FOR FREE, before the company officially decided who was the best candidate! It’s unbelievable. It is not fair nor right, because you are at their mercy. You may decide that your dignity is more important than being a puppet on a string. Good for you! If you are at a breaking point, then I see no harm in straight forward questions; “I’m unclear whether I have been employed by you or not.” A boss that strings you along in an interview is also not going to be any fun to work for. You don’t know whether to continue your job search or end it, so they should be up front with you. I know, I know. You are probably following all the right steps to get hired, but there are quadruple the amount of applicants. One of my friends started making personalized greeting cards to try and charm prospective employers. She still hasn’t gotten any bites yet! People are finding they have to work extremely hard to stand out and get noticed in ways they never did before. People who always had job security before, are now experiencing the loss of financial stability. It’s scary when you are completely rattled by surprise unemployment topped with a national crisis. These cold realities are hard for Americans, but they build character. I think you are doing the absolute right thing by taking a waitress gig (if you can find one!). You do what you have to do when times are tough. That’s just it. I know it’s a shock that you find yourself in this situation, but life is not perfect the way we have been conditioned to believe it is. Our modern society has made life easy for us, but it is not flawless. After all, aren't we just creatures inhabiting a wild planet? This is a time for many Americans to reassess themselves. Maybe your life is leading you in another direction, on a large scale. I don’t think anyone has the answer to fix this problem, because it is bigger than you and me. Just keep trying to get creative and hopefully you will score. Don’t take any crap, but assert yourself politely. You can only do so much, and then you just pray! This too shall pass.
