unemployed / underemployed What's your excuse for not looking for work?

[European Socialist]

For me it's fighting over the crumbs--and not even getting those. Also the BS forms that need to be filled out and second interviews.

[benburch]

1. My excuse?

I started a small business. Which makes me REALLY underemployed.

[jlseagull]

80. So did I - engineering consulting.

Now I make double what I did before, but I still think I'm behind in the hourly wage department.

[FlemingsGhost]

2. Interesting presentation of the question ... almost like a push poll.

Have you considered work as a pollster?

[TahitiNut]

34. Indeed.

Some of us continue to look for appropriate work, no matter how fruitlessly, even after over THOUSANDS of applications/resumes and many dozens of "don't call us; we'll call you" refusals.

[Blue_Tires]

91. that's me as well......

now i'm looking at a career change

[TahitiNut]

93. While virtually impossible to prove ...

... it's been very clear to me that age discrimination has been a major factor, as well as being black-balled as a whistle-blower. I have a multidisciplinary career background that includes internal auditing and all IT disciplines, in depth, from systems programming to customer support. The system is broken.

[Greyhound]

95. Just curious, are you still employed in IT and how old are you? n/t

[TahitiNut]

97. "Semi-retired" and 62.

As a result of the death of my stepfather and hospitalization of my mother three years ago, and my moving back to Michigan to care for her, my own "career development" has experienced a 'setback' from a state of being merely impossible.

(I tend to be somewhat reserved in being any more specific or descriptive on line.)

[Greyhound]

98. Of course, and well you should (be reserved).

I'm about 20 years younger and I'm way too old to get any meaningful job in IT any more. Ironically, the last 3 years before I switched careers, all my gigs were fixing/trying to fix the crap code that the 'genius' developers in other countries produced. In every case but one, it would have been much cheaper for the company to hire a domestic developer to produce the apps, but management has had it drilled into their heads that off-shoring is the only way to go. So we have the mess we have today. aargh! :argh:
Anyway I was curious if it is any better than it was a few years ago.

[TahitiNut]

99. IT/MIS became a total mess when the people managing it ...

... had no internals experience and didn't examine internals in assessing performance of personnel. The crossroads was reached when "walk-throughs" and other direct qualitative measures were abandoned, even in retail software/systems. The 'build vs. buy' schism, in tilting almost entirely to the 'buy' side, converted the IT/MIS departments in companies to mere brokerages. Companies now broker their IT/MIS, they don't manage it. Nine times out of ten they don't even comprehend the way in which their IT/MIS works - forever creating dissonance between technique and technology - company operations and company information.

[Connie_Corleone]

3. Who says they're not looking??

[RandomKoolzip]

4. How about those of us who work 60+ hours a week and earn

less than 22,000 a year? What category do we fall in?

[European Socialist]

6. It depends if you like what your doing?

[RandomKoolzip]

16. It's a survival job.

[Greyhound]

7. Serf. n/t

[RandomKoolzip]

18. Correction: OVERemployed serf. n/t

[Greyhound]

24. LOL!

:rofl: :rofl:

[tx_dem41]

5. May I ask what it is about "BS forms" for second interviews..

that keeps you from working (or "under-working")?

[European Socialist]

10. Most jobs shouldn't require such lengthy time investments to apply. I can

understand it for management jobs.

[tx_dem41]

11. So an hour or so of filling out a form is keeping you from working???

Whatever you say.

[Yupster]

20. I gotta admit

That's a new one to me.

I'd apply there but the application takes too long to fill out.

[emmajane67]

90. Not a new one to me.

Most jobs here require you to fill out several pages of forms. CVs not allowed,you have to copy the info onto a form. Then several rounds of interviews. THEN they turn around and tell you they'll negotiate between 16-18,000.
As I am currently working (temping, so being paid by the hour) applying for these types of jobs is FAR to time consuming. Given that I have applied for around 100+++ jobs so far (in about 2 months) I really cannot continue that kind of time commitment. Aside from the fact it really, really, hurts getting to the end of week where you hoped to hear about 5-10 jobs and her nothing, nada. not. a. thing.

[mattclearing]

52. This thread is BS.

"What's your excuse for being unemployed?" What kind of right-winger nonsense is that?

[tx_dem41]

54. I believe you are on the right track.

Which is why I have been pretty vehement in this thread.

[European Socialist]

78. You got it wrong--It is what is your excuse for not looking for work.

Believe me I'm not RW--but some of the others that commented seem to be.

[mattclearing]

89. I realize I oversimplified your post.

But addressing people starting from, "if you're unemployed and not looking, what's your excuse?" is something that would be tailor-made to the prejudices of those at Free Republic. And I'm not saying that's your thing...just that the stereotype that you have sought to address is right out of their playbook.

People who are unemployed and not looking more than likely aren't going to be on the Internet. The few you find are mostly going to be financially stable outside of a job.

Your original post strikes me as something really lame to complain about. With everything going on in the world, is this really the best use of your time?

[European Socialist]

94. I was poking fun at myself with the title of the thread and the hiring...

process is not a lame topic to most people. But, thanks for not getting too nasty like some of the others.

[BuelahWitch]

17. A seven year background check for a temp job

that pays $8 is just insane. That's what gov't contractor here wants. Is it worth my time to fill out 30+ pages of paperwork, trying to remember where I lived in another state (I've moved three times in 7 years) and who knew me when I lived there for $8? All the jobs I've had? What about listing all the people I associate with who are not US citizens (when I was applying for a customer service job there I was asked this question)? And if my memory slips and/or the place is out of business, the person no longer lives there, am I SOL and have to go find ANOTHER job? It's bullshit!

I get no benefits and the job ends in three months. Nope, not worth the time, effort or living in fear that if I mess up some gov't asshole will think I'm a terrist cause i didn't remember my neighbors from 1999...

[tx_dem41]

22. I have filled out the form....its not that hard. Takes about a half day.

If it were the difference between making $0.00 an hour (especially if I had been making $0.00/hour for awhile) and making $8.00/hour? Yes, I would invest the half-day.

[BuelahWitch]

27. Who says I make 0.00 an hour?

And how do you know it's the same form? I don't recall putting a scan of it in my post.

[tx_dem41]

28. I assumed it was for Government Security Clearance....

It contains the info that you included in your post.

If you are making 7.80/hour, then maybe a fairly "lateral" move might not be prudent, but NOT because of the form, but for other intangible reasons.

[BuelahWitch]

40. So if you're working...

does your job know that you post to DU so much to tell all us infidels how shiftless and lazy we are?

[tx_dem41]

43. Why do you assume to know the hours that I work?

If you are going to call me on assuming what salary you make, then its only fair that you don't assume back, no?

[Freddie Stubbs]

45. Those who are too lazy to fill out applications may be too lazy

to actually do the job. I suppose a lengthy application process can help weed out the slackers.

[European Socialist]

47. true--but you also screen out those who feel that the appliication process

tells you something about the Employer's attitude toward the worker.

[FlemingsGhost]

50. So filling out an unemployment application is more your style?

The world doesn't owe you anything, you know.

No offense, but if you came to me looking for a job with that attitude, I'd send you on your way. You would be a detriment to a teamwork environment.

[European Socialist]

58. Great teamwork--If you don't like it--GO Home--employees are dirt.

[FlemingsGhost]

68. Yes. It's you against the world, michigander3

Let me know how that works out, mkay?

:eyes:

In the meantime, let me leave you with a parting response that is likely to sound somewhat familiar:

Thank you for your interest in this discussion. There were many thoughtful and intelligent posters, highly qualified to engage in a fruitful debate. Unfortunately, you were not one of them.

Good luck with your future endeavors.

Sincerely,

FlemingsGhost

[European Socialist]

75. Your the one that got nasty--good luck with your repuke management ideas

[BuelahWitch]

76. Yep, what comes around goes around

Flemings Ghost will eventually meet someone to knock the smug shit out of him /her/it.

[FlemingsGhost]

77. Sorry ... FlemingsGhost is not at his desktop.

Please try back, another time.

[Orangepeel]

79. that was kind of mean, but very funny

:rofl:

[MsTryska]

48. here's a tip......

the less responsibility (and pay) required by your job - the more paperwork and hoops you have to go through.


you need to stat looking at management. then all you'll need to do is play a round of golf with the right people, and you'll have job offers out the wazoo.

[European Socialist]

51. Looking at people that work for Dumya--You must be right.

[ProfessorGAC]

53. You're Kidding, Right?

You think everyone who's ever gotten a job in management did so by rubbing elbows with big shots? That's pretty sweeping, not to mention grossly insulting. You really believe that there aren't any people who actually earned their position?
The Professor

[MsTryska]

60. You're really sensitive.

it was a potshot at dubya mixed with a heavy dose of sarcasm.



I will say tho, that it is much easier to get mid-level management and sales executive type gigs than it is say a $8/hour job for a credit card agency.


surprises the hell out of me, how there's no background checks, no drug tests, no credit checks in certain strata of white-collar employment.

Michael Brown isn't an outlier.

[Clutch Cargo]

87. If you don't have a job

then wouldn't you have the time to fill out the lengthy applications?

[demnan]

8. Move to the D.C. area

you can get a job here - now a house is another story.

[European Socialist]

13. same old story--the Man wins either way.

[Yupster]

19. Move to West Texas

we're starving for workers, skilled or unskilled out here in the oil patch.

Companies are doing job fairs hundreds of miles away and the housing prices are the cheapest in the nation.

Decent 3 bed 2 bath house for $ 65,000 or decent rent for $ 250 per month.

[0007]

70. That's a stretch about the housing. And the wages are pretty

bad.

[Virginian]

65. Where?

Looking for a computer job in VA. Don't have clearance. Expired. Clearance wasn't needed in last jobs.

I have filled out the security stuff. Found out birthdays of people barely related to me. Turned it in for a sure thing only to have them ignore me from that point on. After not hearing from them for two weeks, I called them to ask what was happening to my "sure thing" job. Was told that the client decided not to bring in any more people on this contract. I wonder if this was some kind of identity theft ring they were running. I don't like giving up sensitive personal info to strangers for nothing.

[demnan]

88. PM me with your resume

my company has jobs that don't require DOD type clearances.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

9. I saw a man yesterday

He was standing at a traffic light, a cardboard sign in his hand. It said, "Hard Times. Need Work." I opened my purse and took out some money and gave it to him. Not much, for I didn't have much, but I saw the man and saw his family. I thanked him for giving me the chance to be generous, and wished him well. I don't know if he got any work or not.

[Warpy]

12. Good for you

My favorite story happened in Boston. It was near midnight, and I was going home from work on the subway. A homeless man approached me, and I gave him the few bills and bits of change I had on me. It was January and bitter and he needed all the help he could get, and I apologized for not being able to give him enough for a room for the night. A yuppie type (who obviously hadn't gotten lucky) sneered and said he'd only spend it on booze. I said so what? It's cold and all the shelters are closed for the night and if that provides him some comfort, what business was it of ours?

That homeless guy got on the subway with me and went to the end of the line, which was my stop. If anybody even stared at me, he'd go tell them "Leave her alone, she's all right."

You never know where you'll find a knight in shining armor.

Giving to homeless folks is the most gratifying, something the major charities love to discourage by trumpeting stories of the few who panhandle as a scam. Yeah, the scammers are out there, but most of the folks genuinely need the money, and yes, alcohol can be a genuine need. Untreated DTs are 50% fatal. I'll continue to give when I can, and I'll continue to refuse to tell them how to spend it. I figure they know what they need, even if it's something I wouldn't choose for myself.

[leftofthedial]

14. worn out

after two years without even an interview

I've hit the age discrimination barrier

[raccoon]

36. Age can be one helluva big strike against you. I know that.

[BuelahWitch]

39. One interviewer expressed concern that I might not be able to

climb a flight of stairs. She said even some of the "young people" have a hard time with them. And I wasn't even 40 yet! I told her that I lived on a third floor apartment and had no trouble hauling my laundry up and down the steps. What I wanted to say to this hefty young woman was that if she had no problems with the stairs, I'm sure I could manage them.

After that bit of blatant age discrimination I wasn't all that upset I didn't get the job.

[Greyhound]

41. I know what you mean. Before I started my business I was looking

like you and got hit with code words like, overqualified all the time. I put out over 1200 resumes got less than 50 responses, got 6 third round interviews and still got beat out by various daughters, sons, and nephews each time. I don't think many people know how bad it is out there.

[raccoon]

42. Climb a flight of stairs? OMG... nt

[Lydia Leftcoast]

15. I became a free-lance translator

because I found that there were no stable jobs in my field. When I was REALLY unemployed back during the Reagan Recession, I worked temp and applied for any job that was even close to my qualifications.

A friend of mine got a job after looking for 2.5 years.

[nashville_brook]

21. why do i need an excuse?

i choose not to work. it's not easy, but it's worth it to "live simply" on one income.

[mrcheerful]

23. Lets see GM is sending 30,000 jobs to india

wal mart keeps getting busted for hiring illegals to sleep in their stores so they can work for less then an american wal mart employee. Grown adults are trying to compete with teens for McDonald type jobs. Plus aall the oyher bs going on with the job market and even DUers are saying theres jobs to be had or telling people to move? Talk about freepers, thats another area that shows that your no different then they are. More I got mine screw you is what americas about it seems.

[jseankil]

25. The OP uses the excuse that "there are too many forms to fill out"

as an excuse for not working, give me a break.

[European Socialist]

35. I wanted to find out what was keeping people from looking for work.

I'm not saying the lengthy application process is an excuse for not working--but it keeps some of us who might want to apply from doing so.

[tx_dem41]

38. Which means its an excuse for not working THAT job, at the very least.

n/t

[MsTryska]

49. so really - you're just trolling? nt

nt

[European Socialist]

56. Being somebody who got their first jobs in the early 70's--It was much ...

less of a hassle then--sometimes you could get hired by walking in. So I wanted to see what others thought.

[MsTryska]

62. Oh - i thought maybe you were trying to

play some sort of strange freeper baiting game.


to answer your question honestly - I can't say that i've ever been put off by what i needed to do in order to get a job.


I can honestly say the only time i've thought this was way back when i tried to give welfare a shot (i was homeless at the time and it's hard getting a job when you have no address).


But i remember thinking it's an awful lot of paperwork and hoops to jump through to get some aid from the government. for very little return. I think that about Unemploment as well. Although I pay in - i still wind up making more working a mcjob than I would getting an unemployment check.

[European Socialist]

82. Thanks for your calm and rational answer. Why do some get so hot?

Anyway-I don't get any gov't. money--But I would be much better off looking for a better job if I could motivate myself to do so. That's what the post is about. Is the hassle of looking for work holding you back?

[MsTryska]

92. no problem.....

it happens alot around here.

anyways - i've enver thought of looking for work as a "hassle". as i said - i've been homeless and had nothing. I know what it feels like to be hungry - so when it looks like my personal welfare is being threatened I am highly motivated to do whatever needs to be done, to make sure my income is flowing again.

[BuelahWitch]

26. You said it mrcheerful!

:hi: Like Dan Quayle standing in front of Burger King's "Help Wanted" sign. Sometimes our own are no better...

[Name removed]

33. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[whatever4]

29. Health issues nm

[RebelOne]

30. I have complete sympathy for those who are unemployed.

After I moved up here to North Georgia, I was laid off two jobs and I worked numerous temporary jobs. I sent out at least 200 resumes and got maybe 50 interviews. It's a bitch. I now have a position with a wonderful corporation that I am quite happy with, but it took a few years to find it. Fortunately, after the first interview, I was hired because it was a job that I could do in my sleep if need be.

[Gregorian]

31. A thousand clowns

Time is worth more than money. Dignity.

But I wouldn't mind being rich. Dignity only pays a minimum of bills.

I haven't worked since 1994. I just keep finding ways to meet the demands. Luck, I guess. And determination to not be in the daily parade of clowns. (with all respect to those who actually work)

[Joeve]

32. Almost a year out of work for me

(reposted from here)

I was laid off of my job just before Christmas of last year. Then my wife fell ill and spent 2005 in and out of the hospital, making it extremely difficult for me to find work. She passed away at the end of September and I have spent the last two months trying to get my life back together again. Now I'm finally to the point whre I can actively look for work again.

I've survived all this time on food stamps, donations, and the good graces of my landlord. I hope that now that I'm back actively looking I can find work soon.

[Orangepeel]

81. hi, Joeve

I'm so sorry for your loss. I hope you get back on your feet again soon.

:hug:

[kineneb]

37. caretaker for Hubby

I am quitting my stupid job ($10/hr, max 24 hr/wk) to take care of Hubby. He is now on dialysis 3x per week, has congestive heart failure and is also an insulin-dependent diabetic. His disability payments are enough for us to survive on, and I will return to teaching private piano lessons for extra cash.

The stress of working is too much for me to cope with- I came down with bronchitis 3 weeks ago and am just starting to feel better.

[kweerwolf]

44. Another caretaker "excuse"

I've been unemployed since July in a very tight local job market. At the age of 48 it's almost impossible to compete with "kids" who are just out of college and can work for less. Nevertheless, I keep sending out resumes but I'm pretty much stuck here in this area helping to take care of my aging parents. (Both are in their 80s.)

The one job I did get offered I had to turn down because it required a minimum of 12-14 weeks of travel a year and that would have made it next to impossible to manage my parents' frequent health problems. It will be tough enough when I finally do find a job to start out with having no time off for a few months.

I'm beginning to think I should look into some type of self-employment so I've got a little bit of freedom to take care of the folks.

[BuelahWitch]

46. Business doesn't care when you take care of parents

I did the same for my mother back in the '90s. I remember telling my supervisor at one job that alot of my absences were from either taking her to and from the doctors. No sympathy.

When I was taking care of mom, someone told me that some states would allow adult children to train as in home caretakers and then *pay* them to take care of their parents. That was in the '90s, of course, and the state in question was Idaho (I was in Utah; nothing like that there).
Maybe that's something you might want to look into, kweerwolf?

[graywarrior]

55. I can't work for anyone else.

[European Socialist]

57. I'll buy that. That's probably my core problem too.

[graywarrior]

64. It's my fat ego.

I tend to think I'm smarter than my boss. Even when I'm not. I'm to judgemental.

[BuelahWitch]

69. In many cases you probably are smarter than your boss

The ones I've gotten along best with always respected me and my intelligence. It was the stupid ones who I had a problem with.

Like the numb skull I worked for at Unisys who called the hardware tech whenever he wanted to print out his own email. He was the meanest, misogynistic, most racist moron I've ever worked for. But he got a foothold in management and no amount of complaining about him ever got him out of it.

[graywarrior]

71. How does that happen? How do they get to the top?

I worked with a bunch of complete idiots (non-profit) in management, and watched a lot of good, intelligent people leave. The idiots are still there, collecting their paychecks, causing mayhem, making more good people walk off the job. It just astounds me.

[BuelahWitch]

72. I have no idea, especially in that case

My particular idiot had an MBA. He and alot of the other managers were transferred to the Unix software division when their manufacturing arms of the company closed. Of course, they knew NOTHING about software and didn't want to learn. They wanted the engineers to adhere to their old policy of putting out so many widgets-only this time the widgets were replaced by source code.
They lost alot of talent with that attitude. Now, the teams that were run by software engineers who had been promoted were much happier. But primarily the place was run by idiots like my old boss.

[graywarrior]

74. When I go for a job interview these day (rare event)

I can sniff out the dysfunction almost immediately. In fact, that's what I used to do as a job. I'd get hired by hospitality owners to come in and figure out what was going wrong with their inn, motel or hotel. I got to be able to figure out the problem within a day or so. And guess who the problem was? It was ALWAYS the owner. Always.

[Selatius]

84. That's the way the world works, though

There are people who own, and then there are people who work for the owner. You're either some form of business owner such as a shareholder in a corporation or the owner of a sole proprietorship or a co-owner in a partnership, etc. or somebody who simply works for the former. He gets the profits, and you get what he wants to give you, usually a smaller amount even if you are more qualified than he is, and if he had his way, you'd get less, and he'd get more. To be in a state of ownership or control over resources or the means of production people need to survive is to be a capitalist. Almost all markets are privately owned, so you'll only continue to see this everywhere.

[graywarrior]

86. Which is why I am investigating starting a non-profit

[mrcheerful]

59. All I know is since Reagan started the down sizing trend

and every president since hasn't done a thing to stop american work from leaving america for cheap third world labor, the ability to find and keep work gets harder by the day. At one time not to long ago when a person was hired it was long term, even temp jobs ended up being long time employment. Those days are long gone. Then you got whatevers telling you to move to another state, been there done that. First thing is you need at least $15,000 to get sit up in another state, telephone, a place to live and living expenses till you get hired. BTW, I was one of those who did move to Texas in 1979. First thing that was used against me, no telephone, second thing, no car, third thing no permanent address, I was living with friends. Then after the first month I was down there I started noticing signs along with the help wanted ones.Yankees go home, yankess need not apply, I'll hire a mexican before I'd hire a yankee. Needless to say after a year I ended up having to move back to my home state because no gainful work could be found. BTW, Apps for employment used to take 15 minutes to fill out, except for the ones from the post office, What is that about? A litmus test to see if your willing to take 1/2 a day to fill out an app? Its bs that companies want that much information about you.

[DanCa]

61. I have parkinsons i just put up a thread about it.

There are days when am stiff as a board and others where i cant move my hands.

[butterfly77]

63. Let's add

Its the not what you know,but who you know syndrome.

[meisje]

66. I've fallen and I can't get up?

[Lady President]

67. I Agree About the BS Forms

You're not getting much sympathy here, but I agree that the forms are too much.

I hate jumping through the hoops required to complete the online forms, especially after working a full day in a cube farm. I never complete the page successfully, so I end up spending forever entering information that HR could read on a resume. A couple of my recent favorites: my name is invalid (no spaces or multiple capital letters allowed), my school names are invalid (no punctuation marks allowed), and my address is invalid (too long). This were on three different sites, so I can't even predict what will cause problems. I guess it's important for companies to know that I'm desperate enough for a new job that I don't even care about the spelling of my own name....

[conflictgirl]

73. Your story is familiar to me

My husband was unemployed for nearly 6 months. He sent out hundreds of resumes and got less than five interviews. He applied with every temp agency in town and they said they couldn't place him because he was too "overqualified" for the work and pay they had to offer. When he finally found a job, he had to submit to tons and tons of background checks - for an $11 an hour job. That was about a 50 percent pay cut from his previous job and he had to jump through hoops to get it, too.

[Greyhound]

96. The global economy and the New World Order. Welcome. n/t

[Lorien]

83. How can anyone have the luxury of not looking when they are

unemployed? Seriously-how can you live? I've been unemployed off and on since * took office, and searching for employment becomes a full time job when the money isn't coming in. There are bills to pay, after all.

[OnionPatch]

85. At my company

every interview lasts for eight hours. That's right, eight hours, each one spent with a different manager or senior technician. I went through it happily to get my good job.

The forms, the interviews.....these are a necessary part of looking for work. I'm sure it gets frustrating, but not as frustrating as not being able to pay the bills, right? Ya gotta do what ya gotta do and pray or hope for better days.

[mtnsnake]

100. The magic way out for some of you MIGHT be self-employment

If you're that disenchanted with the job hunt, the job itself, or the BS that goes along with it all, you can definitely figure out something to do on your own. As long as you do something you like and do it better than what's already being done in your area, it is very possible to say goodbye to working for someone else ever again. The only thing is, that you don't make any money when you sit for a couple hours at the computer like what I'm doing now, hehe, but I'll make it up later!

Just start small, as small as possible to feel it out. Good luck and never give up!!