What is the deal with not being able to find a job in this city? I mean seriously, I go into stores and businesses every damned day and every day I am amazed at the COMPLETE AND UTTER lack of competence, customer service, or general brains these employees possess. In the last WEEK I have been totally unimpressed with staff in: Shoppers, Loblaws, The Shoe Company, Blacks Photography, and Winners – and this simply from me going in to run basic every day chores (mostly to inquire about hiring)! If I walked around a mall for a day I’d likely be APPALLED! (Stay tuned…that sounds like fun!)
I, for the most part, am a well-educated, ‘smiley happy’ person, with phenomenal customer service skills…not to mention 15 years in the work force – aka. Experienced, currently (partly) employed – aka. Clearly hard-working and dedicated and DESPERATELY searching – did I mention DESPERATE? I want a job – In fact, I’m BEGGING for a job. So what’s the problem? I’m “too experienced” to work in retail, “over qualified” to do part-time data entry, and clearly too “English is NOT my second language” for customer service!
This is horse shit (not that there’s anything wrong with horse shit, I spent a long time working in it), but based on my resume I am clearly smart enough to know WHAT I’m applying for – MAYBE there’s a reason I’m looking for part-time employment? Did you think of that? No, I suppose you didn’t, because you have the intelligence of a GNAT. Don’t tell me you can’t call me and ask why someone who would clearly be heads and tails above the rest of your current staff would be applying for a job that they are obviously over qualified for. There’s a REASON! I assure you, it’s a good one – one that will make your heart ache and make you want to help me out!
I have a passion – Not for Profit. PERIOD. I currently find myself working 4 days a week for a FANTASTIC organization that I have been ‘volunteering’ with for the past 4 years. I’m waiting and hoping for funding to come through to this great cause – because I wholeheartedly believe in their mission (and getting some sort of salary would make me happy). I have responsibilities with this organization, and a “title”– I’m not going anywhere – BUT I DON’T GET PAID. I’m not entirely sure how anyone who makes nothing is supposed to be able to pay rent – let alone phone bills, internet bills, food bills, pet bills, transportation bills, or general life bills! So I appeal – I AM DESPERATE for a part-time job - Something that I can do outside the hours that I already give to my organization.
Here’s the problem – when I apply for jobs they’re all ONLINE…There is no contact made with managers, or possibility for conversation in order to EXPLAIN one’s life circumstances. No – simply put they would like to know your views on completely asinine statements like: “I am the nicest person I have ever met”; “I have never been late for work”; “I like to challenge authority”; and to kick it all off a freaking math and logic test which is comparable to what I think the SAT’s would have looked like – If I had had any reason on the planet to take my SAT’s 15 years ago!
Can I afford to give up and throw in the towel? No, of course not, so I continue to apply (Loblaws, The Shoe Company, Indigo, Blacks, etc.) I apply to these places because I have interest in their products! Food, Shoes, Books, and Photos…Pretty straightforward right? No.
Example: Indigo (the one job I would be most qualified for – to those who know how much I read…) for example, asks in their online interview (and rightly so): “How many books have you read in the past year” – Yes. Good. My brain is trying to calculate the number, upwards of 40 I’m positive – but my choices for answers are: 0-1, 1-2, 2-3, 4+. Huh. Well, it’s obvious they don’t want readers on their staff. They should REQUIRE you to read a minimum of 2 books a month to be a staff member at Indigo. I think that’s a fair number – 24 books a year? Not so much really…or how about they ask you to name the last 10 books you’ve read - Maybe ask you to name your favourite book, and answer why? – who’s your favourite author? Why? - What’s your favourite genre, why? – What else qualifies you for a job in a BOOK STORE? (Please, tell us.)
Moral of the story? Searching for a job SUCKS. Systems for searching and applying for jobs SUCK. People are idiots and they SUCK (most of the time). I would like to hit rewind, go back 10 years, to a time where I could happily walk into a store, ask to see a manager, and hand them a paper copy of my resume with a smile, fill out an application form which included simple information – why do you want to work here, what is your availability, and why are you the right person for this position – questions that you could answer with sentences…real honest to goodness sentences – do those even exist anymore? Then you could shake the woman/man’s hand and go about your business in the next potential location. 3 days later you could call them up and ASK them directly whether they had considered your application – as opposed to now, when every site clearly states: “Please no phone calls or emails - we will contact you if your application and resume match our needs for any upcoming positions”.
Fuck you job hunt.
Yours faithfully,
Disgruntled Potential Employee.
I, for the most part, am a well-educated, ‘smiley happy’ person, with phenomenal customer service skills…not to mention 15 years in the work force – aka. Experienced, currently (partly) employed – aka. Clearly hard-working and dedicated and DESPERATELY searching – did I mention DESPERATE? I want a job – In fact, I’m BEGGING for a job. So what’s the problem? I’m “too experienced” to work in retail, “over qualified” to do part-time data entry, and clearly too “English is NOT my second language” for customer service!
This is horse shit (not that there’s anything wrong with horse shit, I spent a long time working in it), but based on my resume I am clearly smart enough to know WHAT I’m applying for – MAYBE there’s a reason I’m looking for part-time employment? Did you think of that? No, I suppose you didn’t, because you have the intelligence of a GNAT. Don’t tell me you can’t call me and ask why someone who would clearly be heads and tails above the rest of your current staff would be applying for a job that they are obviously over qualified for. There’s a REASON! I assure you, it’s a good one – one that will make your heart ache and make you want to help me out!
I have a passion – Not for Profit. PERIOD. I currently find myself working 4 days a week for a FANTASTIC organization that I have been ‘volunteering’ with for the past 4 years. I’m waiting and hoping for funding to come through to this great cause – because I wholeheartedly believe in their mission (and getting some sort of salary would make me happy). I have responsibilities with this organization, and a “title”– I’m not going anywhere – BUT I DON’T GET PAID. I’m not entirely sure how anyone who makes nothing is supposed to be able to pay rent – let alone phone bills, internet bills, food bills, pet bills, transportation bills, or general life bills! So I appeal – I AM DESPERATE for a part-time job - Something that I can do outside the hours that I already give to my organization.
Here’s the problem – when I apply for jobs they’re all ONLINE…There is no contact made with managers, or possibility for conversation in order to EXPLAIN one’s life circumstances. No – simply put they would like to know your views on completely asinine statements like: “I am the nicest person I have ever met”; “I have never been late for work”; “I like to challenge authority”; and to kick it all off a freaking math and logic test which is comparable to what I think the SAT’s would have looked like – If I had had any reason on the planet to take my SAT’s 15 years ago!
Can I afford to give up and throw in the towel? No, of course not, so I continue to apply (Loblaws, The Shoe Company, Indigo, Blacks, etc.) I apply to these places because I have interest in their products! Food, Shoes, Books, and Photos…Pretty straightforward right? No.
Example: Indigo (the one job I would be most qualified for – to those who know how much I read…) for example, asks in their online interview (and rightly so): “How many books have you read in the past year” – Yes. Good. My brain is trying to calculate the number, upwards of 40 I’m positive – but my choices for answers are: 0-1, 1-2, 2-3, 4+. Huh. Well, it’s obvious they don’t want readers on their staff. They should REQUIRE you to read a minimum of 2 books a month to be a staff member at Indigo. I think that’s a fair number – 24 books a year? Not so much really…or how about they ask you to name the last 10 books you’ve read - Maybe ask you to name your favourite book, and answer why? – who’s your favourite author? Why? - What’s your favourite genre, why? – What else qualifies you for a job in a BOOK STORE? (Please, tell us.)
Moral of the story? Searching for a job SUCKS. Systems for searching and applying for jobs SUCK. People are idiots and they SUCK (most of the time). I would like to hit rewind, go back 10 years, to a time where I could happily walk into a store, ask to see a manager, and hand them a paper copy of my resume with a smile, fill out an application form which included simple information – why do you want to work here, what is your availability, and why are you the right person for this position – questions that you could answer with sentences…real honest to goodness sentences – do those even exist anymore? Then you could shake the woman/man’s hand and go about your business in the next potential location. 3 days later you could call them up and ASK them directly whether they had considered your application – as opposed to now, when every site clearly states: “Please no phone calls or emails - we will contact you if your application and resume match our needs for any upcoming positions”.
Fuck you job hunt.
Yours faithfully,
Disgruntled Potential Employee.
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