Get Off Your Lazy Butt And Get A Job!

[Jazzy]

My friend Amanda has been unemployed now for almost 18 months after being laid off from her job. She has applied to every ad she sees in the paper and has signed up at an employment agency. Things took a turn for the worst when she started to not be able to pay basic bills. She applied for state aide but because she still had a meger savings account and owned her own vehicle, she was denied. Amanda then moved back in with her parents to try and get back on her feet again. Amanda just for conversation sake is 28 years old and has been living and supporting herself on her own since she was 18 years old. I went over to visit her yesterday and was appauld by what I heard. Her father was yelling very loudly If she got off her lazy butt, she'd have a job! I happened to have taken Amanda to a Job Fair not two days earlier. For every job opening, there must have been at least 50 people standing in line to hand in an application. These were minimum wage jobs but she stood in every line and handed in an application. I swear, I felt like yelling back at her father If you think it's so freaking easy to find a job, then go and get one! I''m sorry to say but I dislike people who think like her father does.

Rant over but still angry with people who think it's so freaking easy to find a job.

 

[Nebulous's iconNebulous]

It is NOT easy to find a job.

However some people just put it in their mind that finding a job is nearly impossible so they dont try as hard as they should. I know if I lost my job, my new full time job would be looking for a new one.

 

[Raven]

I was out of work for a total of 6 months last year and it was a nightmare. Thankfully my agency found me a placement.



My dad has had 3 weeks work in over a year.



So no it's not easy to get a job.

 

[Cranos]

Ehh, a lot of fathers are like that...



I'm sorry to hear about your friend. Hopefully she'll find something soon.

 

[Jazzy]

It is NOT easy to find a job.

However some people just put it in their mind that finding a job is nearly impossible so they dont try as hard as they should. I know if I lost my job, my new full time job would be looking for a new one.

All I say to this statement is that my friend has tried every day to find a job. She can't try any harder than she is right now. You can look for a new one all you want but if there's nothing out there....then what? She was making over 40k a year before the lay off. She's willing to work for a third of that but still has had no success. She's either over qualified or under qualified. How the F can you be over or under qualified to flip some burgers at McDonalds???

 

[Evil Eye]

How the F can you be over or under qualified to flip some burgers at McDonalds???

A very good question indeed.

 

[beowulf]

i can totally sympathise with your friend as i am currently in a similar position........i have qualifications and experience but only in a narrow field of work, and that has all but vanaished....i have lots of transferable skills but no one is interested cos i am applying for jobs that i have no direct experience in



i recently applied for a job i could do easily, they were not even looking for someone with relevant experience since it came with a 5 month training course............it took me 4 hours to do the online tests (against the clock) and do the application..............had phone interview....passes............had to drive to Leeds (180 mile round trip) for a 3 hour interview.......passed the interview and dexterity test with flying colours...........didnt get the job cos during the role play 'i didnt ask enough questions'.....ffs!.....i said that surely during the training you would get practice at that sort of thing!!!!



i know only too well what being unemployed can do to a person



my advice to you is to stand by your freind, visit her regulary to give support (and keep an eye on her), help her where you can



its true that there isnt jobs out there...the UK is just as bad as the States

 

[Nebulous's iconNebulous]

You can look for a new one all you want but if there's nothing out there....then what?

Try looking for a job in a bigger market. I'd commute if I had to.

 

[Jazzy]

i recently applied for a job i could do easily, they were not even looking for someone with relevant experience since it came with a 5 month training course............it took me 4 hours to do the online tests (against the clock) and do the application..............had phone interview....passes............had to drive to Leeds (180 mile round trip) for a 3 hour interview.......passed the interview and dexterity test with flying colours...........didnt get the job cos during the role play 'i didnt ask enough questions'.....ffs!.....i said that surely during the training you would get practice at that sort of thing!!!!

Reading that just makes me so angry. How unfair and f'd up that is. Isn't supposed to be if you can do the job or not!

my advice to you is to stand by your freind, visit her regulary to give support (and keep an eye on her), help her where you can

I heard there was an opening at the hospital where I work for a cleaning person. I got an application for her and spoke with the the department head. Well, guess what? She didn't even get an interview. They gave the job to the sister of a current cleaning person. I am totally convinced now that it's not what you know, it's WHO you know that gets you a job.

I call her every day and she's coming to stay with me for a week. I figure her and I can both work at trying to find her a job. Most importantly, she needs time away from her screaming and yelling father right now.

 

[Jazzy]

Try looking for a job in a bigger market. I'd commute if I had to.

With a lot of major companies outsourcing American jobs overseas for cheap labor, would you be willing to move overseas for a job? That would be one hell of a commute! Let's not also forget about the 20 million illegal immigrants that live in the United States and work undercover for pennies. How can you compete with them?

 

[Flurry]

Reading that just makes me so angry. How unfair and f'd up that is. Isn't supposed to be if you can do the job or not!

I heard there was an opening at the hospital where I work for a cleaning person. I got an application for her and spoke with the the department head. Well, guess what? She didn't even get an interview. They gave the job to the sister of a current cleaning person. I am totally convinced now that it's not what you know, it's WHO you know that gets you a job.

I call her every day and she's coming to stay with me for a week. I figure her and I can both work at trying to find her a job. Most importantly, she needs time away from her screaming and yelling father right now.

Good of you to let her stay with you. At least with you there'll be some positive reinforcement. And hopefully she is able to find a job.

 

[BigDog]

Many companies will hire someone who is currently working elsewhere, before they will hire someone who is not working.

Once you are out of work for a while, you will have a gap in your employment history. Employers don't like to hire people with gaps in their history.

This means that once you are out of work, you are basically screwed. What is one supposed to do?

 

[Ashley]

It is NOT easy to find a job.

However some people just put it in their mind that finding a job is nearly impossible so they dont try as hard as they should. I know if I lost my job, my new full time job would be looking for a new one.

I even know how hard it is to find a job. I'm employed through an agency that helps people like myself with disabilities find and maintain jobs. I swear I think at one point I applied at just about every place in town! I managed to land my current job and making that my home as when I was hired in they were in desperate need of help in the housekeeping department, so I accepted and I'm still there today (it'll be three years in June!) while I'm not overly excited about this job, I do have my limitations and there's only so much I can actually do on my own, and one thing I do like about this job is that it allows me to work on my own and not rely on so much help all the time.

 

[JasonBegheFanGirl]

Jazzy, how is your friend doing with her job hunting? Has she had any luck yet?