Commiseration time (again)......
May. 6th, 2004 01:15 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
poltr1It seems a bunch of you are between jobs. Well, so am I. I thought something would have panned out by now, and it hasn't. I don't blame my keepers at RHT; they've done all they can to place me. (Or so they say.) Part of it is the sluggish economy, and part of it is my skill set. In short, "I'm not what they're looking for." And so I sleep in in the morning, futz with the computers in the afternoon, and prepare dinner and watch TV with R and M in the evening. (And stay up late writing stuff for my blog.)
Most of the jobs I've seen want a few years' worth of Java experience. I'm currently trying to learn Java now. The last job I had did not involve Java in any way.
A couple of weeks ago, I (finally) applied for unemployment benefits. I last did this 4 years ago. I still hate the application interview process. Because I didn't apply the day after I was laid off, I was asked, "Why did you delay in contacting us?" Why do you need to know? Why should you care? The response I gave them was that I was expecting to be put on another task soon after the layoff, and it didn't happen. (Apparently they accepted it. Today I received a note stating that I'd be eligible for compensation.)
I realize that the government's mission -- or purpose -- is to treat everyone equally and fairly. Of course, this means they treat everyone badly, lest they be accused of showing favoritism to anyone.
I echo the words of Number Six: "I am not a number, I am a free man!"
I'm also registerd with one of the online job databases. I get a daily notification of the job openings. Sometimes I'm intimidated by the job descriptions and requirements. I think to myself, "Why bother applying for this job? They want X, Y, and Z, and I only have one of those things. Am I gonna get a nastygram or a call from one of these people demanding 'how dare I waste their time'? Or am I going to be put on some blacklist and have it circulated among that person's human network? Now I'll submit my resume, even if I think I'm only marginally qualified. The worst they can say is "no" and I'm out only 5 minutes of time.
Years ago, when I was still in college, I applied for work, and was able to cover a wall of my room with "we got your resume and if there's anything you're qualified for, we'll let you know" letters. In short, "don't call us; we'll call you". Now many places don't even bother sending an acknowledgement because it costs too much time and money.
I've also noticed another trend. If a recruiter/headhunter is interested in me, they'll ask me for salary information -- before any interviewing! Why do they do that? The rule of thumb I heard years ago was that salary info isn't discussed until at least the second interview, and that only unprofessional recruiters do this. I once had a recruiter ask me for my salary requirements, and when I told her I didn't give out that information, she got huffy and hung up.
What I think is that the recruiters use this info to weed out those who ask too much money (i.e. "If you have to ask how much, you can't afford it"), or possibly too little money (which is a sign of a lack of confidence in one's abilities).
And then there's the interview process, the thank-you letter, and the waiting. Yeah, it sucks when I get a "no", and I'll get plenty of them, but it feels so wonderful when I get that "yes". I know I'll land on my feet, but I don't know when....or where.
I also have a fear of success. What if I take the first job offered to me, only to be informed about "the dream job" the next day? It's like that old song, "It's sad to belong to someone else when the right one comes along." One of my past managers gave me the advice to be picky, and to not take the first job that was offered to me.
That advice worked. Back in 2000, when I was looking for work, I had a recruiter from Texas who was hot and heavy with trying to set me up with a 3-month job in California. He wanted me to fly out there on a certain date, and I had a prior commitment at home (guests). I told him of the commitment, and he dropped me like a hot potato. He also wouldn't let me talk to the client directly; all communication was through him. That was "the one that got away".
Yes, I'm depressed, but I have plenty of things to occupy me at home.
Most of the jobs I've seen want a few years' worth of Java experience. I'm currently trying to learn Java now. The last job I had did not involve Java in any way.
A couple of weeks ago, I (finally) applied for unemployment benefits. I last did this 4 years ago. I still hate the application interview process. Because I didn't apply the day after I was laid off, I was asked, "Why did you delay in contacting us?" Why do you need to know? Why should you care? The response I gave them was that I was expecting to be put on another task soon after the layoff, and it didn't happen. (Apparently they accepted it. Today I received a note stating that I'd be eligible for compensation.)
I realize that the government's mission -- or purpose -- is to treat everyone equally and fairly. Of course, this means they treat everyone badly, lest they be accused of showing favoritism to anyone.
I echo the words of Number Six: "I am not a number, I am a free man!"
I'm also registerd with one of the online job databases. I get a daily notification of the job openings. Sometimes I'm intimidated by the job descriptions and requirements. I think to myself, "Why bother applying for this job? They want X, Y, and Z, and I only have one of those things. Am I gonna get a nastygram or a call from one of these people demanding 'how dare I waste their time'? Or am I going to be put on some blacklist and have it circulated among that person's human network? Now I'll submit my resume, even if I think I'm only marginally qualified. The worst they can say is "no" and I'm out only 5 minutes of time.
Years ago, when I was still in college, I applied for work, and was able to cover a wall of my room with "we got your resume and if there's anything you're qualified for, we'll let you know" letters. In short, "don't call us; we'll call you". Now many places don't even bother sending an acknowledgement because it costs too much time and money.
I've also noticed another trend. If a recruiter/headhunter is interested in me, they'll ask me for salary information -- before any interviewing! Why do they do that? The rule of thumb I heard years ago was that salary info isn't discussed until at least the second interview, and that only unprofessional recruiters do this. I once had a recruiter ask me for my salary requirements, and when I told her I didn't give out that information, she got huffy and hung up.
What I think is that the recruiters use this info to weed out those who ask too much money (i.e. "If you have to ask how much, you can't afford it"), or possibly too little money (which is a sign of a lack of confidence in one's abilities).
And then there's the interview process, the thank-you letter, and the waiting. Yeah, it sucks when I get a "no", and I'll get plenty of them, but it feels so wonderful when I get that "yes". I know I'll land on my feet, but I don't know when....or where.
I also have a fear of success. What if I take the first job offered to me, only to be informed about "the dream job" the next day? It's like that old song, "It's sad to belong to someone else when the right one comes along." One of my past managers gave me the advice to be picky, and to not take the first job that was offered to me.
That advice worked. Back in 2000, when I was looking for work, I had a recruiter from Texas who was hot and heavy with trying to set me up with a 3-month job in California. He wanted me to fly out there on a certain date, and I had a prior commitment at home (guests). I told him of the commitment, and he dropped me like a hot potato. He also wouldn't let me talk to the client directly; all communication was through him. That was "the one that got away".
Yes, I'm depressed, but I have plenty of things to occupy me at home.
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no subject
Date: 2004-05-06 08:39 am (UTC)I'm also registerd with one of the online job databases. I get a daily notification of the job openings.
Which one are you on? I'm registered with several. The best overall for IT seem to be dice.com and flipdog.com
Sometimes I'm intimidated by the job descriptions and requirements. I think to myself, "Why bother applying for this job? They want X, Y, and Z, and I only have one of those things. Am I gonna get a nastygram or a call from one of these people demanding 'how dare I waste their time'? Or am I going to be put on some blacklist and have it circulated among that person's human network? Now I'll submit my resume, even if I think I'm only marginally qualified. The worst they can say is "no" and I'm out only 5 minutes of time.
The problem here is that companies can afford to be very specific, even when their requirments are silly. They can ASK for 5 years of C#/.NET, even if neither is 5 years old. :/
*hugs* Good luck with it.
no subject
Date: 2004-05-06 03:32 pm (UTC)Remember the good old days of 5 years ago where was a so-called "shortage" of IT talent? Now that companies have outsourced those jobs to highly skilled and talented people in Bangalore and Hyderabad, there's no shortage. :-(
Which one are you on? I'm registered with several. The best overall for IT seem to be dice.com and flipdog.com.
I'm also on dice.com. It worked well for me 4 years ago, so why not roll the dice again? Although now, it seems like I've been rolling snake eyes and box cars.
Two friends have highly recommended monster.com. I might try it soon.
The problem here is that companies can afford to be very specific, even when their requirments are silly. They can ASK for 5 years of C#/.NET, even if neither is 5 years old. :/
I know. The blurb was probably written by someone in HR who doesn't have a clue about the technology. (And most of them don't.)
I remember hearding about an ad in the 1980's that asked for 10 years of C experience. The only people on the planet who would have satisfied that requirement at the time were Brian Kernighan and Dennis Ritchie.