The Current Job Situation In America
A funny thing has been happening in the United States. President Barack Obama and Congress have worked for the last two years to get as many jobs available to Americans as they can.
For nearly a year, every month has seen a notable growth in job creation. However, the unemployment rate has remained stagnant.
When the rate fell from 9.6% to 9.4% last month, the reason was not that more jobs were taken, but that citizens exhausted their benefits and simply were no longer counted due to no longer searching for work.
And THAT is the problem with the unemployment situation in the United States.
The jobs are there. Over one million jobs have been added in the last year in various industries in the United States. Jobs have been created from high-level corporate jobs to working for minimum wage and in factories. Regardless of education level, there is a job out there that would accept you if you’re smart about it.
For every American that has taken advantage of the opportunities created by President Obama and Congress, there are a few who have just sat at home and waited on the unemployment benefit checks to come in the mail.
The System Is Fine
The system should not be knocked, as it is as good as it can be. It’s unreasonable to demand that every single person on unemployment be thoroughly inspected often enough and closely enough to make sure they are not abusing the system. The unfortunate fact is that while some are truly thankful for the assistance from the government and are using it as an opportunity to get back in the workforce, there are those who realized they could just sit at home, reduce their standard of living a little bit, and just collect a check.
The truth of the matter is that jobs are out there and they are abundant. At the end of 2010, areas like the San Francisco Bay Area, Washington DC, Baltimore, San Jose, Cleveland, Boston, Seattle, Austin, Denver, Charlotte, Atlanta, and other big cities had around 100 job listings for every 1,000 people in the area. San Jose topped the list with 162 job openings for every 1,000 people. Other cities like New York, Chicago, and Pittsburgh had just under 50 job openings for every 1,000 people. (See job map.)
How can people possibly claim that there simply are no jobs for them when over one million jobs were created in the last year on top of the job openings that were already there? Especially the 99ers who have already collected 99 weeks of unemployment and recently held a candlelight vigil because they didn’t get an additional 13 months. Boohoo! Fix up your resumes, improve your skillset, read some books, learn proper punctuation and get a job like everyone else.
If the 99ers want to continue collecting money for over 99 weeks, guess what? It’s no longer called unemployment. It’s called welfare.
How Hard Are 99ers Really Trying?
The truth of the matter is while it is reasonable that in smaller cities and less populated areas, jobs are scarce and the need for unemployment benefits are really there. But for most of the men and women collecting unemployment benefits, there’s a good chance they’re abusing the system.
A reasonable amount of unemployment time is understandable but where do these brash 99ers get off feeling a sense of entitlement that everyone should pool their tax dollars and just hand them to a 99er while they sit at home feeling sorry for themselves while making little effort to improve their own situation.
Now, maybe someone who used to make $200,000 a year can’t find a job paying quite as much, but at a time of true desperation, what’s stopping that person from working at the local mall or restaurant?
Then there are those who are simply going about things wrong.
Mistakes The Unemployed Make
One common mistake is sending the wrong message with a poorly constructed resume. Many 99er’s are aiming for jobs and turning in resumes with spelling and grammar errors (yes I’ve talked to many 99ers and about 99% of them don’t know how to spell or use proper punctuation). This brings up the question, “would you hire someone like that?” And better yet “how much do you really want this job if you won’t even go over your resume?”
Other issues include people sending out generic resumes and not targeting their resume towards the company they are applying for. This is common sense and all part of trying to present yourself in the best possible light to get a job. Some people also choose to lie on their resumes and are simply unprofessional by being informal and not being punctual.
In short, many who are currently collecting unemployment benefits and are complaining that they can’t find a job are the ones to blame.
There are simply too many 99er’s who are either abusing the system or just doing a bad job of applying for jobs.
One year ago it was understandable that it was difficult to find a job, but over the course of 99 weeks, which is just under two years, how can one explain not being able to find a job?
While some of the 99er’s may have legitimate reasons, for most, can they honestly say that after almost two years of government assistance during which they did not work that they honestly need another 13 months because they truly cannot land one of the over one million jobs out there?
I told you to get a smaller DOG !!!!!!
WTF is there 2 Butches here?
I’m not Butch! LOL
i dont know but , butch and mobs …lol
More like BI-CURIOUS HUH TAXPAYER? LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLO
Not Bi-Curious
been there
it wasn’t my thing
Did you pay taxes on that?
No money was exchanged so that would be a big NO! LOL
to bad all the beaners filled that position , oh well better luck next time
MAJOR MUD SLIDES HAVE EFFECTED THE WHOLE COUNTRY FROM TEXAS TO CALIFORNIA ALL DIKES HAVE BEEN CLOSED FOR SAFETY REASONS DUE TO POSSIBLE BAD LEAKING
OMG! This new guy is KILLING me. I’m gonna pass out!
Goodnight ya’ll, I’m off to dreamland, and I’m not talking about the other site LOL
K BIG DADDY SAYS YOU CAN LEAVE NOW …. GOOD NIGHT TAXPAYER
Thank you Sir.
Dreamland its 5:30 Go job hunt, if you have a job two won’t hurt!
8:30 here see you tomorrow ,good night all !
Don’t let the bedbugs bite causeican. Or anything else!!!!
insert …..wont
Its a great night for OVERTIME!!
I understand now the people here are used to being poor.
stop talking about your momma like that , you know the best part of you was left on the sheets …..LMFAO
Happy you came back causeican. I just made some MO MONEY.
Actually Butch I am making $11 an hour and my A** still hurts from catching up on past bills of 6 months…Get a F**king life you reject…Crawl back into that hole you came from.
Those against Unemployment handouts should go visit paltalk and download that software, free register and then log in and find the politics section and find tier V to survive unemployment united.
I was there a few minutes ago, going back, interesting load of nonsense I’ve ever seen.
One person said “if I had known there was going to be extension for 14 weeks I wouldn’t be working the crap job I am working now.
NICE!
Sports in case you missed it. I am mocking this place.
99ERS AND UNEMPLOYED THE FIGHT HAS ONLY STARTED, WE NEED TO APPLY PRESSURE ON THE REPUBLICANS, WE ALSO NEED TO MAKE SURE THIS BILL IS PAID FOR THROUGH (EMERGENCY FUNDS) WE ARE AN EMERGENCY. THE BILL WILL NOT MOVE IF IT IS NOT PAID FOR.WE HAVE TO GET BACK TO MAKING THE CALLS TO REPUBLICANS. SUPPORT THE 99ERS
People want to enjoy the dignity of work instead of collecting unemployment check,” Scott said. “Critics of unemployment compensation believe it gives people incentive not to work, but the fact is … that there are more people looking for work than there are jobs.”
Heidi Shierholz, an economist with the progressive Economic Policy Institute, said there were 3.1 million job openings in December. “Sounds good, until you remember there were 14.5 million unemployed workers in December,” she said. “The economic case for this bill is absolutely overwhelming.”
Story continues below
The next few days the Republicans are going to come face to face with a 99er and one of their voting 99ers in their area. ITs time to put politics aside and do right by the people. And follow up with a grand slam of job creation
about an hour ago·
In January, job creation was anemic, yet unemployment plummeted. What gives? The answer lies in the quirky way the government decides who gets counted as part of the work force, who gets counted as officially unemployed and who gets left out of the picture.
HOW NOT TO FIND A JOB!!
Job searching can be tough enough all by itself. There is no need to make it even harder by doing or saying the wrong thing when job searching or interviewing. Here’s a list of what you shouldn’t do. These tips might sound simple, but, you might be surprised at how many people make a mistake without thinking much about it. Then they wonder why they didn’t get a call or didn’t get the job.
Make a Mistake. Should a typo in your resume or cover letter drop you out of contention? It shouldn’t, but, it might. Employers typically get hundreds of resumes for each position they list. Perfection counts.
Limit Your Job Search. Don’t limit your search by only applying to positions that meet your exact criteria. Instead, having an open mind (remember, you won’t know exactly what the job entails until you interview) when reviewing the job ads will increase your applications and increase your chances for getting an interview.
Expand Your Job Search. Sounds contradictory, doesn’t it? You shouldn’t limit your job search, but, there is no point wasting your time or anyone elses applying for jobs you aren’t qualified for. The gentleman working as a child care provider didn’t, and won’t, get called for an interview as a C++ programmer.
Job Search Only Online. Don’t post your resume on Monster and HotJobs and hope that your email In Box will start to fill up or your phone will start ringing off the hook. It won’t happen. You need to be proactive when job searching and use all available job search resources – online and offline.
Contradict Yourself. If you are interviewing with several people make sure you keep your story straight. Telling one interviewer one thing and another something else is a good way not to get the job.
Insult your Former Employer. Even if your last job was horrible and your boss was an idiot, don’t mention it. Speaking poorly about former employers is never wise. How does your future employer know that you won’t talk about him that way, next time around?
Underdo It. Don’t be a slob. Candidates who are unkempt, disheveled and poorly dressed won’t get the job.
Overdo It. I once worked for someone who wouldn’t hire anyone he could smell before they walked into his office. He might have been overdoing it a little, but, the candidates would have done better if they had minimized the perfume or the after shave.
Show Your Desperation. Are you almost out of unemployment? Don’t know where you next meal is coming from? Do you absolutely have to have this job? Don’t give an inkling of any of that away. You want employers to believe that you want this job because it’s a good opportunity and you can be an asset to the company, not because you need to buy groceries or make your car payment.
Show Your Tattoos. If you are applying for a position in the corporate world, and other worlds too, you might want to cover up your tattoos and remove some of your rings if you’re pierced in lots of places. They probably won’t impress most employers.
Give Up. Regardless of how good the job market is, job searching isn’t simple, and it’s not always easy to stay positive and focused. When you’ve sent hundreds of resumes without much of a response it can be difficult to keep going. It’s important though to keep plugging away, to use all the job search tools available, and to keep a positive outlook.
Enjoy!
Just for fun I recently asked Erin, “Now that Your Unemployment has ran out, don’t you think it’s about time you went out and got yourself a job? I hated seeing you wallow in unemployment for so long.”
She smiled and said, “Wow. I have been unemployed a really long time. That’s weird… I like it!”
In our household it’s a running joke for one of us to say to the other, “Maybe you should get a job, derelict!”
It’s like the scene in The Three Stooges where Moe tells Curly to get a job, and Curly backs away, saying, “No, please… not that! Anything but that!”
It’s funny that when people reach a certain age, such as after graduating college, they assume it’s time to go out and get a job. But like many things the masses do, just because everyone does it doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. In fact, if you’re reasonably intelligent, getting a job is one of the worst things you can do to support yourself. There are far better ways to make a living than selling yourself into indentured servitude.
Here are some reasons you should do everything in your power to avoid getting a job:
1. Income for dummies.
Getting a job and trading your time for money may seem like a good idea. There’s only one problem with it. It’s stupid! It’s the stupidest way you can possibly generate income! This is truly income for dummies.
Why is getting a job so dumb? Because you only get paid when you’re working. Don’t you see a problem with that, or have you been so thoroughly brainwashed into thinking it’s reasonable and intelligent to only earn income when you’re working? Have you never considered that it might be better to be paid even when you’re not working? Who taught you that you could only earn income while working? Some other brainwashed employee perhaps?
Don’t you think your life would be much easier if you got paid while you were eating, sleeping, and playing with the kids too? Why not get paid 24/7? Get paid whether you work or not. Don’t your plants grow even when you aren’t tending to them? Why not your bank account?
Who cares how many hours you work? Only a handful of people on this entire planet care how much time you spend at the office. Most of us won’t even notice whether you work 6 hours a week or 60. But if you have something of value to provide that matters to us, a number of us will be happy to pull out our wallets and pay you for it. We don’t care about your time — we only care enough to pay for the value we receive. Do you really care how long it took me to write this article? Would you pay me twice as much if it took me 6 hours vs. only 3?
Non-dummies often start out on the traditional income for dummies path. So don’t feel bad if you’re just now realizing you’ve been suckered. Non-dummies eventually realize that trading time for money is indeed extremely dumb and that there must be a better way. And of course there is a better way. The key is to de-couple your value from your time.
Smart people build systems that generate income 24/7, especially passive income. This can include starting a business, building a web site, becoming an investor, or generating royalty income from creative work. The system delivers the ongoing value to people and generates income from it, and once it’s in motion, it runs continuously whether you tend to it or not. From that moment on, the bulk of your time can be invested in increasing your income (by refining your system or spawning new ones) instead of merely maintaining your income.
This web site is an example of such a system. At the time of this writing, it generates about $9000 a month in income for me (update: $40,000 a month as of 10/31/06), and it isn’t my only income stream either. I write each article just once (fixed time investment), and people can extract value from them year after year. The web server delivers the value, and other systems (most of which I didn’t even build and don’t even understand) collect income and deposit it automatically into my bank account. It’s not perfectly passive, but I love writing and would do it for free anyway. But of course it cost me a lot of money to launch this business, right? Um, yeah, $9 is an awful lot these days (to register the domain name). Everything after that was profit.
Sure it takes some upfront time and effort to design and implement your own income-generating systems. But you don’t have to reinvent the wheel — feel free to use existing systems like ad networks and affiliate programs. Once you get going, you won’t have to work so many hours to support yourself. Wouldn’t it be nice to be out having dinner with your spouse, knowing that while you’re eating, you’re earning money? If you want to keep working long hours because you enjoy it, go right ahead. If you want to sit around doing nothing, feel free. As long as your system continues delivering value to others, you’ll keep getting paid whether you’re working or not.
Your local bookstore is filled with books containing workable systems others have already designed, tested, and debugged. Nobody is born knowing how to start a business or generate investment income, but you can easily learn it. How long it takes you to figure it out is irrelevant because the time is going to pass anyway. You might as well emerge at some future point as the owner of income-generating systems as opposed to a lifelong wage slave. This isn’t all or nothing. If your system only generates a few hundred dollars a month, that’s a significant step in the right direction.
2. Limited experience.
You might think it’s important to get a job to gain experience. But that’s like saying you should play golf to get experience playing golf. You gain experience from living, regardless of whether you have a job or not. A job only gives you experience at that job, but you gain ”experience” doing just about anything, so that’s no real benefit at all. Sit around doing nothing for a couple years, and you can call yourself an experienced meditator, philosopher, or politician.
The problem with getting experience from a job is that you usually just repeat the same limited experience over and over. You learn a lot in the beginning and then stagnate. This forces you to miss other experiences that would be much more valuable. And if your limited skill set ever becomes obsolete, then your experience won’t be worth squat. In fact, ask yourself what the experience you’re gaining right now will be worth in 20-30 years. Will your job even exist then?
Consider this. Which experience would you rather gain? The knowledge of how to do a specific job really well — one that you can only monetize by trading your time for money – or the knowledge of how to enjoy financial abundance for the rest of your life without ever needing a job again? Now I don’t know about you, but I’d rather have the latter experience. That seems a lot more useful in the real world, wouldn’t you say?
3. Lifelong domestication.
Getting a job is like enrolling in a human domestication program. You learn how to be a good pet.
Look around you. Really look. What do you see? Are these the surroundings of a free human being? Or are you living in a cage for unconscious animals? Have you fallen in love with the color beige?
How’s your obedience training coming along? Does your master reward your good behavior? Do you get disciplined if you fail to obey your master’s commands?
Is there any spark of free will left inside you? Or has your conditioning made you a pet for life?
Humans are not meant to be raised in cages. You poor thing…
4. Too many mouths to feed.
Employee income is the most heavily taxed there is. In the USA you can expect that about half your salary will go to taxes. The tax system is designed to disguise how much you’re really giving up because some of those taxes are paid by your employer, and some are deducted from your paycheck. But you can bet that from your employer’s perspective, all of those taxes are considered part of your pay, as well as any other compensation you receive such as benefits. Even the rent for the office space you consume is considered, so you must generate that much more value to cover it. You might feel supported by your corporate environment, but keep in mind that you’re the one paying for it.
Another chunk of your income goes to owners and investors. That’s a lot of mouths to feed.
It isn’t hard to understand why employees pay the most in taxes relative to their income. After all, who has more control over the tax system? Business owners and investors or employees?
You only get paid a fraction of the real value you generate. Your real salary may be more than triple what you’re paid, but most of that money you’ll never see. It goes straight into other people’s pockets.
What a generous person you are!
5. Way too risky.
Many employees believe getting a job is the safest and most secure way to support themselves.
Morons.
Social conditioning is amazing. It’s so good it can even make people believe the exact opposite of the truth.
Does putting yourself in a position where someone else can turn off all your income just by saying two words (“You’re fired”) sound like a safe and secure situation to you? Does having only one income stream honestly sound more secure than having 10?
The idea that a job is the most secure way to generate income is just silly. You can’t have security if you don’t have control, and employees have the least control of anyone. If you’re an employee, then your real job title should be professional gambler.
6. Having an evil bovine master.
When you run into an idiot in the entrepreneurial world, you can turn around and head the other way. When you run into an idiot in the corporate world, you have to turn around and say, “Sorry, boss.”
Did you know that the word boss comes from the Dutch word baas, which historically means master? Another meaning of the word boss is “a cow or bovine.” And in many video games, the boss is the evil dude that you have to kill at the end of a level.
So if your boss is really your evil bovine master, then what does that make you? Nothing but a turd in the herd.
Who’s your daddy?
7. Begging for money.
When you want to increase your income, do you have to sit up and beg your master for more money? Does it feel good to be thrown some extra Scooby Snacks now and then?
Or are you free to decide how much you get paid without needing anyone’s permission but your own?
If you have a business and one customer says “no” to you, you simply say “next.”
8. An inbred social life.
Many people treat their jobs as their primary social outlet. They hang out with the same people working in the same field. Such incestuous relations are social dead ends. An exciting day includes deep conversations about the company’s switch from Sparkletts to Arrowhead, the delay of Microsoft’s latest operating system, and the unexpected delivery of more Bic pens. Consider what it would be like to go outside and talk to strangers. Ooooh… scary! Better stay inside where it’s safe.
If one of your co-slaves gets sold to another master, do you lose a friend? If you work in a male-dominated field, does that mean you never get to talk to women above the rank of receptionist? Why not decide for yourself whom to socialize with instead of letting your master decide for you? Believe it or not, there are locations on this planet where free people congregate. Just be wary of those jobless folk — they’re a crazy bunch!
9. Loss of freedom.
It takes a lot of effort to tame a human being into an employee. The first thing you have to do is break the human’s independent will. A good way to do this is to give them a weighty policy manual filled with nonsensical rules and regulations. This leads the new employee to become more obedient, fearing that s/he could be disciplined at any minute for something incomprehensible. Thus, the employee will likely conclude it’s safest to simply obey the master’s commands without question. Stir in some office politics for good measure, and we’ve got a freshly minted mind slave.
As part of their obedience training, employees must be taught how to dress, talk, move, and so on. We can’t very well have employees thinking for themselves, now can we? That would ruin everything.
God forbid you should put a plant on your desk when it’s against the company policy. Oh no, it’s the end of the world! Cindy has a plant on her desk! Summon the enforcers! Send Cindy back for another round of sterility training!
Free human beings think such rules and regulations are silly of course. The only policy they need is: “Be smart. Be nice. Do what you love. Have fun.”
10. Becoming a coward.
Have you noticed that employed people have an almost endless capacity to whine about problems at their companies? But they don’t really want solutions – they just want to vent and make excuses why it’s all someone else’s fault. It’s as if getting a job somehow drains all the free will out of people and turns them into spineless cowards. If you can’t call your boss a jerk now and then without fear of getting fired, you’re no longer free. You’ve become your master’s property.
When you work around cowards all day long, don’t you think it’s going to rub off on you? Of course it will. It’s only a matter of time before you sacrifice the noblest parts of your humanity on the altar of fear: first courage… then honesty… then honor and integrity… and finally your independent will. You sold your humanity for nothing but an illusion. And now your greatest fear is discovering the truth of what you’ve become.
I don’t care how badly you’ve been beaten down. It is never too late to regain your courage. Never!
Still want a job?
If you’re currently a well-conditioned, well-behaved employee, your most likely reaction to the above will be defensiveness. It’s all part of the conditioning. But consider that if the above didn’t have a grain of truth to it, you wouldn’t have an emotional reaction at all. This is only a reminder of what you already know. You can deny your cage all you want, but the cage is still there. Perhaps this all happened so gradually that you never noticed it until now… like a lobster enjoying a nice warm bath.
If any of this makes you mad, that’s a step in the right direction. Anger is a higher level of consciousness than apathy, so it’s a lot better than being numb all the time. Any emotion — even confusion — is better than apathy. If you work through your feelings instead of repressing them, you’ll soon emerge on the doorstep of courage. And when that happens, you’ll have the will to actually do something about your situation and start living like the powerful human being you were meant to be instead of the domesticated pet you’ve been trained to be.
Happily jobless
What’s the alternative to getting a job? The alternative is to remain happily jobless for life and to generate income through other means. Realize that you earn income by providing value — not time – so find a way to provide your best value to others, and charge a fair price for it. One of the simplest and most accessible ways is to start your own business. Whatever work you’d otherwise do via employment, find a way to provide that same value directly to those who will benefit most from it. It takes a bit more time to get going, but your freedom is easily worth the initial investment of time and energy. Then you can buy your own Scooby Snacks for a change.
And of course everything you learn along the way, you can share with others to generate even more value. So even your mistakes can be monetized.
Ah, More great advice!
I think there’s far too much talk and pressure about “how to find a job” and “how to reinvent yourself,” don’t you..?
Instead, how about embracing the recession and taking some time off to relax, have fun and veg out?
Just think, you could watch day-time television (Oprah, Ellen or the sports channel), go play some golf, visit the gym and sit in the sauna (but tell everyone you’ve been working out), play online poker, have fun on Facebook, hang out in coffee shops and “do lunch” with friends.
You could stay up late to watch trashy “made for TV” films whilst eating a tub of Haagen Dazs and corn chips. Maybe buy some completely useless items from the late night shopping channels and wake up the next day when…..well, whenever you like.
With such a lifestyle, why would you want to spend time looking for a job?
Oh yes, I forgot – it’s not socially acceptable is it? You’ve got to at least “look” as if you’re trying to find work.
So why not bluff your friends and family into thinking you are working really hard at the job searching but sabotage it?!
Here are 5 great ways NOT to get a job (but which make it look like you’re trying):
1. Live in the past
To ensure you don’t find a job, just stay focused on the past. Keep talking about all the things you’ve done, all the experience you’ve had. Don’t think for a second that this may be futile in a new world and a different climate.
(By the way – if you decide you’d actually like to find a role, you may want to think less about what you’ve done and focus more on the value you can create in the future for employers and clients, the problems you can solve, the results you can deliver, the transferable skills you can offer. But if not, just stay in the past – it’s a great way to enjoy the benefits of being footloose and fancy free!)
2. Play the blame game
To guarantee you can continue enjoying lazy lunches and some ‘”me time” (even though you’ve no idea what it means) just blame someone – anyone!
After all, it’s not your fault you’re struggling to find work – it’s the government, the greedy bankers, your incompetent employers, the hopeless recruiters, your mother-in-law, the next door neighbour’s dog and of course …….”The Recession” – the very best excuse for 20 years to play the blame game and do nothing!
(Oh, if you get a bit tired of blaming others and being a miserable, you may want to quit blaming the rest of the world and take personal responsibility for your situation – you’ll probably find a job much faster and be a much nicer person to be around. But if not, just stay there – at least the blame game allows you to take the summer off – much more fun than working.)
3. Hide behind your computer
This is a great one. If you’d rather play online poker or poke a few people on Facebook than get back to work, hide behind your computer for 7 hours a day pretending you’re job searching.
You can sit in your PJ’s in front of your laptop, apply for a few random jobs, send your resume to the same recruiters and job sites that everyone else is emailing and then sit back and say “Oh, I’m working sooo hard on my job search – but there’s simply nothing out there!” Genius.
(But if you get bored or broke sitting at home playing online poker all day, you may want to come out of hiding and get serious about finding work. The internet, email and social media are just “tools.” Ultimately it’s your relationships with people, not technology, that will help you find a job. Getting out there, speaking, meeting and engaging with people in the real world. But only do that if you really want a job. Maybe you can just stay home and dance in your lounge with Ellen? She’s much more fun than working.)
4. Wait 3 days before following up a lead
You’ve seen a job ad or been given a warm lead. Damn it – your plans to relax and do nothing seem scuppered.
OK, here’s an idea. How about you procrastinate, put off the call for a few days until you’ve perfected your resume or put off making the call until tomorrow when you feel better about yourself. That way, by the time you apply, the warm lead is cold, the job advert is inundated with other people so you don’t get to interview stage at all. Brilliant – you can then continue enjoying some more time on the couch with Oprah!
(If, on the other hand, you fancy giving up the couch and decide to get serious about finding a job, you need to be quick. In a tight job market, speed is of the essence – so act NOW, not later. You can improve, perfect and course correct later. But only if you want a job. Maybe Oprah’s much nicer than a boss so why bother hey?)
5. Be desperate
This one always works. Be really really desperate, needy and annoying. Just enough so that it puts people off. That way you can look like you’re trying really hard but just not getting the breaks. That way you can justify taking a break from the job searching – you know, just to “take a step back and review my options”. Perfect plan!
(But if you decide that you actually want to get a job – stop trying so hard. Be open-minded and flexible, but also be confident and self-assured in the way you conduct yourself. Believe you’re someone that has some value to offer – and then behave accordingly).
So there you go – 5 ways NOT to get a job this summer. 5 ways to ensure you can spend more time improving your golf swing, watching reality TV and seeing how many juicers and useless knives you can buy from those awful shopping channels.
(But if you’d like to find a job in less time and with less stress, do the exact opposite of these 5 points and you’ll stand a much better chance of succeeding)
Another great article, older but still worthy!
I don’t understand able bodied people who do not want to work. Not long ago, I was approached by two men in a parking lot who “needed some gas money“. They both looked healthy enough to work but instead were begging for change from people buying groceries for their families. ”Why can’t they work?”, I thought to myself as I walked to the car.
How many times have you seen people standing at the bottom of a freeway ramp begging for money? They can stand up all day and hold a sign, but are unable to work. What’s wrong with this picture?
I wake up every morning and go to the same job, at the same place, dealing with the same issues. It gets old and there are days when I’d rather just stay home. Doesn’t everyone feel this way at times? The reality is that work is part of being an adult and living in society–we all need to be productive. Why is it that some people think that they should be able to live a comfortable life without working?
As adults, we all get to make choices and live with the consequences. Some people decide not to work and then try to escape the consequences by looking to others for support! They do this by asking for money at the supermarket, applying for government welfare programs, or just living off the generosity of others.
When people don’t work, they are not contributing to society. This puts a burden on responsible working adults who end up paying for them in the long run. These people are living off the labor of others. I recently discovered a blog where someone was asking for ”milk and diaper money“. They even had a link to Pay-Pal on their site. Well meaning people are giving them money–too bad.
I can think of other troubling situations like husbands who make their wives support them or wives who stay home and play when their husbands are slaving away (although this doesn’t affect me unless they are applying for welfare). I also am troubled by people who depend on frivolous law suits, bogus insurance claims, or other scams for their income. These people put a lot of energy into figuring out how to not work. Wouldn’t it just be better if they put that same energy into finding a job and keeping it?
Don’t get me wrong, I believe in being charitable–in fact, we all have a responsibility to help others in need. It feels good to help a family that is really struggling, or someone with health issues, or the elderly, etc. Sometimes people just end up in difficult circumstances and need help–I completely understand this.
With all of that said, I believe that we are actually doing harm by helping those who choose not to work. We are enabling them, the same way we are enabling an alcoholic or a drug user. I’m not talking about homeless people, those who are disabled, the elderly, or special needs people. I’m talking about normal people who are lazy and just don’t want to work. These are able bodied people who want others to pay their way and are very good at figuring out ways to work the system. If these people don’t want to work, they should have to live with the consequences. Hunger can be a great motivator! What do you think?
So have 15.7 million other Americans.
Another 16 million sit at home hoping their luck will turn. They, too, were idled to some degree by this Grave Recession.
So, you’re not alone.
More than 31 million Americans share your strain – sleepless nights worrying about the bills, dreary days surfing job listings, weekends shopping for cheap eats.
They share your pain – calls from debt collectors, no calls from employers and higher prices for things they need.
And they share your drive to survive, to get back to work, to rebuild their lives.
But we cannot do it alone.
Nor can you.
we need you. You need us . we need each other
Why pass legislation to help the 99ers?
I have to say i love reading articles like written by people who completely clueless. According to this article we unemployed wish to be unemployed. There are all these jobs open in factors for minimum wage and like. Sure doesn’t matter if you have a house, wife a few kids to support. You should be smart and be able to support them on $300 a week. Maybe you are single, maybe just paying rent, food, student loans. So what do you do when you are living on as small as a budget possible, you don’t eat out, go on vacation, and just survive and then are offered a job that pays 50% less then you need to survive, hey you should take it and show up people like the writer of this article.
I have am today one of those 99ers. I am college graduated, i am single living a basic, my only real big expense beyond, rent, good, insurgence, utilities, phone, is my student loans which nicely take $300 more a month from what i don’t have. But i pay it.
I have applied for over 1400 jobs, i have been interviews at least 300 times, 20% or these jobs are still hiring cause they just want to find the perfect match though ever single candidate out there. another 40% of these jobs underwent hiring freezes cause of fear of more loses in the economy. another 30% of these great interviews are recruiters hiring for the same position that all the others are hiring for. Good example of this i have interviewed with 24 recruiters in a month all for the same job, where all said if you can speak Korean its a plus but not a requirement, and when i actually interviewed with the client the only thing that i lack that they required was bilingual and the rest just takes time to hire people. 3 of which i have met with three times over a 8 month period.
No one is taking advantage of the tax credits, no one is rushing to hire anyone. nothing. So now what do i do a month from now, when i am cant pay my bills, by back account has maybe $3 in it, i have interviews to go to and cant afford the commute anymore and my student loans begin default killing me even more.
take a job where i it doesn’t even cover 1/3 of my minimum budget. I would never wish unemployment on anyone, but people like you may need to be like the rest of us lose everything to understand anything.
While the long-time unemployed in Colorado may experience frustration in dealing with the difficult task of trying to get a human on the [unemployment insurance] customer service line to get questions answered regarding Tier 4 benefits, they should be thankful that they are not among nine other states across the nation that have failed to pass legislation that would allow claimants in their state to collect Emergency Unemployment Compensation [EUC
Where are the jobs?
For nearly two years, John Boehner has been complaining nonstop about job growth. “Where are the jobs?,” he grumbled, over and over again.
Of course, facts are pesky things. Accordingly, Boehner never mentioned that job losses skyrocketed under George Bush, largely due to policies that Bush and Boehner championed. Nor did he mention that the job picture did in fact start to get better and better once President Obama took office, and actually started doing something
In many states, the crunch will come in two years, when it’s time for the states to begin paying back the federal loans, says Rich Hobbie, executive director of the National Association of State Workforce Agencies.
Hobbie says that “2011 will be when most of the states that have borrowed will be facing an increase in their federal unemployment tax. And that, coupled with the increases in state unemployment taxes, will really get the interest of employers, and they’ll start to advocate for change.”
Re-post from someone else.
We Americans suffer from motivational and financial retardation. We are lazy and arrogant when we choose not to work because we think jobs available are beneath us. We are economically stupid when we live above our means. We choose not to make sacrifices to buy the things we need but instead buy the things we want. Case in point, my nephew will not pay a monthly health insurance premium of $325 for to cover himself, his wife and infant child but instead chooses to pay $450 each month for a cell phone and tobacco habit. Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day,…….look up the rest!
Posted by Dr. Stephen,
I myself would like to meet some people who do want to work. I am a physician and spend much of my day with patients that bring in disability forms so they don’t have to work. Some of these patients are younger than 20 and have never had a job before. Just today a woman wanted disability for an ingrown toenail not to mention a bunch of narcotics and i had a man who wanted to be disabled for a plantar fasciitis. Americans have gotten used to playing the system and expected hand outs. They are abusing it so much that those in true need are unable to get assistance because the courts are bogged down with fake claims.
At a $100 per person Holiday party in Boston last night, Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown told his affluent audience of supporters why he cast the deciding vote blocking extended unemployment benefits.
“Anyone who is unemployed in this great land of opportunity after 6 months is obviously not very serious about finding a job,” Brown told an enthusiastic audience. “These lazy loafers are sitting around the house all day in their underwear watching cartoons and Judge Judy instead of beating the pavement looking for work.” In response, the crowd burst into laughter and gave Brown a standing ovation.
Brown in closing, explained why extending the Bush tax cuts to the wealthiest people would help create jobs. “Without your $100 ticket, none of the people waiting on us here would be working tonight.
Thank You ZZ for posting this too….
Reality check here.
Are you going to take a job making less you will get in unemployment? NO! I know many unemployed workers who worked 20 years or more in the same job and although they are looking for work they will not accept nothing less than what they get in unemployment. When it runs out then they will start to look seriously at less paying jobs. Some of them look at it like an extended vacation. They are not lazy, just being realistic here. now if they find a job that pays more than they get on unemployment most take it but realistically there are not that many high paying jobs available for middle aged or older workers. Employers look at older workers as someone who will only work there 10 years or so, not make a career out it. So it is not a question laziness…anyway
Nope not a question just pointing towards laziness, but a few other mentioned things. Old age, ability, education, ability to retrain, stamina, etc…. oh and let’s not forget that most over 35 have health issues of some sort and costly to insure. 🙂
Get on the Lazy Unemployed Apply For Everything Plan…
Luv ya Mark 🙂
Love Big Daddy more, but gotta give credit where credit is due.
I’m all packed….will be on the flight in the morning! nite nite
Have a safe trip!
@taxpayer
Ma Lady…
Butch, Mobs/causeican/taxpayer are THREE different people, trust me, I know.
be gentle…now
you know when its me
Why does it seem this Jobless character is being picked on.
What has he ever done to any members/commentators here?
Ive seen him on that forum and he has been very helpful and supportive to many people, including ones who have talked about suicide MANY times. Ive seen him put up with a lot of BS from folks, but just brushes it aside, hoping that deep inside there was a “real” good person.
Boy was he an idiot.
Sometimes folks make the biggest mistakes in their lives and realize it. Other times they will soon or later find out they did, and when they do. Its TOO LATE.
here he goes again, good luck, and when you get the IC3 report back, tell Getthem out your a** to get a JOB. tell ya when your wife divorces you I will be a contributing witness to it if she needs it. sound good
I hope so you pathetic liar
watch what you say, you think you are the only one who has the law in the family?
I have witnesses when I contacted you and how often, is this a threat? I have all of your conversations for months, so bring it?
Well good morning people , another day another dollar , time to get to work !
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