Yeah fellas, I know the feeling...
Being an underutilized worker is not easy, I should know because I’ve been one for the last 5 1/2 years. When you’ve been without a job for as long as I have you start to get the feeling that people are looking down on you and that they believe there is something wrong with you. That is until you realize that there are more people out there who are in the exact same position as you are now and that it really isn’t your fault that you haven’t gotten a job yet. This economy doesn’t lend itself to an easy job search.
But that doesn’t mean that I should stop trying. After all we have bills to pay and a mortgage to keep up with which means I have to keep looking wherever I can. Some of the places I have looked lately include the following:
U.S. Census- My mother-in-law turned me onto this one. They have an online application you can download and fill out as well as an I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification form you can fill out. There is also a phone number for you to call so that you can go and take a test to get a job with them. I actually called them two days ago and got a spot for a test next Tuesday – or at least I had a spot for a test next Tuesday. That is until someone from the Census office called me up a few minutes ago to tell me that my test was cancelled because they have all their applicant spots filled up. They said that they would put me on a callback list – for next fall. Yeah, thanks gang, fat lot of good that does me now!!! What the hell am I supposed to do in the meantime?!? I was counting on this and I was sure that I was going to be hired!!!! Damn – even my own government won’t give me a yob, and they made wifey cry because this fell through!! Thanks for nothing!!!!!!
RGIS- Some of you may know this company, especially if you work retail. They are the ones who go into stores and whatnot and conduct your inventory for you and they can do it rather quickly. It may cost some companies but it is well worth it. I saw that they were looking for people in the Boise/Twin Falls area and I went ahead and applied Sunday morning. Their Human Resources department sent me an auto e-mail telling me that I should schedule an interview at their website. I keep going to the address they give me every morning only to see the phrase “You can schedule an appointment for the following invitation(s) once timeslots become available. Please check back regularly for available timeslots.” I keep checking every morning just on the offchance that I might actually get a shot at supporting my family.
Home Depot – No clue if anything is available, you just have to go to their website, apply and hope for the best.
Lowe’s- Only if I learn how to drive a forklift, and even then there are no guarantees.
Cabella’s – The Boise, Idaho location is currently not accepting applications.
ShopKo – Last time I was in there I looked at their employment computer that they have near the front door and it said “No openings at this time, please try again later.”
RC Willy – 2 job openings – both in Nevada. No help there.
Joe’s Sport’s- They’re looking for an “Idaho Sales Manager”. Now I have retail management experience even though it was eight (8) years ago, but the one sticking point would be that I don’t think I would be able to pass one requirement: “Ability to meet Federal requirements for handling and processing firearm transactions”. Now I have never done anything illegal it’s just that I’ve never handled a firearm in my life so that alone would disqualify me.
DMV – The only local opening in the Transportation Department is for an Engineer, Manager 1. One of the minimum qualifications: Licensed in Idaho as a Professional Engineer (PE); or be eligible for comity licensure by the Idaho Board of Professional Engineers in accordance with Idaho Code, Title 54, Chapter 12.” Somehow I don’t think that a Theatre Arts degree will cut it.
QWest – Salesman. It means cold-calling people, meeting sales quotas, giving people a hard sell and having the ability to “close the sale” which I don’t have.
The one that really pisses me off right now is the Census. I was really counting on that to help us through the next few months and now it’s not going to happen at all!!! Look I’ve never broken the law, I’m a fast learner and I do a good job when I’m qualified to do it. I know the economy is in the tank right now, but I can be a good employee for someone if given the chance. The problem is not with me, as wifey has told me while telling me that it was not my fault that the Census won’t happen after I apologized to her for letting us down – again. The problem is out there where it is a “buyers market” when it comes to yobs.
I don’t know what we’re going to do now.
In the meantime we are trying to get ready for a garage sale that we are hoping will make us enough to pay our mortgage. I’ll be putting a “For Sale” sign on my car and hope that someone takes an interest in it. True it’s a ’95 Saturn but it only has 77,000 miles on it so we’re hoping to get $2,250.00 for it.
Right now the way I’m feeling I either need a viewing of “The Secret” or I need a few hours playing “NASCAR SimRacing”. So until I’m able to find someone who is willing to take a chance on me and hire me as a new employee, I go back to being an “unperson”…
