Job Hunting........

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
I'm trying to keep positive, but it can be both depressing and frustrating. Especially the online applications. Not to mention more than a bit maddening. :groan:

Ohhhhh, and I just love the ridiculous questionnaires that "only take 5 mins of your time" while in reality can take up to a half hour each or more. Not to mention some of the ludicrous questions on the darn thing. Do they really think someone is going to answer honestly if they intend to steal from the company or come into work late or call off all the time or even if they're planning to look for a better job?? omg

This last one asked me how many days there are in a week, month, year like 10 times each. There were blatantly obvious psychiatric questions on it as well, even to a lay person.

And do not get me started on the race thing. This last one made a special point of "qualifying" each racial group (descriptions laid out so you know exactly what they mean for each one). Among them was mixed race. Ok. Fine. Only "mixed race" wasn't an option to choose. Really? Then why was it on the list in the first place?? geez

The newest thing I've been running into is some sort of tax thing some places evidently use and they want to know if you're on any form of govt assistance. First time I saw it I filled it out. I just ran across it again and opted out. It's non of their frigging business I get food stamps. Which I won't get IF I land a job with them.

Oh, and before I forget..........the whole give us the name of your supervisor deal..............Now I understand this and can see where it can apply (if your currently working or just quit somewhere) but the last job I had was in 2004 and I know for a fact my supervisor hasn't worked there in 4 years or more...........same for any other supervisor I've had. Other than the hospital and nursing home (more than 20 yrs ago) I've worked retail which goes through supervisors like tissues.....either moving them around store to store or whatever. Shoot I can't give their full names because I never KNEW their full names in the retail stores. I knew first names period.

I guess I should just be grateful the latest ones have no request for a resume. :whoopdedoo:

I've been trying to do more applications online to save on gas.......and I *thought* save some time. (hahahahaha) phhht

I'm also trying/hoping to land something full time (or as close to it as possible) IN town as opposed to having to drive out of town. Of course this greatly limits my prospects. But my car is 13 yrs old and it's not going to last forever. Know what I mean??

I know maybe I shouldn't feel this way...............but I do and I can't help it............. I feel like I'm being discriminated against because I made the choice to stay home and raise my children. I know we've become a society of 2 working parents or single working parents. But the attitude I get off people is just plain stupid. They literally act as if I am lazy and that is the reason chose not to work. (at least the people I've been in contact with) Good God Almighty when I did the phone interview for the woman from disability she copped the same damn attitude! I mean got downright snarky about it. And I managed to tell her off in just ever so barely a tactful manner. But once she pulled up my official work history her attitude became hostile and stayed that way.

My girls think I'm imagining it. Uh, no. I read body language, facial expression, and tone of voice quite well thankyouverymuch. I know when someone is copping an attitude even when they're attempting to hide it, which many don't even bother to do.

To be honest, I don't think the online apps are going to do me any good. They see the job history and it probably gets me booted before they get any further.

I wonder what they would think if I started filling in the "blank" years of my job apps with domestic engineer? I'll tell ya, I've seriously been considering it. Because that is what I was doing, holding down a household, budgeting a very scant income, and raising 3 kids.....one of whom was disabled and would not have been able to cope with daycare had I had any desire to be a working Mom.

ARGH! :sissyfight:

Ok. Vent over. Now I have to go pay bills. Oh yippee. Not.
 

Fran

Former desparate mom
Those blanks spots can be filled with all the education you got as an EMS and RN programs. I would think you would be able to get jobs in the fields you are trained in. Maybe your not suited for hospital work but there is utilization review or infection control or employee health that aren't as physically demanding and not quite so overwhelming with your memory issues. You have much better chances of employment than anyone who has had no education. Just a thought.
 

AnnieO

Shooting from the Hip
Lisa... Good luck. Most places have their applications online now. Drives Onyxx crazy. She's "connected" but would rather hand write a job app and skip the personality tests!

You aren't completely wrong, I've been venting for some time about having to work. Honestly I thought women were supposed to have the CHOICE, but truthfully we don't, we HAVE to work. Ugh. No, my brain could not take just stay at home mom, but I am sure I could find something to keep me busy. I'd LOVE to work from home or be a stay at home mom.
 

AnnieO

Shooting from the Hip
About that "JUST stay at home mom"... LOL I found out that there's a LOT of work involved in that!!!
 

InsaneCdn

Well-Known Member
Lisa, Lisa!
Quit being so hard on yourself.
In reality, the stay at home mom stuff is irrelevant... your youngest left the nest how long ago?.

Most of the relevant stuff starts with your LPN training etc.
And then... you got run over by a truck. Literally.
Disability is not the same as "stay at home mom". You had no choice.
Life has presented all sorts of left curves.

Sit down and write out a resume. NOT to give out, but to get the details straight in your own mind.
The last 10 years count - anything before that is out of date and irrelevant, unless it is negative and applies directly to this job (like, got fired for stealing from the till...)
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
Yeah...just stay at home mom. I spent most of my life either being just a stay at home mom, then I had my dream job for 8 years, then I became a disabled nobody who everyone thinks sits on her butt eating bon bons all day. I have had it made. Gag me.
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
I'm not being hard on myself. It's not ME with the issue on being a stay at home mom. Having been one for most of my adult life doesn't bother me in the least. Unfortunately it does seem to bother others though, particularly those looking at job apps.

The attitude from males doesn't bother me as much as when I get it from females. Females should know better.

I will get a job eventually, I've no doubt.

It's the process that is aggravating and a bit depressing. And some of that does have to do with the economy in my area which has been in the toilet for some years now. (four or five years)

I'm not being picky about what I apply for and I'm even attempting some positions I'm not even sure I qualify for just on the off chance that I do, including the healthcare field. So there has to be a job out there for me somewhere.

And yes, I'm aware my schooling counts sort of like working. I just hope as they look at the apps they see it that way.

This morning I spent doing apps and those wonderful questionnaires and needed to vent. blah
 

InsaneCdn

Well-Known Member
Schooling counts for more than just "sort-of working".
Schooling is proof of being a life-long learner, which you are.
And that means... you can learn to do job X or Q as well.
Returning to school as an adult is viewed even more positively than getting it all by the time you are 25.
 

Mattsmom277

Active Member
I hear you Hound. The last decent job I held was as a health promotion worker for our Ministry of Health. I worked out of a medical clinic for at risk street youth. I published books, was on national news and in magazines and newspapers. I studied both criminal corrections and as a legal assistant post secondary. So yeah, I was out of options here and grit my teeth and applied at Subway. Yes, Subway. Where I was not found suitable somehow to be a "Subway Sandwich Artist". Isn't that absolutely insane? I needed work, I needed non stressful work, it had to be walking distance to home and the hours I needed. This fit the bill even though it was **** wages and I would have had to swallow pride every time I served my successful friends their lunch on their work breaks. I had no intention of just using it as a stepping stone to bide time for a "decent career". I just wanted a dang income and a super low key position, for the long haul. I've since given up. I'm over it, simply because if one cannot at nearly 40 get hired to build a flipping sandwich according to a formula, I don't think I could handle the experience again of being overlooked by a child manager while some stoned teenager does get hired. Sending you hugs.
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
I'm back looking, although I just want part-time, at age 59. I read that many companies don't even look at people over 40. Over 40????? Then if you are 55, your chances of getting any job are something like 13%!!! As old as ME? 6%. Of course, no company can say they won't hire you if you are over 40, but they sure don't have to call you in and if you happen to call to ask about your status they can just say that you are under/over qualified or anything but the truth and nobody can prove them wrong.

Fortunately, I liked being a stay at home mom and got jobs when I needed them anyway. There are ways to fill in those blanks. I used to say I did babysitting during those years and it worked. I mean, I DID sometimes babysit :)

I hate online applying. It is going to make getting good jobs really hard for our kids and for those of us here who still want to work. The reason is, we used to be pretty sure our companies would just have applications from locals and would fill jobs locally. After all, we had to come in and fill out an application on in person. Often we got interviewed right away. Getting a job was a breeze.

Now, as my son learned, you are competing online with anyone who will relocate to your city, from India to China to Australia. My brother used to hire people and he elaborated on this. He hired high level people and often they were not from the US. He had to check each hire with his supervisor and usually brought in three or so applicants he liked and the boss would pick one of them. He couldn't discriminate or just choose from the US. He worked for a big company that paid great and had wonderful benefits. When he first started, his hiring was NOTHING like this. It was the ole "he walked in and filled out an application." By the time he quit to semi-retire, that's when he had to be fair to those from the US and India. And often the man or woman from India was better qualified or would take a lower salary. People compete with so many more people than they used to!

It's tough out there now. If I never get another job, I will volunteer and enjoy the rest of my life rather than fight the online crapola and personality tests. You ever try to apply for a min. wage job at Walmart? It takes 45 minutes and a personality test. If you answer a certain number of the personality test not to Walmart's liking, your online application is DELETED. What a scam! Our employers get away with murder.

Good luck to you, Hound Dog. My very, very best. Hugs!!!!
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
Walmart is even better than that.........I know, I've tried..........if you get the app through and manage to get an interview? It's not one interview like most places, oh no, it's THREE! Seriously? I mean c'mon, it's a minimum wage job, for pete's sake.......I'm not going for store manager! But it's that way for every position. Three yeses and you have the job. One no and you don't.

I know I said I'm applying everywhere, but walmart is at the bottom of the list. They're not hiring anyway.

You'd think the older a person was the more it would work in their favor.......you know, as in more responsible than say a 19 yr old. phht
 

flutterby

Fly away!
They ask about public assistance because some companies get incentives (money) from the county/state for hiring employees who are receiving some form of public assistance (I'm not sure if it's all kinds of public assistance or just some).

I hate online apps/resumes. I miss the days when you just mailed your resume and cover letter. It's ridiculous for it to take 2 hours to apply to be a bagger at Kroger - and it obviously doesn't work, you see the turn over.
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
Lisa, didnt you used to do child care? Start doing that again. You will make far more money than you will at any part time job or even a full time job. Do you realize what parents are paying for day care these days? Here it starts at around 90 to 100 a week for the first kid and you get maybe a 10 dollar reduction for the second. Maybe 20. If you can get approved through DSS, you will be set. You can probably take care of 2 or 3 infants and maybe 1 or 2 after school kids on top of that. I think for a home day care the limit is like 5 or 6 but DSS pays well. I think they pay like 350 a month per child and the parent has to kick in a portion too. That would be what....over 1500 a month in income? At least. If you dont go through DSS, you just have to get your license.

MWM, as far as you, I would just take a break and then get your applications started as emergency foster parents. I dont think you should go for being full time foster parents just yet but being emergency foster parents for kids/infants who have to have a home immediately when they are removed on the spur of the moment while DSS is looking for a long term placement would be great. You would make some decent money but not be in the position of having to get tied down or too emotionally involved with the kids right now. You probably wouldnt have them for more than a week.
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
Janet, again, you read my mind. We don't want to do it full time now. We want time to ourselves; time to relax. We will do emergency or short term and maybe respite. I don't have any young kids anymore so we can be more flexible, but really I just want kids from birth-three.
 

AnnieO

Shooting from the Hip
OMG Janet, I want to pay that much for day care!!! Holy smokes!!! Meggie is $120 a week for 3 days, would be $175 for 5 - and if she went to one of the big places like Kinder Care it is $250 a week - plus diapers and formula.
 

Marcie Mac

Just Plain Ole Tired
I dont even want to go on line and start the process LOL Am almost positive my job will be ending at the end of this month and I just dread having to deal with all of the stuff you have to go thru and even down to collecting unemployment.

Thankfully I live in a state where you can collect your SS AND unemployment. It is 500.00 difference a month if I retire now rather than waiting till I am 65, and I can legally earn up to 15,000 and change a year before it would effect my benefits. My only hangup is medical insurance - have one more operation that needs to be done and have been scrambling to get everything lined up and taken care of before I lose my insurance. I still would have cobra, but will have to come up with 900.00 and change :( And there is no way I can keep all the balls in the air

Marcie
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
Well, I'm glad I'm not alone in my feelings per this new techie job hunting process.

I could run my own daycare again. The money is far better than you imagine Janet as long as you can find clients to fill the slots who pay without issue and keep those slots filled. Good as it pays, there are some cons to that line of work as well. I'd rather work outside the home along side other adults in a job that would give me benefits, particularly insurance if I can get one. Doing my own daycare again is on the back burner, being kept in mind should this job hunt drag on too long.

However to start up a daycare there are things I'd have to fix up around the house first and that takes both time and money. Time I have, money not so much. I am making preparations for this option while hoping for something else to pan out.
 

Calamity Jane

Well-Known Member
The online psychological tests make me nuts. I must "overthink" them, because I just always fail! They ask crazy "Sophie's Choice" type questions, like: true or false - "I think I am smarter than most other people". If you answer "yes" then you seem conceited, if you answer "no" you admit to stupidity. There is no option for "not applicable" either! You are timed, and you can't skip a question. Some questions are insane. I remember one recently that was, "Accuracy is better than honesty". There's no option for "both are important"! I feel so stupid, because these questions aren't for rocket scientist jobs. It's so humiliating!
 

DaisyFace

Love me...Love me not
Oh I just HATE the online applications - which are really designed to weed out the number of applications that cross the hiring manager's desk. (And I guess, considering that since the recession started there have been literally hundreds of applicants for every one opening - I can't really blame employers for trying to whittle down the pile.)

It's just so frustrating that the online apps exclude a lot of perfectly qualified candidates in favor of the more savvy, slippery, "yes-men".
 
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