Why won't they hire?

[weekender 0]

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I dont need another me.

If you own your own company then fine it is your company to do as you wish. But if you just happen to be someone higher up the food chain in a given company I would say your attitude towards people working under you is a "Red Flag" in itself.

I have been working in the IT industry for more than 25 years and have seen many changes over the years. One of the things I will never ever forget was what I witnessed at one of these "Dynamic Companies" on September 11th, 2001. I was working at a startup software company and many of the people I worked with were talented, dedicated people. But I will never ever forget on that day when you did not know if the world was coming apart at the seams, these dedicated people insisted to continue on with the work day conducting their product meetings as if nothing had happened. The shit was hitting the fan (or at least we thought the shit was hitting the fan) and all these people could think about was "How much money can we make with this dynamic startup company of ours". That day forever changed me in regards to my attitude towards how some people view work as if it was the only thing that mattered in life.

One day you will get sick, or you will get injured while jumping or you will grow up and realize that while work is important, it is not the most important thing in life. If you want to only hire people within your internal circle of contacts that is your choice. If you want to look down on people who exists outside of this inner circle of contacts that is also your choice. Just remember none of us gets out of here alive and there is more to life than dedicating your every waking minute to your career. Been there done that ...

I never said work is the most important thing in life. didnt even imply it. i want someone who enjoys their job so much that its like a hobby to them. i dont want them looking out the window dreaming of their next 6 month vacation.

i dont look down on anyone for their desire to take long breaks. i even mentioned that. i just wont hire them for the reasons stated.

9/11 really? your going there? Save if for someone who didnt work downtown, 70th floor, that day. your post is so overly dramatic im embarrassed for you. lighten up.

"The point is, I'm weird, but I never felt weird."
John Frusciante

[CanuckInUSA 0]

Dude I brought up 9/11 because that day forever changed how I viewed work. Sorry if you were unable to comprehend what I was saying. Sorry if you failed to recognize that it was a day that taught me a valuable lesson that there are people out there who think one must constantly be thinking of work related tasks every minute of their lives regardless of what is going on around them. If you have not been exposed to the sorts of people, then count yourself lucky. I brought it up because you sound exactly like one of these people ... except you claim "I dont need another me." giving us the impression you yourself are allowed to have fun but the people working under you are not allowed to have a life. As I said you may think "Unemployed people are red flags that need to be passed over, but you yourself are a red flag".

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[weekender 0]

i understood your post just fine. it was just too dramatic for me. im not a fan of 9/11 references in light conversation. maybe its just me.

my posts are very clear. dont leave a gap in your resume if you can avoid it because it might discourage employers from considering you. i stated many reasons why. nothing radical in any of my posts.

"The point is, I'm weird, but I never felt weird."
John Frusciante

[kallend 2,146]

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US companies are sitting on piles of cash. Until something forces them to invest in THIS country, we will continue to have a serious waste of human potential.

FORCED? since when should the US government FORCE them to spend money?

Did I mention the government? Thought not.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[mirage62 0]

Yep, I'll have to second it and I don't run a big high tec company. Copiers, office supplies and net work services. It's a buyers market for hiring right now. I don't have a problem with people that like to take 6 months off to ______. I just don't hire them.

Years ago net work techs had everyone over the barrel. The market was tight and they got to basically name there terms. The market responded and flooded the market, now the price has come down.

It will all turn and speed racer will be back on top- one day (hopefully) but not now. You may not like what weekender (or I) say but its the fact.

Kevin Keenan is my hero, a double FUP, he does so much with so little

[billvon 3,107]

>The employed person may merely be keeping the wheels turning.

Yes. He may be sitting there watching Youtube and posting on DZ.com. But if you are going to compare two people - one with a job, one without - the odds are that the guy with the job is going to be working in his field.

>Your research example is well and good, but applies to a very small
>percentage of jobs out there. And even researchers need time out - the
>sabbatical came from the academic research world.

Right. I've taken three months off at a stretch. But I had a job at the time, which in this economy is a very good idea (i.e. get a job THEN take a long vacation.)

[billvon 3,107]

>The employed worker is talking to you because they are thinking
>of jumping ship to another organization.

Agreed. But on the other hand, that unemployed guy is talking to you because he couldn't find anyone else who wanted to hire him.

[CanuckInUSA 0]

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Agreed. But on the other hand, that unemployed guy is talking to you because he couldn't find anyone else who wanted to hire him.

It is a huge FUBAR Catch-22 situation for many of the unemployed these days. I have no sympathy for the Leftist morons who are protesting on Wall Street. But the attitude of "Unless you are working there is something seriously wrong with you" attitude among some stinks. There are people who are qualified and experienced who are being forced out of the work force all because they happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and they lost their jobs through no fault of their own. The longer it takes them to get back into their fields the more they are rejected. All is takes these days is to be out of work for a few months and that is it, you are blacklisted.

For those who have never been in SpeedRacer's shoes, count yourself lucky. But be careful how you judge people like SpeedRacer as you could one day find yourselves in these same shoes. Catch-22

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[mpohl 1]

Chemists, Mol Bio are outsourced at a rapid clip.

I have a PhD, MBA, and encounter the same experience. You didn't vote Republican by any chance ??

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OK for the last nine months I have been looking for work as a molecular biologist in the DC suburb area (the Bio-Capital area for biotech companies). I have an MS in molecular biology, and 15 years experience in research. Tissue Culture, molecular biology, gene expression, sequencing, cloning, protein purification, etc.

I have been submitting applications for positions online, and getting almost no responses. There have been a couple of times where my skills fit the ad like a glove. And I would highlight that fact in my cover letters.

So maybe someone else got the job before me? I don't think so, because the ad for the same job opening was there two months later, or resubmitted under a different reference id.

So WTF is going on here? I've had people look over my CV, it highlights my skills and gives results-oriented achievements, etc.

Why wouldn't a company hire a person for a position that they are clearly qualified for? (BTW, I am not getting rejections, I am getting NO responses at all, except the automatic email you get when you submit)>

Is it Human Resources? Are they using my applications for personal hygiene purposes, or what?

I am a highly experienced & skilled molecular biologist, and I have a thick folder full of copies of unanswered applications.

I am finding advertised positions, but no human being seems to be at the other end of my applications. I am now facing a mortgage payment that I will not be able to pay.

[CanuckInUSA 0]

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You didn't vote Republican by any chance ?

To politicize the unemployed is complete and utter bullshit. In case you have not been paying attention there is crap on both sides of the political fence. Neither side can claim the high ground right now.

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[kelpdiver 2]

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\
Years ago net work techs had everyone over the barrel. The market was tight and they got to basically name there terms. The market responded and flooded the market, now the price has come down.

Supply had been scarce in the Bay Area for 3-4 years now. The bottom was 2005 or so - many people did move away. So people can apply silly hiring criteria at their own risk. Bad IT people are very expensive to the company.

[Trafficdiver 8]

It's probably because the HR people have massive stacks of applications as good or better than yours.

Don't take it personally, The economy sucks and everyone needs jobs,

[NWFlyer 2]

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From what I've read, everything NWFlyer says is exactly the way it is.

It's not only what you know, it's who you know.

That's both a good and a bad thing.

Wendy P.

Yep, I'm probably no more or less qualified than people who just sent their resume in to be put on the pile, but I was able to get someone to pay attention to my resume because I took the time to find a personal connection. It's a benefit to the hiring manager because they have more of a "known quantity" and it's a benefit to the job seeker because they can get more specific intelligence about a job rather than just relying on the "marketing spin" they get from the hiring manager or HR.

I think a lot of people believe that networking is all about having "friends in high places." It's not. It's using everyone you know to get you to the right person who can make a decision about whether to consider you as a hire. That's especially important in a brutal economy like this. I'm fortunate in that I got my current job in 2008, literally days before the bottom dropped out of the economy, and just a couple months before my department responded with a hiring freeze. I've been on the market in bad economic times and I don't wish it on anyone - the constant application/rejection cycle can be really awful on your sense of self-esteem and self-worth; even this last job search of mine took me 5+ months; I've had unemployment cycles that have lasted longer than that and it's a major stressor for sure.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[futuredivot 0]

Now if you only did as good a job remembering the people you meet as people do remembering you....

You are only as strong as the prey you devour

[marks2065 0]

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From what I've read, everything NWFlyer says is exactly the way it is.

It's not only what you know, it's who you know.

That's both a good and a bad thing.

Wendy P.

Yep, I'm probably no more or less qualified than people who just sent their resume in to be put on the pile, but I was able to get someone to pay attention to my resume because I took the time to find a personal connection. It's a benefit to the hiring manager because they have more of a "known quantity" and it's a benefit to the job seeker because they can get more specific intelligence about a job rather than just relying on the "marketing spin" they get from the hiring manager or HR.

I think a lot of people believe that networking is all about having "friends in high places." It's not. It's using everyone you know to get you to the right person who can make a decision about whether to consider you as a hire. That's especially important in a brutal economy like this. I'm fortunate in that I got my current job in 2008, literally days before the bottom dropped out of the economy, and just a couple months before my department responded with a hiring freeze. I've been on the market in bad economic times and I don't wish it on anyone - the constant application/rejection cycle can be really awful on your sense of self-esteem and self-worth; even this last job search of mine took me 5+ months; I've had unemployment cycles that have lasted longer than that and it's a major stressor for sure.

I don't understand long term unemployment, there are many jobs open, just not the ones that people like. I have never been unemployed for more than 3 weeks unless I wanted more time off. but then again I am not too proud to cut grass or flip burgers. I think it is a copout to recieve welfare and food stamps while I am capable of working.

[NWFlyer 2]

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I think it is a copout to recieve welfare and food stamps while I am capable of working.

Well, I've never received either of those when I've been unemployed. I have, however, collected on the unemployment insurance that I paid into (indirectly, through my employer).

But, y'know, go right ahead and imply that you feel I'm a lazy drain on society.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[billvon 3,107]

>there are many jobs open, just not the ones that people like.

Agreed. There are a lot of jobs that some people just plain refuse to do, like farm work. This has repercussions as crops rot, farmers make less money, stores must buy more imports and food prices rise. It's a price we pay for being picky about the jobs we are willing to do.

[marks2065 0]

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I think it is a copout to recieve welfare and food stamps while I am capable of working.

Well, I've never received either of those when I've been unemployed. I have, however, collected on the unemployment insurance that I paid into (indirectly, through my employer).

But, y'know, go right ahead and imply that you feel I'm a lazy drain on society.

I did not imply that of you, but if you feel guilty about it you probably were. I do not know you nor is it my place to judge you, I was just letting my thoughts known.

[marks2065 0]

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>there are many jobs open, just not the ones that people like.

Agreed. There are a lot of jobs that some people just plain refuse to do, like farm work. This has repercussions as crops rot, farmers make less money, stores must buy more imports and food prices rise. It's a price we pay for being picky about the jobs we are willing to do.

Refusing to do is not an option, maybe the unemployment office needs to be notified when someone turns down a job, maybe some people will just have to take any job until they find one they want.

[NWFlyer 2]

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I did not imply that of you, but if you feel guilty about it you probably were. I do not know you nor is it my place to judge you, I was just letting my thoughts known.

Nope, no guilt. Nothing to feel guilty about.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[billvon 3,107]

>Refusing to do is not an option . . . . .

??? There are several people on here who have listed jobs they won't do. I am sure you have such a list yourself.

>maybe the unemployment office needs to be notified when someone turns down a job

Since they don't have recruiters going door to door for farm jobs it's hard to see how that's even practical.

[marks2065 0]

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>Refusing to do is not an option . . . . .

??? There are several people on here who have listed jobs they won't do. I am sure you have such a list yourself.

>maybe the unemployment office needs to be notified when someone turns down a job

Since they don't have recruiters going door to door for farm jobs it's hard to see how that's even practical.

No I do not have such a list. there should not be a list of jobs you won't do, only a list of jobs you want to do. never turn down a when you are staring welfare in the eye.

Maybe they should try the local unemployment office or pay for an add in the help wanted section of the paper.

[billvon 3,107]

>Maybe they should try the local unemployment office or pay for an add in the help
>wanted section of the paper.

Oh, they do that. And as a result they have crops rot in the fields.

[marks2065 0]

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>Maybe they should try the local unemployment office or pay for an add in the help
>wanted section of the paper.

Oh, they do that. And as a result they have crops rot in the fields.

Maybe the unemployment office should say "go work here and we will give you your check".

[billvon 3,107]

>Maybe the unemployment office should say "go work here and we will
>give you your check".

Unemployment coverage that pays only when you're working?

Hmm. Might save us a lot of money! And we could apply it other places. A military that is very effective as long as we're not at war. Air traffic control that works great as long as there's no traffic! Cops that are cost effective provided no one commits any crimes.