Employers Won't Hire The Jobless Because Of The 'Desperate Vibe'

[sasha031]

Source: Huffington Post

WASHINGTON -- Isang Inokon, a headhunter for Amherst Healthcare recruiting firm, posted a Craigslist job ad on November 18 for clinical pharmacists -- but only the kind who already have jobs."Do yourself and favor and start looking now," he wrote in the ad. "When you lose your job, you will interview from a position of weakness."With the U.S. unemployment rate still soaring at 9.8 percent and 6.3 million Americans having been unemployed for 27 weeks or longer, employers can now afford to be extremely picky about whom they hire. In addition to seeking very specific skills, degrees, and numbers of years of experience, many employers are specifying in job ads that candidates be "currently employed" elsewhere to be considered for the position.
Inokon, who has worked in staffing and recruiting for almost 15 years, said he has trouble placing jobless pharmacists because the reality of today's job market is that employers "want somebody who's wanted."
"When you show desperation in your face and your tone during an interview, management is going to pick up on that vibe. They're gonna feel it and see it and notice something's off," he told HuffPost. "It's like somebody who hasn't been on a date in a while -- they're awkward, and the other person's gonna be turned off. It's always better for a person to interview while they're employed."

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/03/employers-wont-hire-the-u_n_791710.html

[phantom power]

1. Fabulous advice, except for that niggling 9.8% -- what a goddam train wreck.

:(

[sasha031]

2. I posted it to show where and how some people are blinded by what

is really going on.

[saigon68]

48. Tax cuts needed for millionaires

So they hire more people and prosperity will "Trinckle Down"

</sarcasm>

[Imagevision]

60. Last Friday Nevada happily announced it's unemployment was down to 14.2% - 9.8 isn't nationwide

[FirstLight]

3. fuck him very much

I guess it is time for me to just figure out how to be self-employed...because these kinds of attitudes are what make me want to scream at the bastards.

I haven't even GOTTEN to the interview point yet, and who says the first one i get is gonna go well?

these people, ugh!...They just don't get that the 'desperate vibe' is because people have families to feed, shelter to provide, etc

fuck them...fuck them all, and merry christmas!

[FedUpWithIt All]

5. I'm sorry the world we live in is so twisted.

:(

I really am

[CTyankee]

17. I think you have to be creative...

think of how you can design your own job. Where can you be useful to someone...make it "here's what I can do for you." At the very least, you will have identified what you do best and probably what you best enjoy doing. And that could be very attractive to people doing the hiring...

[tblue37]

26. Actually, I have been thinking that this longterm recession might

revive local entrepreneurship as people realize that they cannot find employment with firms and companies. I already do some things as a freelancer, though I am also a university lecturer. I hope to have several ebooks ready for sale on my websites (which are petty widely read) within the next few months. If things go well, I hope then to be in a position to offer employement to a few people I know. Already I have an old friend working for me. He doesn't make much yet from the work he does for me--just a few thousand a year--but I am hoping that amount will increase significantly over time. I think a lot of us are looking for ways to employ ourselves and those around us.

[FirstLight]

27. exactly

i actually consider myself a feelancer, rather than unemployed. My prev 'job' was only as a PT church secretary, my real work is design, publishing, writing, etc...so that is where i sell myself...and if i were to find the perfect 'job' it would be in communications, or training and development/presentations. only freelancing gives me the flexibility i need as a single mom, i don;t want someone to judge ,e or make me feel like i am in trouble because my kid needs to stay home sick or something...

I am actually considering posting in the DU marketplace as well...

[Name removed]

37. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[rfranklin]

4. This guy is trolling for assignments himself....

His PR agency set up this interview.

[Newest Reality]

6. Gee, so the old saying

"Nobody wants you when you are down and out." seems to be holding true.

Is this like: You are supposed to be more hot and desirable when you are already in a relationship, so it is like a double-bind?

Seems we are now becoming ridiculously petty when your potential employer is a picky, choosy and biased dysfunctional who treats you like your going on a date at the interview as you run the risk of, "turning them off!"

Well, as the rate of the unemployed grows along with the burgeoning under-call it produces, (GNU = Gross National Under-class) there will be more of us entering into an externalization of a new form of psycho-social Sadism. I, for one, don't get "turned-on" by, "No, you're not hired!"

Enjoy the rotting fruits of the system we have and still allow in exchange for the shiny things and conveniences while you can.

[DavidDvorkin]

7. Bastards. Bastards. Bastards.

And of course, unemployment insurance just encourages people to stay unemployed. So we're told by other bastards.

[FirstLight]

9. exactly

I am so fed up with the memes about poverty and unemployment i am gonna blow a gasket! :mad:

[xchrom]

8. Recommend

[Ruperto31]

10. Michael Parenti said the ruling class 'kind of likes a recession.'

He said this at a recent talk I attended. Now I see what he means. A recession drives wages down by increasing the labor supply, AND gets more profit out of current employees by terrifying them with the prospect of unemployment. Meanwhile, the capitalists cut back on investment until they sense a "bottom," where they can get back in again at bargain prices.

[WingDinger]

16. Wrote a song about it, and it goes like this.

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/WingDinger/11

[okieinpain]

20. damn right. they love this shit! n/t.

[No Elephants]

47. No question. People afraid to lose their jobs, unemployed people settling for any salary,

and no one even thinks about unionizing. It's a heartless employer's dream world.

[CoffeeCat]

11. So, should I just curl up and die?

I've been a stay-at-home mom for several years. Before I had my kids,
I was a successful public relations consultant and a science writer.

I've been (technically) out of the workforce for nearly a decade. I
suppose I should just go stand in the corner and forget about ever
working again.

Boooooo!

And what about the people who retired, only to see their investment
portfolios shattered? They now want to work and shore up their
savings. I suppose those responsible, hardworking and experienced
people just need to join me in the corner too, eh?

Booooo again!

[FirstLight]

12. Here's something to consider as well...

I spent the better part of last year traveling to Sac state for a certificate in HR management (ha!) the program that helped me to go was promoted by the govt, and handled through the EDD. This was supposed to be my 'ticket' to steady employment... I even had to show that i researched the job viability compared to other things I was qualified for or wanted to do. The projected growth in the industry was 30%...but it was all based on 2006 stats! BEFORE the bottom fell out...

Now another year later and the certificate isn't worth the paper it is printed on....ALL HR jobs want a BA PLUS 5 years of experience... so i'm screwn in that dept. May as well keep pursuing my freelance stuff, though the -welfare to work- people tell me it 'doesn't count' as viable work hours to pursue, because I don't get steady gigs... at least I am trying to DO something!!! sheesh!


oh, and while taking these HR classes, I asked alot of questions pertaining to how employers can treat their candidates so horribly and demand so much information (like credit checks, etc)
...MORE THAN ONCE, I was told that they do it because they CAN. Because so many people are so freaking desperate for work, they will sign over their firstborn if asked, and that's the 'seller's market' swing of things... just accept it.(bend over, you want the paycheck, don'tcha?)

so basically, no rights for the unemployed or impoverished, we simply don't count anymore.

But if you don't jump through the hoops when demanded to by the govt or even a POTENTIAL employer - you are punished.

fuck.

[shanti]

30. ever thought about state employment?

i'm retiring in december after 21 years, and except for the furloughs (now over), it's given me a good living. with your BA you should have no trouble getting an analyst position.

[FirstLight]

35. no BA

I only have an AA and a certificate in HR, and a very spotty record with employment gaps (kids, man)

anyway, been looking at Americorps positions and county stuff too...

[defendandprotect]

56. Corporations began pushing around the public/labor decades ago and there will

be no end to it -- unless we rise up to stop it --

and I stress it must be non-violently because only the right wing benefits

from violence --

[Roy Rolling]

13. Typical business b.s.

Like banking, they only will lend to those that don't need the money. Now comes the next step---only apply for a job when you don't need one. When are we going to learn that "market-based dogma" is a fantasy and not real life?

[The Green Manalishi]

14. It's *always* been the case

More people are realizing it now, and people are saying what was not said, but even slaves went to auction.

I think part of it is wanting to deprive your competition of a valuable employee.

But a fact is a fact, no matter how repellent; if you are currently employed, all things being the same, you are much more likley to get an interview and/or an offer. That this situation is particularly tragic in light of the high unemployment rate and structural damage our economy has taken has nothing to do with the eternal truth of this aspect of capitalism.

[Iowa]

15. This is what the plutocracy wants - desperate workers.

[The Green Manalishi]

33. The plutocracy and the military-industrial complex

The 'ideal' unemployment rate is high enough to ensure a steady stream of qualified applicants for the military

[sarcasmo]

38. Right on Iowa we live in a Plutocracy. This country is beyond repair, IMHO.

[Lorien]

45. Exactly. nt

[DiverDave]

18. So, to get a job, just pop a couple of valium

huh?
Oh and lie that you are still employed.

Fuckers, 'vibe' my ass.

[okieinpain]

19. congress should pass a tax on companies that only hire the

employed and use those funds to pay for unemployment.

[kestrel91316]

21. The ultimate irony would be if he suddenly found himself unemployed.

[saras]

22. Employed by one of them

In most cases, self-employed counts as not employed. The last time I was looking for a job (I am, among other things, a computer tech with background in manufacturing), the technical temp agency I went to told me, point-blank, that being self-employed disqualified me. I needed to get and hold a job with an employer - any employer, even 7-11 or McDonalds, for a year, before they would accept my application. For temp work.

[RobinA]

24. My Sister

saw an ad the other day on Craigslist where the people were hiring a dog walker and wanted a Bachelor's. No lie.

[lunatica]

23. The citizens of this country have become heartless

[Odin2005]

25. FUCKERS!!!

:grr:

[0rganism]

28. shrinking the American Middle Class to grow a Permanent Underclass

the Bad news: USA's wages and labor laws will be a lot more like China's and India's before the jobs start to come back.
the Good news: at this rate, it won't take very long for us to be "competitive" again.

[shanti]

29. i just posted something about this yesterday

about how my son isn't getting interviewed because he's....UNEMPLOYED! mind blowing! :( he told me that he is compelled to lie on his application because he won't get an interview unless he does :( damned if you do and damned if you don't!

[stopbush]

31. Who's for Inokon being the next person to find themselves unemployed?

This guy!

:grr:

[prolesunited]

32. It's not a fucking vibe

We *are* desperate! I know I blew at least one interview because of it. When you think landing that job is your last hope, it's definitely hard to hide it. And if you've been ignored and rejected repeatedly for months, it's hard even for people with high self-esteem not to end up feeling crushed.

What I don't get is the reluctance for employers not to exploit this or the older workers. If your are unemployed for a time, you are going to start that job fresh and eager to prove yourself. You are hungry, hungrier than any of the other workers they have. You want to succeed and know intimately the consequences of failure. You've lived that life and NEVER want to go back there. Stay late? Work 12 hours? Come in during the weekend? Sure, no problem. Just don't make me go back there.

As far as older workers, imagine the bargain price you can now command for higher education and years of experience and the wisdom that comes from navigating the workplace. Your partying days are behind you and you are not going to waste a bunch of time making plans or coming in tired or hungover, if at all. Your children are probably older and self-sufficient, so you don't have to rush home to sitters or soccer practice. At this point, getting your career back on track is probably the primary focus of your life.

With the exception of IT, what fields change so dramatically that all of your skills are rendered outdated and useless, especially if you can demonstrate that you have kept up with the trends in your field?

Unlike some of the GOP have claimed, the unemployed have not forgotten how to set an alarm, bathe, dress professionally and show up for work. And, chances are, they will be early, eager and ready to embrace the opportunity.
He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without p

[pitohui]

52. it's just too expensive to hire older employees

i just accept that i'm unemployable but as long as we have a system where health insurance is tied to employment then there will always be de facto age discrimination

the young person may not have any experience but at least he isn't ballooning the cost of the health insurance premium

this is something an individual really can't do anything about

my problem was at least in part that i had poor health from birth (genetics) so i was never going to be employable but everyone who
lives long enough gets to age 40 or 50 eventually and that's the high risk years for stuff that costs a lot of money but doesn't kill you quickly ... the expensive stuff

our bodies were meant to wear out in our 40s before the tech era and our laws/benefits/etc. don't reflect physical and biological reality

it isn't REALLY about "what fields change so dramatically?" it's about how your body changes dramatically -- i might know how to get up and get dressed for work but who's more likely to need time out for a hysterectomy? me or the 25 year old?

[msanthrope]

34. Vandelay Industries...tell them you are currently working in latex. n/t

[bemildred]

36. Nice trick, spreading fear while pretending to help jobseekers. nt

[activa8tr]

39. Out of the 2 million people who will get no unemployment comp. checks this month: does...

anyone think someone (one or two or two hundred, (less than a tenth of one percent) will get desperate enough to go to the Congress or the White House with a gun in hand?

I'm crossing my fingers for NO! But when you make regular working people into street beggars through no fault of their own....

just sayin.

[defendandprotect]

55. Violence will only help the right wing ... it's the only way the can rise ....

other than stolen elections -- and lies --

[Dappleganger]

40. My husband faced this too...

which is why he was advised to take a contract job as soon as one was available while he was still looking. It hurt us in the end because they knew dh would work for less money because we were so desperate.

[HockeyMom]

41. Will they hire you then from another state?

Interview on the phone? Fly you to another state? If you are looking to MOVE, what are you supposed to do then? Stuck where you are? Don't quit and move?

[UpInArms]

42. gotta say - I really never feel anxious about putting food on my family

:sarcasm:

[WhiteTara]

43. what's to stop you from creating that job

and requesting no call to them because they don't know you're looking?

[Arkana]

44. What a prick.

"Need a job? Well FUCK YOU HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA"

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

46. Been there, done that...

When I was unemployed recruiters (who are themselves just middlemen parasites) treated me like I was vermin. When I found a job as a "Supply Chain Manager" which consisted of sorting disgusting returns and other unsalable merchandise at a department store all of the sudden to these recruiters I was Bud Fox, the hottest young buck on the job market.

I lost my job because I was working at a museum where virtually all funding ceased, a mismanaged endowment was wiped out by the stock market crash, government funding was cut, a large donor was alienated by an exhibit being removed due to some political correctness bullshit. None of these my fault - at the bitter end people were being asked to bring their own toilet paper, printer paper and paper towels!

But as it was so nicely explained to me by a headhunter, nobody is ever without blame when they lose their job - if you were as good as you think you are they would have found a way to keep you! They couldn't keep the phone lines from being disconnected! There are some extenuating circumstances here...

[ck4829]

49. Ugh, need to cut the vicious cycle

[David__77]

50. I have made the decision to hire four people recently - three were unemployed.

And three of the four had been unemployed for several months or so. I did not see that as a problem at all. That said, there was a "desperation" to some applicants that was, I must admit, off putting, and made it difficult for me to assess their actual fit with the position for which they applied. There was one person who interjected what I thought was too much commentary about their personal financial situation, and I disliked that. I opted not to select her; however, interestingly a colleague chose her for a different position for which she was more ideally suited in any case, so it all worked out for everyone.

I do not own the business, but do make some hiring decisions. I definitely feel bad for some of the people I cannot in good conscience select, and sometimes wish I could advise them on things they could do to help themselves, liked write a proper cover letter, not chew gum in an interview, and other such things. I think there's a book from the "for dummies" series that definitely contains good ideas on job hunting strategies which I personally used before.

[David__77]

51. Re: compensation for new hires in the "bad economy."

I also note that there is a tendency now to start new hires at lower rates than would have happened in a "good economy." I argue against taking this tendency as far as market forces will allow in the short run, because it adversely impacts new employee morale. Such new employees will perhaps tend to see their current position as a temporary "bad economy position," from which they will escape once things improve. Personally, and in our line of work particularly, I am looking for longer-term employees and since the firm can readily afford it, I argue for higher starting wages. I'm not totally successful, but partially so...

[defendandprotect]

58. Obviously, no business can make money without labor .....

from your perspective, can you say why labor is so powerless these days?

And what would improve that situation?

[David__77]

59. Well, I have a definite answer.

But I think Rosa Luxemberg was a great thinker, and had the answer prior to any of us. Labor can only self-consciously organize itself, not from a narrow "re-distributionist" perspective, but rather to forward economic development for all humanity. So many words: what does it mean in practice? It means cross-working class organizing and activity: I'm talking about the general "mass strike," which is illegal under US law, but is very much possible. I say this as a pro-socialist, and someone who is not technically part of the working class, but whose sympathies lies with that social class.

[Xenotime]

53. Thus keeping the rich richer and keeping the new poor down.

[defendandprotect]

54. Labor is "weak" when it is unemployed? We need to start making corporations WEAK ... very weak...!

[defendandprotect]

57. Perhaps FREEZING Congress' salaries and benefits might give them a "vibe"...???