My new favorite TV show is the Medium. Yes, it is a little corny and, unless you believe in those things, a little out of this world, with the main character solving crimes by going to sleep and dreaming about what happened. But, there is a real-life dose of reality now in the show, with the husband of the main character a long time unemployed engineer.
In addition to the all important dreaming and crime solving, which is of course the basis for the show, we now see, if only briefly, the day to day problems of an unemployed professional as he struggles to cope with his situation, his family and trying to find another job. He is, by the way, an aeronautical engineer, which makes his situation even more difficult.
Granted, it is not the main plot focus, and if it was, it would probably be too depressing for anyone to watch. It does, however, give a picture of what it is like in today’s world and economy to have your life turned up-side-down. Last week’s episode even featured a plot line and guest character, also unemployed, who said that his family was falling apart and that he was “out of work so long that he almost forgot what it was like to work.”
Fortunately, I haven’t reached that point yet, or maybe I just have a long memory, but it is kind of refreshing to show a little bit of reality on something other than one of those “Reality” shows, which really aren’t so real anyway. I can’t wait to see how the show and the plot lines develop during the season.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Saturday, October 10, 2009
BARACK OBAMA WINS NOBEL PEACE PRIZE FOR….? SO HIRE ME!
First of all, I am a Democrat and I supported and voted for Barack Obama in the last election. I still, for the most part, support him. I think he has some good ideas, and represents an enlightened change from the past eight years, and the policies and politics that got us into the real mess that we now find ourselves in, even though he hasn’t figured out how to fix the economy and the job situation, and partly as a result, I’m still unemployed. That said, I have to question, along with a lot of others on both sides of the political aisle, what has he really done at this point, and especially less than 2 full weeks into his presidency when he was actually nominated, to earn a Noble Peace Prize?
He had and still has some enlightened ideas. He is a gifted speaker, politician and, I guess, diplomat, but today, after almost 10 months in office, his list of tangible accomplishments are few. There is a lot of hope and potential, though, which is good and important.
So, why not give me the same chance? Sure, I’ve never run a major corporation. I’ve never been a Senior Officer responsible for some major innovation, product or project. I’m not a technical guru on the level of Bill Gates or even some talented high school students. I do have some good ideas, though, and of course, like Barack Obama, the potential to do great things. I know that if I am given a Nobel…..I mean a job, I have the drive and energy and potential to make the world, or the company, proud!
But, alas, it doesn’t always seem to work that way. There is no on-the-job-training on the job to get hired, and there is no hiring anymore for potential, especially when today there are 6.3 people competing for each open and available job.
For what it’s worth, however, if anybody is reading this and interested, I am ready, willing and able, with a ton of potential!
He had and still has some enlightened ideas. He is a gifted speaker, politician and, I guess, diplomat, but today, after almost 10 months in office, his list of tangible accomplishments are few. There is a lot of hope and potential, though, which is good and important.
So, why not give me the same chance? Sure, I’ve never run a major corporation. I’ve never been a Senior Officer responsible for some major innovation, product or project. I’m not a technical guru on the level of Bill Gates or even some talented high school students. I do have some good ideas, though, and of course, like Barack Obama, the potential to do great things. I know that if I am given a Nobel…..I mean a job, I have the drive and energy and potential to make the world, or the company, proud!
But, alas, it doesn’t always seem to work that way. There is no on-the-job-training on the job to get hired, and there is no hiring anymore for potential, especially when today there are 6.3 people competing for each open and available job.
For what it’s worth, however, if anybody is reading this and interested, I am ready, willing and able, with a ton of potential!
Friday, May 22, 2009
Help Wanted.....
POSITION :
Mom, Mommy, Mama, Ma
Dad, Daddy, Dada, Pa, Pop
JOB DESCRIPTION :
Long term, team players needed, for challenging,
permanent work in an often chaotic environment.
Candidates must possess excellent communication
and organizational skills and be willing to work
variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends
and frequent 24 hour shifts on call.
Some overnight travel required, including trips to
primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in far away cities!
Travel expenses not reimbursed.
Extensive courier duties also required.
RESPONSIBILITIES :
The rest of your life.
Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily,
until someone needs $5.
Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly.
Also, must possess the physical stamina of a
pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat
in case, this time, the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf.
Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges,
such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets
and stuck zippers.
Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and
coordinate production of multiple homework projects.
Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings
for clients of all ages and mental outlooks.
Must be a willing to be indispensable one minute,
an embarrassment the next.
Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a
half million cheap, plastic toys, and battery operated devices.
Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst.
Must assume final, complete accountability for the quality of the end product.
Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and
janitorial work throughout the facility.
POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT & PROMOTION :
None.
Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills,
so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you
PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE :
None required unfortunately.
On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis.
WAGES AND COMPENSATION :
Get this! You pay them!
Offering frequent raises and bonuses.
A balloon payment i s due when they turn 18 because
of the assumption that college will help them
become financially independent.
When you die, you give them whatever is left.
The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that
you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.
BENEFITS :
While no health or dental insurance, no pension,
no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and
no stock options are offered;
this job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth, unconditional love,
and free hugs and kisses for life if you play your cards right.
Mom, Mommy, Mama, Ma
Dad, Daddy, Dada, Pa, Pop
JOB DESCRIPTION :
Long term, team players needed, for challenging,
permanent work in an often chaotic environment.
Candidates must possess excellent communication
and organizational skills and be willing to work
variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends
and frequent 24 hour shifts on call.
Some overnight travel required, including trips to
primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in far away cities!
Travel expenses not reimbursed.
Extensive courier duties also required.
RESPONSIBILITIES :
The rest of your life.
Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily,
until someone needs $5.
Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly.
Also, must possess the physical stamina of a
pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat
in case, this time, the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf.
Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges,
such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets
and stuck zippers.
Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and
coordinate production of multiple homework projects.
Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings
for clients of all ages and mental outlooks.
Must be a willing to be indispensable one minute,
an embarrassment the next.
Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a
half million cheap, plastic toys, and battery operated devices.
Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst.
Must assume final, complete accountability for the quality of the end product.
Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and
janitorial work throughout the facility.
POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT & PROMOTION :
None.
Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills,
so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you
PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE :
None required unfortunately.
On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis.
WAGES AND COMPENSATION :
Get this! You pay them!
Offering frequent raises and bonuses.
A balloon payment i s due when they turn 18 because
of the assumption that college will help them
become financially independent.
When you die, you give them whatever is left.
The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that
you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.
BENEFITS :
While no health or dental insurance, no pension,
no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and
no stock options are offered;
this job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth, unconditional love,
and free hugs and kisses for life if you play your cards right.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Experience Required, Please.....
Am I the only one who is tired of the advice columns and articles on What to do when you are unemployed, How to cope with being unemployed, How to find a job when you are unemployed, and How to be happy and contented when you are unemployed?
Actually, the main reason that I am tired of those columns and articles, is that they are written by people who are EMPLOYED! It’s easy to sit back and say and write enjoy yourself and your time off and go out and “smell the roses”, when you are the guy growing, selling, pocketing the money for the roses and collecting a regular weekly paycheck. It’s a lot different and more difficult when you are the guy scrounging around to find the money to buy a couple of daisies! I really think that you need some recent first hand experience on the unemployment line to fully understand what is going on and how difficult it is.
I have tried all of the networking, and websites and job fairs. I have tried finding all of those so called “hidden” jobs and have applied to temporary consultant jobs and have gone through the long explanations, given in the advice columns, to explain why I am not “overqualified” for a particular job, or if I am, how it could still benefit the company, and how I really don’t care if I am “overqualified”. I am still unemployed, though. Most people that I have talked to have also done these same things and are still unemployed and not real happy or contented about it.
Despite what those columns say, and what the government itself may be trying to tell us to try and paint a somewhat hopeful picture, today I received the following very telling email from one of the Recruiting / Management Consulting Firms that I have been working with which really sums up the situation:
“Some of you are concerned that I have not sent any new positions/projects within the past few week. It has been tough and jobs are very limited. Most of our clients are trying to hold onto their core group, and others have had lay offs and hiring freezes.”
And that’s really the way it is. So, going forward, please only those who are actually, currently unemployed should write advice columns and articles about being unemployed. Of course, then, I guess, if they are writing the articles that would mean that they were no longer unemployed, but, you get the picture.
Actually, the main reason that I am tired of those columns and articles, is that they are written by people who are EMPLOYED! It’s easy to sit back and say and write enjoy yourself and your time off and go out and “smell the roses”, when you are the guy growing, selling, pocketing the money for the roses and collecting a regular weekly paycheck. It’s a lot different and more difficult when you are the guy scrounging around to find the money to buy a couple of daisies! I really think that you need some recent first hand experience on the unemployment line to fully understand what is going on and how difficult it is.
I have tried all of the networking, and websites and job fairs. I have tried finding all of those so called “hidden” jobs and have applied to temporary consultant jobs and have gone through the long explanations, given in the advice columns, to explain why I am not “overqualified” for a particular job, or if I am, how it could still benefit the company, and how I really don’t care if I am “overqualified”. I am still unemployed, though. Most people that I have talked to have also done these same things and are still unemployed and not real happy or contented about it.
Despite what those columns say, and what the government itself may be trying to tell us to try and paint a somewhat hopeful picture, today I received the following very telling email from one of the Recruiting / Management Consulting Firms that I have been working with which really sums up the situation:
“Some of you are concerned that I have not sent any new positions/projects within the past few week. It has been tough and jobs are very limited. Most of our clients are trying to hold onto their core group, and others have had lay offs and hiring freezes.”
And that’s really the way it is. So, going forward, please only those who are actually, currently unemployed should write advice columns and articles about being unemployed. Of course, then, I guess, if they are writing the articles that would mean that they were no longer unemployed, but, you get the picture.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
And the Good News Is.....
The Labor Department reported today that the number of newly laid off workers applying for benefits dropped to 601,000 last week. According to the Labor Department, that was far better than the rise to 635,000 claims that had been expected!
Wow! Now that’s what I call grasping for straws and trying to be optimistic at all costs. I know that the government is trying to spin the economic problems and try and put somewhat of a positive face on things, but 601,000 new claims for unemployment, which means 601,000 new lost jobs, doesn’t sound too optimistic to me. What I would like to read is the number of new jobs created and the number of people who went back to work…unfortunately, I don’t think those numbers exist.
By the way, the Labor Department also reported that the total number of unemployed workers getting benefits climbed to a new record high of 6.35 million, and that’s just the number of people actually getting benefits. It does not count those whose benefits have run out and who are no longer getting benefits.
This is why both the housing and auto industries are still in big trouble and will probably stay in big trouble for a long time yet. With people still losing their jobs and other people still afraid of losing their jobs, people are afraid to make big, long term purchases no matter how much credit the banks make available. Not until the employment situation stabilizes will these industries begin to recover.
Wow! Now that’s what I call grasping for straws and trying to be optimistic at all costs. I know that the government is trying to spin the economic problems and try and put somewhat of a positive face on things, but 601,000 new claims for unemployment, which means 601,000 new lost jobs, doesn’t sound too optimistic to me. What I would like to read is the number of new jobs created and the number of people who went back to work…unfortunately, I don’t think those numbers exist.
By the way, the Labor Department also reported that the total number of unemployed workers getting benefits climbed to a new record high of 6.35 million, and that’s just the number of people actually getting benefits. It does not count those whose benefits have run out and who are no longer getting benefits.
This is why both the housing and auto industries are still in big trouble and will probably stay in big trouble for a long time yet. With people still losing their jobs and other people still afraid of losing their jobs, people are afraid to make big, long term purchases no matter how much credit the banks make available. Not until the employment situation stabilizes will these industries begin to recover.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
To Be or Not To Be.....
Well, today I made the “big” decision. It’s coming up next week on six months that I’ve been “retired”. Six long, boring, generally unproductive months that took me through the end of Autumn, the Christmas Holidays, Winter, the end of Football season (through a miracle or two, the Eagles kept it going longer than most people, including myself, expected), early Spring, the Easter Holidays, and now the start of Baseball season. I guess I could add in the Basketball and Hockey seasons, but most people in this area don’t get too excited anymore about Basketball and Hockey, even though both the Sixers and the Flyers each made a brief playoff run.
During that time, I catapulted hundreds and hundreds of resumes and cover letters into cyber-space, made dozens of phone calls, renewed old contacts and made some new ones, and, had one interview. Santa Clause, it seemed, made a bigger blip on the radar screens flying across space than did my resumes. Or, to quote from, and agree with, a letter from a former colleague (also unemployed) which was recently published in Fortune magazine: “There have been more sightings of Bigfoot, than reports of a successful job search”.
Not to sound too dejected. It wasn’t all bad. I knew with the economy as it was / is, it was going to take time to find a job. I did have some fun and good quality time, which I most probably wouldn’t have otherwise had, with family and friends during the Holidays. I was also able to greatly help out with a serious family illness. And, I was finally able to satisfy a life long dream of sorts to do some “broadcasting” by volunteering to record books for the Blind. My voice may not have been heard round the world, but I was sitting in a professional recording booth, speaking and recording. That experience, and some of the really interesting people I met doing it, helped keep me a little sane. Of course, too, there is this blog, which I started, and which, probably like my resumes and cover letters, isn’t making a big impact, but I’m enjoying writing it.
So, getting back to my “big” decision. As I wrote in an earlier post, I was seriously thinking about dusting off and re-activating my Real Estate licenses. I had studied and gotten them about 6 years ago when I was initially thinking of a career change, and while I didn’t do much with them then, always kept them active just in case for the future. Well, I finally decided, the future is now!
Over the past 2 weeks I interviewed with several Brokers to get a feel for the business, their offices, my potential with them, and the type of training and assistance that they would provide to help get me started and hopefully productive. Since Real Estate Brokers have very little real outlay for their agents other than desk space and some business cards, they were all very receptive to talk to me and even “hire” me. Afterall, if I sell a property they get half of the commission, and if I don’t, they’re not paying me a salary, so all they have lost is part of a desk and some business cards.
Today, I made the decision, and picked a Broker, Weichert Realty in Yardley, about 7 minutes from my house. I liked the office and the personality of the manager, and from what we talked about and from my research of the company, which has a presence in 42 states, they can provide me with the tools, support and leads to help me be a success, or at least sell some houses.
It was a big decision. I’m both excited and scared. I’m excited because it is potentially a big new career. I’m scared because it is potentially a big new career and I had tried it briefly before and wasn’t real successful. But, I realized, that while the weather is getting nicer and both my bike and golf clubs are cleaned and ready to go, I couldn’t keep sitting around beating the bushes and cyber-space for jobs that didn’t seem to be there right now. This will at least get me out there “working” with a real potential at a career and at making some money, and even expanding my network.
During that time, I catapulted hundreds and hundreds of resumes and cover letters into cyber-space, made dozens of phone calls, renewed old contacts and made some new ones, and, had one interview. Santa Clause, it seemed, made a bigger blip on the radar screens flying across space than did my resumes. Or, to quote from, and agree with, a letter from a former colleague (also unemployed) which was recently published in Fortune magazine: “There have been more sightings of Bigfoot, than reports of a successful job search”.
Not to sound too dejected. It wasn’t all bad. I knew with the economy as it was / is, it was going to take time to find a job. I did have some fun and good quality time, which I most probably wouldn’t have otherwise had, with family and friends during the Holidays. I was also able to greatly help out with a serious family illness. And, I was finally able to satisfy a life long dream of sorts to do some “broadcasting” by volunteering to record books for the Blind. My voice may not have been heard round the world, but I was sitting in a professional recording booth, speaking and recording. That experience, and some of the really interesting people I met doing it, helped keep me a little sane. Of course, too, there is this blog, which I started, and which, probably like my resumes and cover letters, isn’t making a big impact, but I’m enjoying writing it.
So, getting back to my “big” decision. As I wrote in an earlier post, I was seriously thinking about dusting off and re-activating my Real Estate licenses. I had studied and gotten them about 6 years ago when I was initially thinking of a career change, and while I didn’t do much with them then, always kept them active just in case for the future. Well, I finally decided, the future is now!
Over the past 2 weeks I interviewed with several Brokers to get a feel for the business, their offices, my potential with them, and the type of training and assistance that they would provide to help get me started and hopefully productive. Since Real Estate Brokers have very little real outlay for their agents other than desk space and some business cards, they were all very receptive to talk to me and even “hire” me. Afterall, if I sell a property they get half of the commission, and if I don’t, they’re not paying me a salary, so all they have lost is part of a desk and some business cards.
Today, I made the decision, and picked a Broker, Weichert Realty in Yardley, about 7 minutes from my house. I liked the office and the personality of the manager, and from what we talked about and from my research of the company, which has a presence in 42 states, they can provide me with the tools, support and leads to help me be a success, or at least sell some houses.
It was a big decision. I’m both excited and scared. I’m excited because it is potentially a big new career. I’m scared because it is potentially a big new career and I had tried it briefly before and wasn’t real successful. But, I realized, that while the weather is getting nicer and both my bike and golf clubs are cleaned and ready to go, I couldn’t keep sitting around beating the bushes and cyber-space for jobs that didn’t seem to be there right now. This will at least get me out there “working” with a real potential at a career and at making some money, and even expanding my network.
Monday, April 27, 2009
To the Beach.....
One of the nice things about not working is that on a nice day like today you can easily take off and go to the beach (or golf course) without feeling guilty, having to ask anybody or having to reschedule anything. Of course, I guess technically, if you are not working, then there is nothing to take off from, unless it is from not working, which would then mean you are going to work. So in reality, you are not taking off from not working, but rather, relocating where you are not working from. So, instead of not working from home, you are not working from the beach or the golf course.
Anyway, it’s a beautiful day, so enjoy it and remember to put on plenty of suntan lotion so you don’t get sunburned. Also, if you are married, be sure to be back home and busy in your home office before your wife / husband gets home from work, because they would probably not understand the whole idea of you taking a day off from not working to go to the beach / golf course to not work. They probably expect you to be home not working and looking for work.
Anyway, it’s a beautiful day, so enjoy it and remember to put on plenty of suntan lotion so you don’t get sunburned. Also, if you are married, be sure to be back home and busy in your home office before your wife / husband gets home from work, because they would probably not understand the whole idea of you taking a day off from not working to go to the beach / golf course to not work. They probably expect you to be home not working and looking for work.
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