Little Monsters of the Come-Work-For-Us Variety

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

My daily routine goes something like this, in no particular order: MediaBistro.com, Monster.com, Indeed.com and the too-often-sketchy Craigslist.com. I've applied for dozens of jobs, all within the fields of writing, communications & social media, but so far, it's slow goin' because, uh, the economy's rough, y'all. Maybe you've heard.

I made my contact information viewable to employers searching Monster for potential employees. My reasoning was basic: I want a job, & I want to hear from companies that have job openings I might be right for.

Therein lies the problem. I want to hear from companies that have job openings I might be right for. That doesn't mean I want to hear from every company under the sun that thinks I might be an easy get for a job I A) am not qualified, B) never applied for & B) am not interested in. The unfortunate reality, I've learned, is that there are a lot of lecherous companies out there, ones that don't care about the individual - their skills, their abilities, their interests.

I've gotten at least five phone calls from recruiters - mostly at large, spilling-over-with-profits insurance companies - that spotted my resume & think I'm an "ideal candidate" for sales jobs with them. Yesterday? The call I got was entirely automated - & didn't even tell me what company it was on behalf of! It was all "HELlo. YOUR res-u-me has been RE-ceived by OUR com-pa-ny & WE be-lieve YOU have the skills to BE suc-ESS-ful." And while it's sorrrrt of tempting to work for robots, I think I'll pass.

I'm torn. Part of me finds it positively predatory that so many companies engage in these largely unsolicited cold calls, luring unemployed people into jobs they don't want & will inevitably despise. So many of these people are down on their luck already, downtrodden & despondent - laid off from their positions & out of work for months, often trying to take care of entire families & struggling to make ends meet.

On the other hand, I've only been jobless for two months (by my own doing, no less), & I'm fortunate enough to have been able to move in with my mother while I figure things out. Perhaps if my situation were different, I'd consider taking one of these never-in-a-million-years jobs the robots are pitching. After all, any job is better than no job, right?

I get it: The economy is shot & times are tough & job are jobs. But still, it just feels insulting, somehow. I be-lieve I have the skills to BE suc-ESS-ful, too, & I don't need a monotone-voiced robot to con me into a bottom-of-the-barrel gig to convince me of it. We're unemployed, not moronic.

17 comments:

  1. I've never heard of them calling electronically to verify that they've received an application. And to not identify themselves?! Yeah, not working for them!

    Gooood luck! I was unemployed for about half a year before I found something decent.

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  2. I know exactly what you're talking about (although nothing automated yet). I've gotten quite a number of such calls since I've been unemployed. The worst are when it's an NYC area code and I get all excited. But, usually I hang up the phone wondering if they've even really looked at my resume. I get the whole economy is bad thing, but that doesn't excuse a lack of research. Fingers crossed we both find something soon!

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  3. Wow, never had the pleasure of an automated job offer...let's RUN to be a part of that warm company (wait, which company are you again? oh yeah, didn't even SAY).

    I mean, beggars can't be choosers and I'm not shooting myself in the foot by saying I'd never do something totally unrelated to communications, but sales for insurance just definitely won't mesh well with me. Give me a typing/receptionist job and let's GO. lord knows I can type if nothing else, lol

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  4. Good luck, lady. I know how hard job hunting can be. <3

    p.s. I used that "fingers crossed" picture, too :)

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  5. Yeah the job hunting time isn't very nice....it's all down to luck in the end, in my humble opinion! Ye know, the HR person just happens to be concentrating when they come to your CV or it's just lucky enough to be in the right pile! Damn those sales jobs!

    PS: That robot outfit is my Halloween costume for next year! :D

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  6. Ugh. This economy is no joke. I hope a fabulous opportunity comes your way soon!

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  7. I feel you on companies that are not making it personal. I'd love to see job fairs where it's the opposite.... you stand there and say what your skills are then any company that wants you will come running to you and then you get to choose which company you want to go to. Lol...kinda like the Bachelorette. :P

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  8. True the economy is still pretty shitty. Right now it's looking like I'm destined to be a nanny and/or domestic servant for the rest of my life... that or a call girl. I hope you find the right job soon!

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  9. I received an email AND a phone call about an open position -- in insurance sales, OF COURSE... in Independence, Ohio.

    I am located in Pittsburgh, PA. He even addressed that in his voice mail, but "seeing as how I listed Cleveland, Ohio in past experience..." blah-blah-blah. Seriously? I am not looking for a full-time job -- there were two contract/freelance positions (one on Monster, the other on CareerBuilder) that required me to re-open my account on those spammy sites. Within an hour of activating my resume, the shitbags came out from nowhere.

    I got some serious satisfaction by responding (quite curtly) to the dude who emailed me about the Cleveland job, requesting that he actually READ resumes and summaries of potential applicants prior to contacting them.

    OFFICIALLY ANNOYED!

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  10. wishing you the best of luck job hunting sweetie!!

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  11. I'm so nervous about unemployment when I graduate in May, especially having very little experience. I do have a job right now, but it's at a preschool and definitely NOT what I want to be doing a year from now!

    Good luck with your job search!

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  12. Good luck to you, too! It's tough, for sure, but I'm trying to remain hopeful/positive.

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  13. It just feels predatory & mean, & it makes me so angry! I'm trying to stay hopeful & upbeat, but sometimes it's tough. I miss making money & feeling responsible!

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  14. It's really absurd. I think they just take a bunch of local resumes off of Monster.com & call everyone in the pile, regardless of their interest or qualifications.

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  15. Robots? Goodness. I wonder if anyone ever calls them back? I can't imagine a company that uses a robot to scout people. What else do they have robots doing?

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