ANY job is not always a Good job!

 Unemployment: A jobs problem or a work problem? – USATODAY.com

The woman interviewed in this article appears to think that people who aren't able to land a job are being too picky and/or aren't trying hard enough. I'm afraid that I must disagree with her observations. She mentions the multiple emails she gets for potential jobs but doesn't say what her area of expertise is. She also doesn't indicate if she actually landed any of those job offers. I think it's unfair of her to make a blanket statement about the job search process because each persons situation is different. Any job is NOT always a good job!

Sure, there are job openings at Burger King, The Dollar Store or Kohl's...but settling for a job making minimum wage is not always the answer. A starting position at those places will get you in the door but will hardly bring home enough money to support a family/household. Unfortunately, some of us only have 1 income to depend on so the rate per hour can be a very important factor in choosing a job...especially when taking a job means you lose your unemployment.

I can understand her thought process to a certain extent but people taking low paying jobs they don't want/like is a huge contributing factor in the poor level of service that consumers receive in almost every area of the U.S. today. See more on my feelings about this issue here.

I had several potential job offers during my 8 months of unemployment but they paid less than what I would make on unemployment and required that I drive to another town to the office. Does that really make sense? When I have set expenses and a child to raise...NO, IT DOESN'T! That may be what is stopping some people from taking jobs that are available.

Or, it could be the overabundance of other job seekers that are just starting out and are willing/able to accept a lower hourly rate because they have another source of income or they are younger and still living at home.

It's also been my experience that people without a degree but lots of experience are at the biggest disadvantage. I believe this is due to us falling in the middle of what employers are looking for...experience with a degree or no experience & willing to start at minimum wage. Unfortunately, I have a family to provide for and minimum wage just isn't gonna cut it..at least not while I can still claim unemployment for more than that!

Luckily, my waiting paid off and I landed a job paying more than unemployment, although not as much as my previous job. I expected that so it wasn't a surprise when I got the offer. At least now I know I can become a productive member of society again and don't have to worry about how I'm going to pay my bills each month.

I hope the job market turns around soon and that all those folks that desperately want to work can find decent paying jobs to support their families.

Day 2-Still no news

I know I shouldn't stress about it but I can't stop. They were supposed to start making calls yesterday and they had less than 25 interviews the first round so there should have been less this time.

I can't help but be anxious. This is the most promising lead I've had and if I don't get this job I'm going to have to change my plans for the future. Just not sure what to do but something has to change soon.

Maybe they'll call tomorrow. :)

Another day, another rejection

Is it possible that employers are afraid of people that appear over qualified for a position? I am so tired of being ignored and rejected for jobs that I know I can do. I have 12 years of financial services experience, some of that as a supervisor in a call center but I cannot even get a job as a bank teller or at the registration desk at the hospital.

- Do they suppose I won't be happy and I'll leave soon after being trained? You would think my 12 years with the same company would show that I'm not a job hopper.

- Do they think I would come in and try to change things? Change isn't always bad. :)

- Do they think I want too much money? They might be surprised at what I'm willing to accept.

Maybe I should clean up my resume and make it look like I did almost nothing at my last place of employment. If they think I'm just interested in entry level jobs, maybe I can at least get my foot in the door.

Perhaps I should take a different approach going forward. When I receive a rejection letter, I should respond and ask them for more specifics. Did I not interview well, am I over qualified, did they have someone internal in mind all along? What am I doing wrong that is keeping me on this train of unemployment?

I'm really starting to get frustrated and I don't like it. I have seen the people that are currently working at some of these places I've applied (and been rejected) with. It's a huge blow to my ego knowing some of these people are able to get and keep a job but I can't.

Business Consultants-Helpful or Harmful?

Overall, I'd say consultants are a good thing to have because they can offer an unbiased view of your company and help you think of ways to improve that you may never have thought about. They may also suggest changes that will not work as they envision and could cause more damage than good. Just because they make a suggestion doesn't mean it's the best idea for your company.

That being said, I wish consulting firms weren't so driven to provide some sort of suggested improvements. It's very possible that the current procedures are working the best for all involved and there is nothing wrong with saying that you have no suggestions. Consultants don't always know what's best for each company.

Case in point, the purchase of CMC by 5th 3rd Bank.

BACKGROUND: 5th 3rd purchased CMC in January 2006. In July 2009, Fifth Third sold 51% of the CMC/Fifth Third Processing Solutions brand to Advent International. In 2011, the new company became known as Vantiv.

We were assured at the beginning that nothing would change and this was being done to provide CMC with more capital so it could continue to function effectively, as is. Boy, did that change fast.

5th 3rd decided to bring in an outside consulting firm, The LoBue Group, to review the processes in the CMC office and the OH office where similar jobs were being performed. The goal was to see how we could mesh our servicing so we could help each other leverage call center coverage, skills, etc. At least, that's what we thought the goal was.

During every visit from a LoBue consultant we were told how impressed they were with our people, our processes and our technology. Even saying that ours was better than the OH office on several occasions. We expected that our servers would merge and both sites would begin to handle the activities of the other to provide the needed back up in the event of disasters, vacations, etc. We were in for a rude awakening.

Instead of being told we were going to start learning new systems to prepare for the merge, we were told that our jobs were being sent to OH and we would have to go there to train our replacements. Imagine our surprise as many of us had been with the company for 10+ years and loved our jobs. Most of us were in no position to relocate our families so the majority of us are now unemployed. Some for over a year and some since the end of 2010.

As far as I know, none of us have been able to find a replacement job. We've been blackballed, it seems, because of our affiliation with Fifth Third Processing Solutions and the amount of time we stayed with the same company. Seems odd that tenure would be considered a bad thing but there is no reason why any of us should have been rejected for call center positions unless some black cloud was hanging over our heads. Several of us have been flat our rejected for bank teller jobs, which would be a piece of cake with our experience, without even getting a call.

The blame for this cannot be placed entirely on the consulting firm; however, their suggestions led us down this path and I can't help but be a little jaded against them.