Thoughts on unsolicited advice

Back in 2016, I had created a Reddit discussion group for folks who fell under the "unemployable" category which was meant to be an extension of the ATH blog. A few folks did join and we shared some supportive rants among ourselves. Then, one day, some asstroll called Chocolatepark showed up, and because he's sooooo smart and has a keyboard and internet access we just HAD to hear what he had to say...

Obviously, he's looking for his "feel good" moment for the day -- "Look at me! I gave someone advice! I'm ever so smart and important, and I'll get to sleep soundly tonight knowing I 'helped' somebody!"

Okay, here's a bit of advice from me for those of you out there considering dishing out unsolicited advice across the internet about subjects of which you are completely ignorant: Don't.

My guess is that this person who claims to have been unemployed in the past experienced this unemployment way back in the good ole days, that is, the previous century when you could walk into any establishment and talk face to face with a hiring manager. As we've all learned, it's a different world now. Either that, or just the opposite, i.e., he's another twentydumbthing who thinks he knows everything just because Mark Zuckerberg said so.

Now, to pick apart a few of the gems that stand out in this load of fucknuttery...

I'm not sure where you are now but I hope you feel better. I know how you feel about the job search because I've been laid off and job searching a number of times. I know it feels hopeless.

So, just in case I'm *not* feeling better, he decides to post a 700-word rant full of personal jibes aimed at me. Makes sense!

But reading through your posts, you sound like you're in a very negative headspace - which is why you can't find a job. Hear me out.

Good grief...Yep, that's why everything happens to us in this world. It's all down to what's in our heads. Had your job outsourced to India? All your fault. Cancer diagnosis? All your fault.

You seem to think the world owes you a job.

Here we go again with that fucktarded "the world doesn't owe you a job" bullshit. I already posted my thoughts about that here.

And that everybody around you are idiots.

Over the past four years, I have encountered and continue to encounter an endless number of hiring managers / recruiters / HR reps who:

• Receive my resume and cover letter, both of which include links to my portfolio, and then proceed to ask me if I have a portfolio
• Invite me to an interview, and then keep me waiting > 15 minutes before they appear for said interview (example 1, example 2)
• Are rude to me
• Outright insult me
• Belittle me by focusing on the gap in my employment
• Contact me about a job, collect my information, then disappear forever (and, sometimes reappear, forgetting that they had previously contacted me) 
• Attempt to interview me after having done absolutely no research on my background, i.e., they couldn't be bothered to view my online portfolio (which is a necessity in hiring a designer) and sometimes they don't even read my resume (example 1, example 2)
• Have absolutely nothing job-related (or intelligent) to ask me, just generic checklist questions downloaded from the internet
• Invite me to an in-person interview for which I often must drive up to two hours each way, and then admit they've "considering an internal applicant" (in other words, they've already filled the role and they're just checking off the EEOC box)
• Fly me to Baltimore, check my references while telling me to "expect an offer by the end of the week," and then completely disappear, and then later confess that "the team decided not to hire anybody"

But, yeah, I'm the idiot here.

And that you are entitled to work. WTF?

Are we back to that "nobody owes you a job" nonsense? Sheesh, is this all the average American slob has to offer for advice these days? Seriously, WTF right backatcha!

Instead of thinking what the world owes you and how depressed you are, think about what you can offer others. Think of how you're going to solve their problems. That's how you find work.

Let's all join hands and sing "Kumbaya" now (seriously, good grief)...

Think about the last time you had to hire somebody.

I've never had to hire anybody, bozo. Never have, probably never will. Shows how much you know about me (or, how little, which is kinda funny considering how judgmental you are of me).

Sorry for raining on your parade. I know you're down and I don't mean to pile on the negativity. I've been there before. I know it sucks to be rejected and feel hopeless and go to parties where everybody else is working and bragging about what they're doing and feeling left out.

I love the "I'm sorry, but not really" bit. And, you "don't mean to pile on the negativity" when, in fact, that's exactly what you mean to do. LOL!

But you can't get a job thinking the world owes you a job.

*Sigh*...are we back to this again?

If you still want to do graphic design, print out your portfolio and start cold calling companies that need may graphic design work

Cold calling??? Good grief, this person is clueless. Even back in 1995 that didn't work. Today, the last thing anyone wants to receive is an unsolicited call. And, HR departments explicitly state "No phone calls" on their job ads, if you disregard that warning you get placed on their hiring blacklist. 

Sorry, I don't mean to be negative.

Yeah, you do. And you're not "sorry."

It's okay for you to rant. But please don't do that in front of interviewers and employers.

Now, this accusation that I or anyone in that group "ranted" or behaved unprofessionally in any way in an interview is downright bizarre. Nowhere did I or any of the other commentators admit to committing such a faux pas. So, either this kid (and I'm more inclined to believe it is just another arrogant millennial rather than a grumpy old man) just didn't bother reading the full posts and merely assumed we were guilty of this crime simply because, based on our usernames, it's obvious we are female, and OF COURSE women are ultra-hyper-neurotic creatures prone to behaving hysterically under pressure. Yep, it always boils down to emotional issues with the dumb woman.

I concluded it would have been pointless to attempt to "enlighten" him since he's already so smart. I deleted his post and blocked him, as I had promised that the group would be a "judgment-free zone" -- and one could drown in the judgment oozing from his keyboard. I also sent him a brief little message saying what I think of him.  He snapped back with "you don't really want a job." Whatever. He's gonna find out soon enough that the world doesn't spin in a logical fashion anymore. I really should just pity him. 

Amazon warehouse jobs: Hype vs. reality

We've all seen the bombardment of advertisements for Amazon lately, proclaiming that "most jobs are full-time with benefits!" 

I volunteer teach an ESL class one day a week at a local library. Recently, the woman in charge of the program was telling me about her brother who recently moved into her home as he's hit hard times. His story resembles that of so many others -- unemployed and over 50, hence, nobody wants to hire him. Amazon has a warehouse nearby where they claimed to be hiring, so he applied online. They scheduled him for an interview and then sent him a bunch of paperwork to complete in preparation for said interview. Well, quite a few of the questions required that he reveal his age (date of birth, social security #). After submitting the completed paperwork back to them, they CANCELED his interview and sent him a rejection letter.

A few weeks later when Amazon held one of their "bigly awesome" walk-in hiring events at the same location, he decided to drop by and ask them WTF. Well, they caved, gave him the required drug test (which he passed), and hired him.

Part-time, NO benefits, third shift.

Let's never forget, folks, these are desperation jobs. The promise by Amazon of "growth and development" is pure bullshit -- growth and development out of what? Picking out boxes to ship junk to rich fucks for a salary out of 1992? What fabulous career will that to lead to in the long run? How exactly do you grow professionally cooped up in a warehouse doing the same menial mindless repetitive crap over and over? The only growth I'm seeing with this kind of "opportunity" is to grow angry and bitter at what this country has become.

There is no putting lipstick on any of the pigs in this sty of "opportunities."

See third and last paragraphs in this comment from a story about Amazon in The New York Times...