The Gauntlet of Employment

EmploymentPhoto byCarol Durant

Unfortunately, we all know too many people that are unemployed or underemployed. Candidates are searching for employment in their areas of expertise. Companies are hiring. According to what your relatives say and mainstream media, these individuals need to try harder to land a position. Finding employment is different from obtaining positive employment. Let's meander down the potholed road to employment.

A candidate can certainly find a position that they can apply to. Most of the brick and mortar retail establishments are hiring. There are allegedly a myriad of remote and hybrid roles at organizations and companies that require a special or unique skill set. Your employment options vary and can entail delivering packages, people, food, typing or research. Job openings can be full or part time. Wages are dependent on availability, versatility, reliability and negotiation.

Once your field or industry has a job opening, the individual has to go through a grueling interview gauntlet. It starts with emailing an updated resume and cover letter. The individual has to quadruple check, if the document to be emailed has to be sent as a PDF, DOC or DOCX, what size and font they accept, is the email being sent to the recruiter, HR, or job site platform? Don't forget to click on the receipt and hope that your email arrives safely. Business Etiquette, since the Nineties has been discontinued. You usually don't receive a submitted resume acknowledgement email, but you certainly will receive, I'm sorry we are going into a different direction email... blah, blah blah.

Why do you still need to submit a cover letter? The job description and the resume need to match, an in the ballpark resume or like Seabiscuit, select a long shot candidate. Reading a cover letter in the 21st Century seems stifling and inefficient. Here is one place where we can save a tree. Now you sit and wait, check your email or text and keep waiting. Are you supposed to receive a phone call? Some people pray, get frustrated and hop back on the job search treadmill and keep moving forward. Once you finally receive communication for an interview, don't get too excited. You may have a combination of the following: a couple of phone screenings, online Zoom or other platform meetings, timed private video question and answer sessions before you can speak with a human being. If you clear those hurdles, now you have at least two more in person question and answer panel discussions with your potential supervisor and colleagues sitting in a room. Once you have made it through this job search gauntlet, you may receive the although you are a stellar candidate, we are going in a different direction canned email response. Please note that this employment competition is for a general position at any company where you may be overqualified. The gauntlet is twice as long for a specialized position. Any employment may also require drug testing, fingerprinting, credit check, security clearances and background checks mostly at the candidate's expense.

Whew, you won, you are now employed. Traveling to your work computer at home or to the cubicle farm, you are now back in the labor force. Yes, you are learning new policies, procedures, people, communication styles, work efforts and earning a paycheck. Sounds fantastic, right? You can pay your bills, purchase a dozen eight dollar eggs and live a great life. Well, that's after the probationary period, which spans from three months to one year. You have to be on your best behavior. Hope that you don't contract an ailment, disease or mental, physical or emotional trauma because your medical benefits may be lagged or start after your probation has been successfully completed.

Probation is over and you are still winning. Next you will need to patiently wait on your evaluation. Hopefully, it's great, so you can receive a raise at the highest end of the scale, such as five percent. Alas, you have met the goals but not exceeded the goals, your raise is a pittance, such as one percent. You are still employed and that is wonderful while inflation and gas prices rise.

The new job does provide income, but are you ever going to get ahead in life? A list of negatives: miles on my car, could be injured on the job, too much movement, a salaried position where I work additional hours without overtime or compensated with time off, tired, mental, physical and emotional gymnastics in the cubical zoo. Millennials know everything, Gen Z doesn't like the aura and okay Boomer is triggering. A list of positives: bills are paid, food in the fridge, some gas is in the car, Wi-Fi is on and thirty years or less to retirement.

We have to do better. Stay tuned for part two. Thanks for reading my Ted Talk.