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Monday, June 26, 2006
Annoying

I'm getting tired of job listings where arrogant employers ask for the world and offer way less than what that many skills should earn. I know IT professionals have been dealing with this forever, too. But it seems to me, as I keep an eye out for jobs for my friends, that it's gotten beyond ridiculous lately.

Insurance companies want "entry level" workers with multiple broker licenses. Oil and gas companies want "tech writers" who have journalism degrees, five years' PR experience, and five years' experience doing oil and gas price analysis. Any asshole with access to Craigslist wants a professional writer to "coauthor" his autobiography for $100 flat.

What the hell is wrong with people? I hope no one applies for these jobs. I hate to see rich people prey on the desperate and insecure. Oh, wait... A lot of people are still desperate for jobs, aren't they? I guess I shouldn't hope that they wouldn't apply, then. Good luck to everyone out there looking.

Open Letter

Dear Lonely People at My Work,

Complaining aloud to anyone in earshot does not count as initiating a conversation. If I walk by your office or your bathroom stall and you bellow out a complaint about your computer or your reproductive system, I will not reply. If you want to engage me in conversation, please address me directly on a specific, non-whiny subject. Or maybe you should consider getting a pet, instead. I'm sure a nice rescued greyhound dog would love to hear your voice all evening long. Not me, though. Please keep your undirected complaints and musings inside your head.

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9:34 AM #

Comments:

 Here's the deal with those over the top job requirements:

The manager of the hiring department really has an internal person in mind that they want to promote or bring over from another group. However, HR rules almost universally require some sort of open posting before such jobs can be filed. Therefore, the manager writes an impossible to fill job posting, knowing that no external person will arrive to challenge his chosen canidate. On the off chance a qualified person does apply, the mangager would close the posting and wait a little bit, then post again, "Oh, that job is filled/no longer available."

Seen it happen all to any times at certain oil field companies that will remain safely anonymous.

It's just a way managers have found to game their HR systems.


# posted by Blogger R.T. Lemur : 5:32 PM  

 It has been happening in IT for years. Ten years ago in NYC when I was looking for a job in IT, I used to have to be so specific on whatever search I was using so that I wouldn't get TOO MANY entries. Three years ago, when I was looking for a job, I would put in "IT" and it would come back with like one-tenth of the jobs that I used to see when I was being very specific! IT used to be the place to work and since around 2001, it seems, you have to know not just networking, but every facet of it and programming in ten languages! It's insane and depressing, I agree with you completely Gwen.


# posted by Blogger Joanne : 6:27 AM  

 This is really common in librarianship, too. Candidates with newly minted master's degrees are applying for entry-level jobs and losing out to people with several years of experience. The OTT requirements on an entry-level job is a sneaky way for libraries to hire experienced people for a bargain. It's evil.


# posted by Blogger Kaijsa : 11:44 AM  

 Don't you love that complaining to self as a way of starting a conversation? I'm at my parents right now, and they got really frustrated when I didn't realize that "Damn this computer!!!" meant "Please come help us, son."


# posted by Blogger Jeffytown, USA : 2:31 PM  

 I have noticed this a lot lately on Craigslist. "Superstar copywriter with blah blah blah experience, willing to work late hours in professional atmosphere, 23K." Bleah.


# posted by Blogger Marigoldie : 6:10 PM  

 why did God make you so cool? i swear, i have 2 degrees in english, and i couldn't ever get work in a place where all i would end up doing is correcting bad spoken grammar all day long!

and oh! your employee letter rocks! do you know edith sorenson? i think you 2 would have a good time.


# posted by Blogger lauralark : 6:24 PM  

 I tried posting a comment the other day from my Blackberry but it didn't let me. What piece of crap! Anyway, I really really liked your letter to your co-workers. So well put! And I love Lauralark's comment too.


# posted by Blogger ShoeGirl : 10:26 PM  

 RT: Thank you for trying to inject some hope into my jaded world view.

Joanne: I hope you have a good job now or get a better one soon. Yes, it's totally depressing. Here, let me tell them: We're not programming-language-learning robots, motherfuckers!

Kaijsa: Oh, god, that's lame. Not the *libraries*, too.

Jeffytown: Funny. Gotta love it when parents act silly.

Marigoldie: Yeah, Craigslist is totally the worst. And, here in Houston, they seem to be the only ones who even list copywriting/editing/tech writing jobs that *aren't* oil and gas related.

Laura: No. But we have to have lunch, you and I. And Edith, too, if you want. I'm going to email you tomorrow.


# posted by Blogger Gwen : 10:29 PM  

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