In a diary yesterday, we were discussing the new meme of the right wing that describes the unemployed as the "funemployed." I found this idea downright offensive at best and completely infuriating to boot. Funemployed is the right wing's meme that people are just enjoying their time in the sun while sucking up "free" money from real Americans that actually pay taxes, or some such ridiculous notion.
I did some research. Perhaps it is just the corporate mindset to glom on to these extreme positions, or perhaps it is just the great right wing Wurlitzer succeeding once again in their campaign of repeat, repeat, repeat and bullshit becomes reality to some. Either way, there is information that backs up this unfounded and fact free tripe, so I thought I would share it today.
Forewarned is forearmed, as we well know.
Catch-22 for unemployed: You might need a job to get a job
The question crops up in job postings around the Charlotte region, in subtle and not-so-subtle ways.
"Are you currently employed?" inquires one CareerBuilder.com listing for a pharmaceutical job. On Craigslist, an ad for a purchasing manager warns, "Do not apply UNLESS you are currently employed."
More and more, job seekers and recruiters report, companies are trimming growing stacks of resumes by drawing lines - telling applicants not to bother if they've been out of work for too long. Some firms allow five or six months, while others say two is the limit. Still others say they'll only consider applicants who have a job.
snip
"I've certainly had people call to set up a job interview, and first they ask, 'Are you working?' and then it's, 'How long?'" said Susan Sullivan of southeast Charlotte, who lost her job as a project coordinator for a home builder 11/2 years ago. "It's like a subtle change, and I know it's out there. I've heard it: 'You must not really want to work.'"
Charlotte career consultant Bill Crigger recalled a conversation a few months ago where the head of a medium-sized company requested currently employed candidates, "lamenting that there must be something wrong with an individual if they were unemployed," he said.
Crigger and other career experts say that mind-set is a sure way to miss some of the most qualified applicants. But employers and recruiters who exclude the unemployed say the method is perfectly legal and increasingly necessary, given the vast number of applications they receive every day. Some say it's a good way to find the very best - the employees who survived the recession - and that some people have been out of work as long as they have because they're not top performers.
As you can plainly see, professional recruiters do not agree with this meme, and they should know, but companies are increasingly taking the bait and losing out on candidates that might best fit their needs by arbitrarily putting what I can only think of as an "expiration date" on potential employees due to the time they have been without a job.
Either way, experts say, it has become more important than ever for candidates to make the most of their resume gaps by volunteering, brushing up on their skills, and taking on temporary or consulting work to keep a competitive edge.
What really caught my eye here was the idea of volunteering your time to show that you are still in the game if you have been unable to find temp work or consult. This volunteer work is definitely something you can list on your resume which will keep you current as far as employer data searches go, and will allow you to possibly not miss out on openings that you may have been disallowed from even being considered for previously. Just because you aren't getting paid for your work DOES NOT mean you aren't working, if you get my drift.
I hope this might help some of you that were not aware. Get out there, volunteer, be an asset for a group that you would like to be a part of, and list it on your resume!
You never know. Maybe the networking you create by meeting people at your volunteer position may also be the next foot in the door for paid employment?
Stranger things have happened.