The Unemployment Blog Day #411

Day #411? Is it me or is this getting ridiculous? I have been on a few interviews since my last blog, but they're all commissioned-based jobs! Is this all I am worth? I am a college-educated professional. This can't be it! I recently interviewed at Prudential for a Financial Services Assistant position. At the interview, which I thought went very well, I had to take a high school level math test. Feeling confident that I did pretty well on the test, I left the office only to be told that I also had to take a 'personality' test when I got home. For those who know me, know that I'm all personality, so this test should be a 'no-brainer'. Would you believe that I got a call from the recruiter a few days later saying that I needed a 52 to pass the math test and I scored a 50? As for the personality test, I needed to score a 2, 3, or 4, to be considered for the position, and coincidentally scored a 1. What? This was impossible. I politely thanked her for the opportunity and hung up the phone. My girlfriend and I could not not stop laughing for hours about how ridiculous this was.

Another interview that I went on was with a company called Heat Group Inc., supposedly a marketing company with a creative department. I later read online that this company was a total scam. The person wrote word for word the extent of my interview process. I was floored! Later in the week, I got more calls from similar marketing companies stating that they found my resume on careerbuilder and thought that I'd be perfect for a position out there. Seriously, are there any real companies out there hiring without a commission base? I am not a salesmen. I went to school for communications and worked in radio for 13 years.

In this economy and job market, I guess I shouldn't really be picky, but there has to be a job out there that has a steady income with no commission base. I am still just blown away that I've been unemployed for 411 days now. I have lots of skills and talent, why won't anyone hire me? Every time that I speak to someone on the telephone, I think to myself, "That person has a job, and I don't?" This society is unbelievable!

The Unemployment Blog Day #384

Today is my 384th day of unemployment, and to those in the same boat as I am, I feel your pain! As of today, the unemployment rate was around 9%. There are millions doing what I do every single day and that's scouring the internet for jobs for hours. Sometimes we apply for jobs that we don't even qualify for. Now, I went to college and graduated with a BA in Communications. The funny thing is that I recently received an email from Fed Ex saying that they were going to pursue a candidate that was more qualified than I was. So, does that mean a college grad is not qualified enough to work at Fed Ex?

Another problem that I seem to keep running into is that there is an overabundance of sales jobs for small companies. These jobs are all commission-based. Are they worth it in an economy where no one is really spending any money? Since, being laid off last January, I've been on numerous interviews, and it seems that the sales gigs are the ones that always seem to call back. There was only one gig that I actually really wanted. The name of the company was Heat Group, Inc., which seemed like a sales job, but when I interviewed for it, the gentleman who interviewed me explained to me that I'd be perfect for a more creative role within the company. I was excited that this was not going to be a sales position. Needless to say, I was disappointed when I never heard from that company after my interview, which I was sure that I passed with flying colors.

The whole job search thing is getting frustrating. Some days, I just feel like giving up. I'm sick of jumping through hoops and dealing with dumb people day in and day out. It angers me to see that these dumb people have jobs, yet I'm the one who is unemployed. Moving forward, I will blog everyday about my unemployment experience until I do find a job. I am sure that many will know exactly where I am coming from. See you on Day 385!