I’ve lately seen little action on the employment front. No work since the Christmas gig and I’ve been looking for something since November so that I could be working now. Ideally with no gap after the Christmas gig. I sent out tons of resumes and heard back from only one. The offer was for four hours a week, eight dollars an hour with the possibility for more hours–but only a couple more per week. Some might call it something but I certainly can’t afford to live in a big city on thirty two bucks a week. Or fifty a week. Not in a home and likely not in a van either.

I’ve heard people try to help and suggest temp and placement agencies but the vast majority have more people than they can use with my skill base. I’ve been told flat out that they have enough trouble finding jobs for their long standing people without taking in newbies like me. People who got into the system before 9/11 can get work through agencies, but it takes exceptional skills or a willingness and ability to anything for nearly nothing.

So despite my having well over a decade in my field I’m finding myself too “inexperienced” to get hired anywhere as I’ve had many roles within the field–I have no specialization. That’s my theory anyways. Getting most of my employment from word of mouth and social networking meant that I had people hyping my services, that I could do all sorts of wonderful things in the field and had unique big picture insights. But now I’m sending resumes out to HR people who are simply looking to check off a list. They’ve been told to find candidates that have X number of years experience in skill Y. But my resume doesn’t read that way and this is why I suspect my call rate on resumes sent is somewhere near zero. I remember one interview I had where I was being asked absolutely inane questions and getting the evil eye over my saying that I knew this and could do that. Imagine being interviewed at a pet store for a position stocking dog food and holding a degree in vetrinary science then being asked if you know about German Shepherd, then Chihuahuas, then on and on in endless succession as if there is radical difference between breeds. They’re still all dogs!

Another issue is that my resume shows that I was obviously paid well in the past. I can only dumb it down so far but the previous jobs outlined are obviously well skilled positions that would be well compensated. And as such companies, when actually interviewing, often expect I will not entertain their offers as it’ll be too little. But, from my perspective, anything beats zero. On multiple occasions I’ve been told that they’d be interested in hiring me but that I’ll obviously be bored, under challenged and feel under payed. In essence, that I was too good for the job once they met me but on paper appeared to be exactly what they wanted. But the jobs these people must think I’m right for are the same ones who look at my skill and employment past and never call.

Hence the dilemma. Almost all of my employment came from networking. These are people who never see my resume unless the ask later on for it once I’m hired to fluff up their HR paperwork collection to make me “official” somehow. In a networking situation I can talk and show myself to people, word of mouth spreads my infamy from previous employer to prospective employer. This the only way I’ve gotten decent employment in recent years but alas, this grapevine has withered and hasn’t born fruit in many seasons. Ever since the budget crunch in the field post 9/11 there have been fewer and fewer jobs. Sure things have gotten better in the last couple years, but the problem remains that there are still too many people and too few jobs. And now, there marketplace is opening up to more than just local talent.

Topping this all off is the globalization of the American economy. First the manufacturing went and now the skilled services follow. A recent change in the freelance market is the rise of global competition for local jobs. For a task that can be outsourced why should an American worker be hired when someone from India will do just as good a job for a fraction of the price? Why pay $25 or $50 an hour when $2 to $4 an hour gets the same quality from India? If a job can be done completely offsite then it really doesn’t matter where it’s done, unless of course you’re in America trying to find rent money. With websites that list tasks and take bids on them from prospective service providers it is dead simple to find reputable Indian labor to do the tough stuff then hire fresh grads who’ll work for peanuts onsite to do the grunt work.

So where do I stand in this world? In line at the soup kitchen, if not now then soon.

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