Ken Coleman: Guy applies to 1K jobs

 

[VIDEO] Coleman is a Ramsey personality who views and critiques this man's video via Logical Finance where he applies to 1,000 jobs. Well actually he realized he applied to 1,003 jobs using different styles of resumes. He might use a resume with a graduating college senior or with only a high school diploma. He might use different names.

The results is that if he applied for 1K jobs he only  got a quarter of responses so about 250 about of 1K. I think the main critique is that the processes of these companies are broken. They don't adequately advertise what they're looking for in these positions. They have an entry-level position posted yet reject applicants because they have no experience.

And of course since the pandemic companies have had issues trying to recruit people. I can say from my own experience that companies right now are attempting to sweeten the pot with a higher wages. This is probably an extension of the idea of raising the minimum wage and my stance on that is it should be up to these private companies what their price floor is as far as wages.

Another takeaway from Ken Coleman is that you shouldn't just rely on a resume to help get you a job. I've been saying this about student loans - betting future earnings on student loans is a bad bet. Well playing the "resume lottery" is a bad bet and the returns won't be that great. Connections get the job to know someone who knows someone will move you forward. A piece of paper won't get that great first impression across.

Of course that's not to say don't craft a resume. Your connects want to see a resume anyway of course. I just think the issue is that it's just very difficult to stand out from the crowd. It doesn't matter if you want to be a fast food cook or some hot shot middle manager, job hunting is competitive. How will you place in the competition.

BTW, in my experience I feel as if connections didn't help when I looked for a job. It might depend upon the connections and perhaps the types of jobs they pursued. I've done better on my own, however, to be honest I'm still looking for that well paying job and that ideal position - just not sure what that is though. Regardless I'm doing fine where I am, however, always looking for something better.

How WWE takes care of their superstars according to John Oliver #SDLive

[VIDEO] On the heels of my recent post regarding the Montreal screwjob and we're less than a week away from WrestleMania here's an hilarious segment from the HBO talk show Last Week Tonight. I got wind of it from a coworker recently and had been hearing about it online as of late through my usual pro-wrestling sources especially on YouTube and finally decided to check it out.

My response to my coworkers were harsh as I often assumed they were talking about not very well known talent. Then I see Jake "the Snake" Roberts depending upon the kindness of his fans for a needed surgery. Though it does underscore my point that these wrestlers as athletes and entertainers have to work very hard to take care of themselves. But then easy said...

Pro wrestlers especially the world famous superstars of the WWE are considered independent contractors. I'm not going to get into the legality of this, however, this distinction allows WWE and other promotions to avoid having to provide their performers benefits. Benefits that even I as a worker take for granted such as health insurance, 401K, even paid time off. Wrestlers seem to perform 365 with few breaks, of course that's not to say they don't take time off and hopefully it won't be because of injury.

A lot of these wrestlers once they retire die young. They noted a few high profile wrestlers who died such as Roddy Piper, Randy Savage, King Kong Bundy whom all died in their 50s or 60s. You will see in the above clip that Piper predicted accurately that he wouldn't make it to 65.

WWE is a company that made close to $1 billion as you see in the above clip. And aside from their regular pay per their contracts no other guarantees other than the dates they work. The performers as Piper states do get a wonderful entrance plan however not an exit plan. I would expect the wrestlers who truly plan for their futures outside of the business will often find a way.

Then again could a publicly traded corporation as WWE do a better job of taking care of their past and present performers? It's noted that some progress has been made to better protect the wrestlers from chairshots to the head and more concerns about concussions. However, perhaps WWE could allow their perfomers some benefits, especially as far as their health care.

BTW, I'm glad to be one of many passionate fans of the WWE Universe. I'm glad the fans stepped up to the plate when wrestlers request a little help for their own medical expenses. It just goes to show we appreciate their efforts to entertain us and we hope that companies like WWE will better take care of them in the future.

Finally, I've generally avoided late night comedy in recent years especially during the Trump era. I want to be entertained not subjected to diatribes with regards to a politician they're opposed to. A good job directed towards anyone in the political establishment goes a long way. However this piece is refreshing and at times had me rolling. It was serious but we're still talking about a comedy show, perhaps there are times when current events and humor can sometimes converge. This is one of them and consider the outrageous activies on Raw or SmackDown which lends itself to the humor of this segment.

McDonald's cashier doesn't equal job security

I remember a few years I believed some erroneous reports that McDonald's was only considering those persons with a college degree for cashier positions at their stores. And now being a McDonald's cashier may not be as stable for a college grad anyway. Especially with the establishment most call Micky D's are installing these self-service ordering kiosks.

Some McDonald's stores in Chicago are seen with these kiosks. I've utilized them on occasion, especially if I don't have the need for human interaction. Not that this is a huge issue anyway the interaction is pretty quick anyway at least speaking for myself.

I've thought about this if having machines do menial jobs is increasingly the trend in the 21st century then here's an opportunity, someone has to maintain the machines. Being a fast food cashier is a job that allows anyone to make money and pay bills, it's not at all a reliable career. And this means one who is in such a role should be looking into future opportunities.

Just because you're a fast food cashier doesn't mean this is where you will remain until retirement!

Black unemployment rate

What helped this blog get noticed during the last decade was mostly racial stuff. Nothing too controversial just political stuff, local political stuff mainly. And for the most part I have gotten away from that.

Just bear in mind at any point in time this blog will cover anything that interests me at that moment. This may include tech, vacations, or politics. Which also means some of the more racial subjects may be covered over at my neighborhood/local issues blog The Sixth Ward.

I write this to say I want to share this post from there on Monday and it's from the CapFax about whether or not Illinois does have the highest unemployment rate among Blacks in the nation. We are in election season here in Illinois and it's definitely coming up in the governor's race. I'm sure it will be an issue in the 2019 Chicago mayor's race.

What Rich Miller seems to note however is that the headlines about having a high Black unemployment rate appears to be valid.

CapitolFax: Does Illinois really have the highest black unemployment rate? https://t.co/Aq1bPgvVbZ pic.twitter.com/kIkhUf0aL7

— The Sixth Ward (@TheSixthWard) June 25, 2018

"Ghosting" at work

To be fair I've seen this done in real life though typically a person just simply ghosts when they don't plan to come in anymore. They're usually very young and often temperamental and likely judging the types of jobs they currently have before moving onto a new one.

Of course if they do this to a minimum wage job who's to say they won't do it to a so-called better job. I know they don't have to say what happened to any of their old jobs - or explain it accordingly somehow - of course I figure this can always come back to bite them in the @S$ in the long run.

In fields ranging from food service to finance, recruiters and hiring managers say a tightening job market and a sustained labor shortage have contributed to a surge in professionals abruptly cutting off contact and turning silent — the type of behavior more often associated with online dating than office life. The practice is prolonging hiring, forcing companies to overhaul their processes and tormenting recruiters, who find themselves under constant pressure. “If you don’t love your job [as a recruiter], you’ll beat your head on your desk,” says John Widgren, a recruiter for Central Florida Health, a more than 3,000-employee health system outside Orlando.

Where once it was companies ignoring job applicants or snubbing candidates after interviews, the world has flipped. Candidates agree to job interviews and fail to show up, never saying more. Some accept jobs, only to not appear for the first day of work, no reason given, of course. Instead of formally quitting, enduring a potentially awkward conversation with a manager, some employees leave and never return. Bosses realize they’ve quit only after a series of unsuccessful attempts to reach them. The hiring process begins anew.

Believe me I've been frustrated with job hunting and once on a job with the processes within a company. I would find it inexcusable to engage in this behavior of ghosting, especially during the interview process, during the on-boarding process, or even on the job. I've worked with people who had little idea about the protocol if you will, perhaps this is what we're dealing with full-employment or not.

While I saw this article over the weekend, it just made Instapundit where Glenn Reynolds even comments: "Sorry, but that’s not cool". Yeah it's not!

Forbes: The 10 Worst Reasons To Reject A Job Applicant

Now that we're in the month of May and the weather is finally acting like it, perhaps it's time for a post about jobs. In this case 10 of the worst reasons to reject a job applicant.

This list is for both hiring managers and those looking for jobs. Having been through this recently perhaps this list reminds you to not be discouraged. If you're looking and keep hitting a wall you need all the encouragement you can get!

Apprenticeships

I spent a lot of years promoting college. It was in my head, people thought college was in my future. If I could've told my past self not believe my own hype of the time. I made good grades in high school except that well I felt it was too easy. No disrespect to the Harlan Falcons who deserve a good education just like students in Chicago's selective enrollment schools.

Regardless I wish my generation of high school students had access to apprenticeships. I wouldn't be nitpicky construction, plumbing, business,etc. The one thing I regret about my years in school was that there wasn't enough that taught me valuable real life skills that could translate to a job.

Which is why this Volokh Conspiracy article catches my eye. Of course they go through the history for example in early American history if you decided to just "no call no show" your apprenticeship you can be sent to jail. It costs money to train someone and if you couldn't pay for it, you'd have to stay and work for who you apprenticed with.

The solutions aren't perfect, but the system I knew back in the day was broken then. Perhaps the public sector shouldn't be the only one leading the effort any more than the private sector. However as far as giving young people a head start on their futures we can't have them wedded to going to college which is increasingly a problem! Especially if the cost of a college education is to be paid with student loans.

Business Insider: 32 high-paying jobs for people who don't like stress

One of those 32 high-paying jobs with low-stress - political scientist. Hey wait I got a degree in political science from Morehouse College. What have I been doing with that degree? Time to find a political scientist job, who's hiring?

Tucker: Washington not worried about male wage crisis

 Consider this a rare Sunday post as it's one of those days I have chosen to not post since starting to post more frequently in the last two months.

[VIDEO] A regular segment on FOX News' Tucker Carlson Tonight. I shared the initial edition with an interview from Canadian professor Jordan Peterson last week. The segment you see above aired on Tucker's program on Wednesday.


The focus are the types of jobs that are male dominated which are mainly blue-collar jobs that it could be said are at risk due to automation. As a result if you're a blue-collar man you may not be getting those high-paying jobs that perhaps your father or grandfather did years ago. As stated by Tucker when men's wages decline families fall apart...

Of course there's more to this, if men aren't getting high paying jobs they don't form families. Right now the policy is all about solving the issue of equal pay for men and women. Not that this is entirely problematic, women should be paid for the same work as men. Problem is men aren't getting into jobs that are high-paying especially high-paying blue-collar jobs.

I want to break this down to race though I don't want to over complicate my comments. My favorite refrain has been if there is a crisis of men in America, then this by default means there is a crisis for Black men. So does this wage crisis - or men's wages are going down because those high-paying blue collar jobs are starting to go away - affecting Black men and their families also?

That's a question to ponder?

Immigration and employment

[VIDEO] Before reading the accompanying article I saw Lynne Lane talks about her job at a northwest side bakery and it sounds rough. 12 hour shifts, six days a week man super long shifts and it's hard for me to say whether or not I'd survive. Beyond that she's talking about issues of her coworkers who she says doesn't speak English and also discusses pay disparities.

However, the article's point is to discuss the immigration issues. The government audited this bakery and well some of those workers who didn't have their appropriate documentation didn't come to work. This is the darkside of the job world I hate to see aside from disparities or even their actual employement statues (i.e. temporary, full-time, part-time, etc.)

Via Newsalert

Questions to avoid asking at end of job interivew

Most of these I already know for the most part and in some cases I broke some of these rules. I have asked a couple of managers how much is the pay. Certainly asking such a questions before getting the job is in bad taste.

Certainly however, many of these questions are unreal. It's within the realm of possibility that may of these questions are asked by a lot of job seekers. Hopefully they see this list and recognize that this may be a reason they failed to get the position.

Via Newsalert!

Black working class males

This article from the Christian Science Monitor I found on Tuesday over at Instapundit makes a case of how Black working class males can relate to the White working class males that voted strongly for Trump last month. The issues are similar if not much worse for the Black working class.

In the same breath there was mention of a local employment agency in the NY Times and client companies being sued for discrimination. The client companies who needed workers preferred hispanics to Blacks with the excuse for this being Blacks didn't want to do the work, however, the preferred workers according to the article were illegal and may not be as willing to stand up for themselves. Or more accurately, "They are so scared to raise their voice and say, ‘Hey, this is not fair.’"

This is old news in fact as this past summer the Capitol Fax blog posted about this.

Another job hunting anniversary coming up...

We're approaching an anniversary of sorts this month. I noted another anniversary which involved an interview which turned into a bust. To be honest, it frustrated me even in spite of all that happened afterwards. It was a dodged bullet, but it was frustrating because it seemed like a give me and it didn't happen.

Fast forward to two years later and my frustration was less about that opportunity and more about my inability to land a job offer even in several different industries. I'm talking retail, finance, or even entertainment and more frustrating was some interviews were good and still nothing.

Now in 20/20 hindsight perhaps I failed to connect. The interviews where I did get the job typically it seemed they were interested in my education to start. Probably some other aspects too, but basically the signals were there. In some cases the interview went well but it seemed the interviewer was ready to get me out of there with not much of a proper appreciative gesture.

Anyway I had one interview which tickled me and why was because it was unexpected. It was a fail to be honest but only because I didn't get it. I consider that at that point it was time for me to leave the job, but was it in my best interest to remain in that industry for that time. Oh yeah that industry was entertainment - film exhibition movie theaters.

The seminal interview that began that odd streak of rejections was for management and so was this interview. It was not at the start or even midpoint, but at the end as it turned out when I finally did get a job offer.

I never expected to be a candidate to be a manager at another movie theater chain and this would have provided the growth I had been looking for. I basically winged this interview which is truly not the best idea, but it was unusual in that well the folks who I had interviewed with called me from another state. I went into this with interest but I was like wtf. Learned later on that this is what they do so I was semi prepared but not totally.

I gave some good answers to their questions especially one I would like to share and shows where my head was at during that period of time. The question was regarding how would I motivate the workforce. My answer involved rewards knowing that concession revenue is how a theater makes money we want to encourage the workers to consistently upsell and suggestive sell. I never offered any details although in my head this would start with monetary rewards.

I felt as if I connected very well with the interviewers, but with the knowledge they've had of my job back then perhaps I realize my iffiness. While I sort of obsessed over this opportunity, now perhaps I'm glad it didn't happen. It was time to pursue other opportunities and do something different as happened eventually.

The way I see it now, if I was to break back into that business after going in another direction they key now is to do something different. Get the benefit of working in a different setting or organization and even moving up. The next management interview, I'll have some different ideas and perhaps be a better candidate.

In the meanwhile, I can only wait for the right opportunity. The next opportunity to move up and ahead.

Click here for more employment posts!

To better oneself

A friend of mine once noted that I tended to dwell on things. Not long ago I dwelled on a job that wasn't destined to hire me. Indeed that company was destined for trouble.

I dwelled on the disappointment because it was thought of as a winner and it wasn't. It took me time to really get over it and you know other disappointments followed. It was easy to deal with, but it was also easy to dwell on them also. Though not as much as I had that initial opportunity.

Almost two years after that experience another opportunity opened up for me. It was probably far better in the long term and while it came after interviewing at the job I ultimately accepted, it was exciting. It was possible I got too excited, but this one caught me by surprise.

In the meanwhile I landed where I am now, and things have been going well. I can get caught up on some bills. Saving up more cash, and generally somewhat more happier that I have been in a long time.

Could things change in the future, of course. Perhaps the good times don't last, but you enjoy them while you have them. It's been quite a while that I've had good news and in my current role I'm running into them.

That being said, it's OK to remember the past. I dwell on it too with past relationships, but ultimately it can weigh you down. At some point you must move on, because chances are others have. We have no choice there are other issues will come up that you must deal with. At some point you have finish the chapter and move on to the next.

BTW, hopefully I can expand on that surprising opportunity in the near future.

A CEO raised his company's minimum wage to $70,000 a year, and some employees quit because of it

Well, I suppose he meant well and is paying the price for it. At the same time I'd rather a business decides to raise wages voluntarily than to just depend on government to raise the minimum wage.

The New York Times reports that two of Gravity Payments' "most valued" members have left the company, "spurred in part by their view that it was unfair to double the pay of some new hires while the longest-serving staff members got small or no raises."

Maisey McMaster — once a big supporter of the plan — is one of the employees that quit. McMaster, 26, joined the company five years ago, eventually working her way up to financial manager. She put in long hours that "left little time for her husband and extended family," The Times says, but she loved the "special culture" of the place.

But while she was initially on board, helping to calculate whether the company could afford to raise salaries so drastically (the plan is a minimum of $70,000 over the course of three years), McMaster later began to have doubts.

"He gave raises to people who have the least skills and are the least equipped to do the job, and the ones who were taking on the most didn’t get much of a bump," she told The Times. A fairer plan, she told the paper, would give newer employees smaller increases, along with the chance to earn a more substantial raise with more experience.

Probably a small part of the story but an important one. Another part of this story indicated that his salary was public because he worked at this company and was concerned he may not be able to move on. He probably was concerned about another company's salary expectations.

Either way, this is the action I could support more than increasing the minimum wage which has been popular around the country. But of both we're seeing some effects of attempting to address "income inequality".

Do you offer a blanket raise voluntarily to everyone in a company? Does a business wait for the minimum wage to go up? And at that what effects would either have for either the business or the labor force itself?

UPDATE 12:08 PM - I forgot to note that the owner of this company Dan Price reportedly has to resort to renting out his home to meet payroll.

Thought Catalog: 5 Ways To Make Every Job A Stepping Stone

Guess what? I seem to have been attracting interest in these stepping stone jobs since I've graduated from Morehouse in 2009. Either way during this period, I've ran into people who never learned these 5 ways. They're very important and something to keep in mind for myself as well.

Besides if only I've learned this lesson myself in the past 5 years. Would I be better off now?

Minimum wage in Chicago is now $10/hr

Before this past mayoral election the city council passed a minimum wage ordinance which mandates an increase by 2019 to $13/hour. Today minimum wage went up to $10/hr...

If I had stayed at one of my last jobs I'd have made it to $10, but thankfully I got a bit of a headstart and exceeded it by changing jobs. Still my feelings are mixed as to whether this incremental increase of the minimum wage in Chicago is truly a good idea.

It kind of sucks that there are some jobs as the one I once held refused to raise wages until a government decided to raise the minimum. It could be bad business but I've never had to be concerned with payroll!

The future is now

I realized over the years that while coveting & achieveing a degree in political science from Morehouse College there was really no plan on my end to utilize this degree. I had vague designs on what my future plans were - graduate school, law school, or just enter into politics. In my mind pursuing any of those goals were more difficult than it really was or was it?

You know I didn't exactly measure up to where I thought I would be. Also it was easy to blow off opportunities that were certainly good ones where it was possible to use my pol. sci. degree. Somehow things have gone off track for me.

I feel as if, it's still possible to follow the political path for myself. Not sure how, but I always figured even with a part-time job or even a full-time one it was possible to be of service. It was possible to even volunteer for a cause important to me or even to an official if they needed the extra help. Perhaps that's the path for me.

Another path I've been serious about is business. Over time you have read stories about me having a management interview - even if you may consider this lower-level or middle management. While it's a step in the right direction perhaps if you want to be serious about business why not consider a side-gig of some sort that doesn't interfere with your current job. Perhaps you can really show your talent as far as business.

Regardless there was a time the future was just full of boundless opportunities. That's what my younger self thought of the future. I'm starting to realize more and more that the future is here...NOW!

I've started to wonder something lately...

I've often found myself very concerned about my job hunting streak which ended last month. While I'm still learning my new position it something hits me.

No matter what you think you want to do there are always risks and trade-offs. Some have found another job found it not to be the right fit or otherwise it doesn't seem to work out. Then they quit and find something else.

You start a new job and you find out it wasn't the right fit for whatever skills you might have or even your personality. That does happen sometimes and what also happens is that eventually if you stay with a job long enough it will change on you inspite of your time and it's no longer a good fit.

Then what do you do?

Well they say the time to fit in at a job is at least 90 days. That's fine, but it's not often that someone may find a job a bad fit within the first week or first month or so. In fact, I honestly felt that way about another job I had once it was badly organized and the fit of ego in me is convinced that I could've organized that place better.

Either way if you feel this way after 90 days or you feel this way after a week it's always necessary to keep looking. When I finally got a job offer after so much time of looking to be honest I didn't really respond to anyone else. Sometimes that's a mistake because who knows where else the opportunity comes in.

BTW, this sets up another post but that will wait for another time.

Inventory

You know now that I've finally found a new job it's just time to take stock of some things. This is an issue that has come up recently and while you're new it's perfectly natural to feel out a new position.

Now my inventory will be different from anyone else's but hopefully there are some constants.

For example, if you're changing jobs why? Is it because you wanted to make a change? What needed to change? Is it management or environment?

Another example, what were you looking for? Better pay, benefits, a different business/industry?

These are certainly questions I need to answer in my own inventory. Perhaps those are what you might have in yours. Hopefully we'll figure some things out as time goes on.