A man and a woman walk into a bar

A man and a woman walk into a bar one afternoon and sit on a couple of stools, loudly discussing what’s new. The man starts talking about work while the woman talks about being out of work.

Yes, I was eavesdropping. And yes, I was in a bar in the middle of the afternoon, but I was on holidays! Being a writer, an employer, and in the staffing industry, I felt I had a legitimate reason for eavesdropping as I thought perhaps I could be of assistance to the woman. Instead, I found myself holding my tongue.

The woman was discussing how she really needs a job and how she has sent out hundreds of resumes, but was not getting any interviews. I was dying to ask her where she was sending these hundreds of resumes. Was she blasting them out without cover letters, addressed to no one in particular? She would have been better off researching a few companies that were at the top of her list, finding out exactly what they were looking for, tracking down a contact name, and personalizing the application. I remained silent.

The woman continued to tell her employed friend about how everyday she would do a quick internet search for jobs, usually finding that she was overqualified for most of the opportunities that came up. She went on about how she refused to apply for 20 dollar per hour jobs, when she has the skill set of a 30 dollar per hour person! Ugh, I almost jumped across the bar.

So how about this, I felt like announcing, apply for positions that interest you, in the industries that are comparable to your past work experience, and be open to taking a pay cut. Why? Because once someone is working, they start to feel better. They feel like a valuable part of society, their skills are improving or at least being maintained, and they are meeting people who perhaps can help them advance their career in the future. Once you prove your abilities in a company, doors should open up to you and you should find yourself working your way up the ladder.

If I’d decided to speak up, I would have told that woman to keep her options open, apply in person, make follow up calls, and not put herself on a pedestal about wages. Once in the interview, if offered the job, there might be some negotiation on pay or the opportunity to negotiate wage reviews in three months. But instead of speaking up, I let this woman go on complaining and it became very clear to me why she was still unemployed. On the bright side, she gave me a great article idea.