Thursday, July 21, 2011

ATTN Crazy Craigslist people: Life ain't fair!

So I've been trolling around Craigslist a little bit lately. Just curious to see if there are actually any legitimate jobs on there.  And no I'm not just looking at jobs there, that would be ridiculous, but I'm taking a peek everywhere.  Craigslist just happened to be the most entertaining.


And in a few categories, namely ones involving computers (software, web development, graphic design), I see several posts by whiners like this one:  (yes, these are authentic posts, cut and pasted from CL)

RE: Photoshop Designer

This person posted a few days ago...I answered with resume'...no answer either way.
This person is either very unprofessional or it is a scam...anyway I'd forget he/she
and not answer any of he/she posts.

Or this one…

RE: Photoshop, Easy Job

Do you have any idea how to use photoshop? Any person who has benn educated in the program paid a lot for that education. $20 is a joke to anyone who will do the job right.

64 images- doesn't matter what is being done to them, is time consuming and will take well over 1 hour. Which is generally what you would be looking at for $20... One hour of work.

So you may want to re-think the industry standard for such a job before offering jack shit in compensation for such an "easy job". You're right though. Not a HARD job, but a time consuming one. If you can't afford to pay for talent, buy the program and do it yourself! Maybe then you'll understand that your "Easy Job" is not a "Cheap Job".

*********

(Why do I suddenly have visions of all those skits on SNL about the IT guys that come into offices that are arrogant, sarcastic, condescending, and passive-aggressive?)

Oh my God, people, get a grip! I’ve been in the adult, post-education, job market for almost 25 years. I have one little valuable nugget of wisdom I have learned over the years…

Life ain’t fair!!!!!!


Yes, I know it’s hard to believe, that not everyone will give you everything you want on a silver platter and be sickeningly sweet about it. In fact, most of the time, you’ll need to fight for the scraps you do get and still thank someone profusely. …I should deliver a commencement address, eh?

Just, my point is… I can’t believe in this evident age of entitlement these weenies are writing these anonymous rants on Craigslist, railing against the employers like they are some sort of classified ad ethics police. Guess what? CL is filled with fake ads, people who don’t know their a** from a hole in the ground and are just trying to get some cheap help, or people that do have legit ads but it just isn’t their obligation to write everyone who answers the ad with a handwritten perfume-scented monogrammed thank you note.

I must have sent out thousands of resumes and cover letters in the past 25 years, and do you know how many “Thanks, but no thanks” replies I received? Maybe five. An employer doesn’t owe you anything. Its common knowledge that if they want an interview, that’s the only time you’ll hear from them, they’ll call you and that’s about it.

As for what an employer is offering to pay? They’ll offer whatever they can get away with. Simple as that. So, haggle. Submit your resume and give them your idea of what you want for compensation. But no, it’s far more effective to offer a passive-aggressive anonymous rant on Craigslist. No wonder you’re looking for a job.

I unfortunately, replied to one of these rants. HUGE MISTAKE. I was feeling pissy one day and wanted to give someone a piece of my mind. I told him politely that employers aren’t obligated to respond. He launched into an evil nerd attack, saying I was nasty and meddling, and threatening to tell my employer... with every other word spelled wrong. Wow, there are a lot of people feeling entitled with anger issues out there. Someone needs a hug… or an FBI check, because I see a future “shoot up the workplace” contestant there.

Besides, just suck it up and send out the resumes and hope for the best, another lesson learned in all my years of job searching… don’t deal with the crazy ranting people on Craigslist.

Monday, July 11, 2011

Give Me Employment or Give Me Baby Phat!

I'm not gonna' lie... I'm tired.  Being a functioning human being is damn tiresome!

Oh, I could just coast and be a drain on the taxpayer, but I don't suppose that's what I want for myself or my children.  But damnit, it would be a hell of a lot easier and more relaxing!  I could not work and sleep 'til noon everyday!

I got thrown a curveball again.  I need to rethink my business strategy.  Need to fine tune the career path yet again.  Ok, these things happen.  *insert whiny 5 year old voice*  But I'm tirrrrrred...  *stomps feet*

Tangent... All of a  sudden that James Brown song "It's  a Man's World" popped into my head.  It still kind of is, you know?  How is it a man can drop out of sight and not care for his children and it's just considered par for the course?  How is it a man can just snag a job and no one is concerned with whether he'll get pregnant or have kid drama?  How is it a man can readily find employment in the upper ranks, while women still have to "prove" themselves?  Ever watch that show "16 and Pregnant"?  Ninety percent of the Baby-Daddy's bail.  And that's ok?

Now I'm not man-bashing, but it's so hard to be a working single mom.  I didn't sign up for this.  Yea, yea it's my decision to make my family successful, I could just become a cretin.  But would it be so bad to be a cretin?  I could just collect public assistance and not even try to work.  It would be so easy.  I could tell my children that they couldn't go anywhere or do anything because they would be using Mama's valuable drinkin' money!  It would be all Judge shows, all the time!  Don't interrupt my shows! 

Oh then, then, then, then I could get a man who could keep me in all the Baby Phat or NASCAR clothes and shoes, I wanted!  I watched a segment on Dr. Phil last week how a woman specifically targets men to get certain bills paid.  Oh, sign me up for that job!  It's just another sales job, and I'm a hell of a closer!  I could close that deal with plenty of time in the day to go get my acrylic nails with the extra wide tips done!  ...Why would you want your manicure to look like you had a paint scraper on each finger, anyway?  I digress...

Crap, why was I born with integrity?  I could have run away.  I could have run home.  I could have just found some sucker who wanted to foot the bill for me and my kids.  But I choose to try to make a career for myself and support us.  And I make sure my kids are on a path to get in excellent colleges and have great careers and lives  ahead of them.  And I have a guy that makes me clean his house in exchange for being on his country club membership because I can't afford to chip in.  (ok, so I suggested that) Maybe I'm the sucker?  I'm missing out on all that Baby Phat... damn.

Friday, July 1, 2011

Why Don't We Just Bring Back the Lions and the Christians?

All right, I need to interrupt my uber interesting "Adventures in Dating" series to rant about something...

What the hell is wrong with you people today?

This ain't ancient Rome, I thought we were supposed to be civilized?  Is blood lust that deep in our genes?

I mean you, you YouTube type people.  Everywhere I go, people are recording stuff on their phonea when they should be jumping in and helping!  What in God's name is wrong with you?  Is ya' ignant?  Has all the world become a spectator sport?  Has the world become a giant electronic device, it's not real anymore, it's a video game or reality series?  Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I'm appalled!

What buzzed up my skirt, you may ask?  I was driving down my street the other day and I saw these kids in front of a house.  I drive up slowly to make sure I think what I think is going on is actually going on.  And yes indeed, it's two approximately 10 year old girls beating the hell out of each other, while one slightly older boy stood and watched as if he were watching the coin toss for a football game, and a slightly older girl recording the fight with her phone.  I pulled over the car and started screaming out the window, "Hey, stop it, stop it, stop it!",  followed by some random things like "What is wrong with you?  You don't do that!  You're not animals!  Where is an adult?".  After the fact I felt like Glady Kravitz on Bewitched, but I didn't care, it was the right thing to do.

The girls stopped and looked at me amazed as if I was wrong.  Then after a second, ran in the house.  I didn't want to get involved much further, because I'd probably have some Hood Mom kick my ass for not minding my own business.  I'm serious, the families on that part of the street are very, well let's call them street.  It's not stereotypical, it's just a fact.  I hear them, I see them, always out, yelling at each other about bustin' caps and beatin' asses.  So, I know enough to not tempt fate.

I was bothered for hours after.  I was appalled by the barbaric behavior of the girls, but horrified by the bystanders.  Has the next generation become that numb?  I lectured my kids forever after that.  I told them if they ever just stood by when something like that was going on, I'd beat them.  No, just kidding.  I said they needed to stand up against violence, but also be very careful to know when to just call or run for help instead as to avoid death.  You never know when someone is gonna' pull a .9 out... or a knife.  Like the kid that just got killed at a fraternity party here at the U. of Rochester, usual drunken college brawl, but a kid pulls a knife.  Boom.  Dead.

Another example, locally a mentally disturbed teenage boy starts stabbing his girlfriend in a Wegmans grocery store.  A couple people stood by and watched,  but two courageous teenage boys jump in and tried to pull the kid off her.  They saved her life.  They wound up with some cuts.  My son said he didn't care, he'd rather die doing the right thing like that.  Wow.  Would you?  Check yourself, are you the type to, A.) videotape, B.) run away, C.) watch, D.) jump in to stop it or call for help? 

This nonsense has got to stop.  Violence and bullying behavior is not a spectator sport.  I know I'm becomming a self-righteous, crotchety, old hen, but you all should be ashamed of yourselves.  "WWGWD", "What Would Grandma Walton Do?".  (Hey, I model my life after 70s TV shows, is that so wrong?)  Or at least do what Spike Lee said, "Do the Right Thing", which doesn't include throwing garbage cans through Sal's Pizzeria, but you know what I mean.

Don't make me come over there...  stop this nonsense right now.