Getting hired

From Employment Digest, an article on getting hired.

More on Student Loans

We all went to school optimistically and I graduated, from high school, college and law school during times of great economic distress so have a history of trying to find a job when the market sucks. Now that all I have are student loans, it's not so bad; it was horrid a few years ago, when I had consumer debt as well.

I feel bad for the recent graduates, who grew up in better economic times and are part of the spoiled generation. There's a whole generation out there unaccustomed to adversity in any form and now they're learning that mommy and daddy can't fix everything.

The so-called helicopter parents who intervened in every part of their children's lives, provided them with every possible consumer good and gave them the expectation that they could have whatever they wanted immediately, no question, did them a huge disservice; these same parents aren't necessarily in a position to follow through on tuition payments, new cars, condos and unlimited use of credit cards due to the current economy. Their kids just don't have the tools to cope with that.

Jobs

Here's an article from April, talking about jobs. While Joe Biden says the administration "Misread" the economy, unemployment has gone up to 9.5%. Jobs aren't being lost in as great numbers, but not too many companies are hiring. More families are becoming homeless. The outlook is grim and people keep talking about the Depression.

I find that depressing; in my area, hourly rates for temporary attorneys have gone down. While there were a few corporations that paid $3 less an hour a few years ago, a couple of the agencies are going to the lower rates. Because I'm not actively seeking temporary attorney projects, I don't know if that's a reflection of firms lowering their rates generally or the agency thinking they'll have an edge.

Cocoa

The Ivory Coast's cocoa industry is moving along, unlike so many other industries. About now a tropical area sounds good, though I don't know if I'm well-suited to extreme manual labor as described here.

Unemployment Benefits

There has been a rise in the number of applications challenged for unemployment benefits. Makes sense; companies don't want to pay more than they have to and with more people being let go, there are more claims, which reflects badly on the corporation.

I've had unemployment claims challenged before, and have been told that in my state it's very difficult to have the benefits taken away. Companies with high turnover, due to their deficiencies are more likely to try this, even in good times. I haven't had benefits withheld from me and only know one person who has. I'm not sure what happened in that case, as my information was obtained third hand.

Usually it has to be something egregious; mere incompetence or not meeting standards doesn't rise to the level of misbehavior needed. Someone whose family owned a business once told me that she didn't think you'd lose unemployment benefits even if you killed someone. Then again, thinking it through, how would you prove you were looking for a job? Does unemployment take calls from prison? Are you still able to turn down a job, while imprisoned, because it pays less than your last employment?

The change in my state is that when doing contract work, you must contact the agency within five days of the projects end to ask if they have another project. The presumption in the system is that you quit the job but the agency that employed me when I was cut from a project denies that you quit and then pays. Backwards system.

'Safe' Jobs

I don't know if there are any safe jobs. Government used to be viewed as safe but now has hiring freezes, wage freezes and layoffs, just like any other entity. Healthcare seems to be viewed as safe, but people are advocating medical tourism, so not so safe.

I've seen a few ads locally for attorneys that weren't posted by agencies; however, I had an invitation on LinkedIn to link with another recruiter I know. I don't think she has jobs to fill right now, since nobody seems to.

What's the safest job possible? Bartender, but not at a trendy spot? Barber? Grocery clerk?

The Economy and Attorney Jobs

The other day, I read a NY Times article on state government cutbacks affecting the economy.
It's here. I don't know about your area, but around here, The State Board of Public Defenders is cutting some positions and declining to fill others.

More legal contractors. Joy.