I love Labor Day, mainly because it marks the end of the summer with cooler weather on the way, all the kids are back in school, and football season is about to go into full swing. What I don’t like, and I am sure all those who continue to look for full-time work day after day don’t like either, is the reminder that Labor Day is technically for those who labor (that is labor in that stereotypical means created years ago by that industrial revelation we had), not those who labor looking for labor.
A Labor of Love
For all practical purposes, I have been looking for a full-time labor of love match since we sold our book business about three years ago (see How I Can Save Your Business Money from back in April, or the other articles at the bottom of this post). Although I have a great part time job, work more than full time at graduate school, and my days are busier now than they ever have been, looking for and finding a full-time position that matches both person and company has been one of the most difficult endeavors of my now 20+ year working life.
I have found more jobs and “careers” than I knew existed and made more connections with my resume than I can count. [On a side note, if you are a single college student in or around the Auburn area, there is a company looking for OSHA "inspectors" to work on barges in the Gulf of Mexico, no experience needed, pay is great, 21 days on 21 days off, and you get to fly to work.]
It is the Economy Stupid
After a while you just scratch your head in amazement at this current marketplace. Resumes and 3-piece suits are not what they use to be 20 years ago (thank goodness), but the lack of practical sense in some HR departments is almost comical, and expectations some business owners have is borderline ridiculous. Just for means of example, I give you one from this past week:
I had a company contact me from my blog asking if I would be interesting in writing articles for their website? Why sure, sounds great. I only have about 10-15 years experience writing well researched, SEO packed, properly formatted content, including about 1,000 articles on this blog alone, sounds great. His email to me then gave me a list of things he wanted me to do, including writing two articles for him so he could get an idea of my writing style, then after that, if they were interested, they would be happy to pay me $.007/word for 200-400 word articles? Yeah, that was a whopping $1.40-$2.80 per article. Probably cost me more to power my computer for that length of time than they would pay me. I get those all the time, and never reply to them, but someone out there does I’m sure.
Labor Day for All Labor
So today, at least in my mind, we can take some rest from those things which we do to sustain life. Enjoy what is probably a beautiful day outside since the calendar reads September, and be thankful for the work we are given to do.
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I will be the first to say it, I love Apple. I love how they market their products. I love how they package their products, and I love the innovation they have created, much of which has changed the face of the world forever. AT&T, not so much, but it’s a package deal. In doing so, they have also created new type of consumerism like none who have come before, and all during a recession at that.
This time from the WWDC, Apple comes out with another technological landmark product, or an update to a landmark product, the iPhone 4 with iOS 4. Not just fabulous eye candy, which Apple always seems to achieve, but innovations to a cell phone that have never been seen before, and as Apple does so well, they made it a must buy item, with even more help from AT&T.
To Buy In or Not to Buy In
That really isn’t all bad of course, but, from a Christian perspective, there has to be a reality check somewhere along the way. The arguments you could make on both sides of this debate are endless. The huge, broad, range of reasons why we as Christians should or should not consume, and how much, and of what products, could contain volumes. I just wanted to touch on one specific aspect, AT&T’s early up on their contract dates.
In the information age of 2010, we are now the most instant and disposable consumers the planet has ever seen. We can’t wait for anything, ever, and most of the time we don’t have to. The comment above from WWDC on MacWorld’s live stream just hit the nail on the head.
You mean I have to wait two and a half weeks to get an iPhone 4? Augggggh!
He was kidding, but, not really, and AT&T agreed. [Not trying to pick on Jason Snell from Macworld, I loved reading his live updates from the keynote, and I can't imagine how many tweets I read that said the exact same thing... except they were tweets from pastors of large evangelical churches, worship leaders, seminary students... in other words, the church body (yes we love our Macs)... all clamoring to buy Apple's latest.]
Buy Now, Save Later, Sign Here
At the same time Steve Jobs was giving the keynote, news from AT&T started surfacing that they would graciously allow almost anyone anyone who had a contract with them (that would be everyone who uses an iPhone in the U.S.) that extended beyond 2010, to upgrade to the new iPhone 4, right now. [For those unaware of how cell companies work, AT&T dings you for a 2 year contract every time you get a new phone, but after one year, you can get another new phone, at a discounted price, and up your contract again for 2 more years.]
By the time the keynote was over, yes, even Apple made it official. AT&T was going to allow their customers to spend money on a new iPhone, right now, instead of having to wait for the contract upgrade date to come up (mine is in August and my wife’s is in October). All it will cost you, besides the price of the phone of course, is another two years of your life, in bondage to AT&T. [Of course you can break the contract but AT&T also upped the ETF (Early Termination Fee) to $325 PER PHONE starting June 1 for anyone wanting to free themselves from Ma-Bell, and at the same time did away with their unlimited data plan.]
When Does the 2-Year Curse End?
So, where or when does it end? I started looking at it from my own point of view. Both of our phones are actually, banish the thought, only 2nd generation iPhones (old iPhone 3G’s, not the 3G-S). Our one year contract date (stated above) comes up this year and we could just wait and upgrade then. But if we do that, we will actually be EXTENDING our contracts to October 2012. If we upgraded right now, we would be out of our AT&T contract in June 2012. But hey, even Steven Jobs carries an old phone (or hasn’t updated the OS), so maybe we could do the same.
Either way, we end up committing to a 2-year relationship with AT&T (not that we have a choice in the matter), at some $2,000+ a year. A commitment that not even many parishioners will do for their own church. We could say no, enough is enough, and just sit there and read 2 Corinthians 6:14 over and over until we convince ourselves that life is possible without a 2 year contract?
I guess it is possible to be without a cell phone contract? Two households in my immediate family actually don’t have one (my sister’s and my uncle’s), so I know it’s possible. But me, I have been “under contract” in one form or another to a cell phone company for more than 15 years, that’s something like $36,000 give or take, and longer than many marriages last today. As it turns out, those contracts never do expire. Once you are in, they’ve got you, and there’s no way out. It’s like trying to quit the gym.
It’s legal, immediate, addicting, consumerism Meth, AT&T & Apple style, except an intervention won’t work. You either pay a lot now to get out ($650 for a household of 2), or you pay a ton in little 2-year chunks until the next must have device comes out. To bad I don’t actually have AT&T cell coverage where I live, then I could actually get some use out of my AT&T never-ending contract. Oh well, at least I can upgrade to the new iPhone 4, who cares if I can actually make a phone call.
Thanks, Paul of Tarsus
Or, maybe Paul actually knew what he was talking about when he wrote to the Corinthian church way back in the mid 50′s. Even though it is such an ingrained part of our culture, such an integrated part of our lives in the 21st century, maybe we should, at least question, whether we as believers in Christ should be “bound together” by such terms.
In the end this looks to be one of the best updates to the iPhone Apple has made, especially when you take into consideration the display resolution. I will probably trade my older phone in for the new version, but there is probably an iPhone 5 around the corner somewhere.
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In my ongoing pursuit of the perfect full time employer I have compiled more information than I could possibly have imagined a few years ago. I could probably write an HR book called HR, the Good the Bad, the Ugly but I am sure someone else has beat me to it. After writing a post about a recent interview I decided to put down a few quick tips I learned just in case someone else out there is also looking for that perfect match.
The Match-Making Job Market of 2010 Is Fluid
Today is a different market than even just five years ago. Potential employers are doing more with less, and are in no hurry to bring on a new hire that may or may not be an exact match with the company’s existing culture. As a potential employee, I am also just as picky when it comes to looking at a potential employer. I don’t just want any job, I want a good match, but in 2010 it’s more like online dating or match-making than job hunting. Don’t just automatically jump on the first offer, really look at what kind of match you are with the company culture, business model, and their clients.
Flooding the Market with Resumes Doesn’t Work, Be Creative
I have sent in hundreds of resumes, made countless followup calls, gone out of my way to not be in the way when needed, met tons of new people, offered to move to all over California (my native land), Texas, Florida (wife’s preference), New York, Wisconsin, Montana (those two were a stretch), Georgia, Virginia, and Kentucky. Yet, it’s the end of another week of meeting new people, making new connections, learning new companies, and waiting. One thing I have learned, flooding the market with resumes doesn’t work.
If you want to be seen, you need to do something creative and unique. Don’t just do the same old thing that everyone else does, that doesn’t do any good at all. Find a unique way to stand out to the HR person or hiring manager. For an example of what I did this week see this video I did for How I Can Save Your Business Money.
Become a Major League Scout in Your Search
You need to seek out new prospects like a scout looks at potential minor league players. Traditional job sites like Monster have been almost worthless to me. Today, employers will post on Facebook, Twitter, blogs, craigslist, and on their own websites. Where are the creative companies posting their new positions? Don’t limit yourself to finding a great job by only looking on the traditional websites.
Do Your Own Research, Don’t Just Skim the Surface
When you do get an Interview, phone or otherwise, do you know more about the company than the HR person? Impossible? Not at all, and many times I have known far more about the details of a company than even their own employees do. Do your own research, and dig deep. A good example is to look at the company on LinkedIn. Look at their current employees on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook (are they happy with their job), their former employees (why did they leave, where are they now), and all the associated websites you can find.
Keep in mind your potential employer is doing the same research on you. Don’t give them a stupid reason like a photo on Facebook to hire someone else.
Don’t Try To Hide, Control Your Internet Footprint
If you are on Facebook and you hide your account from a potential employer they will probably wonder what you are trying to hide, and if there is good reason, perhaps fixing that first would be a good idea. I have created a one stop shop on Google where potential employers could find out every thing there is to know about me (http://www.scottfillmer.me), professionally and personally, and from there they can find their website of choice without having to give them 10 different places to look. You can still be publically seen and control your private information, just use common sense.
What are your favorite job search tips?
