It astounds me that the government would believe that illegal aliens would complete and return a US Census form. I don’t like the presence of illegal (no problem with legal) aliens. But, the US government is idiotic to believe that these illegal aliens would complete the forms only to reveal their whereabouts.
However, I suppose that if the US Government has taken no significant action to rid the US of illegal aliens in the past, what should make us believe that they may do so in the future?
I gotta say that companies have their employees over a barrel right now. They know that employees are afraid to step over to a new job. They know that employees are having a tough time with mortgages. They know that employees are worried about their futures. And, employers are feasting on the madness. And, I wonder how much of this is actually government supported.
Sure, conspiracies flourish in times of need. But, look at a few we are dealing with now…Obamacare was passed last week. This is at a time when only moderate job related bills were approved by Congress. Think about it, keep people unemployed and nationalized healthcare becomes more widely accepted by persons who have been without job/insurance. What about the President seeking to secure funds to pay mortgages for people who are “underwater” in their loans? Is that really something that should come at the cost of all of the Americans who managed their mortgages satisfactorily? Why not address the credit reporting system to allow for more relaxed credit evaluations for those seeking to downgrade homes because they have been late in paying for the over-priced homes?
Really, it looks a little like this country is being run more and more like a business. Unfortunately, it is also being run with a business mdel that has been shown to be fallible.
Exactly how selective do employers think that they need to, or can, be with potential job candidates. I don’t mind the normal resume’ with a cover letter and possibly an employment application (though not normally necessary for Managerial roles). But, some people are just a little too, how shall I say it… “over the top”.
I have posted my concerns about employers being too selective on candidates, these days. Primarily in “What is the REAL value of education” and “She’s just not that into you“. I think that employers are cherry picking candidates that are far too over qualified for the roles that they are taking. This is a very bad process from a couple of perspectives. 1) Sooner or later, the market will pick back up and many of these “overqualified” people will return to positions more closely aligned with their desires 2)It pisses people off toward your Company (yes, I have taken my business elsewhere because of stupid things companies do).
But, today, a friend of mine was applying for an Operations job with a small local company. Sure, they are a popular (even I have heard of them) niche company and their tentacles reach pretty far. But, it sounds like they are “over the top”. He sent me a copy of his “Career History Form” along with a WTF note. I opened this thing and it is insane to believe that anyone would complete it. I mean. it is far too detailed. Why, exactly, a resume’ doesn’t work for this company, I have no idea. I am attaching a copy of it for you to review below. Tell me what you think.
Foremost, everyone should be introduced to Bob Johnson. He is a multi-millionaire owner of BET, serves on the BoD for General Mills and was the owner of the Charlotte Bobcats NBA Basketball team until lately. Bob Johnson has been extremely critical of the Charlotte, NC community by condemning local businesses for not purchasing corporate tickets and all of the related. Last week, legendary NBA star, Michael Jordan purchased the bulk share of the team. But, on his exit, Bob Johnson did not go quietly. In fact, it was a disturbingly ungraceful exit.
Bob Johnson stated “Charlotte is a very, how would I call it, close-knit, arrogant, sometimes incestuous town”. He continued with “”The thing that concerns me is that I’m just surprised that the city doesn’t do more for African-American small businesses. And I don’t really understand that”.
It is this this mentality that has continued racial tensions in our country. It is this type of statement that heavily contributed to the community disconnection with the team leading to a shallow client pool. When you are trying to gain support from consumers, you don’t speak badly toward them. It is with long-term relationships that you build a strong customer base and a loyal following. Bob Johnson used this forum to not only to push his own failed business acumen onto other people, but also to attack a community, customers and the white race. It is in extremely poor taste for someone of his position to degrade anyone and is indicative of serious problems.
I find it awe inspiring that Bob could have built such a successful business while preserving such a deep seated disdain for consumers. It is apparent that he does not truly understand how to build and nurture relationships nor how to handle consumers. His expansion into the NBA ownership was doomed from the start. He entered the arena (pun intended) with the intent of forcing customers in the door. He intended for the community to foot the bill for his personal venture. And it failed…miserably.
I have a few words for Bob and anyone else who still promotes discriminatory ideals. These words come not with anger nor hate. This is said with a love for and tolerance of everyone. America owes nothing to any particular race. This is America and opportunities to excel or fail should be equaled in our society, regardless of race, sex, creed, religion, color, or national origin. Yet, America has created a culture of reverse discrimination with programs such as affirmative action. Why would a particular race “need” representation such as the NAACP? I am not aware of an organized movement to support white males in America. In closing, all persons of all races should know one thing. If you continue to support race-based ideals and policies, you will probably be plagued with race-based problems for your entire life.
Tomorrow, the sun shall rise. It will be a new day and we can start out fresh. Of course, as our sun rises, it will be setting on some people.
Today, a landmark bill passed the House of Representatives. Healthcare reform. It was the signature bill of President Obama. Many people fought it and it was probably the first real exposure to “inside” politics that GenX & GenY has had. There were backroom deals, partisan separation, incentives, and all of the normal political crap we expect. The only difference is that there are 30M unemployed Americans. So, there was more free time to watch the process, which many found sickening.
I try to avoid injecting any serious personal belief into this blog. But, I believe that the Bill will cause serious problems for America. There are serious flaws which will make it nearly impossible for Americans to receive care, despite having nationalized healthcare coverage. Many politicians brought up valid concerns for the Bill and they were met with ferocious denials. So, I would like to leave you with one such incident. A major problem with the Bill was the wording which would have allowed for government funded abortions. I am not getting into the “ProLife v. ProChoice” debate. But, some politicians felt threatened by the wording of the Bill. So, in the 11th hour, President Obama promised to sign an Executive Order to eliminate the clause. Of course, he promised to sign the Executive Order to remove the clause of something only one month earlier he declared as not being in the Bill.
It is long overdue that Americans had their voices heard and took back their country.
Ever lied on your resume’? In an interview? I am just curious, because I would be too afraid of losing face in the vent that someone asked me to substantiate my claims. I went to an interview last week and was asked about my familiarity with Microsoft Office. I stated that my excel was advanced, power point was advanced, access was intermediate, word was advanced, et cetera. He asked me what I can do in excel and I said pivot tables, concatenate, write advanced formulas and such but short of writing macros. He asked about access…uh…I can run reports. I just had no idea how to respond. I was an intermediate user but I have not used it in 5 years. It never dawned on me that my proficiency may have slipped over the years without using it. I felt like a fool, but not a liar.
Over the years, I have seen some pretty wild resume’s. I cannot even begin to tell you how outrageous some of them have been. But, I would like for everyone to understand that when a hiring manager looks at your resume’, they are not juts looking for your abilities. In fact, most of what I am looking for is your ability to fit into the culture of my company and to work hard. I can teach most anyone how to write excel formulas. I can even teach you how to effectively apply six sigma methodologies. What I cannot do is teach you to get along with others. I cannot teach you how to reach for the brass ring.
So, when you are putting together your resume’, try not to make it too outlandish. After all, what good is a graduate degree from MIT if you are going to work as a go cart attendant?
Lesson; find constructive ways to express your discontent. Y’know like gluing his desk drawers shut or loosenign the screws on his office chair. Have a nice weekend everyone!
In todays day and age, there are child labor laws. I understand that these are designed to help thwart the exploitation of children. And, I would like to reserve childhood for frivolous play and schoolwork. But, I think that some things may have eluded us, as a nation. Foremost, I would like to remind everyone that there was a time when not everyone attended college…that time was not so long ago. I would also like for readers to remember that it has not been so long ago that kids did farm chores before they went to school. And, I would also like to point out that with a reduction in these forms of work, we have seen a time-line correlation with what many “older generations” consider poor work ethic in today’s youth. Coincidence?
But, I would also like to briefly discuss child labor overseas. This seems to be the flavor of the day. “Yes” children work full time jobs in other countries. And while many Americans consider this appalling, it is not unacceptable in many countries and was perfectly fine in the Us only a few decades ago. So, American aid workers and human rights activists are protesting the child labor in other countries. What I would like to remind everyone is that China is not America. Neither is Mexico. They do not live by the US Constitution. They do not have the same values as Americans. What I would like for you to understand is that many countries abhor the US and it’s “misplaced values”. Further, for us to force Americanism on another country is, well…un-American. Promoting American values in other countries violates our own values preserved by the Constitution. Remember, people came to the US to get away from tyranny and oppression to have their own rights of speech and choice. So, to tell other countries that use child labor that it is a human rights violation might be wrong. It is their culture that allows for it and who are we to take away their culture when we fought so hard for our own?
I’m Irish and love it. I have huge eyebrows that I have to straighten each day before I leave the house. I like a good fight and my two favorite means are Corned Beef w/Cabbage and Shepherds Pie. The one thing I don’t do like most Irishmen is drink. In fact, today marks my 15th anniversary of complete sobriety. I don’t even take communion with alcohol.
But, the Irish have suffered. Through war and petulance, plague and famine, the Irish have endured. Ire is truly a country and culture built on the idea of “that which does not kill us will only make us stronger”. The US is built through labor from the backs of the Irish. Today, America is an unsure place. And, understandably so with a 9.7% unemployment rate. And, it should go forth with the remembrance that the ideals of America have been largely abandoned. Ideals brought to the US by Irish (and every other country). But, as we make our way through an uncertain economy, remember that America is a young country. We have only been independent for a little over 200 years…a blink of an eye compared to most other countries. So, we are going to see tough times. And, it is on the ideals of Americanism that we will endure. Find your center and help make things better.
Okay, so we can’t discriminate on certain issues. I will admit that I support the EEO Laws. I think that they are well-founded actions and represent fairness and equality. But, can they be affected adversely or applied over zealously with other laws or policies? I would like to look at one in particular…Affirmative Action. Yup, it’s controversial, but it’s real. On it’s face, AA is intended to promote fair hiring and employment practices. It is intended to help eliminate the “good ol’ boy” clubs. But, some would argue the opposition. AA seems to have created a club where, unless you are a minority, you are discriminated against.
Let’s face it, employers have taken these laws to the extreme. Whatever happened to hiring the “right” person instead of the “politically correct” person for the job? It seems that with AA regs, employers are shepherded into hiring a less qualified minority applicant to avoid the scrutiny of not hiring the better person for the job. So, why is reverse discrimination not held so dearly as discrimination? And, where does AA/EEO fall in when considering the current professional networking sites or “friend of a friend” referrals? Are these the next things to be outlawed? They would certainly seem to introduce the “good ol’ boy” club mentality once again, wouldn’t they?
