Yep, after 2 and a half months of unemployment, I got hired on by 2 work from home companies, both of which are unaffiliated so there are no conflicts of interest. And today is my first day of training with one of them. I’ll be doing tech support with one, customer service with the other which starts training later this month. One pays good, the other don’t pay much of shit but it’s good experience. Both have opportunities to advance. Both are strong companies yet I get benefits from neither since it’s technically part-time work (with overtime if available). One is night shift, the other is day. One is totally net-based, the other requires that I have a landline with unlimited long distance, but I’m reimbursed some of the monthly phone service cost. There’s other pluses and not many minuses; the only 2 that come to mind are no benefits and no full time scheduling available. But I got my own health insurance and am already shopping around for life and dental. And my 401k is sitting around collecting dust. But I’m optimistic about the possibilities.

I ain’t stupid enough to say online who I’m working for. When I got fired from my last job back in May, I knew I was gonna collect unemployment cuz of the way I was fired. It was one of those situations where it’d be cheaper for the employer to pay the unemployment instead of paying me my regular wages and benefits. So I know that’s why I got canned. Either way, I was on my way outta that bitch anyway cuz I hated working there. It definitely is easier to find a job when you already got one. Just when I was about to do an earnest job search, they got rid of me. So they beat me to the punch and I’m fine with that cuz that place sucked ass. I ain’t gonna sit here and badmouth them to hell. But life is so much better and less stressful not having to go to a place that I don’t like, doing shit I don’t like, working with people I don’t care for, and taking orders from people I don’t respect.

Claiming unemployment was the biggest hurdle. It’s a simple process but you gotta wait for a verdict. So I was tight with my funds till I knew for a fact that I’d be getting a check every 2 weeks. When I got approved, the amount I was getting pretty much covered mostly all of my bills except groceries and gas. So I was straight. Next step was to figure out who I wanted to work for and where cuz this was a new start. I wasn’t gonna apply at just any company doing any job. I knew I wouldn’t last doing that type of shit cuz my history dictates it. I fucking hate work and it’s not a secret to anyone. But if I gotta work, and I do for now, then I’d rather it be related to something I give a shit about.

That was just one of my criteria. I also wanted decent pay and benefits, minimal travel time, and minimal labor. Where I live now, there’s more than plenty of high paying jobs within a five-mile radius. I drove around during non-peak traffic hours doing research on companies. Got the names and locations, and looked online for info and to see if they were hiring. Some companies that I knew I’d be a good fit for weren’t. Other companies that I knew I could tolerate were. So I did apply at probably 2 to 4 companies a week. Wasn’t getting any results. No phone call, no email, no nothing.

Some places sent me links to do online tests and those personality quizzes. But I never got past that stage. And yeah, I know how to pass those things: just tell ‘em what they wanna hear. Since employers around me weren’t biting, I had to expand beyond the distance radius I set for myself cuz truthfully, I was getting frustrated. I’ve always understood that gas is an expense and I wasn’t keen on driving long distances for work cuz I’d also lose time and increase wear-and-tear on my car. Not to mention putting pollutants into the atmosphere from the emissions.

Even applying at farther companies yielded nothing but postcards telling me I didn’t get the job. Jeez, you couldn’t just send an email instead of using postage, ink, paper, and human resources? Talk about being wasteful and stupid. A friend even tried to hook me up with a job that I really wanted but their HR department and hiring practices are a joke. More on that later. I could’ve went back to an old employer cuz I left on good terms and they were hiring. Plus I had a friend still working there and they really needed people. But it was further away than I was willing to drive and the pay was piss. And I knew the working environment. Not something I wanted to immerse myself into again.

When employers that I did want to work for and that were close to home were hiring, I still got no results. So all my efforts were giving me nothing in return except rejection. In the past, that would’ve devastated me cuz I’ve been unemployed before, for 6 months, and you get the feeling that nobody wants you and you start feeling depressed. And I know other people currently feel that way from conversations I’ve had. But I’m a different person now. All that rejection didn’t send me down in the dumps. It actually motivated me and I got refocused.

For a couple years now I’ve wanted to work from home. Problem was that I knew no one that was doing it legitimately and everyone else I knew was in that same boat. One can research opinions and forums online and talk to as many people about it as you want. But you’ll never get the full knowledge unless you do it yourself. Applying externally was yielding me mountains of bullshit so I decided to keep things in-house and research vigorously for a work from home gig which is what I’d been wanting to do for a long time anyway. Just never pursued it due to time constraints. Now I had all the time in the world. It was now or never.

I’d heard a little here and there from other people about working from home but nothing substantial. I’ve read stuff online about it but nothing that would convince me to take the plunge. Rather than research what other people were saying, I researched the companies themselves. For sure, there were some legit ones out there but pay was the biggest problem. I wasn’t gonna apply at all of them at the same time hoping someone would bite first and I’d go with them. I applied at one. They were hiring but I got no feedback. So I did a little more research and applied at another that was hiring.

Now here’s the thing about it. Of all the places that I was applying at before, it took weeks for them to send me links to those tests and upwards of a month or more for them to tell me that I was rejected. And the same thing was happening with other people I’ve talked to. In other words, they took a long time to get back with me in one fashion or another. I can understand cuz they’re swamped with applications these days. I get that. But if you really need people to work for you, you ain’t gonna take that damn long to choose someone. It used to be just dozens of applicants per job. Now it’s hundreds and even thousands. I’m aware of that. It used to be that applicants had the advantage in where they wanted to work cuz everyone was hiring but there weren’t enough people to go around. Now the employers have the advantage cuz there’s few jobs but tons of people want them. They can be picky and choosy and shit. Some of them even put caps on the amount of resumes they’ll accept; usually only the first 50 get consideration.

I never bothered to call any employers back to find out the status of my application except for the one that my friend tried to hook me up with. Here’s the latest trends in employment. We all know the people getting paid the big bucks go first and then the ones with tenure cuz they get the most benefits. What I’ve been seeing and hearing about is that HR staffs have been cut back. Yet they’re busier than ever. And those already understaffed offices have inexperienced people in place doing the work. So some places have hired too many people or ain’t hiring enough people or fast enough. And the ones that are getting hired, depending on the job, are the least qualified and least experienced. Reason being is cuz they can be paid less and given fewer benefits. And they also pose less of a threat to current employees in higher up positions. Oh yeah, I’ve seen that happen with my own eyes. Motherfuckers don’t want nobody coming in that could be a threat to their job. That’s what “overqualified” really means.

Older workers already had it tough finding a job. You can add families to that mix now. I’ve heard of pregnant/expecting woman being denied employment. People with kids too. Cuz they won’t have the same productivity as others, and they’ll expect and demand more time off which costs the company money. Why put up with the hassle when you can screen them out in favor of a better subordinate ahead of time?

I’ve also noticed that some employers are always hiring, even these days. When I was job surfing, I came across the same employers hiring for the same positions week after week, month after month. Some that I even applied for. What’s happening is that they have high turnover cuz they’re hiring the very same types of people I mentioned 2 paragraphs up. And those people are usually young and fresh out of or still in high school or college. So they have high turnover, even in this economy. Part of this is due to the HR departments and companies hiring practices. It’s also a red flag to potential applicants that they shouldn’t even bother applying. A strong company doesn’t have that kind of turnover, especially these days. I’ve seen some employers post positions, they get filled, and they’re not hiring anymore. That’s what I expect. But when I see the same companies with the same positions posted all the time, something’s wrong with that company, not the employees. Cuz it’s the company that has to hire the employees after all.

And don’t go thinking that it’s probably the job that’s too hard cuz that ain’t the case at all. I’ve talked to people within said companies and the work is easy as pie but the environment is complete garbage, along with the management. Low pay and benefits equals low morale in combination with the job’s productivity expectations, economic and social stress, and possibly bad management. I knew I didn’t wanna deal with the rat race anymore so working from home was becoming more appealing. After getting dissed by the one company, I applied at the other and got almost immediate replies. Went through the computer and applicant testing and passed it all. Did the phone interview, filled out the paperwork, passed the credit and background checks, and was good to go. All this stuff happened fairly quickly. No time was wasted. Every inquiry was met with quick response and results to move on to the next level. And here I am today, waiting on my first training class to begin late this afternoon.

Then another company appeared in a job search. Unrelated so there’d be no conflicts. It appealed to me just as much. Destiny? Still ain’t sure yet. So I applied. Getting an interview is the hardest part of the job search process. I knew that all I needed was one and I’d have the job cuz I know how to woo people. That’s what happened with the first work from home job. I got hired on before the second one. So I had to decide whether to stick with the first one only or see if I could do both if the schedules didn’t conflict. You know the answer already. I’m doing both.

Reason one is cuz I need the money. 2 months of good income is missing and I need to replenish what I lost. The schedules don’t conflict. There’s no conflict of interest. Both are something I’d like to pursue cuz of the potential later opportunities. I can work from home doing the same shit as I would having to go to work and put up with the bullshit. Some people have told me I’ll miss the interactions with other people and being social and all the stupid horror stories that come with work. No the hell I won’t. That’s the bullshit that I hate and part of the reason I opted for working from home. No more gossip, noise, politics, rumors, games, I ain’t gonna have to put up with none of that stupid ass bullshit no more. I won’t miss any of it. I’ll just do the work the way it’s supposed to be done and call it a day. If I can’t work for myself, I’d rather work by myself. Cuz then I’ll know the work is getting done right.

This is phone work related to my interests and background for two stable companies. I’m pretty sure I’m gonna like it. I need the work that they provide and they need people like me to do it. It’s a perfect match. My social life will suffer slightly cuz I won’t be getting out as much and I’m fine with that. That’s life. I have home repairs that need to be done and finances that need to grow again. I don’t want to work both forever. I’m going with the hope that one will have a full-time opportunity that fits what I’m looking for. When that happens, it’ll be decision time.

Job fairs? Don’t waste your time. They were useless in the past and even more useless now. The major complaint is that employers were just accepting applications but not hiring anyone. Some employers were even interviewed on tv talking about out of all the applicants, none of them were good enough to hire. We’re talking about dozens and potentially hundreds of applicants and not one of them was good enough? Bullshit. Some of them are being too damn picky or are just participating to put on a good face for the community and local government. Problem is, they can be as picky as they want cuz they can. Another thing I noticed is that it was the same employers at almost all of them that were taking place in my metro area. This goes back to what I was saying before. It should be a red flag if they continuously can’t find people. This is the most diverse labor pool ever in history and if you can’t find qualified people, then (in most cases) something is wrong with the company, not the employee.

No way did I attend the current crop of job fairs. I’ve done all that before in the past and got no results which are the same results people are getting now. If people did get a call back, it was from these employers that are always hiring yet looking for the bottom end people. I ain’t saying that others didn’t get called back or offered jobs with good pay and benefits from good companies. My opinion is based on what I’ve seen and heard from real people and my own personal experience.

Took me 2 and a half months to get a job doing exactly what I want to be doing. After failing to secure something from the outside, my brain turned on and I pursued what I really wanted instead of what I would’ve settled for. I got what I wanted. And the companies were eager. No, the hiring process wasn’t easy. The tests were a little hard. Easy for me but I know they’d be difficult for other people. Your credit and other shit has to be on point. You computer has to meet minimum requirements along with a host of other things. It ain’t for everybody and not everybody can qualify. But I knew what I wanted and made sure that I did.

I had to pull out my old computer cuz companies still won’t do Vista or x64 computers. Glad I didn’t sell it. What I’m getting at is, depending on your age and area’s job market, this should be that period in life where you pursue what you want instead of continuing down the same shitty path. I’ve seen it happen where people leave a good job and accept one at another place only to get laid the fuck off soon after. And the old company filled your spot, ain’t hiring, or is being spiteful towards you cuz you left. So now you’re ass out. There’s all kinds of bullshit going on out there.

Lucky for me, I saw opportunity and went for it. I don’t believe in luck at all. I just use the term. I’ve always said I was an opportunist and that’s what I am. Right now is the opportunity of a lifetime for me to get back on more stable ground and get the hands-on work from home experience I’ve been curious about for years, away from the daily grind. Having my bachelor’s degree helped a little, I think, but that never stopped me from applying at places I wasn’t qualified for. Most jobs list all these skills you need to have but in reality, any idiot can do it. If I knew I could do the job, I applied. Don’t let that stuff intimidate and stop you from applying. No, I never got called back from some of those places that I wasn’t qualified and got no calls from places that I was, either. And I’m fine with that.

But you gotta keep on truckin’ and movin’ forward. Keep trying and stay positive. If you gotta pack everything up and move to a more prosperous town or city, you gotta do what you gotta do. If you gotta change careers, then you gotta do that too. We all got bills to pay and some of you got families to feed. But do your research. Recognize the red flags. Make sure the company you’re interested in is stable and will or could provide you with what you want over the long term. Don’t bother with job fairs or driving all around town filling out applications. I never once filled out an application in person during my recent job search. Never once attended one of these useless ass job fairs. I did it all online. A strong company is gonna have a website. A smart company is gonna allow you to apply online rather than waste everyone’s time in person.

I know what you’re thinking: “Well, Melvin, no wonder your dumb ass never got a call back or interview. You never put in that extra effort.” Bullshit. I put in as much effort as I felt necessary given the current economic climate and technological advancements. There shouldn’t be any difference between applying online and applying in person. The one and only drawback is that you don’t know who really filled out the app. But you can spot the frauds fairly easy during the interviews. That is, if the person doing the interviewing knows what the fuck they’re doing. You’ll be surprised at how many inexperienced people are making the hiring decisions these days.

One thing you don’t wanna do is seem desperate cuz these motherfuckers could care less about sympathizing. If all else fails and you gotta settle on a job, then by all means do that. But always keep your finger on the pulse of what’s happening with other companies. This is where research and networking comes into play. Always keep an open mind. Always know what’s going on in the job world if you’re not satisfied with what you got. Cuz you know you’re gonna leave so you might as well be prepared.

Don’t even bother posting your resume online. It’s a complete waste of time. Almost. In the past that might’ve worked but now, not so much. Employers don’t and won’t search resumes online cuz they’re too busy sifting through all the applications they’ve got. They don’t have to go to you anymore when everyone is coming to them. The only thing posting online will get you is spam and job scams. You wonder who those people are that looked at your resume but you never got a legit job offer? Now you know. I will recommend using the monster.com resume builder. It definitely helped me build a stronger resume. Didn’t accomplish much in the way of having employers give me a second look online, but as far as what I was sending out, it did help.

I completely understand that everyone’s circumstances are different. But I’ve been at the bottom and the top so I know what I’m talking about. These so-called hiring managers on tv and in newspapers telling people how to get employed, don’t listen to them. They’ve always had their jobs. They don’t know what it’s like to be unemployed. They don’t have to grind like everyone else. They’re sitting pretty. They don’t represent the true hiring practices of a lot of companies these days. You’re better off listening to someone who’s been where you’re at and came out of it. That person can relate to your situation and provide real solutions rather than textbook and corporate bullshit. So keep the right people around you or seek them out. Times is tough and any advantage you have over the next motherfucker is gonna land you a job/career, hopefully the one you really want.

Go to college? No, I wouldn’t recommend that. Not just cuz of the cost but cuz in many cases, it’s a waste of time. Yeah, I graduated but I’m using my degree. A vast majority of people aren’t. Real world working experience is a better tool and teacher than a college classroom. If you don’t absolutely need to go to college, then don’t. Only go if what you wanna learn about isn’t being taught anyplace else. Most cities and counties have free or vastly cheaper programs available to residents to learn new skills; computer and otherwise. So take advantage of that shit. Get references from that shit. All college is for most people is a piece of paper. They go through the rigors thinking greener pastures are ahead but they don’t exist. So they have to work anyway to make ends meet and do shit that’s totally unrelated to their major. Don’t be that stupid motherfucker that falls into that pit. Only go if you know what you want and if it’s the only avenue available that’s gonna get you what you want or get you ahead. Other than that, work for a living and figure out your path in life and get some experience that way.

I’ll still be getting unemployment till I get my first few steady checks which are paid bi-weekly in my case. What they do is deduct what you earned from the payment amount and give you the difference, if any. I look forward to this new chapter in my life. I had my couple months of fun. But now it’s time to get back to the world of work. I still hate work with a passion. But I’d rather be doing it on terms closer to my own instead of someone else’s.