The New Economy – Free Labour Pains

The global depression we’re in is seeing an increased in volunteering “positions” as companies find new ways – albeit borderline legal ones – of cutting costs.

Used to be, the only ones “working” for free were the interns, and to be in one those roles, you had to be enrolled in a recognized post-secondary program, or a co-op program through high school.

These days, I’m hearing horror stories of people with years of experience and education putting in full-time hours in the corporate world, yet they aren’t receiving any pay.

It’s questionable advice many career counsellors are giving to the unemployed and underemployed – instead of having gaps in their work histories on their resumes, it’s better to volunteer and show you were doing something.

Yeah, right.

Next time I go out for dinner, I’ll just offer to voluntarily enjoy the meal, so the restaurant doesn’t have any empty seats.

I’m sure that’ll go over well.

NOT!

But if you volunteer, you might have to do that, because how are you going to pay for food in your tummy, clothes on your back, and a roof over head?

Volunteering for a non-profit charitable organization is a good thing – for the community and those who take the time to make a difference in the lives they affect by doing some good.

But we’re talking about people volunteering at for profit companies – companies which are making money off of the backs of those so desperate for work, they are willing to work for free.

Despite the poor advice from some career counsellors, it’s really up to each company whether or not they accept volunteers or not.

Those that do – shame on you!

Exploitation of those misplaced during the worse depression since the 1930’s isn’t anything less than evil.

Evil.

Mega Evil.

Dr. Evil never would stoop so low –that we know of.

What’s worse, is these evil companies accepting volunteers while making a profit are in many cases, expecting their volunteers to work just like their paid staffers – putting in full-time hours, signing contracts which limit their outside activities during office hours, even going so far as to having their volunteers pay for their own background checks, prior to being “hired.”

But there’s no pay – and no hope of ever being paid.

If you’re working for free, why would they start paying you? They’ll just find another desperate person willing to do your work for nadda.

Yet that’s the hope driving many volunteers – that one day, their evil slave owners – for that’s what volunteering is when someone else is benefiting from your hard unpaid work – slavery – will see the value of their slave – I mean volunteer – and hire them on staff.

It’s the same dilemma many contractors go through – also victims of our global depression.

Contractors give it their all, hoping they will be offered a lucrative and stable staff job.

There are the occasional stories of volunteers and contractors being brought on-board into staff roles. But those are so few and far between, you can count them on less than one hand for the most part.

It just doesn’t make sound business sense – anyone willing to offer their services for less than they are worth are going to be raped for those services. That’s the unfortunate nature of our society.

Which is why the onus is on big business to lay down the law, and to have clearly defined policies and procedures which prohibit staff from using volunteers in established businesses.

Because people displaced by the global depression may not know any better.

So it’s up to business leaders to set the standard, to avoid exploitation, and creating a society where slavery is once again an acceptable form of work.

Job Hunting 101 – Don’t Be Like This Guy

As I build an on-demand digital media company from scratch, I see many cover letters and resumes.

From kids right out of school looking for their first big break, to veterans of the working world, victims of the worst depression since the 1930’s.

It’s the latter that need to take note, because although we all know it’s tougher out there than ever before, showing your frustration and bitterness doesn’t improve your chances any:

“If this application finds its way to an employment agency, please disregard it. I’m tired of working on contract-to-perm – if they were truly contract-to-perm roles, I wouldn’t have to keep looking for work now would I?”

That’s an actual quote from a cover letter I received just the other day. Snarky sarcasm sure got my attention, but not in a good way.

Yes, our government has dropped the ball in letting companies outsource their workforces to such a deep degree that it’s exceedingly rare to find a secure, stable full-time staff job these days. And this unstable workforce just makes the economy even more uncertain, as those with unstable contract work don’t make the big ticket purchases which fuel the economy.

Governments need to put legislation in place to fix our broken economy – and they need to take a tough stand on the over use of contracted out consultants, and outsourcing to other nations, if that legislation is going to have any real impact.

However, complaining about it in a cover letter just sounded like sour grapes, screams attitude problem, and caused me to do what most employers probably would – instantly put that resume into the recycling bin.

Another example of what NOT to do if you want to get the jobs you are applying to:

“I’ve been a consultant not by choice, that’s all I can find. So if this is a contract of any kind, I’m just not interested.”

Neither am I interested – even though I’m looking to bring aboard full-time permanent people. If you actually spell out the limits of your employment in a cover letter or resume, you’ll probably be waiting forever for the phone to ring.

I certainly won’t be calling that person any time soon.

Despite all the doom and gloom echoed in many of the cover letters and resumes I see, occasionally I get one that makes me smile.

One of the keys to getting a job is standing out from all the other resumes, and one person recently caught my eye.

"Please check my resume and job hunting campaign below:

huntfredd.com

There is a $10,000 placement reward." 

If you follow the link, you are taken to a bright and welcoming website, with a cute video about this person calling himself Fredd Basser, who’s tired of being told he’s overqualified, so he’s offering a reward for anyone that finds him a job. He’s hoping to create a social media campaign that becomes so popular, it lands him work, and he’s offering money as an incentive to push that campaign forward.

Clever solution to a real problem in today’s economy, people with extensive experience unable to find work.

I haven’t talked to this person, but I hope he finds work – his idea is innovative and positive.

And we all need to remain positive in this horrible economy.

If Everyone Hates Reality TV – Why Do We Watch?

Ever notice how quick we’ll complain about nothing being on television other than reality TV shows, but somehow, you happen to watch one of these highly popular shows?

Wonder why?

Perhaps it’s our human nature to watch others suffer more than ourselves?

Naw – you say – I’m not that sort of person.

Wanna bet?

Ever rubberneck?

Rubberneck. You know – when you slow down while driving or walking past an accident on the highway or road, to see what’s going on?

Everyone rubbernecks. So much so, many local governments have enacted anti-rubbernecking laws, so that people don’t stop too long and hold up traffic while passing accidents on local roadways.

Rubbernecking is a lot like watching reality TV – or at least the psychology behind them is identical.

Life is full of challenges. We all have our highs and our lows. That’s the way it goes.

However, scientists tell us we naturally take comfort in knowing we’re not alone in our lives. Not just the hugs, kisses and affection of loved friends and family – though that helps.

Science tells us we are genetically predisposition to seek comfort in other’s struggles with life. It makes us feel whole, complete, and above all – normal.

One of the most common complaints patients suffering from depression complain of, is a lack of fitting in with society. According to studies, these people delve deeper into depression’s ugly grips because they’ve cut themselves off from the outside world, and don’t see others going through life’s many challenges.

It’s not that we naturally feel better by the worse fates of others, instead, we’re comforted knowing we are not alone in our struggles to exist, and live meaningful lives.

So even though we all complain about reality TV, in some ways its therapeutic – which is why we all watch reality TV.

Now if only we could find something therapeutic in another format of television, to rid the world once and for all of silly, pointless reality TV.

Pass the remote control – it’s time for my therapy.

Dow Jones Jump – Fool Me Once, Shame on You; Fool Me Twice, Shame on Me

Yesterday’s surprising spring-like high for the New York Stock Market the Dow Jones Industrial Average had all the usual suspects talking about how we’re coming out of this recession.

It was a record high, climbing 158 points, reaching 14,286, which broke it’s previous record high set in October 2007. The Dow Jones fell back slightly and by day’s end was 14,253.

Here in Canada’s banking capital, Toronto’s S&P/TSX rose 28.63 points, but was still well below its record high set in June of 2008. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq exchanges also showed increases, but the focus was on the Dow Jones, because it broke the record books.

Bankers, economists, and other important-looking people dressed in expensive three-piece suits appeared on all the newscasts, talking about how this was just the kind of fiscal movement we all need to get us out of this seemingly never-ending global financial mess.

Hey, wait a sec – don’t the stock markets suddenly increase just before most of the major economic catastrophes of all time?

It’s like a financial tsunami of sorts, as the trade winds ruffle amidst uncertain economies globally. Traders buy up stocks, hoping their actions will trigger an up-swing and it does. Until those everyone catches on, and cashes out, selling stocks like hot potatoes, crashing an already volatile market.

That’s what happened just before the Great Depression in October of 1929. That’s also what happened just as the housing market in the States went belly up, which brought us into our current economic sandstorm.

And as people across North America continue to struggle to pay their bills, it’s happening again.

More people have given up looking for work than ever in recorded history – even since the Great Depression of the Dirty Thirties.

There are fewer full-time permanent jobs, as companies continue to outsource, and contract out their workforces to temporary, contract workers.

The cost of goods and services continues to rise, yet wages continue to fall.

And despite all of this doom and gloom, the newscasts yesterday painted a rosy picture of an economy on the up and up.

Once fooled, twice shy.

We all should be twice shy – maybe more with all the bullsh*t being broadcast by bankers, economists and their ilk.

We are far from the end of this global depression – and their artificial hype will just make it worse.

Economists traditionally try to calm everyone down during economic crisis. That’s not only their nature, it’s in their best interests – because panic causes rash decisions – like selling stocks and upping interest rates – which crash economies.

But outright lying to keep the peace when people are losing their jobs, their homes and ultimately their lives is unacceptable.

Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice, shame on me.

Don’t be fooled by the banking buffoons.

This IS the Worst Depression Since The Dirty Thirties

To say economists are a very conservative bunch doesn’t even scratch the surface. However, their overly cautious descriptions of what most call “an economic slowdown” are so far from the truth, it really does hurt.

We’ve come a long way from the soup kitchens providing meals to the homeless during the Great Depression of the 1930’s, but from an economic perspective, we’ve sunk to new lows never seen – even back those 80-plus-years.

Although recently the Canadian federal government announced unemployment has dropped slightly, the reality of the situation came in their findings that the number of people that just stopped looking for work has risen.

I see the horrid sad stories of people struggling to find their way, as I build the teams in my new business. I’ve put out a handful of postings for specific roles we’re looking to fill as we gear up for our initial round of hiring, and within the time frame it takes to order and receive a pizza, I’ve received literally hundreds of responses.

Many of the replies show the exasperation and desperation of the underemployed and the unemployed – two key groups facing the toughest challenges in this economy.

Such as the person who starts off her cover letter with: “If this is an agency, please do not contact me and if this is a legit position, I am truly interested.” Her desperation and understandable frustration with the sorry state of our contracted out economy sums up her thoughts: “[I’ve been] doing various contract positions and am now looking for a position with stability.”

One of the many reasons our economy is in such tatters is because of the proliferation of recruitment firms hiring people on a project basis, instead of placing people in full-time permanent positions. Sure it’s better for the recruitment firm, as they get a regular take on re-using people as contracts run their course. 

However, as a contract runs out, and the poor person in that role doesn’t know if or when they will ever work again, they don’t purchase the big ticket items which fuel the economy, and it continues to decline.

Worse yet, as they continue to look for stable employment, but are only offered temporary contract gigs, they lose faith in the economy, and become bitter and angry, as is echoed in this person’s cover letter – yes that is an actual quote from a cover letter I received to one of our posted positions.

Economists have to get their heads out of the sand, and wake up to the reality of our dismal depression – yes that’s what it is – and start calling it just that.

We’ve been in this “economic slowdown” more than the required time to define it as a depression, and we haven’t seen this many people out of work and desperate since the Great Depression over 80-years-ago.

I understand the fear that economists are trying to avoid, by NOT using the “D” word – but until they start calling a spade a spade, the world will continue to spiral out of control, because governments and big business will continue to heed their conservative interpretations, and that’s not good for any of us – employed or not.