Just this week, I was informed that the position I applied for, was totally perfect for, at an interesting and really stable company was going in a different direction.  So, what does that mean?  Not sure really, but I do know that they are not hiring me for any position.

As someone who has been plugging away at getting a “good” job, but forced to work part time at a lower wage, I wonder why the unfair hiring practices of corporations are not highlighted to a greater degree while unemployment rates are discussed.  And blaming President Barack Obama for the still high unemployment statistics does not count as addressing an outrage in American business culture and practices.  Not considering applicants who have not worked in a few years through no fault of their own is wrong, should be illegal, and is frankly UN-American.

I have been so close to getting hired at several companies over the last 4 years, only to be beaten out for the job by a younger, cheaper, ALREADY employed persons.  It seems to me, that HR personnel and directors assume that it is your fault you were laid off, there must be something wrong with you, or else you would have a job currently, and they take you out of the equation.  The fact that I have accepted lower paying jobs that I am over qualified for, instead of taking handouts from Uncle Sam, also serves to make me less attractive to Human Resources managers.  Is this fair?  It is not.  Not only an unfair practice, it is stupid to devalue experience because a job applicant had the misfortune to be caught up in an economic meltdown.

Personally, I am in my late thirties now, I don’t foresee the job market getting any easier for me, unless some hiring manager has the rare common sense to see my value as an worker has nothing to do with my employment history.  I refuse to put myself into tens of thousands of dollars in debt, out of desperation, just to train for a new field I may not even find employment in.  I predict a huge wave of middle aged nurses flooding the job market in the next few years!  Truthfully, I am really scared for the folks who are much older than me, and have less time to plan for their retirement.  I know most of America is engaged in trying to make it in the sluggish economy, but we have got to pay attention to the nuances of recovery, including discrimination against the unemployed.  We are not worthless, and we do have value.  I need to use my mind and feelings in my work, and was advised by a smart man to be my very own job creator –hence, affording me unlimited chances to get my creative kicks and air my grievances on this blog, which keeps me sweet and sane.

Let me say something right here:   Thank you kind person, who took a few minutes out of your life to read this, you are rocking awesome!