Over the last month or so I’ve been job-hunting, and finding it an endlessly discouraging process.
This post, though, is not meant as self-pitying drivel. Something will pan out sooner or later, all for the better.
No, I really just wanted to comment on the zany world of job sites – chiefly Indeed.com and ZipRecruiter.
I used Indeed.com about four years ago during the search that led to the position from which I got laid off about a month ago. I’d never heard of Indeed before. Now I’m seeing a lot of their ads on the tube, as I watch the MLB playoffs and other major (i.e. costly advertising time) sporting events.
But they – Indeed, in particular – have also made some utterly incomprehensible matches. My track record is just about 100% writing and editing. In addition to feasible postings, Indeed has matched me to possible jobs for which I’m not qualified and have no interest in: real estate inspector, an executive position, editor for a quilting publication (quilting knowledge required), and an internship at an investment firm. There have been a few entry-level writing jobs, too.
Oh – I might also be a bagel maker, or a baker in a grocery store chain.
Go fig-ya.
I am primarily self-educated. To put it another way: a college dropout, and proud of it. The only downside is when I have to fill out employment applications. Let’s just say it doesn’t look good when, for “highest level of education completed,” I have to select “high school diploma/GED” from a dropdown list.
I also spent a bunch of years as a stay-at-home dad, so there’s a big gap in my employment record. Between diaper changes I managed to write a book, and even get it published. Most employers don’t give a shit, even when they say they want to hire a writer.
I suspect that all they see is no degree, and a yawning hole in formal employment.
Like I said, my virtual presence is not particularly impressive. Boo-hoo-hoo!
