Just a Guy

See the article here.

Now I know people that work there that are being pretty tight lipped because they need there benefits and are afraid of being fired. If they talk to anyone. So I know only what is in this article. However I used to work there so I have my own ideas of what is going on. You know I predicted this with the article I wrote about my worst employer ever, talking about my experiences working there. I would be willing to take a guess that the jobs not being shipped to Redding are going over seas.

Blue Shield takes 150 jobs out of Chico and this pathetic little news blurp is all we get. Are you serious? Again I say that we impose a tax on companies that ship jobs over seas. Charge them a tax per position equal to the total compensation value of each position then see how cheap it is for them to put Americans out of work. I am so sick and tired of watching American companies sell out their own country. Any one that encourages this activity needs to remove their head from their butt post haste. I could go on but I am finding that my emotional attachment to this subject is making it difficult to go on a full blown rant. Aw F*** it. A ranting we will go.

Keep in mind this is a poorly thought out rant and I may make assumptions that are not true. I am ranting irrationally. I can live it if you can. If you can't then move along there is nothing to see here.

Ok I am pissed the hell off. Evey time a company ships a job overseas it adds to the financial stress of the nation. If jobs are being shipped overseas it encourages Americans to save money not spend it out of fear that they will be next. By not doing anything to deter this practice our government is helping the corporate world destroy our economy, then these corporate twits have the audacity to complain and whine about a problem they created. Until the government does something to curb this practice the economy is not going to bounce back no matter how many rebate checks they send out. These douche bag CEO's and executives need to be publicly humiliated for the greedy selfish bastards they are. This is why i have no faith in the stock market and feel we should go back to privatley owned companies and do away with the publicly owned company concept. It then forces you to make decisions based on what is best for the company not what will increase the stock holders gains. Think about it. If you want to give away shares of your company then give them to the employees and no one else. No one has the right to profit off some one else's work. To those that defend this business practice I suggest removing your head form your butt and take a look around at the reall Americans that are suffering because of you and your like. Ok I think I am done. Keep in mind that was rant and was not thought out and I am sure it is filled with wrong assumptions. I don't care that is what a rant is.

Posted by Jccjr at 12:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

I use the Stumble Upon add on for Firefox. One of my topics for stumbling is weblogs. I would say at least half the blogs I have stumbled upon are about gaining readers and how to make money blogging. I have been reading these entries for about 2 weeks now and I have discovered that I will never make money writing a blog. I am not a niche writer. I don't have something that interests me that much to devote my writing to it. I write about whatever interests me at the moment. I then spend the next couple of hours researching and making sure that I am not talking out my butt. I don't write about what I think people want to read about. I write about what things I would take the time to read.

The real question is do I want to make money blogging? I would say yes and no. I would say yes because to get paid for exploring the world around me through writing would be awesome. I say no because I am not willing to pigeon hole myself. I say no because I write a variety of stuff that does not have enough appeal to enough people to keep them coming back. I write here not so much to get read but see if I kind other ADD people that can appreciate that I go all over the place. I think to think people will be interested and my ego tells me everything I write is worthy of being published and commented on. We all like to think that from time to time.

I really think the only that I will get paid for writing is if I take a job as a writer somewhere that allows me to be the oddball writer on the staff. At the end of the day I will continue writing and people will read occasionally. I am quite happy with the way things are. I think if I was writing for money it would take the fun out of it and make it a job.

So this is what happens when I wake up on a Saturday and can't think of anything else to write about. Have fun.

Posted by Jccjr at 11:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Remember the good old days when you would walk in, ask for an application fill it out and return it. Then you would stop by periodically to check in or call to see if they were still hiring. Those days are gone my friend. Today you go online and maybe you submit a resume or maybe you fill out an online application. Then do not even think about stopping by or calling them. Your lucky if you actually applied with the company you want the job from because now most large employers use a recruiting company. Recruiting companies definitely do not want to hear from you.

The part of this new and improved process that sucks the most and is the most inconvenient is the personality test. You know the one where half the questions are repeats and only a moron would actually answer honestly. Seriously do these companies really think that people are going to tell them that they get angry easily. Even if they let you paste/upload your resume they still want you to fill out the employment history part of the online application complete with addresses phone numbers and names of every one you have ever worked for. The one part that makes the least amount of sense is when they ask you for your addresses over the last 5 years. Can some one please explain to me why they need or would be entitled to that information.

The most challenging part is when you live in a smaller area. I live in a small college town north of Sacramento, Ca. Living in a college town means that 80% of the work available is in retail and pays minimum wage with 10-12 hours a week. College kids that have their parents paying for school get these jobs for extra beer money. People that actually put them selves through school here do it while working 3 or more jobs and build up a huge debt in student loans.
I was looking for a job today and it took me 3 hours to apply for 11 jobs. 8 of them I was able to use our www.chicohelpwanted.com to apply since I have already registered and have everything stored there. The other 3 took 2 and 1/2 hours. One of them gave me the option of pasting my resume into a text box but there was no text box on the page. This was irritating. I sent them an email letting them know. I doubt I will get a response other than the automated response they sent me.

So what is the point to this other then complaining? Well there isn't one. Besides what else is a blog good for if not venting ones frustrations. Which has been a common theme for me lately. If you want advice on how to apply for jobs in this online era of application submission then here are a few.

1. Prepare - Have Word open with a copy of your resume and a second page with whatever addresses phone numbers and names you have. If you don't have that information find the companies website and look for a corporate information link. You can also use the contact us link and send them email asking for it.
2. Caffeine - This exercise is just mundane enough to put you to sleep. Have a soda or a cup of coffee or something.
3. Take breaks - Give yourself a chance to shake out the cob webs Get up and walk around or make a phone call. Otherwise you run the risk of becoming apathetic during the process which can lead to clicking the wrong things.
4. Turn off your phone - At least until you need it.

This will help you go through this process and advice I have yet to find on any website. Really if you are going to blog you should really try to avoid topics everyone has covered and have your blog become a regurgitation of information you can find in so many other places. I hope this helps some one and if not I still feel better. In closing must quote Socrates who said "I drank what?"
A golden cookie to whoever guesses the movie that quote came from and using imdb.com is cheating.

Posted by Jccjr at 11:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)