[lenjan]

L is for Loser, R is for Reject, no matter what Sue Grafton says. ;-)

God -- do you want to know how retarded I am?

I GOT REJECTED BY ********TARGET******** TODAY!!!!!!

What kind of moron must one be to get rejected by Target?!?! Jesus Pete -- all I wanted was a lousy part-time job. I can't even land one of those! (I've been trying since June, which makes this even worse.)

I'm trying to decide whether it was on the basis of: A, the credit report (mine is so screwed that I'm filing for bankruptcy). B, the "personality quiz" (I tend to answer those honestly, even though it's clear what they want to hear). Or C, the fact that my last part-time job was COLLEGE PROFESSOR. (Perhaps they thought I was a skosh overqualified.)

Sigh. I suppose it's just as well -- if I come into any more income before my filing is complete, I have to redo my budget and possibly go into the repayment plan, whereas right now I'm doing the straight-discharge one. But geeeze ... even my 17-year-old nephew has a job at Pizza Hut! They'll hire skinny, zit-faced teenagers, but not me?

O, what wonders hath the evil department store gods rained down upon my self esteem? ;-)

Candy

[downsolong]

((((candybear))))
That so stinks candy. You're probably one of those union agitators they thought, I bet. You'd think finding work like that would be easy, sheeesh, who needs money anyway. I'm looking into the advantages of eating dirt myself.

[NicoleB]

(((((((((((((((((Candy))))))))))))))))))) safe hugs if you want them

Sorry to hear Candy. I just thought I would tell you I got rejected by Target too. I know they don't check your credit, that has nothing to do with it. I think for me anyway it was the personality test, even though I tried to tell them what I knew they wanted to hear.

[Wants2Fly]

<font color="purple">Hi CandyBear --I am soooooooo sorry. I know how this stings. It seems as if the world is completely nuts! (((((((CandyBear)))))))
</font>
Okay, I'm about to make this about me, not you. Sorry. I'm an out of work college professor, also, being rejected for all kinds of jobs that I know I'm more than qualified for. Not Target, but I have been rejected by a Barnes and Noble bookstore.

I was a newspaper reporter for 20 years -- on the basis of 2 years of college. I left to get my graduate degrees -- have been teaching journalism and communication skills for the past 7 years -- and I am rejected for jobs at teeny tiny newspapers, with much lower circulations that the ones I worked for in my 20s and 30s, with jobs representing a 50%-60% drop in pay. Do they really believe that someone who has been teachng journalism does not know how to write a news story? That somehow, during all those classes of news analysis, I forgot how to put an inverted pyramid story together? That even though I created a lecture on interviewing skills because NO textbook covered the topic in sufficient detail to be intelligible to my thirsty young learners that I've forgotten how to do an interview myself? <font color="red"> And if this sounds very angry, yes, I guess I am angry. </font>

Yes, I can freelance and get some more recent clips to prove myself all over again. But the whole idea that I <font color="blue">have to prove</font> I can still do what I used to do when I was young, after getting a Ph.D., is part of the reason I've been so depressed that I sit in a recliner, doing very close to nothing!

I'm at a complete and total loss about how I'm going to take care of myself when the unemployment checks stop in a few weeks. Plus, the lupus affects my energy, so I don't even know how I can work at a 40-hour-week job anymore, since being a professor allowed me to do a lot of work at home and I could budget periods of work and rest to suit myself.

<font color="red">Oh, CandyBear, what are we going to do? </font> If you want to discuss this in PMS, shoot me a message.

[LMo]

Wait a minute!!!!

WHY are THEY doing a credit check on YOU??? If anything, shouldn't it be the other way around, to make sure that they are going to pay YOU on time? Are you asking them for credit? No! So what's up with THAT?

[lenjan]

Sadly, it's more and more common these days, especially for very large companies, to run credit checks on potential employees -- dooming me to really crappy jobs for the next 7 to 10 years ;-). I guess they consider it an indicator of how "reliable" you are. I'm plenty reliable, I was just unemployed for damn near a year and then took a 1/3 cut in pay. But I bet I get discriminated against anyway.

I've also applied at Best Buy and a large local grocery store chain here. They also asked permission to do credit checks, along with a driving records check -- that's the one that gets me -- strikes me as an invasion of privacy unless I'm applying to be a driver! -- and also a criminal background check. I am a world-class parking-ticket-getter, but that's about all they'll find on either of those scores.

It's all just very frustrating. I wouldn't bother applying to these places if I didn't need a second job. It's unfair that they disqualify me right off the bat because of their perceptions of what I might be like, without actually meeting me.

I tell you what -- I went and spent part of my grocery money on Thai food and a good Wisconsin microbrew, because I'm sick of never getting to treat myself -- y'all come over and we'll have a proper pity party! :-) Dex started one on another thread, but we can move it over here.

Candy

[LMo]

ohmygod

I have a BIG problem with that. I don't know what to tell you -- if you have to apply to companies like that, then I guess you have no choice. But man... that really burns me up. I consider that a major violation. &gt;

Oh gosh...here's a memory for y'all. In 1978 whilst in college (yes, I'm older than my font suggests) I applied for a job at a furniture store. They just had to fire someone for dealing drugs out of their warehouse, and were way paranoid about a repeat problem.

So part of the hiring process was to give us all psychological tests and lie detector tests!! Now, in the 70's you couldn't even get INTO college unless you did drugs.... ;-) so I pretty much knew I'd fail all tests. I was a psych major at the time, so I thought this was way cool and went along with it just for yucks.

All I remember was them strapping me into the lie detector machine, asking the last time I smoked pot. I said, "um...last night". Then the psych tests had me rank colors in order of preference. For fun, I put black first, gray, brown... Then there were some fill in the blank questions. OK, this is morbid, but I was enjoying playing with THEIR heads at this point. They statement was:

My mother is _______. I filled in "dead".

Oddly enough, they never called me back for a second interview. Gosh, I wonder why!! I imagine they handed my results over to the FBI for future watching!!!

I guess I was a wee off kilter even back then.

emmy

[SweetCrusader]

LOL!!!!!



Thanks for sharing, Emmy! Seriously cracked me up!!! Can't quit laughing!!!

Is this some more of that stuff you gals were all going to teach me about having fun in college?

Angela

[PlanningtoLive]

Candy is right, LMo. Most places, no matter how small or large, run credit checks. I firmly believe it is none of their business and has no bearing on your job performance..........but they all do it.

I've been on the job hunt and it happens with each app I fill out.

I personally think they have no life if they need to stick their noses into other people's.

[Wants2Fly]

Oh, this is too much. I was just asked to fill out a job app, give my SS # (which, under federal law, which created it around the time of the Holocaust, was NEVER supposed to be used an identification number), and sign off on a list of three different background checks. This was a very good paying position. I said I'd sign off as soon as they indicate that I am a candidate for the job. I'm not going to last long at any place that insists on that stuff anyway.

Well SweetC, playing headgames with "ADults" would certainly be part of college. Doing drugs...well, I wouldn't suggest it. But if you promise to stop when you graduate, I'll let you smoke pot. But nothing else!

See what sorta mom I'd be? Jeepers. Good thing I kept my knees together like a nice young lady. Oh yeah, SweetC, do that too.

(Sorry for the topic diversion....but we're trying to raise up SweetC to be a proper young thang. Anyone over 40 can jump right in with sage advice for the wee lass!)

Emmy

[shakes]

When I first graduated from college Best Buy and Friendly's rejected me. Both of the jobs required a personality test... I tried to answer some of them honestly. I really do think that they are looking for a specific person that fits all the right criteria...and if you notice the "right" answers that person is that bubbling, constant energy, drone. That is what they want from an employee so please do not feel bad!!
I know that it stings, but a job at a company that would run a credit check and do a personality test is a job that is a dime a dozen.

Stay strong,
Jessica

[lenjan]

Oh, so THAT'S my problem. I guess the button I have pinned to my jacket that says "Thank you for not being perky" might have been a hint to my "real" personality. :-)

Seriously, I've now applied for 3 jobs that required personality tests, and been rejected by all of them, even though I tried to tell them what they want to hear. I guess computers don't lie even if applicants do! LOL

I'm going to try mall stores next. They're bound to be hiring for Christmas, and I suspect none of them have computerized application processes or do very extensive checks. Here's hoping, anyway. I'm waiting for some stupid company to reverse a $105 charge they weren't supposed to take out of my account, and I have $2.78 to my name! Going to be hard to live on that for the next 10 days....

Candy