Job Seeker, 21, Kills Herself After She Was Rejected for 200 Jobs.

Very sad indeed, but stay till the end of this thread and lets see if there is anything that we can do for ourselves or others, to avoid tragedies like this.

A bright 21-year-old killed herself after more than 200 unsuccessful job applications.
Vicky Harrison had dreamed of a career as a teacher or a television producer, but gave up hope for the future, her family said yesterday.
A day after her latest rejection, and on the eve of her fortnightly trip to sign on, she wrote heartbreaking notes to her parents and boyfriend saying 'I don't want to be me any more' and took a huge drug overdose.

Her death last month tragically highlights the human cost of the highest level of joblessness since the mid-1990s. Rising youth unemployment has led to warnings about a 'lost generation'.
Miss Harrison's devastated parents called yesterday for more help for young jobseekers, telling how the never-ending search for work had driven their daughter to despair.

www.dailymail.co.uk...

I wanted to write this to add somethings, some from me and well, others from ATS members that can add ideas, information, and even support for those that are right now in need of something... anything to help this feeling that there is nothing left.

Here are a few of my ideas, especially those that I am trying to implement in my area.

Interviews:
Attire is important, but also standing out is, you can add a passport size photo to your resume, with a nice smile, that can surely help a bit in remembering you.

Clothing also needs to be appropriate, but can also stand out, you dont need to be a tailor, but you can visit your local salvation army and pick up a few items, either clothing, or accessories, like flowers, beads, ties, ect,. that you can sew on to an outfit that may make you stand out.

For men an interesting tie, that can be a conversation starter, and a woman with a flower in her hair, or original design that can also start an interesting conversation during an interview. It shows originality, and also business sense.

If you have a specific trade. Construction, cooking, electrician, ect,. You can save a few bucks and look for trade schools that have current or soon to graduate students that are looking to help start a business. It gives them hands on work that can later be added to a resume of their own, or a starter business with you with more experience, and start with little jobs until you can really get out there, every little job counts and can be added as job experience.

Maybe offer deals to those that are willing to give references as well.

Example if your a cook, go to the local cooking school and find three students that are enrolled, one can be pastry, the other sous chef, and even business management. With the right approach this can be a business venture to catering and maybe even restaurant ownership.


Group interviews. If you know a few people are also looking try to start a car pool for interviews, this will save on transportation, but also have moral support from others.

If husbands are going one week then the wives can babysit or have a play day with the children while they are out for the day, and woman and men can switch week to week.

This doesnt have to be a problem that you deal with on your own, there are others out there, and every kind word, helpful tip, and supportive moment can mean the world to those that need it.

If you have any tips, please add them here, and I hope that this helps someone out there.

Peace, NRE.

Yea, HERES A FUGGING TIP!

People need to make a damn living, quit being so damn picky and TRAIN some of these people.

Sad story, young people have swallowed the whole "you need to be happy at your job" mantra. It's like last year when a guy stabbed his wife to death because the eggs were cold. Methinks there is more to the story than just job rejection.

reply to post by Nephalim
i feel for the family but surely there is more to this story than just not being able to find a job.

i,ve been in same boat for a while but never once is suicide crossed my mind just cause i,ve been unable to find work.if your going to commit suicide for that then i think you may have had underlining problems to start with which maybe she should have seeked help for.

gave up hope for the future,
don't want to be me any more.


its not about jobs.

noble cause but i digress, there isn't much of anything people can do for a job other than the basics but the fact remains, there will be no new jobs and a lot less of the old ones in coming monthsyears, that's how the elite roll.

just read that many Americans 40% are making 20k per year or less and adjusted for inflation, that doesn't even equal what we were making in 1968, welcome to backwards, the place we are heading.
www.zerohedge.com...

it's going to get very ugly and people need to stay calm because all the violence, depression, anxiety and such in the world, will do no one any good.

my sons girlfriend, soon to be 3rd year college student, works at a burgerice cream joint, the owners had 400!!!! applications for the position, his girlfriend got it because she had 5 years experience making ice cream cakes and they want to start making them.

when a cheesy burger joint gets 400 apps for a 10.00 hr position, chits gettin real.

reply to post by LittleBlackEagle


Yes, that sounds about right, 400 applicants.

Also I know there are plenty of business owners out there, if you dont have work I am sure that you can ask around, and see if someone will temp hire you on a "learn/experience" basis. This is where you can ask a local employer to let you do side work for experience as opposed for money as long as they let you add them on your resume.

This will widen your experience, help out local business, and can be added to a resume.

Peace, NRE.

Originally posted by Nephalim
People need to make a damn living, quit being so damn picky and TRAIN some of these people.

That's what I think every time I see "experience required" jobs. It seems they're all like that now. I can't help but wonder to myself why experience is needed, and all I can come up with is laziness on the part of the management.

Why can't they simply train people to do the job? I understand there are certain highly-specialized jobs that an education and training would be ideal, but the other day I saw a "custom framer" job at a photography studio requiring experience. Why can't they teach someone how to frame pictures?

We're reaching that point where we're finding ourselves in a dilemma where everyone requires experience and no one is able to gain experience because of it. These companies put way too much emphasis on college degrees and way too much emphasis on experience. Train people how to do the job and they will be able to do it, whether they have a degree and experience or not.

Flexability! I am amazed at some of my friends who work at whatever, jobs like Chef, receptionist, play school leader, IT manager, and other trades too, if they need a garden wall built they get a contractor to do it. if they need to plant some shrubs in their garden they get someone to do it. if they need to paint their house they get someone to do it... Why? because they are so one tracked, which is where their schooling and college left them..

I am an IT Teacher, I lay blocks, I maintain gardens, I paint, I drive kids bus and several other bits n bobs too, What I am saying is not that I am mr great, far from it. but I am flexible, I have learned it is necessary to have more than one skill, to survive and also to have more options you need more skills, why is the educational systems fo the world teaching each individual to be one thing, when we are and can be so many more..... most people with jobs have a hobby or at least a good many do. that tells us we long to do something more than the job we have which demands only one skill set,,,,,, I am saying that more skills need to be taught to each individual, to give them options, and a much greater chance of employment,,, and I am saying that from experience and not theoretically

It's my deepest regrets to having heard such a terrible story. My heart goes out to all that are close to this bright young girl.

This may become the new norm ATS, we have kids coming out of college with 100k or more indebt. A job market that is anything but "fair", most employers will not hire anyone without "experiance". How is one to cope? How is our younger generations to par with disadvantages that go beyond the scope of what I just stated?

All the while Obama says to go to school! If you "don't" have a job, you need to further your education. All the while Policemen, Firemen, School Teachers are all being laid off, Doctor's are closing practice. A scandal all in itself and sold as "fact", if you educate yourself you will be employable. This is not the case.

I am disheartened to hear of such a loss.

Op's source is from 2010 but I can see where a bad economy could cause people to go off the deep end. Hopefully, things get better for everyone who are struggling through this economy.


Peace

Originally posted by BobAthome
gave up hope for the future,
don't want to be me any more.

its not about jobs.

i kinda see where your going with that comment.
but i also can see after being rejected 200 times for a job, that some might start to think that there is something wrong with them.

and if they are good at hiding their feelings, there no way for someone to see what might be going on inside and be able to help or even intervene if need be.

My best advice is to improve one's self. No..not by sinking into the pit of student loans just to get a job. It's not at all necessary. Sign up at Coursera.com or Alison.com and just go hog wild. Those both offer University courses 100% free of charge. They don't count for degree credit but you do get a cert to show you completed the class successfully.

If I had two identical applicants for the same position? One had put themselves out to take courses like that with no assurance of a payback at the end ....while the other just figured showing up was enough to get hired? There is NO question which one would get the job.

Just my suggestion.

Wow that is quite saddening actually being rejected so much I can only think of what she may have gone through at that point. I actually hate how most places want you to be trained for the job but nobody is willing to actually do the training. It's a shame she took herself out

There is also bartering/trade.

This can be almost anything you have a skill with. If your at home with children, and have not got a call back yet, offer to babysit others children, there is a huge issue with parents that have to pay almost an entire check just for weekly care.

In my nearest town, I am beginning a program (trying to at least) to get parents that are currently looking for work and have a play day, where they can interact with others like them, there are many parents that have not found work and are depressed, and kids are seeing this.

You can share recipes, have pot lucks, where many can contribute one large dish, and everyone can share, which will save on groceries, give the children time to interact with others, and parents can vent and share with others in a similar position.

If you have tools for a trade you have, and not enough people to help out, you can train a few friends and do larger projects, you can even start with each others houses, take photos, and make a social media page showing what you can do.

This will lighten the mood, make others feel better, and everyone can learn as they go.

Peace, NRE.

Originally posted by Nephalim
Yea, HERES A FUGGING TIP!

People need to make a damn living, quit being so damn picky and TRAIN some of these people.

There's lots of free government training available, for 3 million trades jobs available right now paying over $25 an hour, according to "Dirty Jobs" guy Mike Rowe.

Unfortunately, Americans don't WANT to do these jobs.

I feel for this woman and the family that she left behind, but did she ever approach anyone for help with her resume and / or cover letter? As a recruiter, I used to see resumes all the time that just showcased the complete lack of education or care in preparing such documents. Multiple spelling errors and incorrect contact information is the #1 reason for people saying "But I've sent out hundreds of resumes and never heard back". #2 reason? You're just not qualified for the jobs you're applying for.

Especially if she wanted to be a teacher, her resume and should be beyond reproach.

As a recruiter, I used to come across many resumes that you'd phone people back and the phone # would be incorrect or out of service. I'm not going to start tracking down potential employees that can't get basic information correct.

reply to post by DivisiveConformity


You can't for the life of you think of why experience is needed for job openings?

Well, maybe that's part of the attitude that people have as to why they're not getting hired.

In this economy, you'll need to have super experience for any jobs you're applying for. You're up against people with years of experience in many different fields. If the choice is between "never done this job" or "I have three years experience as a whatever", I'd take the 3 years' experience every time.

Part of the problem of the US unemployed is that people are applying for jobs that they WANT, rather than applying for jobs because they need to find work to feed their families.

One of the reasons that the Great Depression ended is that people were willing to take ANY work, anything at all.

reply to post by NoRegretsEver


I remember speaking to someone that sent out 10,000 resumes out to different companies looking for jobs in his field after leaving college.

Yes 10K.

If anyone is looking for a job. Don't despair. Keep trying. Don't give up.

reply to post by babybunnies


I agree, case in point, I know someone that has her own business, worked at many jobs that required a college degree, and never been without work.

And she doesnt even have a GED, at some point you have to realize that experience tops it all, and it never hurts to learn about people.

When I give rides to people looking for work, or going to interviews, most things I have to say is stop piling on the cologne/perfume, and for petes sake DONT SMOKE right before you go in.

Peace, NRE.

I know of an employer here that wont even SEE you...if you ARENT ALREADY working somewhere! I asked her why not (I know her so I felt I could and I wasnt looking so....)

And she said quote: "I dont have the time or resources to find out why they arent employed, or why they arent already working."

Insane? Yep. Carzy? Absolutely. Reality? Seems to be in her case and others Im sure. Sad....