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

Everyone is different obviously, but to get along in the world you need to be flexible.

I have a university degree in English Lit. Just an ordinary B.A. I was no whiz kid in school although I did have a giant sized ego.

I have never worked in the field for which my academic training qualified me. Never been a teacher, journalist, writer, tutor, ad agency hack, theatrical dude or stand up comic.

I've worked as a postman, postal clerk and mail handler. When my health turned bad, I had to leave the Post Office and work as a security guard. I have worked part time as a security guard since the early 1980s.

I did get involved in a "church group" in 1976 when I was in a pit of despair and was sorry that I had ever been born. I looked around at the world and thought that people were just so awful to one another that I couldn't figure out why anybody bothered to live.

Getting involved in that group changed my life. We got together and some of us (not cynical me) got loans and pooled them to make a down payment on a house to live in and practice our religion (Buddhism) together.

It was not easy. Politics, personal conflicts and more politics. We ran meditation halls. Invited Tibetan lamas to town. Had endless meetings. Meditated. Got sore knees. Worked cleaning up, painting, knocking down walls, putting up shrines, raising money for books, went to movies together, had fun, had fights, studied Tibetan (I still can't speak or read it worth a damn.)

I'm still there.

The house we bought is now worth a ton of money (higher property taxes) and the neighborhood we bought it in is one of the sought after neighborhoods in Toronto. Its gorgeous.

For the last 6 years or so I've been able to work just 2 days a week and live in a house and neighborhood that many would crawl over broken glass to get to.

I don't have everything I want. I have to watch my pennies.

People need to learn people skills. It's not all about credentials. Most of the time it is about compatibility and cooperation and a willingness to take the pressure off somebody else and put it on yourself.

Young people should get together and form little combines of committed friends. Work as a team to get what you want. Set clearly defined goals. If society is breaking down for whatever reason, it is up to us to bring it back together.

reply to post by NoRegretsEver


I think that might have something to do with her mentality than it does just being rejected for job applications. Obviously she wasn't the most qualified and she sounded very picky as to what type of job she wanted. You can't just waltz in and demand that you get a job as a teacher or tv production if you don't have good qualifications or credentials. Everyone has to start from the bottom and work their way up. Sounded like she expected to just jump into a nice career with no starter work, she had false expectations. Someone should have told her to just get a job doing something until she could find something better. It's what everyone does. I've been rejected by dozens of jobs just last year alone, not to mention the previous 10 years of applying for jobs. Did I let it get to me? No. I just kept applying and interviewing until I found something, but I guess I didn't value a job or career as much as this girl did. So it didn't bother me. That's what I'm saying, it has less to do with joblessness and more to do with her mentality.

Originally posted by Zaphod58
Do you have any idea how many truck drivers are going to be needed over the next 10 or 20 years? It's in the millions, due to retirements, death, injury, etc. But no one is interested in being a truck driver, because it's looked down on as a job.

I hate to say it, but if you want work, and you want to keep food on the table, you're going to have to do those jobs that others don't want. I've worked jobs that sucked, but they kept food on the table, and a roof over my head.

what do you know about the trucking industry, I have lifelong friends that are truckers.

Now there is a HUGE influx of immigrants going into trucking. Have you been to many truck stops lately?

The pay is half what it was 15 yr ago, fuel is triple.
If Being on the road 24 out of 30 days? The pay sucks post 2008.

Wives get lonely (if you have one) end up unfaithful, kids never see you,. etc..

the truckers now are trapped, they are working sometimes 16hrs a day and end up with $150/day.

that SUCKS!!

Originally posted by ipsedixit
Everyone is different obviously, but to get along in the world you need to be flexible.

I have a university degree in English Lit. Just an ordinary B.A. I was no whiz kid in school although I did have a giant sized ego.

I have never worked in the field for which my academic training qualified me. Never been a teacher, journalist, writer, tutor, ad agency hack, theatrical dude or stand up comic.

I've worked as a postman, postal clerk and mail handler. When my health turned bad, I had to leave the Post Office and work as a security guard. I have worked part time as a security guard since the early 1980s.

I did get involved in a "church group" in 1976 when I was in a pit of despair and was sorry that I had ever been born. I looked around at the world and thought that people were just so awful to one another that I couldn't figure out why anybody bothered to live.

Getting involved in that group changed my life. We got together and some of us (not cynical me) got loans and pooled them to make a down payment on a house to live in and practice our religion (Buddhism) together.

It was not easy. Politics, personal conflicts and more politics. We ran meditation halls. Invited Tibetan lamas to town. Had endless meetings. Meditated. Got sore knees. Worked cleaning up, painting, knocking down walls, putting up shrines, raising money for books, went to movies together, had fun, had fights, studied Tibetan (I still can't speak or read it worth a damn.)

I'm still there.

The house we bought is now worth a ton of money (higher property taxes) and the neighborhood we bought it in is one of the sought after neighborhoods in Toronto. Its gorgeous.

For the last 6 years or so I've been able to work just 2 days a week and live in a house and neighborhood that many would crawl over broken glass to get to.

I don't have everything I want. I have to watch my pennies.

People need to learn people skills. It's not all about credentials. Most of the time it is about compatibility and cooperation and a willingness to take the pressure off somebody else and put it on yourself.

Young people should get together and form little combines of committed friends. Work as a team to get what you want. Set clearly defined goals. If society is breaking down for whatever reason, it is up to us to bring it back together.

Excellent post. My sentiments exactly.

You have to fight back when life pushes your back against the wall. It took me a few years after I got out of college to realize that this is MY LIFE, and I can only control what I can control. So those things that I can control, I take the bull by the horns and I do not let go.

I carry a esthetician license class 6, but employers only wanna hire class 7.
You need 200 hours worked to get class 7. I have been dealing with this for awhile, We need to give people a chance.

reply to post by HanzHenry


What do I know about it? I've been off this truck for two weeks in the last year. I think I know a lot more than someone that "has friends that are truck drivers". I can safely say that yes, I know a lot about the trucking industry. I drove, I worked safety, then chose to come back out on the road. And you know what? I make a nice paycheck every week. It's not huge, and I'm not going to be rich doing it, but I make more than enough to get by on, and buy things that I want to buy. And that's running as an owner operator, paying my own fuel an maintenance.

Originally posted by Asktheanimals

If you don't have a job then spend some of that spare time you have working for a charity. It may give you valuable experience and looks good on your resume.

Eta: Keep learning new skills whether you think it will bring work or not. Developing your mind is never a waste of time and often pays off in unexpected ways and may help you find the line of work you really want to do in life.

edit on 6-8-2013 by Asktheanimals because: added comment

If one is a person without the job skills, how is Volunteering to do menial work helping a resume?

How can someone eat, live in or wear experience at a charity? Oh maybe someday you can get a job at the charity, part time minimum wage.. WHEW BOY!!! where do I sign UP?

Originally posted by Asktheanimals
What I've learned about jobs is they are disposable, not people. I have seen ridiculously over-qualified people stocking shelves and cleaning houses and people with zero qualifications in positions of authority telling others with far more experience and talent what to do.

I gave up working for others long ago when I realized how big the gap was between what I was capable of doing and what jobs would require me to do. Shame she didn't put the same time in to developing a home-based business she did in filling out applications and doing interviews. Seemed like a very bright and promising young lady.

Young people: Don't let jobs or a lack of work change your perception of who you are and what you're capable of. People put way too much stock in that and allow it to control their future.

your post brings a tear to my eye, because it's the same way I felt, and it's what drove me into saying # it. F these corporations, the games being played with people's lives, the disrespect, being under the authority of someone with lesser qualifications and education than you, etc. They all can go to hell.

If i'm going to FAIL, i shall do so trying to succeed on the road less traveled, instead of being a slave to people who do not give a damn about me. At least then, I can say that I did my best.

Use your job as a means of income to fuel another path if you can. Some of us have children, so I understand. I do not, as I am 33 years old and I have purposely put off starting a family because it is not feasible to do what I am doing with someone's life in my hands. This is the reality of the world now.

Originally posted by Zaphod58
reply to post by HanzHenry

 

What do I know about it? I've been off this truck for two weeks in the last year. I think I know a lot more than someone that "has friends that are truck drivers". I can safely say that yes, I know a lot about the trucking industry. I drove, I worked safety, then chose to come back out on the road. And you know what? I make a nice paycheck every week. It's not huge, and I'm not going to be rich doing it, but I make more than enough to get by on, and buy things that I want to buy. And that's running as an owner operator, paying my own fuel an maintenance.

My father was a truck driver for Schneider for a few years. His best friend has been there years, driven for over 30. I grew up seeing him a few times a year, and recall from the age of 3 climbing in his truck, going to DQ in it, etc.

I have seen it, and know first hand. I went to MOTOR T school and have millions of miles under my belt driving throughout the southwest, driving tandem trailers in JAPAN of all places, Thailand, etc..

I wanted nothing to do with that lifestyle, or would have had it, Being on the road for most of you life for less than $100,000 a year isn't worth it.

reply to post by HanzHenry


So you don't like it, that means people shouldn't try it. That's great advice there. Instead of putting people to work, and giving them options they shouldn't try anything new.

I've known a lot of drivers, and most of them enjoy the lifestyle, and have no problem with the money. Some do, but some always do. But hey, they should listen to you, and just accept that it sucks, and never try to do anything that might improve their resume, or try a job that is different because it sucks.

"Millions of miles"? That would mean you were out here most of your life then depending on your age. I'm running a team right now, and between the two of us, it's going to take us almost 10 years to put a million miles under our belt. It takes the average person at least 8-10 years to put a million under their belt. There was a driver for the company I worked for before that had a little over 4 million accident free, and 20+ years to get it (that's just accident free, that's not total miles).

Don't intend to kill the thread but unless I've lost all my senses about time, this news belongs to 2010.



Am I the only one seeing this?

If you and three or four of your friends can't find jobs, make a deal with them.

All four of you will look for employment for all of you and will not stop looking until all of you are employed. Make it a game. Beat the system! Beat it black and blue!

Another point on personal relationships which is relevant. I used to be very picky about people I chose to get close to. I'm not saying relax your standards, but be careful about judging books by their covers. Even if you don't have enthusiasm for someone initially, if they take a liking to you, you have to admit one thing. They've got great taste.

Be alert but don't write people off too soon. There are a lot of "diamonds in the rough" out there.

Originally posted by kingofmd
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.

I took a workshop that actually encouraged this behavior to would-be employers. I never could see past the ethics on it, though. It's like only dating people with spouses. Ridiculous.

reply to post by NoRegretsEver

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.

If you're an attractive and young person, sure...but if average and middle-aged, then this is a HORRIBLE idea.

But, this can be a bad idea for other reasons too. Suppose the hiring manager is a racist? If your photo is a race he despises, your resume goes in the trash. Sure, you may not have been hired anyhow, but maybe the interview would have been a panel one? Title VII only goes so far.... Plenty of other reasons NOT to include a photo (like if you are overweight, they'd take a look and make other assumptions, etc.) No...unless young and hot, a photo is a BAD idea.

reply to post by NoRegretsEver

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.

Whilst I understand that your intentions are good, the advice is not. I don't know of many businesses who would think you were an appropriate candidate if you turned up for an interview with flowers in your hair or beads sewn onto your clothing, especially if you're over the age of 21! Perhaps for bar work or something like that, but in an office environment or even in a supermarket or any place that has a corporate uniform or image, that would be more likely to get you laughed out of the door!

I think your ideas might sound good on paper, but they don't really work in the real world...car pooling for a group of unemployed people? Yeah right, never going to work..

The best way to go about job hunting is to ensure that you are selling your skills appropriately, perhaps having several different templates for your CV, for example one that highlights your skills and experience for administration work, another that highlights your skills and experience in sales or retail, and submitting the appropriate cv for a specific job. Taking time with your covering letter that accompanies your cv ensuring that you cover all of the aspects of the job description and person specification, research the company and show how your skillset is a good match for their objectives and what you can bring to the company. Be prepared for the interview, find out if they will ask competency based questions and practice a few possible scenarios that you may be asked, the STAR technique is often used by companies, so think about your previous experience (it does not even have to be from a work environment, it could be from school, college or even your experience as a parent) and write down examples of how you dealt with a situation and what the outcome was. There are loads of sample questions on the internet, so it's a good idea to familiarise yourself with these and then you can give confident answers in the interview, which will be far more likely to impress recruiters than turning up with flowers in your hair...

Originally posted by LittleByLittle

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

its not about jobs.

It can be about life not working out as you have been told it should and hoped. I have been thru the go to collage to get a good job to find out that the need is an illusion to keep wages down and had to work in places where I was extremely overqualified for very low income. I will never earn back the money I should for those years in collage.

The older generation have left a crappy deal for their kids with inflated costs due to credit where they have to work more to get the same that they had.

Hmmm..you state that you believe you are working in low paid jobs, for which you are over qualified, yet you cannot even spell college...I'm not really surprised that you're not getting the types of position that you hope for.

reply to post by destination now


His/her post certainly had most substance than yours. ;-) Do you really want to be the sort of person that shoots people down, over the internet (of all places), because of spelling (of all things)? That shows far more lack of self-awareness to me than misplacing one letter. If you're autistic or something, then sorry for calling you out, by those standards I'd say you're doing fairly well. But otherwise...

Originally posted by elouina
reply to post by NoRegretsEver

 

Easy solution here... Stop raising the retirement age to benefit the government. Then the jobs will be released for the young. Think about the American citizens for once. In fact, put the retirement ages back where they used to be.! Oh wait, that just makes too much sense. I know it is a darned if you do and darned if you don't situation. But the older folks worked hard for deades. They are the ones who should be resting on their laurals. And the youngins need work to get their lives together.

edit on 5-8-2013 by elouina because: (no reason given)

That is one solution, but when SS was first set up life expectancy was lower. It's a lot higher now. A lot of companies are getting rid of older workers because they have to pay them more. With Obamacare coming in, companies are downsizing because of the penalties involved.

The biggest contributing factor to American unemployment is GATT and NAFTA. We have sent out millions of jobs to countries with very bad working environments and near slave labor. I never understood what was so bad about being a factory worker as if that is something to be ashamed of. People, this has all happened on purpose to destroy America in the guise of helping other countries and getting goods cheaper. We were lied to and now our jobs are gone.

So from this thread I'm getting that people think the girl killed herself because:

1. She obviously couldn't hack it
2. Was mentally ill
3. Felt entitled
4. Was weak
5. Was doing the world a favor
6. Was not wearing the right attire/didn't know simple job-seeking skills
7. Probably wanted to have a high position without working her way up

I find this interesting.

Another point about the story from the OP, the girl had already dropped out of a degree course because she didn't like it, which of course does not look good on a CV, but she could have taken up studies in a more appropriate field in order to progress her desire to become a teaching assistant (she could not have applied to be a teacher, you need to have a degree and then a post graduate teaching qualification for that) but applying for a post as a dinner lady is not going to get you into the field of teaching assistant. Even childcare workers now have to have qualifications to get posts, even if it is as simple as a health and safety certificate. Notably the article stated she had been turned down for waitress jobs, but yet again, you need a food hygiene certificate for that (though teens can now get that certificate by completing the home economics module during secondary school)

When you are on jobseekers allowance, you can get funding for vocational training, so costs need not be an issue, but you really cannot expect to just walk into the job of your dreams with 3 A levels, and whilst I do understand that she originally commenced a degree that was not suitable for her, she could have looked at other courses that would have provided her with the skills she would need to pursue the career she wanted.

But like others, I think there was probably more going on in her life other than just getting turned down for jobs, she was clearly unhappy and at the end of the day it is a tragedy when anyone feels so bad that they take their own life.