I give up! Having a job and paying bills is seriously overrated!! OK...so I don't really give up but I would like to know whatever happened to the good old days when a person could look for a job and GET one?? Remember when you could look in the newspaper and there would be a number to call? And you would pick up the phone and call that number and actually get a real live person? What a concept!! You could ask questions about the position and you could reveal a bit of your fantabulous charm and personality. If you were smart, you would ask them when you could set up a time for an interview and you would be IN!

You would show up a few minutes early and fill out an actual application. And then some personable employee would greet you smiling and shaking your hand and lead you to her corner office. You would sit down and make a comment about what a wonderful family they have per the pictures on the desk. The interview would continue with conversation about the company and the duties. A few questions would be asked of you such as your background, where you see yourself going, and you would proclaim yourself to be the best candidate after touting your skills and talents. The interviewer would smile and say thank you, shake your hand, and see you to the door. A day later, you answer the phone to a job offer that you can't refuse.

Now it is all online and about the resume. You have no one to call and trumpet your magnificent talents to. You cannot get your foot in the door by showing up to the office as they do not accept applications in person. You must get online and register with twenty million companies' websites or with several thousand of the numerous available job search sites. You have copied and pasted your resume so many times you think that you just might tattoo it on your forehead. You shove your kid out of your seat while he is actually DOING his homework so that you may check your email for the 142nd time today. You carry your cell phone around like a security blanket and refuse to leave the house for fear you might be contacted. Now I suppose you could hardly find a job if you didn't have a computer and the Internet.

Most big companies now utilize temp agencies. This is definitely a humiliating experience. You best show up for your appointment looking top dollar from head to toe. I actually overheard two agency employees discussing my wardrobe and hair. Good thing I took a shower before I showed up. Then, they put you through a battery of tests. You know how to type fast off the top of your head from years of chatroom experience, but your actual skills of typing from a prewritten document pretty much suck. You know if you can get your foot in the door at a company, you can prove yourself, learn fast, and basically bluff your way through it. Unfortunately, you have to face the corporate gatekeepers who then tell you you aren't good enough for the position you applied for and they will call you. When you ask what other positions they have they state once again if something comes up they will call you.

I suppose there are no answers here except to keep on plugging away. Since the rent and car payment will still be due, you will keep on searching till your eyes pop out of your head, copying and pasting till your fingers bleed, and hoping that one day soon, someone will notice you and say WOW! I need her on MY team!!