Archives for July 2016

Image by Sourcemap Project CC BY-SA 2.0

I work in plastics. Well, not actually in them, just with them. I’m a press operator, and I’m responsible for inspecting and packing parts, configuring pallets, and babysitting half of my crew members. I work for a company that cares more about tiny bits of polyethylene than the well being of its employees. The head honcho is more concerned about the fact I’m not at my machine, rather than the reason why. That reason being, I had just properly sliced my finger wide open on a sorry excuse for a box cutter, that they themselves had provided me. Instead of being concerned with my safety and well-being, their issue lies with my blood on their product, and how much of a pathogen threat I am. They were quick to shut my line down and decontaminate the area, while I stood idly by, blood-soaked rag getting bloodier by the moment. This is the place where you’ll sooner get, “Jesus, you’re not going to need stitches, are you?” rather than, “Oh my god, are you okay? Here, let’s get you bandaged up.”

I understand that many people believe that this job is better than no job at all, but there are times I beg to differ. Yes, I’m making a steady paycheck. Yes, I can (barely) pay my bills; but at what true cost? No respectable human being should sacrifice their sanity and self-worth for a measly $9.35 an hour.

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At the end of part one, I’d quit a job selling solar door to door, because door to door sales is a stupid job. After that debacle, I applied to solar companies that had real leads, and who needed experienced sales staff. I emailed five of them, and received a reply from one of the businesses within a few days. They were a small company looking for independent contractors (Commission only). Later that day, I spoke to a gentleman from the company who set up an interview at a mall. O.K. that seemed odd, but you overlook obvious red flags when you’re unemployed. He explained their home office was in a remote part of the city, and this was easier for candidates to get to.

The interviewer was a portly, bald gentleman in his mid to late 50’s. We met at the food court, and I came prepared to talk about my experience. Instead, he spoke about his experience, and how he’d been asked to be the sales manager for the guys who started the business. He bragged about selling millions of dollars worth of solar arrays. I was pretty attentive to his bullshit, and when I asked him if he’d hire me, his response was literally, “Sure, why not. You seem o.k.” With that enthusiastic endorsement I was once again, a proud working man. More accurately, I was now a part of the gig economy. I received no benefits, no salary, no bonuses. Just a paltry commission that would be taxed at the end of the year. But enough about our shitty economy.

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Image by 143d ESC CC BY-SA 2.0

Two years ago I decided to hang up my Air Force uniform in exchange for the civilian life. I remember well the transition assistance program (TAP), the mock interviews, and resume preparation that readied me for my leap into the civilian world. My confidence was brimming: friends who recently left the military were now making twice the salary. Charles Anderson, who was in the Air Force with me is a prime example of this success. Charles and I were military policeman: we used to make at least 40k a year. Now, Charles is a civilian cop in Texas making 53k a year.

Statistically speaking, I knew that finding a job wouldn’t be a problem. Nearly half of U.S. employers (47 percent) had hired a veteran in the last year, compared to 44 percent in 2014. 31 percent had also hired veterans who recently returned from duty. The odds seemed to be in my favor, though one key detail flew under my radar—underemployment. At least 14 percent of veterans report being underemployed.

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In 2013 I had a seven month dry spell between jobs. I was desperate for anything, and that’s exactly what I got-something desperate. Bryon, a friend from college, was starting a business, and was looking for salespeople, and hired me. His company rented solar power to home owners. I knew very little about solar, but I needed a job. My only condition was I wouldn’t go door to door. He told me not to worry as he had telemarketers pre-qualifying homes.

Bryon told me he’d train me at his home, unpaid, and I was OK with that since he was taking a risk on me. When I got to Bryon’s house for the first training session, he was distracted with his wife, child, phone calls, dog, and work. He was ill prepared to teach me much, and the night was a bit of a waste. He did show me a diagram of how the business was going to succeed, and to his credit, he drew a fabulous design on his whiteboard. It was a real A+ drawing, unfortunately the diagram had nothing to do with actually selling or learning solar.

We got together again a week later. Bryon taught me how to calculate electricity rates versus the cost of renting solar. I asked him why someone wouldn’t just own as opposed to renting solar “Because it makes no sense for them to own,” he told me. I said. “Well what if the customer asks about the differences?” He said, “They shouldn’t ask. Don’t worry about it.” Then he gently caressed my neck. No, he didn’t, but he might as well have for how patronizing he was. Nearly every query was met with “you don’t need to worry about that.” Well, that worried me. We adjourned after two hours, and he asked me to come back the following week.

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Created in 2007, Glassdoor is a sleek, supposedly neutral service. It provides job leads, salary information, and testimonials about businesses that operate in this modern, global economy where transparency is king. But is it neutral? Is it transparent? Is it even helpful?

Few Americans live in a world where they work for just one or two companies until retirement. And the methods for searching for work have changed drastically in recent years. So when a website promises to make the job searching process easier for a potential employee, it almost sounds too good to be true.

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