Beware!
I received a check in the mail today for $2,950. It was from a company called Save "N" Shopping. I read the enclosed letter and learned that all I had to do was to deposit the check in my bank account and then send them a Western Union wire transfer for $2,600. I could keep the other $300 plus become a Mystery Shopper at WalMart and spend the other $50 on whatever I wanted.
I noticed the envelope had a Canadian stamp on it. So I did a bit of research. This is a huge scam that is aimed at Americans. After you deposit the check you are supposed to call the phone number on the letter and they will tell you where to send the $2,600. The bad news is, the check won't clear, and your bank will never credit the balance to your account. So you will be out the $2,600 that you've written the check for.
How do people get away with such low-life robbery? It pisses me off. I think I'll call them tomorrow and find out where I'm supposed to send the money. I'll turn that over to whatever authorities deal in matters of this type and see if we can put this rotten bunch out of business and behind bars.
If you receive such an offer, don't fall for it.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Obama asks moms to return to school...
Note to Barack Obama:
What genius thought this idea up? What's the purpose? What's the goal and what's the potential outcome? Here's a couple of ideas as to the source of this brilliant concept.
1. If women return to school, educational institutions will profit. They're currently struggling.
2. Most women will have to get federal student loans to pay for their education.
3. That will put fewer people on the unemployment list and skew the numbers.
4. Fewer unemployed equates to lower unemployment payments monthly.
5. Student mothers will require day care for their children, which will provide income for others.
6. More women will be qualified for new jobs, once the hiring begins. Since women are still being paid about 80% of the salary that men get, this equals less salary costs for employers.
Meanwhile, the men, will remain unemployed. A lot of those men are getting close to retirement age. Their chances of finding a job in this economy is pretty slim. I know, age discrimination is illegal. But it remains rampant in the hiring process and continues to go unpunished.
Why don't we come up with a better plan. Create an economy that puts people to work. Eliminate executive bonuses and pay employees enough so it doesn't require two incomes in order to make a decent living. Let mothers stay home with their children the way they used to. And those that have to work shouldn't have to compete in a world that still has a gender skew when it comes to salaries. Many single mothers can barely scrape by after being paid less than they deserve and having to pay for day care for their little ones.
You can come up with something better than this. Are you sending your wife back to school?
What genius thought this idea up? What's the purpose? What's the goal and what's the potential outcome? Here's a couple of ideas as to the source of this brilliant concept.
1. If women return to school, educational institutions will profit. They're currently struggling.
2. Most women will have to get federal student loans to pay for their education.
3. That will put fewer people on the unemployment list and skew the numbers.
4. Fewer unemployed equates to lower unemployment payments monthly.
5. Student mothers will require day care for their children, which will provide income for others.
6. More women will be qualified for new jobs, once the hiring begins. Since women are still being paid about 80% of the salary that men get, this equals less salary costs for employers.
Meanwhile, the men, will remain unemployed. A lot of those men are getting close to retirement age. Their chances of finding a job in this economy is pretty slim. I know, age discrimination is illegal. But it remains rampant in the hiring process and continues to go unpunished.
Why don't we come up with a better plan. Create an economy that puts people to work. Eliminate executive bonuses and pay employees enough so it doesn't require two incomes in order to make a decent living. Let mothers stay home with their children the way they used to. And those that have to work shouldn't have to compete in a world that still has a gender skew when it comes to salaries. Many single mothers can barely scrape by after being paid less than they deserve and having to pay for day care for their little ones.
You can come up with something better than this. Are you sending your wife back to school?
JP Morgan and Sprint Layoffs...
It all began with Sprint. I was working there as a project manager for the marketing efforts in 260 unique markets. Then the big news came that Sprint had a $3 billion short-term debt they had to repay. Since my division was the ONLY profitable part of the entire organization, they made the asinine decision to sell us. Now, I ask you. Does that make sense? If you're going in the hole, why sell the only part of the organization that's making money? Go figure.
But they've probably come to regret that decision because I'm certain the executive bonuses are more of a drag on the corporate coffers than they were before our division was bringing home the bacon. But regardless, enough said about that.
They sold the division to RH Donnelley, who had been the vendor they had given all the printing to for several years. Isn't that convenient? Naturally, the buyer had employees who could perform the same duties as the Sprint folks who had been doing it. So, no surprise, they let most of us go. But they did it very cleverly. There are regulations regarding the payment of severance related to layoffs. If a company lays off 50 or more employees during a 30-day period, they have to pay a larger severance than if they lay off less than 50. So, 49 of us were scheduled to depart every month. Pretty clever, although a bit stingy in my opinion.
I'll talk about JPMorgan next time because I'm getting really pissed off remember what happened a short while back. Greedy bastards!
But they've probably come to regret that decision because I'm certain the executive bonuses are more of a drag on the corporate coffers than they were before our division was bringing home the bacon. But regardless, enough said about that.
They sold the division to RH Donnelley, who had been the vendor they had given all the printing to for several years. Isn't that convenient? Naturally, the buyer had employees who could perform the same duties as the Sprint folks who had been doing it. So, no surprise, they let most of us go. But they did it very cleverly. There are regulations regarding the payment of severance related to layoffs. If a company lays off 50 or more employees during a 30-day period, they have to pay a larger severance than if they lay off less than 50. So, 49 of us were scheduled to depart every month. Pretty clever, although a bit stingy in my opinion.
I'll talk about JPMorgan next time because I'm getting really pissed off remember what happened a short while back. Greedy bastards!
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Thursday and still no offers...
I've applied for a couple more positions today. I have no confidence that either of them will result in a job interview, let a lone an offer. I did receive an email today from Garmin informing me that they had selected a more qualified candidate. Now, what does that mean? Hey, Garmin, did you look at my resume? Did you notice how it looked pretty much like a carbon copy of your job requirements?
By "more qualified candidate" do you mean younger? Perhaps willing to work for LESS MONEY? Come on. You know you're discriminating because of age, even though it's illegal. Did you even consider asking me what I would be willing to work for? No.
Greed is what got this economy into its current state, and greed is what's keeping us where we are.
By "more qualified candidate" do you mean younger? Perhaps willing to work for LESS MONEY? Come on. You know you're discriminating because of age, even though it's illegal. Did you even consider asking me what I would be willing to work for? No.
Greed is what got this economy into its current state, and greed is what's keeping us where we are.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
It's Tuesday, and still no job offers....
Today was a total bust on the job hunt. I didn't find anything new in any of the job boards. Since there was very little going on in that arena, I spent the day at Thunder Ridge Studios recording a song with some musician friends for a new CD. It came out pretty well.
This evening I watched an interesting program on television about Ray Kroc and his McDonald's empire. He was obviously a visionary with an objective in mind and the courage and energy to go after it. It's encouraging to watch programs of that type. However, my energy is waning after ten months with no positive results. But I realize I should not fall prey to discouragement and depression because that's a downward spiral and doesn't help in the least.
In order to have some sense of achievement, I've decided to participate in the Nanowrimo event this year. If you're a writer, and not familiar with it, I would recommend you check it out at www.nanowrimo.org. It goes back to what we were just talking about - having a goal and sticking with it to completion.
I'll end with these lyrics from a song written years ago by Charlie Chaplin which pretty much says what we all need to keep in mind when we're struggling through these difficult times. I'll just include the first verse...
Smile, though your heart is aching.
Smile, even though it's breaking.
When there are clouds in the sky, you'll get by.
If you smile, through your fear and sorrow,
Smile, and maybe tomorrow
You'll see the sun come shining through, for you.
This evening I watched an interesting program on television about Ray Kroc and his McDonald's empire. He was obviously a visionary with an objective in mind and the courage and energy to go after it. It's encouraging to watch programs of that type. However, my energy is waning after ten months with no positive results. But I realize I should not fall prey to discouragement and depression because that's a downward spiral and doesn't help in the least.
In order to have some sense of achievement, I've decided to participate in the Nanowrimo event this year. If you're a writer, and not familiar with it, I would recommend you check it out at www.nanowrimo.org. It goes back to what we were just talking about - having a goal and sticking with it to completion.
I'll end with these lyrics from a song written years ago by Charlie Chaplin which pretty much says what we all need to keep in mind when we're struggling through these difficult times. I'll just include the first verse...
Smile, though your heart is aching.
Smile, even though it's breaking.
When there are clouds in the sky, you'll get by.
If you smile, through your fear and sorrow,
Smile, and maybe tomorrow
You'll see the sun come shining through, for you.
Monday, September 28, 2009
I'm still at it...
Unemployment, that is. It's just turned ten months as of the 15th of September. I realize it's been some time since I've posted on here, but I've been busy.
My day is occupied by searching the job openings. Unfortunately, that's been very unproductive so far. I've sent out over 100 resumes in response to job postings on Careerbuilder, Monster, and Indeed, as well as JobsUSA which contains primarily government positions. Perhaps I should have studied fish biology, because the government seems to be needing that expertise on a regular basis.
In addition to the job search, I've been spending quite a bit of time in a new emotional state. Primarily depression. At sixty years of age, I certainly thought my last few years of employment would be a sure thing. I mean, someone with all that experience must be of some value. But apparently not in today's world. I think there may be a couple of reasons for this: First, it goes back to the economy and the situation it's currently in. Most employers are laying off, not adding to their salary expense. Those companies that are hiring have realized they can get a young, ambitious employee for much less salary than a seasoned veteran. So, those in the gray gang are sitting at home counting the months until they can file for their early social security payments.
But it's not all gloom and doom. Actually, I've kind of gotten used to being "put out to pasture" so to speak. I haven't given up, but the opportunities are not beating my door down. So, I continue to peruse the job openings online every day and have a bit of enthusiasm when the market goes up.
If you're in the same boat, keep paddling. The water's coming in, but if we keep at the oars we can make it to shore before it sinks. You have talent that's valuable and will be in demand once again when the economy recovers.
My day is occupied by searching the job openings. Unfortunately, that's been very unproductive so far. I've sent out over 100 resumes in response to job postings on Careerbuilder, Monster, and Indeed, as well as JobsUSA which contains primarily government positions. Perhaps I should have studied fish biology, because the government seems to be needing that expertise on a regular basis.
In addition to the job search, I've been spending quite a bit of time in a new emotional state. Primarily depression. At sixty years of age, I certainly thought my last few years of employment would be a sure thing. I mean, someone with all that experience must be of some value. But apparently not in today's world. I think there may be a couple of reasons for this: First, it goes back to the economy and the situation it's currently in. Most employers are laying off, not adding to their salary expense. Those companies that are hiring have realized they can get a young, ambitious employee for much less salary than a seasoned veteran. So, those in the gray gang are sitting at home counting the months until they can file for their early social security payments.
But it's not all gloom and doom. Actually, I've kind of gotten used to being "put out to pasture" so to speak. I haven't given up, but the opportunities are not beating my door down. So, I continue to peruse the job openings online every day and have a bit of enthusiasm when the market goes up.
If you're in the same boat, keep paddling. The water's coming in, but if we keep at the oars we can make it to shore before it sinks. You have talent that's valuable and will be in demand once again when the economy recovers.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
I don't know what day it is anymore
It's been almost four months since my last post. At that point, looking back, I wasn't overly discouraged. However, in the interim, with no responses from the hundreds of resumes I've sent out applying for positions, I'm beginning to feel like Mr. Gloom-and-doom. It's not pretty out there.
And I realize I'm not alone in this mess. The economy is in the tank. Major American Corporations like General Motors are on the brink of bankruptcy and are cutting back their workforce. As I said earlier, it's not pretty.
And being in the Baby Boomer generation isn't helping. Those of us who have passed the golden anniversary of our birthdate are struggling to compete with the younger generation who will work for less. And now that school is out, the available workforce is going to increase in size.
I'm thinking of consulting. I'm actually considering putting together a Project Management Bootcamp Workshop to be presented in corporate training rooms. But that's a project I'm still working on at this moment. ETA? Maybe within 30 days.
I'd love to hear your comments and learn about your situation. Any suggestions?
And I realize I'm not alone in this mess. The economy is in the tank. Major American Corporations like General Motors are on the brink of bankruptcy and are cutting back their workforce. As I said earlier, it's not pretty.
And being in the Baby Boomer generation isn't helping. Those of us who have passed the golden anniversary of our birthdate are struggling to compete with the younger generation who will work for less. And now that school is out, the available workforce is going to increase in size.
I'm thinking of consulting. I'm actually considering putting together a Project Management Bootcamp Workshop to be presented in corporate training rooms. But that's a project I'm still working on at this moment. ETA? Maybe within 30 days.
I'd love to hear your comments and learn about your situation. Any suggestions?
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Day 11 - Third Post
I just finished attending a webinar orientation session presented by the outplacement company used by JPMorgan. The firm is called DBM, and the services they provide appear to be very robust. I'm anxious to begin using their services for reviewing my resume, identifying career assets, and networking. They also offer a wide array of online training classes. I was very impressed with the professionalism and the range of services offered.
Day 11 - Second Post
A few hours have transpired since I created that first post, and in the interim another idea came to mind. I thought I might be able to use this blog as another marketing tool for acquiring gainful employment. With that in mind, I am going to add a link to my NEXTEP website.
I created the NEXTEP site shortly after I was laid off with the thought that, if I wasn't able to find a job in short time period, I could possibly work as a consultant. There were two reasons I felt this would be a good option: First, I have extensive experience in managing marketing communications projects. Second, in this economy many companies are finding it more cost-effective to engage consultants for short-term engagements rather than hiring additional staff. So it seemed like a logical approach with a high potential for success.
I hope you will take a moment and visit my NEXTEP Project Management site to learn a little more about what I have done, what I do, and what I'm looking to do in the future.
I created the NEXTEP site shortly after I was laid off with the thought that, if I wasn't able to find a job in short time period, I could possibly work as a consultant. There were two reasons I felt this would be a good option: First, I have extensive experience in managing marketing communications projects. Second, in this economy many companies are finding it more cost-effective to engage consultants for short-term engagements rather than hiring additional staff. So it seemed like a logical approach with a high potential for success.
I hope you will take a moment and visit my NEXTEP Project Management site to learn a little more about what I have done, what I do, and what I'm looking to do in the future.
Day 11
The idea to start this blog came to me this morning. I was in bed and floating somewhere in that ethereal state between being awake and being asleep. Often the best ideas come at that point when your subconscious mind takes over.
I actually should have started this record back on January 19. That was my first day of being unemployed. But the idea hadn't hatched yet. So this first post will serve to get my readers up to speed on what happened and what has occurred in the interim.
It all began on November 15 of 2005 when I accepted an employment offer from JPMorgan. On November 16, 2008 (three years and one day later) I was informed that my position was being eliminated. I won't take the space here to go into excessive detail, but I will let you know that it was a bit of a shock. I was told during that brief meeting that I would remain an "employee" for 60 days after that and, on January 18 my employment would end and my status transferred to "unemployed." That day passed eleven days ago, and here we are today, unemployed.
So far it's been frustrating. The economy hasn't been on the side of the job-seeker, and employers are now finding themselves in the proverbial catbird seat. With so many qualified and experienced individuals being out of work, they are now able to cherry pick and select from the cream of the crop to fill any openings they have.
I'm currently in the job-seeking mode, and this blog will serve to keep you up to date on what I encounter. From what I've heard, it's a jungle out there.
Stay tuned.
I actually should have started this record back on January 19. That was my first day of being unemployed. But the idea hadn't hatched yet. So this first post will serve to get my readers up to speed on what happened and what has occurred in the interim.
It all began on November 15 of 2005 when I accepted an employment offer from JPMorgan. On November 16, 2008 (three years and one day later) I was informed that my position was being eliminated. I won't take the space here to go into excessive detail, but I will let you know that it was a bit of a shock. I was told during that brief meeting that I would remain an "employee" for 60 days after that and, on January 18 my employment would end and my status transferred to "unemployed." That day passed eleven days ago, and here we are today, unemployed.
So far it's been frustrating. The economy hasn't been on the side of the job-seeker, and employers are now finding themselves in the proverbial catbird seat. With so many qualified and experienced individuals being out of work, they are now able to cherry pick and select from the cream of the crop to fill any openings they have.
I'm currently in the job-seeking mode, and this blog will serve to keep you up to date on what I encounter. From what I've heard, it's a jungle out there.
Stay tuned.
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