What are your obstacles to employent?

Angry_jobseeker

New Member
Jul 30, 2009
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After a few years out of the job market for personal reasons, I was able to go back into the job market last year. Unfortunately, that was just before the stockmarket crash. Unable to find work, I had to go on Ontario Works, thinking they'd help me. I'd told them my main problem was references (owing to my circumstances over the last few years, I was unable to work and so have not been able to establish work references). So what did they do? Send me on a 6-month course. The teacher didn't know how to teach and I learnt more about her family life than I did about the actual course we were supposed to learn. Add to that that the ultimate goal of this course was to get a job, yet the couse had no co-op part!:angryfire:

I'd just finished the course recently, and now I've been looking for work for about a week. Since most aren't hiring it seems, I'd offered to work on a co-op but employers refuse because of 'insurance concerns', and the school wants nothing to do with it because a co-op was not part of the course, so it's not the school's responsibility either.

I'd even offered to volunteer in a few places just to gain experience and develop references to get my foot in the door. Answer? The law doesn't allow for that.

I'd even be willing to work for a lower salary, just to get my foot in the ****ing door. Oops! Minimum wage!

Now I've got n interview tomorrow, and of course they're asking for references. The only real recent reference I have that might even be remotely related to work owing to the problems I'd been facing in the last few years, is from my teacher. It's not like I could give government helpers as references for work now is it.

It's bull ****. Now if tomorrow they don't accept even that reference, I swear I'll want to kill someone! It seems the law is the greatest ****ing wall to employment for me right now.

Is anyone else having the same problems I am, or is it just me? Am I doing something wrong?

Holy **** I'm sick and tired of applying for job after job after job and never get accepted. I'd even asked my government worker to see if there's anything wrong. Resume's fine she says. She thinks I look OK too, am presentable, speak well, blah blah blah.

Well, obviously I'm doing something wrong but just don't ****ing get it. What's the problem/ What am I doing wrong? And why so many laws holding me back from getting the Goddamn experience and references I need to work?

****, I'd even applied for volunteer agencies awhile back, and I needed a criminal record check and references. As for the Criminal record check, the government was 'kind' enough to pay for that. But of course it couldn't give references. I guess I coud understand because I was going to be working with kids. I'm just torally out of the loop and if I could, I'd even go outta town to work on a farm as long as I knew that bus ticket wouldn't be a waste of money if they're just going to send me back home without work.

****, can anyone tell me what I'm doing wrong here and why so many government laws, can't co-op, can't even volunteer, need cirtificate for this and cirtificate for that and have to pay for certificate, damn, just let me work for free if I have to just so I can get my bloody foot in the door.

Any advice? I'm gonna pop my lid soon if I keep going around in circles like this.
 

Angry_jobseeker

New Member
Jul 30, 2009
27
0
1
And the other pisser is when an employer says I'm too qualified and then another says I'm not qualified enough. How the hell can I be too qualified?
 

Angry_jobseeker

New Member
Jul 30, 2009
27
0
1
I'd even asked if I could challenge some tests and maybe get some diploma that way. All the government could say is 'go ask some colleges'. I did, and the colleges, all for profit of couse, sayd 'sure, you could take the test but still have to pay for the whole course'.!

What?

Seriously, I'm just popping a lid.
 

Ron in Regina

"Voice of the West" Party
Apr 9, 2008
29,159
11,026
113
Regina, Saskatchewan
Angry_jobseeker, sounds like you're in a frustrating Catch22 situation.

I hate to add to your frustration, but I need you to do me a favor. The person
whose computer you're using, can you have them PM me? That person will know
what a PM is.

Thank You.
Ron.
 

Ron in Regina

"Voice of the West" Party
Apr 9, 2008
29,159
11,026
113
Regina, Saskatchewan
What question?


It was actually a question for your Brother (It was, "whose on your computer?")


Couple of questions for you.

1) What's your work wardrobe like? Jeans & workboots or Semi-Dress or Suits & Ties?
2) Are you looking for work indoors (clean hands), or something more physical?
3) Do you have a Valid drivers license (a "G" in Ontario)?
4) Bondable?
 

karrie

OogedyBoogedy
Jan 6, 2007
27,780
285
83
bliss
A little bit of advice if references is really all that's getting in your way.

Volunteer.

And no, don't try to volunteer for companies that you want to work for... they're not allowed to do that. But volunteer at a hospital. At Habitat for Humanity. At a school. At an old folk's home. Find somewhere to really truly volunteer, and if it relates to your industry, all the better. References are easy to come by then.

Without knowing what kind of work you're applying for, that's about all the advice I can give.
 

Machjo

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 19, 2004
17,878
61
48
Ottawa, ON
Hmmm... Just read the OP.

Yeah, it's my brother; I realized he was feeling stressed, but not like this. I'll talk to him.

Thanks for the concern, guys.

He does have good clothes, and worse comes to worse, I'll help him out too.

Anyway, the little internet addict (that's me) will step down and maybe let his 'angry jobseeker' brother step in if he wants too.

Anyway, we'll see what he wants to do.
 

Ron in Regina

"Voice of the West" Party
Apr 9, 2008
29,159
11,026
113
Regina, Saskatchewan
Angry, I've got a couple of idea's, things you could try that you might not have thought
of as options...knowing the market (for many things) is down out there, just means that
other things will be doing very well.

These are idea's (I don't know your level of fitness, or what you're prefer to do...), that I'd
prefer to get to you off the open forum...so thousands wouldn't be reading them, and that
would improve your odds of finding employment.

I can either PM them to you once you've got enough posts to be able to send & receive
PM's, or I can PM them to you Brother....which ever works for you.
 

Machjo

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 19, 2004
17,878
61
48
Ottawa, ON
Machjo:

I'll let my brother use my username for this evening for the PM's (I can trust him). Just be aware though that he'll be using his tomorrow.

I noticed a bit of cussing in the OP; warned him not to do it under my username :)

Anyway, the next post will be Angry's even if it's under my username, along with all the others this evening unless I say otherwise.
 

Ron in Regina

"Voice of the West" Party
Apr 9, 2008
29,159
11,026
113
Regina, Saskatchewan
Angry, I'm ask'n you some questions that have nothing to do with your posts here.

-Would you say you're aggressive or assertive?
-Are you a Negotiator or Confrontational?

Either respond to me (if personal & this is too open) in a PM once you can do them,
or through your Brother.
 

SirJosephPorter

Time Out
Nov 7, 2008
11,956
56
48
Ontario
Angry, I'm ask'n you some questions that have nothing to do with your posts here.

-Would you say you're aggressive or assertive?
-Are you a Negotiator or Confrontational?

Either respond to me (if personal & this is too open) in a PM once you can do them,
or through your Brother.

That is a very good question, Ron. Aggressive behavior tends to turn employers off, assertive behavior doesn’t. I don’t think many people even know the difference between aggressive and assertive.

I like to think of myself as assertive, not aggressive.
 

Machjo

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 19, 2004
17,878
61
48
Ottawa, ON
I'm not very aggressive. More assertive, maybe too passive sometimes. I don't really like confrontation even if I might express myself angrily anonymously... more or less.
 

Angry_jobseeker

New Member
Jul 30, 2009
27
0
1
A little bit of advice if references is really all that's getting in your way.

Volunteer.

And no, don't try to volunteer for companies that you want to work for... they're not allowed to do that. But volunteer at a hospital. At Habitat for Humanity. At a school. At an old folk's home. Find somewhere to really truly volunteer, and if it relates to your industry, all the better. References are easy to come by then.

Without knowing what kind of work you're applying for, that's about all the advice I can give.

Maybe you're right. I'd studied Travela and Tourism, not the best industry right now with the recession. As for volunteer work, I used to volunteer years ago. Strange thing is, it's easier to get your mind into volunteering on the weekend when you have a full time job. Now that I'm unemployed, I can't get my mind of of volunteering specifically in something that relates to some kind of work, but then that's illegal.