Unemployed need not apply- WTF?

Some jobs listings on Monster.com, Craigslist and other job hunting sites are now stating that unemployed need not apply to them.

I didn’t know my help wasn’t wanted.

Employers who post this disclaimer on their job listings because say they want to discourage a dearth of applications from unqualified candidates. Others state they put it on their listings to find specialized talent. And some others say unemployed people are rusty and won’t be able to keep up with the fast pace of their business.

I find all of those reasons to be excuses. I also find this kind of job listing to be unethical and dishonest.

Here’s the insanity behind this policy: If someone has a job, is making a decent wage and is satisfied then why would they want to apply for another position at another company during an economic downturn? During this depression, most people with jobs these days are struggling to stay where they are. They aren’t willing to take a risk and leave a steady job at a stable company to go work someplace else where they have no job security and no benefits accrued. With companies laying off last hired first, it really wouldn’t make any sense for a person to think of taking another job at another company during an economic downturn. Those with jobs would wait for the economy to stabilize before applying for another job.

So it would be in an employers best interest to hire a person who is laid off. Chances are they’re eager to get back to work and eager to learn.

Employers who post such listings don’t know they’re presenting the worst image of themselves and their business to the world and leaving a poor first impression on potential candidates. Even if the job market is bad, working for a company that uses these types of insincere tactics to recruit people would be worse. Why would anyone want to work for someone who is unethical and dishonest enough to discourage unemployed people from applying for a job without taking the time to assess whether or not their skills meet the position? And why would anyone with specialized skills want to work for a company that has unrealistic expectations? No new hire can hit the ground running in any field; it takes 90-180 days for anyone to get adjusted to a company and its policies. Long-term this kind of job listing shows that a company has inept and incompetent leadership and won’t be a great place someone can build a career at. Moreover, it shows that a company won’t be there for their employees and won’t support them in a time of crisis like the depression we’re in.

Then there are the employers who say they put this disclaimer on their job listings because unemployed people are lazy and taking their unemployment as one big long vacation living off unemployment benefits. In their imaginations unemployed people will only look for a job when their benefits run out.

That’s the biggest crock of crap I’ve ever heard.

Having lived on Unemployment Benefits for 99 weeks I can tell you it’s no vacation. It’s no party. For me $247 week wasn’t used to vacation. It was used to look for work, and pay bills. Dry cleaning, paper, toner, bus fare, internet and groceries all don’t come cheap. Looking for a new job takes resources.

Then there are the employers who say unemployed people are lazy and won’t take a lower paying job at a fast-food place.

BULLSHIT.

I’d love to take a job at a fast food restaurant or a retail store, but hey, they don’t hire college graduates.

It’s a fact that McDonald’s doesn’t hire college educated people. Neither does the Gap, Target, Staples, Barnes & Noble or any retail or fast-food business. I’ve known this since 1994 when I graduated college and went looking for work at those places. Why? Fast-food and retail employers don’t want those pesky college grads with their shiny new degrees coming in talking about OSHA, SHRM, or other government rules and regulations regarding their workplace. And these employers don’t want those idealistic college grads around their workers talking about stuff like a living wage or using profanity like U word.

That’s right UNION.

It’s a fact Fast food and Retail managers want their workers to be uneducated (High school dropout) because they like their employees DUMB. This is so they can get employees to work long hours for low pay, and do dangerous, unsafe, and illegal tasks without question.

And to keep the dumb employees under control the work environment around these retail and fast food jobs is engineered to turnover employees every 90 days so they won’t have to pay unemployment benefits or disability insurance.* (Fast Food Nation)

Besides, even if an unemployed person is lucky enough to get a job at a fast food place or a retail store, the employer of the full-time job who told the unemployed not to apply for a job there would then use that experience against them during the interview.

That’s happened to me quite a few times when employers read my resume and saw my writing background and my Americorps*VISTA service.

Some employers are dishonest slimy douchebags. And they’re the type to post an ad that tells the unemployed not to apply. Personally, I believe these employers will reap what they sow. Sooner or later their businesses will become victims of their cheap stupid employees and eventually will have to deal with the seeds they planed when their business stops growing due to incompetence, turnover, and a lack of worker morale. Bad seeds lead to a bitter harvest.