I feel bad for them

I am one who’s climbed the ladder so to speak. Started working at 16 as a receptionist, worked my way through college as secretary, admin asst, customer svce, to management, and now I’m second in command at the place i work. Throughout my career, I’ve had the oppty to see unqualified people promoted and very qualified people get excluded, and the most common reasoning is people’s personalities and attitude. When I hire someone, their personality has to mesh with mine – this is how teams are built. Skills and job functions can be taught, but if that person has a combative or resistant spirit, we cannot work well together. Even when we disagree, we have to be able to find common ground, and work from there – it is unachievable if we cannot stand to be in the same room. So while I look for some qualifications depending on the job I am interviewing them for, I typically hire mostly for their attitude. Also, economical situation aside (where people have to take whatever they can), what about ambition? Do they even want a job that requires them to be more responsible?

I can’t stand it when others get jobs just because they can afford getting some sort of paper. I find that I can run circles around them even though they have a higher position than I. This is just as unfair. Yes, these people could get hired, but would they be fit for the position they were hired for.

It is a combination of having the right set of skills (passion helps) and being at the right place at the right time.
At entry level a degree is a foot in the door, sorry if I deflated some egos, and if you are lucky you get recruited at a job fair in college or happen to be available at the time someone was hiring.
When it comes to the second and subsequent jobs, you either get head hunted which is an acknowledgment of your experience and achievement or you got hustle and find one job that you like.
At a certain age you either give up or go out on your own.
In all cases there is an element of good fortune.

It’s about time someone spoke up about this poor situation, and not surpisingly, it’s MONA! LOL. I’ve met numerous peope who are actually OVERQUALIFIED for certain jobs, yet they never get hired because some idiot already took the spot. Research shows that more “attractive people” get hired. For whatever it may be, good looking people are not criminally charged as people who are “less attractive”. Now this is not to say in all situations, but i’m just saying that it does happen, and unfortunately it happens quite frequently in our society. The majority of Americans are just more into exterior than interior. Once more, this is NOT to say that is always the case. Question is, what does society consider “Atrractive”??? Good one Mona, keep it up. I’ve been so isolated in my room focusing on college, especially FINALS are coming up…ughh kill me..anywho, I didn’t comment in a while due to that reason, but I need to get back into it!

You shouldn’t feel sorry for them first of all. I have friends that are way into their careers and others that are struggling to get their careers launched. Honestly—getting a job is all about networking, knowing the right people and having the right skills in the right place at the right time. With this economy most of my friends with Law degrees and Masters and so on are struggling. I’ve been unemployed since I finished grad school for about 6 months (it sucks) but it’s given me time to rethink my career goals and go after my dreams and work on what I am really interested in. So life has bumps along the way but you never know where it will take you. I have friends that worked really low salary jobs and are now making it — and I have other friends that were on top of things a few years back and now not so much. I always like 2 look on the positive side of things — jobs and money come and go but 2 things u can never lose r ur education and dreams.

Also, as a side note, it’s harder honestly for people with Arab or ‘Arab’ sounding names (or overall many ethnic names) 2 get jobs in many fields in many countries. I definitely don’t use it as an excuse but it is a reality.

i guess it can vary but with this economy most of my friends got theirs through networking (ie 1 job with hundreds of applicants – it’s hard 2 stick out)…anyway, honestly though i feel ethnicity can still be a big issue @ least in the u.s. when it comes 2 jobs.

@GoldenRox

yea i agree no wonder i’m unemployed i’m lazy

I’ve been employed and I’ve been an employer.
Finding the right person is hard. Just because someone has a degree does not mean they are the right person for the job.
I had one manager who was great. She only had a high school diploma. But she really was a great worker.
The best manager I EVER worked for was a women who only had a 6th grade education. She had to quit school to work on the farm. God only knows where this women could have gone had she gotten a college degree.
I’ve seen others like that.
Then I’ve seen those with Master’s degree’s who were the worst workers around. There are a lot of factors. Some people, sadly, just peak at one point and never ever progress.
Some it’s due to external factors.
A few years ago I had three MBA’s working for me. I was paying them $12.00 US and hour. It goes in cycles.
Some people don’t want to do what’s needed to progress. If a job opened up overseas that was a had great potential, there are those who won’t take it because they don’t want to go overseas. Or move.
It depends a lot on the people.
And yes, I’ve seen the ones who have the degree but never ever progress.
Some need to learn people skills. Or dress better or proper.
I’ve seen it all.
And then there are those, like myself, who one day had enough and go and start their own business.
Shocking….

@randomgirl
I’m a white boy. I’ve seen it happen both ways. Seen it happen against people of all color, both sexes, religions, and so on.