Thursday, August 23, 2012

HumFisheKu For August 2012

Soulful worker wants

Gainful employment today

Everyday funding

A Post on Jobs and Credit History

I have been out of work for a very long time now.  I am learning disabled and have issues with certain types of positions, especially high-volume, production jobs; since I've tried this and failed, I no longer look for this kind of work.

So what does The Humble Fishe want?  Well, financial independence, for one, but that comes from building up a compound of money and ideas over time, then implementing the ideas when the money and ideas come together, synergistically, at the proper time.

So, what kind of job to get to work up to that synergistic, jumping-off point?  Hmmm.  How about driving a bread truck for a local bakery company?  Sounds reasonable, eh?  The Humble Fishe holds a Class "A" Commercial Driver's License, has no moving violations, and no criminal history to speak of.  Still sound okay?

So I call up the number, and get routed to...A Temporary Agency!  Temporary Agencies--most well known as "Temp Services"--frustrate me to no end.  One issue is how they list their job postings.  Some are so encapsulated by generic language, it's almost impossible to find out just who the company is who posted the availability of the job through the agency in the first place.  Additionally frustrating is the lack of direct contact with the company.

Generally, I do not actively seek employment through temp services.  I've had to deal with social pariahs and I'm tired of trying to be, *GULP!*, "sociable".  "Sociable" here means being able to actively converse on mundane topics of general and local interest that have absolutely nothing to do with the jobs-at-hand, or at-large.  I'm not a gossip columnist, and could care less what everyone else's children are doing on their soccer leagues, football games, who's talking about whom or what, ad infinitum, ad nauseum.

I go in to a temp service office, dressed appropriately, and ready to work.  Or, at least, that's the idea.  As I stated earlier, my luck with these agencies has been dismal, at best.  So, what does that have to do with driving a bread truck?

Here's the pitch:  I decided to do some job searching today.  I looked on my local state employment agency's job website (all states have these), and found a possibility.  Bread delivery for a commercial bakery service.  So I called the number listed to check into it.  Everything was going fine, until I was told I "had to have a credit rating of 525" (or similar) to be considered for the job.

I WAS LIVID!  I DON'T GIVE PERMISSION FOR ANYONE TO USE ANY TYPE OF "CREDIT SCORE" FOR THE PURPOSE OF EMPLOYMENT, AND NEITHER SHOULD ANYONE ELSE!

Let me explain my point:  "Credit Scores" are mathematical numericals that are used by private companies (Trans Union, Equifax, etc.) that some people sometimes use to consider when people apply for bank loans and other such financial products.  So how does that apply here:

EMPLOYMENT ABILITY HAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH CREDIT SCORES!  BEING ABLE TO DO A JOB HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH CREDIT SCORES!

The only reason this temp agency wanted the score was because the bakery company expects a driver to "buy their route" after a time, and wanted that minimum score; this has absolutely no bearing on whether or not I'd be able to:  Take Orders, Give Product Knowledge, Learn A Delivery Route, Drive A Delivery Truck or Van, Load and Unload A Delivery Truck or Van, Use Suggestive Sales Techniques to Add To Present Sales, etc.

Sounds like a franchise offering masquerading as generic employment to me!  I don't agree with this type of thing.  "It's Sales!"  Pure and Simple!!!  Ergo:  IT SHOULD BE LISTED AS A FRANCHISE OFFER.  IF I "HAVE TO BUY THE ROUTE", IT'S SALES!  NOT GENERAL EMPLOYMENT!

I also looked at some reviews on indeed.com and apparently this company has a lot of unsold routes and is not a very good place to work, either.  Long hours on the road, no home time, etc.  I would've had this if I had become an over-the-road trucker, driving big rigs--another career I wasted five years of my life proving it was what I didn't want! That lesson cost me too much, and I'm still in debt over the last endeavor.  Ergo: NO MORE OVER-THE-ROAD TRUCKING FOR THE HUMBLE FISHE!
I just want decent, local employment; later on, a legitimate business opportunity that won't set me back much to start.  Either way, I'll need money first to start any type of business enterprise, regardless of the type.

Now, I probably shouldn't have gotten so upset, now that I've looked at some reviews of that bakery.    It's just that I get so frustrated, at times.  And considering I'm "pushing fifty", it'd be nice to have a profession, at least by that time.

I've been out of the "job searching game" for a long time now.  I don't like looking randomly for work.  I prefer referrals.  As it stands, I may have a short-term position available to me, thanks to a local acquaintance. However, that's still up in the air.

I'll post more as more information becomes available.  I don't hold my breath for jobs, anymore.  I've been disappointed too often, and burned too much to pay much heed to hype.  I take my time, look closely, consider carefully, and apply when I feel I have a decent chance of succeeding.

Best To All,
The Humble Fishe