Looking for jobs.

[Portable Welder]

I've owned my own welding business since 1989 and when I go home at night to watch the news or listen to the news on the radio I hear how bad it is out there.

What I cant understand is that I dont get any more phone calls now from guys looking for work than I did back in 2000 when things were robust.

Not that I need more help, I'm just stating what I have noticed.

Here is something else that I constantly hear ( I've been online looking and there is nothing out there )

Did those people ever stop to think that many companies go through there resumes first from people that just stop in off the road, and only post jobs online if they cant find a qualified person from their resumes or they put a help wanted sign out front.

[Black Wolf]

Makes sense to me...

If you want to work, don't be expecting anyone to hand a job to you.

Get a decent resume together, walk in the door in appropriate clothing and PPE for the job, with your helmet and a set of gloves in your hand (or in your vehicle) and start talking to people.

Some shops are waiting for someone just like you to walk in the door....

[JSFAB]

BW, I think Portable has plenty of work. The question seems to be, how come more people aren't applying for jobs with him. Or did I read this wrong, PW?

[Portable Welder]

JS fab.

I'm not looking, I still have the 2 guys that I've had for quite a while, ones been with me for approx. 7 years.

For 1 I'm trying to give out of work guys a tip not to just search online.

#2 Things cant be that bad based on the amount of phone calls I get from guys looking for jobs.

I think part of it is that unemployment has extended payments to guys for way more than 13 weeks so they havent felt the need to look for a job.

[Black Wolf]

Nope, never thought that PW was out of work...

I was "echoing" his sentiments in his last three sentences, but in my own words.

People that WANT to work will always be working.... Maybe not doing what they want to be doing, but they WILL be working.

Sorry for the misunderstanding.

[bellamachinery]

Most people have lost the "job hunting" skills that it once took to find a job in hard times. The way I always did it was to ask around and find out who paid the rate that I was looking for in the job that I wanted. Monday morning I would show up in the personel office around 8am with my resume dressed ready to work. If I didn't get the job that day then I would be back every Monday at 8am like clock work. Why Monday at 8am you ask? The "Law of Probability". Monday is the day that an employee will call in or be late most often and you usually have to be at work by 7am. That gives an hour for the supervisor to get "fed up", call personel and get the ball rolling to fill that position. I can't count how many times I have been sitting there when that call has come in.

[Stillwelding]

Most people have lost the "job hunting" skills that it once took to find a job in hard times. The way I always did it was to ask around and find out who paid the rate that I was looking for in the job that I wanted. Monday morning I would show up in the personel office around 8am with my resume dressed ready to work. If I didn't get the job that day then I would be back every Monday at 8am like clock work. Why Monday at 8am you ask? The "Law of Probability". Monday is the day that an employee will call in or be late most often and you usually have to be at work by 7am. That gives an hour for the supervisor to get "fed up", call personel and get the ball rolling to fill that position. I can't count how many times I have been sitting there when that call has come in.

I don't know how they do it in the rest of the country, but out here in Los Angeles (which once had a booming Aerospace trade. I worked at JPL and Rocketdyne {Space Shuttle Motor program**) you are primarily hired through an employment/temp. agency. All drug testing, affidavit of citizenship, etc. puts all liability on the employment agency and gives the employer the ability to release you for any reason at anytime (Calif. is an "at will" employee state anyway). Employment ads are run on Craigslist, Monster, or online at the Employers website. Rarely are ads run in the newspaper with the employers address. Waiting at the employers personnel office? What a 20th Century idea. From most of the ads run, you can't even figure out what the company does, much less where the business's address is. They don't want some nut job bringing a weapon in there and shooting the place up if they get turned down for the position. I suppose it makes it easier from an employers POV. Your resume better not be too good either, don't want to be "Over qualified"

[LWSGUY]

This country's not hurting bad, the cell phone, cable and internet companies are all still going strong. I know several people on unemployment and honestly they all still own cell phones and really aren't even looking for a job. Why look for a job as we keep extending unemployment benefits out even further. I know some people are actually out of jobs and actually looking but their the exception not the rule.

[fjk]

Too many people sit around expecting to be handed things....

In my commute to work, I go through a major intersection
where traffic inches through a few cars at a time in all
directions. It's always a spot for folks to walk up and down the
lines of stopped cards and and beg and of course these days,
the crowd is large...

Not 1/10 of a mile past the intersection a new Trader Joes
(upscale grocery store) is just about to open. There's a big
temporary sign on the front of the store. It says (as if
any of you guys can't guess :-) "Now Hiring"

Sigh.

Frank

[ridesideways]

the other thing is that when companies do layoffs, they lay off the laziest and least productive people. so most of these laid-off people who are "looking" for work, aren't exactly go-getters because if they were, then their previous company would have laid someone else off instead.

of course there are exceptions to this, but in general if you really want to work, then you can.

[JTMcC]

What I cant understand is that I dont get any more phone calls now from guys looking for work than I did back in 2000 when things were robust.

.

I've been getting a world record number of calls from people looking for work. For the last year or so, from states all across the country. At least 4 times the usual number.

My work is considerably different than the work you do, but I'm getting a deluge of calls from welders who are in dire straits.

JTMcC.

on edit I'll add this: I usually visit with these guys a bit and send any possible leads I might have their way and they don't strike me as slackers. They seem to be solid hard working welders with a family to feed who just don't have anyplace to work right now.

[Bodybagger]

the other thing is that when companies do layoffs, they lay off the laziest and least productive people.

If that were true, GM would be profitable.

There is a serious disconnect between the vision of HR and reality. Truth is most places don't know their employees enough to know who is productive, who is lazy, who is stealing, etc.

[JTMcC]

the other thing is that when companies do layoffs, they lay off the laziest and least productive people. so most of these laid-off people who are "looking" for work, aren't exactly go-getters because if they were, then their previous company would have laid someone else off instead.

of course there are exceptions to this, but in general if you really want to work, then you can.

I don't have any idea how old you are, or how many years of experience you have but this just isn't true.

I've watched layoffs for several years (decades) and some times they do lay off the slackers. More often they lay off the guys who aren't drinking buddies with the boss, or fishing buddies, or (you get the idea) buddies.
Sometimes they lay off the "religeous" guy, sometimes the "non-religeous" guy, sometimes the guy who worships satan. A lot of times they lay off the guy who won't suck ***.
Layoffs are an opportunity for the people with authority to mold the workforce to "thier" wants, needs and desires.
That's the human element and the workplace (the world in fact) will never be free of it.

That said, there are a lot of very capable, very competent welders out there looking for work right now. They may not have the "political" skills that some workplaces require, but they do have the "welding" skills. I've talked to several hundred of them.

JTMcC.

[c wagner]

Layoffs are an opportunity for the people with authority to mold the workforce to "their" wants, needs and desires.
That's the human element and the workplace (the world in fact) will never be free of it.

That sums it up quit nicely. Sometimes it is actually for the betterment of the company... many times that isn't the case.

[Cornerstone]

Jeez JTMcC,you sure have the knack for putting intelligible thoughts to paper. Any thoughts of putting a book together? Bob