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Sorry but you may have to consider self employment. You have been out of work for 13 years, being that you haven't had a job since 1999. So how are you going to explain what have you done since 1999?
"I was raising my family" is a very acceptable explanation.
Is it legal to ask an applicant if they have children and what arrangements are made for their care? I know employers used to ask women if they were using birth control, what kind, did they intend to have children, etc., and that sure isn't allowed now.
For shift work, it seems that the hours shouldn't change (I work shift work, and the only time one's hours change is if there is a sick call or lateness in the next shift and you have to cover, which stinks when you work nights in the first place).
Now, a salaried job is different, in that the work has to get done and if it takes more than the planned eight hours (or whatever), then it has to be done.
It's not legal to ask about children, etc. But there are ways around it. You can say, "If I needed you to stay late/work weekends/come in early/work overtime/travel occasionally would this be a problem?" In the case of the OP, the answer to "what have you been doing for 13 years?" would have already disclosed the fact that they have kids, so they need to have the right answers from the get go regarding their childcare arrangements.
Anyone with children needs to be prepared for these questions worded in round about ways, because it's a legitimate concern for an employer.
I have had one interview. He said I'm what they are looking for, but the reason he didn't hire me is because even though the shift ended at 3pm, and I had to pick up my child from school by 3:30, he would be leery of that because what if the person coming in to work after me was late? I coudln't stay until the person got there. That is so lame. He could have come up with a better one than that.
At the temp agencies, all you do is fill out a LOT of papers for the application, call each Monday to be put on their job list, and wait for them to call you. Nothing.
In my area, the entry level jobs are all that's here. It is rare that any jobs come open above this level.
When the mills closed around there that had over 20,000 employees, I keep wondering where did they all go??
I don't think this was a lame response at all. If your job is reliant on the next person to be there before you can leave then it is a legitimate concern.
This is just mean and disrespectful to someone that has a child - children always come first, and no, they are not a problem.
The attitudes of ppl like the above poster is exactly what's wrong with this country, and if this isn't fixed soon, we're going down, and fast.
I weep for this nation.
Well... children are a personal choice. I chose to be child free. You may have chosen or will choose to have children in the future.
As an employer, I don't care what kind of problems you have as long as you can perform the functions of the job-- whether that is attending to an older parent, your children, your pets, you social life, a school program, etc.
With that said-- the types of employees I would hire and my peers are not in shift work where you are reliant on certain amount of employees manning the store, restaurant, phones, etc. So in my setting, I could work with someone who needed to leave by a certain time (assuming that they get their work done or make up time in the evening or something or come in early).
Businesses do not HAVE to cater to your personal life and decisions-- they are a business not a charity or a volunteer position.
Parents with children should not be accorded any other "rights" than any other person. We all have things in our life that we decree important-- you may decree this to be children but be aware that not everyone else does. They have their own personal lives that are equally as important.
Why is it that most people here think I wanted this employer to cater to me?!?! I just told him that I couldn't work during certain hours because I had to pick up my child from school. He asked what time, I told him 3:30. He said the shift stops at 3pm (which I didn't know this) and he would want me as an employee, but he couldn't take a chance if the next person coming in after me was late and no one could cover till he gets there. I just said ok. I am not mad about this, not appalled, etc.
I don't want to be treated any different, I don't want any 'rights'. I just want a job.
I understand his reasoning. I called him back within 3 hours to tell him I have arranged for my childs pick up from school. Never heard anything else from him. If I had known the working hours beforehand I would have had this settled before the interview.
I would like to know why people here are taking me the wrong way??
Another thing, one of the posts here say to answer yes to anything the employer asks at the interview. Like, can you fly to another company on short notice, etc.
Well, what if you CAN"T? You lie to get the job?? Well how long are you going to keep this job if you CAN"T do what the employer wants, after you lied and said you could?
I understand about lying to get the job, but what if you just can't do the things that you lied about and said you could do??
Last edited by sisymay; 04-11-2012 at 08:34 AM..
Reason: misspelling
By initially expecting to be able to leave at 3 every single day, that would be catering. You said you made other arrangements now, so at this point, no catering would be required.Anytime an employee needs special accomodations for any reason, and that includes leaving early for children or being unable to cover others, that is a special accomodation.
Jane-smith is correct, When an employer asks one if they can at an interview, its not truly a question. Why? Simple, with 15 million unemployed, most who interview truly could accomodate any last minute request, so if one says "No, I can't", they disqualified themselves from further consideration. Now, if up the road, one said they could and they can't, the position will be available again.
Flexibility is key in 2012. It was not in 1999. Now, bear in mind, a CSR is not going to be asked to fly 4,000 miles for the company, so there are positions where that will never come up.
You need to be available past then, in the event you need to cover for others. Leaving precisely on the dot every day w/o the flexibility to work OT or cover as required is not acceptable anymore. In fairness, you indicated later, you now are able to, as you made accomodations.
Your post #6 on the thread "I have had one interview. He said I'm what they are looking for, but the reason he didn't hire me is because even though the shift ended at 3pm, and I had to pick up my child from school by 3:30, he would be leery of that because what if the person coming in to work after me was late? I coudln't stay until the person got there"
Dont stress and remember what I told you.. No matter what you say know there gonna change it to mean something you dont. Take some of the advice and not all and dont let them get you twisted...
I would like to know why people here are taking me the wrong way??
You seem like a really nice person, so I'll put this as nicely as possible. The attitude of HR managers today compared to 13 years ago is like night and day. Having not worked in 13 years (regardless how you filled that time) renders you at a rediculous disadvantage. These days anything more than a year unemployed throws out red flags. It makes no difference if you used that time to earn a Bachelors degree, raise children and be at home for them when they got out of school, or had to deal with a disabled child. Hiring managers don't care what the reason is. The fact of the matter is that you've been separated from the real working world for what they deem as an eternity. Just from a technological standpoint alone, these managers see you as irrelevant in our ever changing world.
I took 3 years off to finish my degree. During that time I was a full time student and worked volunteer jobs, as well as being the homemaker that did virtually everything at the homestead. I had worked for 17 years in 40-60 hour per week jobs prior to returning to school. Many of those years were spent on-call in highly stressful environments. I just decided to take a break and focus on my education and be a dad for a change. Boy, was I wrong in my thinking. I spent the next 10 months desperately searching for a job. Over 120 resumes in 6 months and only 3 interviews. I had an education and a lot of experience, and it seemed like nobody cared less. A very humbling experience to say the least. I recently found work, but it's far from what I had hoped for. Don't think for a minute that employers will overlook your time away from work. This is really all they care about. They see the long term unemployed as losers who can't cut it in society. It makes no difference if the time was spent being productive in other areas of life.
As far as your child issues, don't tell them ANYTHING until after they select you for the position. I'm not saying to lie, but DO NOT volunteer information. You obviously don't understand how drastically things have changed recently. Don't put yourself at an immediate disadvantage. These days, people are fighting tooth and nail just to land an interview, much less land the job. You and I think the same way, but the fact of the matter is that THEY don't. We're not in Mayberry anymore. Hiring managers are cutthroat, and they WILL lie to you in many circumstances.
I could write about some of my experiences recently, but I just don't have the time right now to do so. I truly wish you the best, as you seem like a decent person who did what they felt they needed to do in years past. Just know that hiring managers DO NOT care about your hardships or your reasoning for doing things the way you have been. They have just one sole function, and that is finding the perfect person for the job. They don't want any drama. Bottom line is this: Don't give them a reason to rule you out before you even enter the race.
Don't look at the hiring manager as a person. Picture them as a cold, calculating machine. They see you as nothing more than a raw material that needs to be processed to help meet their bottom line. Good luck out there. This economy is brutal, and you need to fight fire with fire.
Last edited by ditchlights; 04-11-2012 at 05:46 PM..
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You have been out of work for 13 years, being that you haven't had a job since 1999. 
So how are you going to explain what have you done since 1999? 
.. No matter what you say know there gonna change it to mean something you dont. Take some of the advice and not all and dont let them get you twisted...
