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I NEVER attend job fairs. I did years ago but they don't seem to do any good.
Yesterday I decided to attend one because Chase Bank had their Corporate Finance department there and I wanted to drop off my resume.
While I was waiting in the lobby of the location of the job fair, a "career counselor" approached me and said would I like to talk a little? I said "sure, why not, I have a few minutes". She said "it would only take 10 minutes to do her "assessment and maybe she could help me"......No problem there. I am open to being helped.
Here's where I almost felt insulted.......
IMMEDIATELY, the "career counselor" starts telling me about $9hr warehouse jobs and temp to hire warehouse jobs. She goes on and on about basic resume writing and quite frankly talking to me, a 36y/o man, as if this was my very first time looking for employment or creating a resume.
No, I was not insulted because she offered $9 hour warehouse jobs or she talked about the basics of resume writing, that's not a problem. Where I felt insulted was, she stated she was going to do an assessment. If she were going to do an assessment, my first thought would be that she would first start by asking questions, not start by "talking at me".
She had no idea that I've spent 10 years in high level Finance positions. She had no Idea that I've spent a few years working in the venture capital and private equity industry, she had no idea that I have a Finance degree from a 4 year University. She had no idea that I was downsized from my last Finance position at Bank of America. She had no idea that my core background and experience is Mergers/Acquisitions and Leveraged Buyouts.
All of that she could have found out doing a proper assessment. She would have realized, offering me $9 warehouse jobs would be a waste of her time as well as mine. No one is going to hire me for a job like that even if I wanted one.
All she did was assume I had limited job skills and no clue about searching for work.
My point is, how many people do you think get directed down the wrong path because of a "career counselor's assessment".
I can imagine that there are good and bad career counselor's but it seems like in fields like Social Work, Career Counselors, etc.....many of them are average as it relates to how good they are at what they do.
Yep, that's right. Someone was calling herself a career counselor to lure people into menial jobs. It may be insulting to you, but think about it.. most likely she was having trouble finding a job herself and she landed this gig annoying people at career fairs. It's really her bosses' fault for sending her over there.
Anyhow, I'd chalk this one into the category of "slimy employers doing slimy things" and not worry about it too much.. or let it discourage you from job fairs to begin with.
Yep, that's right. Someone was calling herself a career counselor to lure people into menial jobs. It may be insulting to you, but think about it.. most likely she was having trouble finding a job herself and she landed this gig annoying people at career fairs. It's really her bosses' fault for sending her over there.
Anyhow, I'd chalk this one into the category of "slimy employers doing slimy things" and not worry about it too much.. or let it discourage you from job fairs to begin with.
G,
no worries at all. It was amusing to say the least. Heck, she probably had no desire to be there to began with.
My point is, how many people do you think get directed down the wrong path because of a "career counselor's assessment".
Given that amongst our most frequent CD contributors is a "career counselor" who has intense difficulty dealing with any aspect of life in general, has little command of the English language and seriously doesn't seem to know his behind from his elbow even when it's pointed out to him, the answer would be "thousands" if he's representative of the profession.
Given that amongst our most frequent CD contributors is a "career counselor" who has intense difficulty dealing with any aspect of life in general, has little command of the English language and seriously doesn't seem to know his behind from his elbow even when it's pointed out to him, the answer would be "thousands" if he's representative of the profession.
*quickly wipes up the Pepsi that just spewed from her nose*
I would take a $9/hour warehouse job right now vs. owning my own business. Oh the headaches!
A lot of people are working "below themselves." That's not news to you. Giving her the benefit of the doubt, maybe she thinks anybody's up for anything.
OK now. All these "career counselors" "recruiters" "employment agents" - you can call sh*t by any other name, if it looks and smells like it, it is still sh*t nevertheless. In this case, the sh*t "talks" like one. Job fairs, like going to employment agencies, is like going to a "cattle farm". And they absolutely treat you like cattle. They talk down to you, they have no interest in your skills/background. Many of them openly put you down and intimidate you. If they represent the employer, than I really don't want that job. Job fairs are usually held for jobs that can't be or are hard to fill. You have a massive amount of people so the recruiters/HR have tons of people to choose from. They can just sit and collect resumes, for all they care. Getting a job is about cutting down the competition of the people all competing for the same job. That's why people network. Job fairs are a cattle farm, and are obviously the opposite of that.
Moreover, a lot of these career counselors, recruiters, etc. are middlemen - and I hate to categorize, but they are dumb as a sack of bricks. They are dumber than some of the supervisors/HR - and that's really dumb. I am speaking from experience and stand by my position, in case any smartaleck decides to bash me.Whatever.
Please forgive me as I don't mean anything racist by this at all, but are you a minority? (I'm taking a little guess based on your status, though plenty of "white dudes" are into rap and hip hop nowadays too, even at 36).
Is it possible that this woman is a very bigoted piece of bleep and made the assumption based on that? I assume she is not really a "counselor" but a shill to try and get people to apply to $9/hour warehouse jobs, but I wonder if she looked at you and very stupidly thought that this made you an "ideal candidate". If I am correct on this I hope this moron was shocked to bleep when she learned of your high finance background and I wish you luck on finding a position in your field soon and in your shoes I would be multiple insulted.
By the way, I work p/t in a heavily minority inner-city high school and I even know some TEACHERS who steer kids who have potential but aren't "A" students (but nowhere near failing) into wrong careers "beneath them", and sometimes based on the tone and things I hear based on race. The Career Center (where I work some of the time at) complains about this often.......I remember hearing about a C+ student who had a chance for a nursing scholarship complaining to the career center that a certain teacher wanted her to take "food service" courses for example.
OK now. All these "career counselors" "recruiters" "employment agents" - you can call sh*t by any other name, if it looks and smells like it, it is still sh*t nevertheless. In this case, the sh*t "talks" like one. Job fairs, like going to employment agencies, is like going to a "cattle farm". And they absolutely treat you like cattle. They talk down to you, they have no interest in your skills/background. Many of them openly put you down and intimidate you. If they represent the employer, than I really don't want that job. Job fairs are usually held for jobs that can't be or are hard to fill. You have a massive amount of people so the recruiters/HR have tons of people to choose from. They can just sit and collect resumes, for all they care. Getting a job is about cutting down the competition of the people all competing for the same job. That's why people network. Job fairs are a cattle farm, and are obviously the opposite of that.
Tell us how you really feel.
I wouldn't say job fairs are for what you describe. I do think there are people that have success in finding great opportunities at job fairs.
Lots of companies spend lots of money to exhibit at job fairs. I do think there is some merit for companies to exhibit. Nor would I go as far as to call the career counselors the names that you've used. That's going too far.
It's just one of many avenues people use to network.
Last edited by Ron.; 10-22-2010 at 10:13 AM..
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Oh the headaches!
