Strange times

I was talking the other day with an acquaintance who has a brother that is head of Human Resources for a company in Indiana. She told me that he was initially glad to learn that they would be finally filling a few positions this year, but now he's not so sure. His problem? Boatloads of overqualified applicants. Even past recessions haven't prepared him for this new world. People who are qualified to run the whole business are desperately trying to arrange an interview for an "entry-level" position paying just under $500/week, with crappy benefits. He sifts through thousands of applications for every job. Some applicants are savvy enough to leave out some of the education and experience they have, so as not to seem too much. These subterfuges rarely work, because someone always gets ratted out. "Yeah she started as a teller 25 years ago, but she was a branch manager for 8 years before we consolidated operations." The ideal candidate has the relevant skills and experience, but not too much experience. 3-5 years doing the job, without being promoted very far above the offered job level.

Right now the U.S. economy is generating very few new jobs. It is generating even fewer decent jobs. Millions of Americans are busy networking, flossing, writing letters, and doing anything they possibly can to land a decent job. Helpful "career counselors" advise them to be "eager, but not desperate" during interviews. The truth is that nearly all of the millions of Americans who need jobs are doing everything right. Yet most of the nation's wealth is held by a fairly small number of people. Until these people decide they want to invest some of that wealth in ways that will create good jobs in the U.S., millions will remain on the outside, unable to recognize this new, heartless land.