Just trying to find a "job"...

[eques]

Just trying to find a "job" *requires*:

A criminal background check
A credit check
A drug test
Proof of citizenship
Proof of residency
Proof of identity
A SSN

Jesus fucking Mohamed!!!!



Oh yeah, baby, we live in a free country, all right.



Don't mind me, I'm just blowing off some steam right now.

[error]

Much of that stuff is required by the Mafia-like gang who call themselves government. It has little relevance in a free market.

Of course, I recommend creating your own job.

[eques]

Much of that stuff is required by the Mafia-like gang who call themselves government. It has little relevance in a free market.

Of course, I recommend creating your own job.

I just need to figure out what that is... creating my own job, that is.

I don't even need all that much to live on.

[penguins4me]

I'm paranoid, and suspicious of things which run counter to that which I "know" - but I am now in the process of re-examining everything I "know" based on what I can divine of the real truth, or as close as I can get in any given situation. That said:

For any computer tech who knows his/her stuff, and can learn how to market him/herself, there is plenty of work in any community with both numbers of people and computer equipment. I'm already employed, and the hideous healthcare costs for those outside the system are scaring me away from the edge, but if I were already unemployed, there'd be nothing keeping me from writing up a flyer detailing my skills (i.e. Windows 3.1-XP-2003, wired/wireless ethernet networks, computer hardware, various Linuxes, etc.) and passing them out all over town, to both individuals and small businesses, asking for the going rate for technical services. Apparently, there are a *lot* of tech monkeys already out there doing bad jobs, and all it takes is a little time to show someone else that you can do it better.

I suppose one doesn't need any paperwork at all to start, if the customers are agreeable...

[error]

Most of my customers are quite agreeable to a lack of paperwork, especially of the government variety, and I almost have more work than I know what to do with.

[Lloyd Danforth]

James.  I don't know what your education, training and experience is or in what, but, if you want a job where there is little paperwork, find a small building or painting contractor and work for them under the table.  This is the time of year they get back to the outside work.
You may say: "but, I'm a ____________!, not a laborer!"
A year or two working outside of your desired profession isn't going to kill you, the jobs are more casual, and, you learn something you didn't know.  In the case of constructing stuff, you learn  about the way the buildings in which you are going to live in the rest of your life, are put together.
Something to consider.

[Russell Kanning]

why would customers want paperwork? Most don't

I would recommend not looking for a standard job either. Start doing the things you are good at and show people you know your stuff and you will get customers. You can advertise your skills here and in our paper.

[Lloyd Danforth]

Old folks can't get neighborhood teenagers to do Shit!  A guy with a box of tools, a snow shovel, a lawn mower and a rake could probably develop a following.

A friend's father who lived in Bangor, ME who was well into his retirement started mowing lawns for old ladies he knew.  He got a lot of exercise and during the summer made more than his SS.  He did it into his 80's.

[Kat Kanning]

That's so true, lloyd.  We do odd jobs for the old people in our neighborhood.  Don't see any kids doing it.

[eques]

I'm certainly not "above" manual labor.

I did give my father a call last night and asked him if he had any projects I could work on.  Interestingly enough, the project he really wants to have done is the same project he wanted to have done ten years ago!

My father owns his own business; he produces and maintains real estate management software.

So that might end up being a gig for a little while.

Or a long while.  Who knows?

[Edit] - Is it a lame excuse to not want to do snow shoveling due to rather intense sciatic pain?  It also prevents me from standing comfortably for a long period of time... not that I end up sitting comfortably afterwards, but then I'm not trying to support my body weight on a spasming muscle.

[eques]

Ha! Ha!

I just got this e-mail from RadioShack:

Thank you again for completing the RadioShack preliminary questionnaire. In order to move forward, you will need to complete an Employment Application and survey. Please go to Radioshackcareers.com to complete the application process.



Thank you,
xxxxxxx xxxxxxx
District Administrator

I had participated in their online application process up until the point where they asked if I would submit to various checks and screenings, after which point they said, "Thanks for playing! Goodbye!"

I figured, for the hell of it, why not reply to this email?  Maybe it's automatically-generated, maybe not... if not, well, you never know, do you?

Dear xxxxxxx xxxxxxx:

  I began by filling out the preliminary questionnaire.  However, I was booted out of the application process, presumably because I do not consent to question #6, which involves a criminal background check, a credit check, and a drug test, at minimum.

  I have never committed a crime, my credit history is absolutely none of your business, and neither is whether or not I use drugs.  I refuse to consent to these invasions of my privacy in order to prove my innocence.

  I won't pretend to know exactly why these procedures are in place. My guess is that they are there to minimize loss somehow.  While I have no desire to make your job harder, the price I have to pay in order to minimize your loss is far too high.

Good luck,

James Pyrich

[d_goddard]

A criminal background check
A credit check
A drug test
Proof of citizenship
Proof of residency
Proof of identity
A SSN

I think you're applying at all the wrong places.
I had to provide an SSN and had to sign a paper that said I was not a felon (or if I was, I've have to fill out the "more details" box)
I think maybe I had to provide an ID.

I *know* there was no drug test and there was also no credit nor criminal check (though I had to allow them to do a criminal check at their discretion).
They do the criminal check only if you do something weird, like threatening your co-workers... if you threaten someone with violence, or initiate violence, and then they find out that you have been arrested for a violent act, you get summarily dismissed. Which personally I have no problems with.

Gov't gobs are the most red tape.
Franchises like (Radio Shack) will generally have the worst red tape. It's all CYA.
Large companies have somewhat less.
Smaller companies typically have even less.
Mom-n-pop shops are typically minimal red tape and maximum flexibility.
Starting your own business, of course, buries you in red tape (if you do it legally)

[Russell Kanning]

You can start a small business and avoid red tape and still follow some government rules.

[eques]

At the point I was at, it was like, "I need money rightnow," so I was applying to minimum wage-type shops which, for some reason, request all that bullcrap.

In any case, my outbound e-mail was rejected anyway, so nobody at Radio Shack will read it unless I send it again.

Right now, I'm contracting.  When I have a little more breathing room, I'll think freelancing a little more here and there, but right now, hey, I have income.

[d_goddard]

Contract shops all over in Boston (live in Salem & commute), fewer in Nashua and Manchester.