Blog Layout Update and New Help

I updated the blog with some Reddit links and a warning page about signing up at one of those websites that are supposed to help you find a job. It includes a video at the end of one experience.

I was inspired by r/Unemployed at Reddit because I keep seeing posts about people on their last thread. I want you to know that you are not alone, so  I included links to some Reddit communities where you can connect with people in your situation.

Wait! Before signing up at a job website, see if it's listed at Rip Off Report

Planning on uploading all of your personal information to CareerBuilder.com or Jobs.com, Monster.com?

Be safe and first go to http://www.ripoffreport.com
See if that job website is listed there first.

You're guaranteed to see it there, guaranteed.

Job Search Runaround continues

I was at Topix.com posting comments about political candidates when I noticed they had a section for jobs, so I clicked on it. The search engine was powered by "Simpy Hired" which sounded familiar, so I did a search for "forklift" and found that there was a listing for a forklift operator right in Springfield, IL.

So, I click on Forklift Operator and it takes me to a "Simply Hired" page that shows the listing and description with a button next to it that says "Apply". So I clicked on the "Apply" button.

The "Apply Button at Simply Hired directs me to a "Monster.com + Hotjobs" page that shows a window within which some business calling itself "Career Choices Network" is offering "Training"

So here's where I'm going to guess that they expect me to pay for the training, and this is just another scam to get people to pay for training in a job they will never find because they are not in a union.

I'm going to click it now. Cross your fingers and hold your breath.

We now come to a new page that says

"We need HVAC Technicians with Forklift Operator experience - Training Available."

Well that was huge waste of time. I'm not about to give them any personal information until they tell me that they have a forklift job waiting for me, starting immediately, with paid on-the-job training.

Career Builder Employment Mine Field

I found a job listing for "Writers / Photographers - Springfield - freelance telecommute"

http://www.careerbuilder.com/JobSeeker/Jobs/JobDetails.aspx?IPath=QAMGM&ff=21&APath=2.21.21.0.0&job_did=J8E4N36N41DS2T512B4

It's a position posted at Careerbuilder.com for Examiner.com, supposedly a news organization that pays you for blogging and photography.

Job Overview
Company: Examiner.com
Employee Type: Part-Time
Industry: Art - Photography - Journalism Entertainment Internet - ECommerce
Manages Others: No
Job Type: Consultant Marketing Media - Journalism - Newspaper
Location:US-IL-Springfield

I thought my dreams finally came true, but then I took one important next step.

I Googled the words "examiner.com" and "ripoff". This is what came up:

http://www.ripoffreport.com/Examiner-com/Work-at-Home-Busines/Examiner-com-don-t-pay-you-Den-P4C22.htm

Examiner.com makes an ad asking you to contribute to their newspaper by writing and taking photographs and posting them online. They list themselves as part-time work.

I posted about 20 articles. I took the job
because I was excited to be offered a job at all so I didn't ask right away how much I'd be earning.

Later, I learned that you have to have 1000 clicks to even earn $10 and they don't pay you until you hit the 3000 click mark. After 20 articles, I only made $10, which they're not going to give me.

Examiner.com is only taking advantage of people in a down economy to get free work done for them. I noticed later that many of the examiners only have about ten articles each themselves. Should've taken the hint.

Amy
Tempe, Arizona
U.S.A.

So when you use CareerBuilder.com there is a chance that an offer will be no better than if it were published on Craigslist.com