Uhh no, geniuses, I'm not cut, broken, or glued to the car.
I was not going to say anything, but it appears that if I simply go dark, the collective assumes that I have somehow done something to myself.
This last week is the first time I've worked in two months and had any income. Similar to three years ago when I had to go to work for CarMax because the housing market had fallen through the floor, 2015 has been less than stellar.
I've aggressively been looking for "real work" for the last 60 days. The process of creating a resume that fits the current design requirements, and applying to a hundred different jobs only to hear nothing from nobody has been less than encouraging.
Anybody want to take a stab at the fact that I'm 58 might be one of the reasons contributing to that?
For years, my business has worked the same. Feast and famine. The proceeds from a really good job have to last till the next one comes along. As long as there is a next one, life goes on. If I have some idea that the next one is coming, I can justify dicking off in the garage for weeks till it does. If I don't have any prospects however,.......going into the garage is tantamount to playing a fiddle while Rome burns. Even though every thing needed for that car is basically paid for, I just haven't been able to justify spending more than a few hours on it without any light at the end of the tunnel.
The job market is robust enough. There are plenty of employers looking for salesmen to sell their particular brand of ice cube to the Eskimos, but applying for it isn't as easy as emailing a copy of your resume in response to the ad. Matter of fact,....Far from it.
Big employers now use software to screen the submitted resumes based on their "required qualifications" keywords before an actual human HR manager even lays eyes on it. Now, you have to modify your summary of qualifications to include what you think those keywords may be........For every different job you apply to.
Now add to that that the requirements of the job almost always require a 4yr degree ( which I don't have) and you are also immediately excluded. They are unwilling to train you on the specifics of the ice cube they sell,...they want applicants with experience dealing with their ice specifically,.....never mind that your 30 year work history has bullet points pointing out awards, and achievements where you exceeded the expectations of your previous employers. Another strike against your resume ever seeing the light of day.
If by some rare chance your resume lands on a hiring managers desk, you may get the chance to participate in a phone screening interview. One where you'll have to tell the man what you think " your greatest weakness" is, or conversely, " your greatest strength". You'll get to tell them "why they should hire you". The answers are not as cut and dried as they seem. Now, every one of those answers better have a tie in that directly relates to the position you're applying for, or this will be the last time you talk to anyone at this company.
I still have a current ASE certification as service consultant. I've got a customer that is strongly connected to almost every auto dealership in the city. If I have to, I can return to that industry and probably get hired with minimal effort. While no bowl of cherries, it could be a decent paycheck in exchange for 60 hours of work.
Only this time, I won't work for a dealer selling a lot full of different brands of used cars.
The reality of the situation is even if the business hadn't hit a slump like it did, the fact that the job puts me in 125 degree attics, G.I. Joe low crawlin' under houses, or hanging off the top of a fully extended 24' ladder, It's only a matter of time before the age factor I'm b itching about truly limits my ability to do the job anyway. One way or the other, I have to move to a different career regardless.
So, there it is,....no 2x4 cracking me between the eyes, no exploding cut off wheel blowing the glasses off my face and into my right eye,..no molten weld spatter burning holes in me, no grinding wheel burning trenches in my fingers,.....just dealing with a small bump in the road.