Low unemployment isn’t worth much if the jobs barely pay

Re:Low unemployment isn’t worth much if the jobs barely pay by Aloha on Sunday January 12, 2020 @01:46PM (#22028213)

its not even going to school sometimes, often you won't get hired if you've had more then 8-10 months of unemployment without reasonable explanation.

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Re:Low unemployment isn’t worth much if the jobs barely pay by 300bps on Sunday January 12, 2020 @02:11PM (#22028434)

often you won't get hired if you've had more then 8-10 months of unemployment without reasonable explanation.

I do a lot of hiring. You are correct and further - literally any gap at all is viewed as suspicious. And there aren't many reasonable explanations that help the situation.

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Re:Low unemployment isn’t worth much if the jobs barely pay by scaryclam on Sunday January 12, 2020 @02:33PM (#22028609)

I also do a lot of hiring, and can say that it's also NOT correct. We'll query it, but it's rarely a problem. Different companies have different process and expectations, so let's steer clear of absolute statements like "this is correct" and "this is not true" as it's unhelpful to folks in the situation. Generally speaking, if you have a gap, make sure to explain in a cover letter. These are important and can make the difference between a rejection from HR and being passed onto a hiring manager.

Edit: spelling

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Re:Low unemployment isn’t worth much if the jobs barely pay by alchemism on Sunday January 12, 2020 @07:50PM (#22030948)

I must disagree, anecdotally.

I walked off one job, and went traveling for six months. Another job I was on the losing end of a political maneuver, and used my severance to take another six month sabbatical.

Each time I returned to the market I received 20%+ compensation over what I had before. The second time I was promoted into management with hiring authority.

Let me know who you turn away for gaps in their resume. Maybe I'll hire them. :-)

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Re:Low unemployment isn’t worth much if the jobs barely pay by Aloha on Sunday January 12, 2020 @08:08PM (#22031032)

I too have found I get a significant salary bump with each job departure. But I have usually had either economic factors or 'sabatical' as a reasonable explanation.

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Re:Low unemployment isn’t worth much if the jobs barely pay by Aloha on Sunday January 12, 2020 @08:12PM (#22031044)

Unrelated, but the cover letter is my least favorite part of job hunting, because I'm often hard pressed to explain why I want to work there beyond "you're hiring, I'm looking, and this job looks suitable for me, and at least mildly interesting".

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Re:Low unemployment isn’t worth much if the jobs barely pay by itronitron on Sunday January 12, 2020 @03:08PM (#22028886)

Curious to know how you would distinguish between unemployed, volunteer, and self-employed.

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Re:Low unemployment isn’t worth much if the jobs barely pay by pdimitar on Sunday January 12, 2020 @03:00PM (#22028812)

So... "I gathered savings and wanted to rest for half a year" is suspicious?

Maybe I am misunderstanding here.

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Re:Low unemployment isn’t worth much if the jobs barely pay by itronitron on Sunday January 12, 2020 @03:27PM (#22029042)

This is hopefully a specifically US thing, some companies' HR departments are extremely risk averse and will likely interpret that as you were in prison or rehab for six months.

I once, as an intern, had an HR assistant bring my application for a permanent position back to me because she wanted an explanation for why I was unemployed between June and August of the previous year (a year in which I was enrolled at a university.) I explained that I was in school and most companies don't hire people for only 3 months over the summer so I spent that time learning a programming language. She walked away looking annoyed.

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Re:Low unemployment isn’t worth much if the jobs barely pay by WrtCdEvrydy on Sunday January 12, 2020 @04:32PM (#22029597)

Honestly, would have put 'Student at Blah' during those three months from there on.

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Re:Low unemployment isn’t worth much if the jobs barely pay by tekknik on Sunday January 12, 2020 @11:26PM (#22031816)

Started a business that ultimately failed, consulting, taking a health break, there are plenty. Which field do you hire for? I’ve taken 2 years off before and didn’t have a bit of a problem getting back into my field.

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