Author: wwducat

About: Writer, Technology guy, Photographer, Possibly EX-Software QA Engineer, Worker Bee. Interests: SCUBA, Working out, Friends, New Views, New Vistas, Photography
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Okay, this has simply gotten out of hand…

As I’ve written throughout this blog the job search process is horribly broken.

So broken in fact that companies are appearing whose sole job is to deal with the HR departments of companies that are hiring.

I got this email yesterday offering a service.

Notice what they’re offering, all for a subscription. 

Really? 

So now, for every position you apply for, apparently HR departments expect a customized resume and cover letter. The cover letter I understand, but the resume? 

Doesn’t that muddy the waters? Just how many resumes must one have floating around in the aether? If all of those resumes are consolidated might it not appear that a candidate was lying, (perhaps a better term would be overstating,) their capabilities?

I’ve paid for a resume rewrite. What I got back was almost completely a lie and it was certainly not something I would, or indeed could defend in an interview.

Do I really want 50 variations like that per week?

But there’s another thing, Something like this adds another layer to the already hyper layered hiring process.

Even now, the odds of getting your resume in front of someone that can actually make a hiring decision are extremely remote.

Job search site AI
Corporate HR AI
Corporate HR committee
Multiple “Interviews” with the equivalent of a Prom selection committee most of whom have no idea what the candidate actually does, or is talking about.
Then a Hiring manager gets a crack at the candidate.
The Hiring manager’s choices are sent back for review to HR and goes through committee again.
Then only on approval from the committee based on arbitrary data points like personality, gender identification, hair color, skin color, equal opportunity quotas, and all the rest of the bullshit that’s “important” today does the Hiring manager get to actually have a new employee. Probably not their first second or even third choice.

(HR and Hiring practices have almost reached the level of Douglas Adams Vogons from “The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy”)

Vogons: They are one of the most unpleasant races in the galaxy. Not actually evil, but bad-tempered, bureaucratic, officious, and callous. They wouldn’t even lift a finger to save their own grandmothers from the ravenous Bug-Blatter Beast of Traal without orders signed in triplicate, sent in, sent back, lost, found, queried, subjected to public inquiry, lost again, and finally buried in soft peat for three months and recycled as firelighters. On no account should you allow a Vogon to read poetry to you. –– The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Now, along comes this company wanting add another layer of bullshit only they’re selling it to prospective employees as a valuable service for a weekly subscription.

Really?

There have always been professional job search corporations. Some of them charged the candidate upfront, and collected a percentage of the candidate’s starting salary on the back end. Others just relied on the backend fee.

This company seems like their model is to collect the subscription from desperate candidates, bleed them dry, keep them busy with do nothing, go nowhere interviews, and they have zero incentive to actually find a candidate a job. Without the backend percentage why would they? The subscription stream would be more lucrative.

I’m also not sure that I want someone creating resume variants for me that become a game of “Telephone”. This might work for a sales/marketing department, or a director position dealing with “Soft Skills”. But a technical position? The last thing you want is non-technical people writing a technical resume. 

There is ample evidence why that’s a bad idea in the job listings themselves. Tons of jobs listings are filled with technobabble that means nothing and is used just as filler to make the job description “Look” important or impressive to other non-technical reviewers.

Ouroboros icon detailed symbol of snake eating its own tail 2483017822.

I get that these folks are taking advantage of an opportunity. They’re filling a niche that has been created by the hiring process. I don’t begrudge them their business model.

What I do question is the need for this business model. How much of the hiring process has become a “Do Nothing” (Meaning no added value) series of hands in the pot? When did HR itself become an industry and what is fueling this behemoth?

When does the HR hiring mess reach the bureaucratic level of the Ouroboros?

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Sorry, Don’t mean to keep bashing Bass, but does she hear herself?

Karen Bass Associated Press 640x480.In a FOXLA interview on Monday Bass said she didn’t know the mission of the Federal agents in MacArthur Park.

Uhhh. Lady, their mission has been pretty straight forward.

Let me lay it out for you:

Find Illegal Aliens
Deport Same

Really easy, no mystery, it’s not complicated. If the federal agents were at MacArthur Park they were either staging for their next raid, or they already knew the park was loaded with illegals.

The ICE folks have a damn clear directive. One, that by the way, isn’t necessarily only from The President so much as from the people who voted him into office.

The brilliant Mayor Bass went on to say she was worried about the Feds drawing a crowd. A crowd of what? Anti-ICE protestors? Seems to me if violence were to ensue having it confined to MacArthur Park would be better than having yet more riots in the streets of Los Angeles. 

This batshit crazy, ineffective Mayor was “Horrified” that the Feds were heavily armed. Really? With all the violence various politicians have been encouraging toward them, they better be fucking heavily armed.

Given that a lot of the illegals ICE is hunting down are affiliated with gangs and cartels, who are among the most violent criminals on the planet it should come as no surprise that they’re “loaded for bear”. 

One should also note that thus far, the Feds haven’t resorted to armed combat. If the illegal community is so scared they have an option. They can leave! I suspect that any day now, the cartels will open fire on ICE, and when they do I sincerely hope that battle will be definitively one sided.

I know I’m completely over hearing about folks that have been here 20 years and haven’t filed a shred of paperwork to become US Citizens. How many “Amnesty” programs have they blown off? How many opportunities have these folks had to go through a streamlined process where their illegal crossing put them ahead of the people patiently waiting on legal entry?

I personally have no more pity, no more mercy, and no more patience. I don’t want to have to pick a number for English when I call a business. I shouldn’t have to, this is my country and regardless of us not having an official language, we speak English here.

As a citizen, I shouldn’t be forced to speak Spanish. I shouldn’t have to have a translation program running on my computer or phone just to interact in my daily life.

My legal Mexican neighbors speak flawless English. One of my favorite doctors spoke perfect English, he was born in Mexico. My Brother in law, and his family speak perfect English. (His parents have a bit of a thick accent but they speak English, which is much better than my Spanish. Although they smile & sometimes laugh at my attempts, his Mom always politely corrects my mispronunciations.)

The difference? They all wanted to be here, they all wanted to assimilate, they all are proud to be Americans, and none of them are criminals. Oh, and they’ll drop a dime faster than I do, on anyone that’s breaking the law especially illegals or cartel members.

All these folks celebrate the Fourth of July and many of them took a very dim view of cities cancelling Fourth of July celebrations because illegals are being deported. Several commented that this was yet one more thing that the illegals fucked up for everyone else.

So perhaps Mayor “Tone Deaf” should stop pandering, and get with the program. Mayor Bass needs to get the Palisades construction moving. She needs to turn the LAPD loose to clean up the streets, and if a few eggs get broken in the process, so be it.

And now Mayor Bass is suing the Trump administration over the ICE raids. She announced on Wednesday, LA is joining in a private class action lawsuit. What exactly does that mean?

LA and California are already in financial troubles and she’s going to spend yet more of a limited resource to pursue litigation that will probably not go anywhere. But it will line the pockets of various attorneys. You don’t suppose that Mayor Bass has any connection to those attorneys do you?

I mean it’s likely that she’s not going to be re-elected. She shouldn’t have been elected in the first place in my opinion. But, if she’s not going to be re-elected, how ever will she continue to be wealthy?

Were I in her position, a private class action lawsuit might be a great way to siphon money out of the city budget and through kickbacks from the various law firms line my own pockets.

Los Angeles County officials are offering aid to illegal aliens too. Why?

If you ask yourself, “what has Karen Bass actually done to benefit Los Angeles?” What answer do you come up with?

Recently, there were several human interest reports about a 114 year old restaurant closing. This place is a landmark and the home of the “French Dip”. This story follows many others detailing landmark businesses closing after decades of notoriety.

The reporters expressed sadness at the place closing, but few asked why. Was it the crime, the homeless people, the foul stench of LA Streets, junkies shooting up in business doorways? Or was it that people are leaving LA, or not visiting because on some level they’ve come to realize the city is going down. Just like San Francisco.

I’ve seen this show before. San Bernardino California, and other parts of the Inland Empire have slowly degraded. Businesses closing, malls, etc. are simply gone one day.

At first you don’t notice it. Just a few empty storefronts and you think “I wonder what’s going to replace ‘X’. Then nothing replaces the missing business. A few more stores or restaurants close, then pretty soon entire blocks of buildings are dark. Graffiti starts creeping like a fungus across the boarded up windows. Pretty soon there are squatters who’ve broken through the boards and the glass. Then more homeless people.

Walking past the structures you see humans reverting to something more primitive. The strung out junkie with her legs open on a filthy mattress hoping the man using her has a fix. Sellers of scrap & stolen goods operating openly on the street. Drug deals, and prostitution on all the corners of the “Dead Zone” and traffic wizzing through the area praying that they don’t catch any red lights. After a while the police don’t even bother. Most of the crime is criminal on criminal and their only job at that point is to load bodies into the coroner’s van and pick up shell casings.

There will never be any witnesses coming forward so it doesn’t matter if they get there in 5 minuets or 5 hours. Whatever happens is going to result in no leads, no arrests, and no prosecution.

I saw it up close and personal in San Bernardino. The nation is being treated to the “LA Show” Where they get to watch a great city destroy itself though nothing more than poor policies and terrible management.

Take note, Gavin Newsom has presided over a lot of the most recent failures in California. Do you really want Newsom as President?

Just something to think about.

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I’m having my coffee, and there’s this dude wandering around in my yard…

6:45 AM. I’m checking my email, trying to ease into the day. A notification pops up that my external camera sees a person.

I ignore it, it’s been hot during the day, and a lot of folks are taking their walks or walking their dogs at the crack of dawn. No big deal…

Then the camera keeps pinging me with “Person” notifications. 

What fresh hell is this?

I bring up the camera’s display. It’s a dude in some yellow safety vest and helmet. He’s over dressed for the ambient temperate and he’s literally in my yard walking back and forth poking at the ground. There’s no insignia on his clothing, not even a company name stenciled on the safety vest. What the hell is this guy doing?

I pull on a pair of shorts & head for the front door. My trusty baseball bat is in its usual position next to the front door.

As I step out on my front deck he’s startled. 

“Can I help you?” I ask.

He mutters something about looking at the electric poles.

I point out that the electric poles are currently behind him, and typically one looks UP at the poles, and does not poke around in the dirt in someone’s yard to inspect them.

Then he references the pole behind my house, not on my property, which does not supply power to my house and in fact is supplying a home the next street down.

I say, “That pole is not mine, not on my property, does not supply my house, and is accessible from the next road down.”

Then he starts to get snippy and agitated. At this point, I reach inside for my trusty baseball bat.

Seeing the bat, and my obvious willingness to casually hit a home run with his head, he backs out of my yard and makes like he’s inspecting the power poles at the front of my property.

He might legitimately have been working for one of the contracting fucks employed by the electric company.

But if so, why was he wandering around my yard and up the side of my house? Why was his face covered? Why did his safety helmet and vest both look like they’d been pulled brand new out of a box? Where was his vehicle?

Even if he was one of the contractors, was this guy scoping out my house and others on the street with the intention of making a little side money by breaking and entering?

I don’t know, but he disappeared pretty quickly after our encounter. Notably, he went back downhill without “Inspecting” any other poles on the street.

Shortly after, I took the dog for a walk. No sign of the guy, There is one of the contractors trimming trees about 1/2 mile away. They’ve screwed up the traffic for people trying to get in or out of this part of town. 1 mile further down on the highway there’s another crew who’ve got power lines on the ground from one side of the wash to the other. Jesse was not amused that we couldn’t get to our normal walking path because of these workmen.

They were literally cutting the tops of power poles off. I’ve noticed that some poles are being replaced throughout town, so maybe that’s what this is about. 

But why was this guy wandering around acting all shady?

Maybe I’m just too suspicious. Then again maybe not…

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Saw this and well, does Spanish have a word for Irony?

Caught this one on Breitbart. 

Anti-Immigration Protests Erupt in Mexico: ‘Respect My Culture’

Protest in mexico 640x480.In Mexico City, Mexicans are protesting against foreign nationals.

Yeah, you read that right. 

The people of Mexico have every right to want their culture preserved. They have every right to demand that long term residents learn Spanish, and not screw up the housing market for Mexican Citizens. 

Seems perfectly reasonable to me, it’s their Country.

But it’s really ironic that Mexico’s government was badmouthing people in the US for having similar sentiments, just a few months ago.

It’s also super interesting that not one of the main stream media corporations has said word one about Mexicans wanting presumably legal foreigners to go home. Nor have they explained how Mexicans in Mexico are different from Americans in wanting their culture preserved. Surely, the average Mexican is morally superior somehow when they’re protesting against foreigners, versus The nasty evil racist Americans.

While ICE in American is deporting illegals, and liberals have their panties in a wad about it, Mexico may be on the cusp of telling legal long term visitors to their country to get the fuck out. I can hardly wait to see Mexico’s ICE equivalent, (A.K.A. The Mexican Military) shoving foreign nationals into train box cars, or planes, and sending them home.

Do you suppose Mexican Liberals will take to the streets demanding that the deportations stop?

Not bloody likely.

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Maybe these people should look inward

In an article on 9to5 Mac a group called Extinction Rebellion vandalized the Apple 5th Avenue Apple Store spray painted by protesters calling for company to dump Trump.jpg.Store in New York. (The article is here)

Some other Climate idiot glued himself to a Trader Joes Freezer. Another Eco-idiot glued her hands to a counter at a business, then proceeded to berate people attempting to actually do business and pay their bills. Yet more idiots defaced more works of art, and still others graffitied a bunch of boats at a marina.

None of these people seem to realize that the chemicals used to clean the paint and glue off these various items is quite a bit harsher to the environment than whatever they’re bitching about.

Apparently these particular XR morons are upset that Apple CEO Tim Cook made some donation to Trump.

Give me a break! Apple has been pushing for a green agenda for a while now and their products and packaging are perhaps among the most responsibly produced in the industry.

XR (Extinction Rebellion) is just upset that Tim Cook even spoke to Trump.

I’d say that XR needs to look in their own pockets. I’d bet at least 80% of them have Apple iPhones. And probably not just iPhones, but the latest model to boot. I’d be willing to bet that most of those people upgrade their phones on a yearly basis. 

While they’re screaming about hypocrisy, they’re conveniently ignoring what their personal upgrade schedule does to the environment.

Sure if they’re trading in their iPhones to Apple then most of the materials are being recycled into new devices by Apple.

But what about the lithium in the batteries? What about the child labor used world wide to mine lithium, cobalt, and other elements necessary for those batteries? What about strip mining, and water contamination all in the cause of producing their shiny new iPhones that they dutifully buy year in and year out?

Yeah…

They conveniently ignore those issues because that’s happening in another country. Instead these idiots choose to worry about a donation from Tim Cook (not Apple) to Trump. What? Tim Cook can’t have a personal opinion? He’s not allowed to spend his money however he wants? Really? I thought all these protestors were about free speech and being allowed to do whatever the hell they wanted. 

Ohhhh I misunderstood. Those rules only apply if the group approves. Right, got it.

Even if they’re using Android based phones, the problem remains. The raw materials have to come from somewhere and the mining of those materials is devastating to the local environment.

Maybe these people could do something really constructive. Instead of calling for boycotts, maybe they could start an initiative called “Keep your devices until they die”

You know, only replace a device when it ceases to function, or can’t be repaired anymore.

They could do an annual recognition of the people with the oldest functional devices and how amazing those folks were for walking the walk and talking the talk.

That would be environmentally responsible! In fact, it would make a statement that I could get behind. Use less, recycle more. Use the hiker’s motto, “Leave no trace”.