Thursday, March 13, 2008

Post Sept. 11 Society/Harder to gain employment/no privacy anymore

I've noticed since Sept. 11, that it is much tougher to gain employment. We are so high security and paranoid as a society that we are expecting too much from applicants. For example, in the 2 years that I was in Indiana, I was not able to so much as get a job interview at the mall. Most companies wanted to do a credit check. (which I can't pass)

Everywhere now, we are warned not to give out our social security numbers indiscriminately, yet, if you don't, the employer will just hire the next guy who comes along who "isn't so difficult."

One day I asked the employer why they were checking my credit. (For god sakes, it's a minimum wage job!) He replied: "Well, if the employee has bad credit then we can't trust him to run the register, he might steal from us."

My thoughts. So the logic is that if you are poor, you are unethical? That's not fair! Even if I hadn't eaten in 3 days I couldn't steal. And I have been put to those kinds of tests already in my life!

I've filled out some awfully intrusive applications in my life, but the one I had to fill out last weekend for a nanny job, took the cake.

1. what does your mother do for a living?
2. your father?
3. do you have a boyfriend?
4. what is your health history?
5. what medications are you on?
6. what has your address been for the last 7 years?
7. are you hiv positive?
8. what is your mother's father's and siblings health history?

Apparently, it is an organization online called nannies plus, who are providing these apps. My friend, a therapist said to me what I always think: Elana, it's not even legal for them to ask you this stuff.

I replied: But if you don't answer it, then they'll just go ahead and hire someone who will!

What are your thoughts on this subject dear reader? Have you noticed how much more difficult it is to get work post September 11th? Or in general?

3 comments:

Ghosty said...

I've had better employment since 9/11, but that's probably due to getting the heck out of Florida. :)

In any case, nannies should be much more closely scrutinized than normal - they are caring for someone else's kids. I'd be taking the fine-tooth comb to anyone spending the day with my children (if I had them), I'd want a nanny agency to do the same.

Anonymous said...

ghosty....

I'm in Florida right now and I hate it here!!!!! The weather, the people, the awful driving......even though I don't drive, I notice that there are a lot of bad drivers down here. Yes I agree that nannies should be scrutinized but what Elana posted from the nanny agency is rather ridiculous. Who says that an HIV positive person cannot be a good nanny? After all the person is supposed to care for the kids not have sex with them, so they should n't have to worry about passing HIV to the kids. (devil's advocate line to my own argument: there some crazies out there who are vindictive and would want to pass the disease to as many people as possible. True enough. I've heard of that before)
What meds are you on? Well that is private information and people have the right to keep it private. Discrimination against people for having certain conditions, as Elana mentions her therapist pointing out to her, is patently illegal.

Family health history: now its really silly season.

Please don't see this as poking fun at anyone. That's just the way I write sometimes.....

Ivan
the others have gone to bed already and I am heading there myself

btw, to get to my blog, you just have to click on my name where I've commented.

elana r. snyder said...

Thank u athena, u get it!