"So tell me about yourself...."

What a boring question that is.
The answer's not boring, but the oft-repeated question is.
Well, okay.
Here's every job I've ever had, in chronological order, starting at age 11!
Gas station attendant
Bakery order packer
KFC cook
Road crew worker
Trucking crew assisant
Burger King cook
KFC cook again
Accounting assistant, Public School bus garage
Retail clerk, Sears Automotive
Foundry worker (shakeout, grinder)
Plaster caster
Dishwasher
Bartender
short order cook
prep cook
Theatre usher, janitor, box office and concession worker
Theatre manager
Receptionist
Factory line worker
Medical kit assembly
Retail commission sales
Assistant manager, video store
Personal care attendant
Papermaking assistant
Art exhibition setup
Teaching assistant, summer program
Adjunct faculty, technical college
Adjunct faculty, art college
Crew leader assistant, US Census
Adjunct faculty, art college
So what's the point?
Very few of us have direct paths, yet the job hunting process is geared towards only recognizing specific, directed skills.
"have you done this all your life?"
"Not yet..."
This is in part due to marketplace strictures. After all, if you have a choice between someone with 45 years of direct experience and someone with 45 years of transferable skills, it's likely that you'll hire the former.
But you could be doing yourself a disservice.
Someone with a wide range of experience knows how to adapt to different environments. That person also has skills and confidence in a wide range of areas. You're missing a bet by not hiring that person!
Of course, this is a call for an employer to hire me, but it's also a general call for a new vision on the part of employers.
Not giving someone a chance to use any of their skills wastes all those skills.

Photo from the Library of Congress Archive!

Keep on Working!

This is work, but it's also a joy.
But then, most work is, in one way or another.
Bear with me.
I'm jobless at the moment. But I still have plenty of work to do.
I'm far from alone in these things these days.
Yet most advice I get, from professionals or acquaintances, despite being very well intentioned, drives me up the wall. there's things about this situation that you don't fully get unless that's where you are.
So rather than fume about it, I've decided to try to come to terms with the situation and my response to it.
This blog is an ongoing record of my attempt to understand and thrive in a world that's always eluded me (by choice, design, or a combination of the two) - the world of business and money. I'm no stranger to various kinds of work, but parts of that world... hmm...
Two or three times a week, circumstances permitting, I will post thoughts and updates. I'd like to see something pragmatic on these issues. Most books or professionals in the field address the situation of unemployment and underemployment in a way that seems to miss something. So I'd like to offer more of an insider's view.
Sometimes it will be philosophical, sometimes sad, sometimes exuberant. These are tough times, and hard to understand. I'll post strategies and results, and invite my readers to do the same.
I'll try to make it worth reading, and fun to read. It will be honest writing, but nobody likes a sad chick, so I'll keep it balanced.
I'll leave this opening salvo with a song I've always loved. It's on point, but I'm really nowhere near as morose as the song suggests!