I remember that well. I’d go down to the unemployment office, pick a job from the listings and I’d go check it out and if I wanted it, I’d take it.
You are absolutely correct Wiggins. My youngest has been in this situation for the past several months - apply, apply, apply - take assessment after assessment - had 4 interviews total out of hundreds of applications. Thankfully I can report though, he finally landed a full time job - minimum wage, entry level at Jiffy Lube (vacuuming cars and putting stickers on windshields) and starts Monday!
“You must take a test that they never tell you if you passed or not and no one ever calls you back. Yet when you go to the store or company you see people who can hardly speak English working there.”
That is so true, and it is getting worse. This is not just happening with landscapers & janitors anymore; I see it more & more with banks, supermarket cashiers, and even telemarketers (where years ago your initial call for the job was a type of interview - your phone manner and pronunciation were critical - and now you get calls from “Americans” that are barely intelligible). In my area (northern NJ) you can’t even get a job that requires interaction with people unless you speak Spanish or Portuguese (though they are expanding - I’m seeing ads requiring Hindi or Urdu as well); English speaking customers are just out of luck, having to deal with employees speaking English at a third-grade level.
I applied for a few jobs that way recently. If you take the test and complete it a pop up window opens asking if your getting certain types of government assistance. No. Your application goes to the circular file, yes, you get called in for the job. Why? The company gets a tax credit for hiring such folks.
P.S.
The kids can get through the test, but not the government assistance junk as their parents get that, not them or their parents are gainfully employed making the kids ineligible.