*throws up hands*

Bankruptcy Status: No news is good news! About 30 days left in the 60-days club.

Interview Count for Hubby: 5 interviews in 6 weeks
Interview Count for Me: 0

I do have an interview today at 3:00. I would be an excellent choice for them. I'm not just saying that, either; I know I can land this job. The only question is whether or not they're actually going to pay enough.

It's really frustrating to look through craigslist.org and some of the other sites we use. It's obvious that the majority of companies are taking advantage of the sheer number of hungry unemployed workers and paying as little as possible. $8-$12 for bookkeepers (oh, and please have a 4-year degree and be bilingual), minimum wage-$9 for office help, maybe $10 for an executive assistant. It's crazy.

Today I have to really steel myself. I have no idea what the position pays. Very few list that on the job sites. It's a waste of our time and theirs! I'd never bother to apply to certain ones if I knew they were paying peanuts, and to go through the interview process and get all parties excited only to find out the pay is terrible... ugh.

So part of me is expecting to laugh out loud at what they're going to offer this afternoon. Then I have to decide if it's worth taking a job that pays very little compared to what a fair wage actually is. If it's more than retail, then isn't that great? If it's more than nothing...

If I sound a little disgruntled it's because we've sent out over 100 resumes and had very little response. The number of jobs posted each day is still significant, but those that apply to our skill sets are limited, and then ones that pay more than he's making on unemployment are few and far between.

I hope I go in there, find it's a great place, and get a decent offer. *crosses fingers*

The other thing I noticed is that people are not negotiating. If they don't like what you're thinking you should be paid, they don't even counter offer. They simply thank you for your time and hire the person who requested less.

On a job where the range is $x-$y, I don't understand this. If we're within the $y amount, and a great choice for the job, why choose someone who's asking $x but has less experience? If you only want to pay $x, then only offer $x. Does that make sense? Why even dangle that carrot?

And people are taking the jobs for less. "A job to keep a roof over my head? Heck, I'll do it for a waiter's wage and pray like hell I get tips, just HIRE ME!"

Hubby's response to the whole thing is, "I could work at Target for $8.50 an hour and have no responsibility. For $10.00 an hour to do what I was making $44,000 a year for, and have all kinds of responsibility isn't worth it."

Now I feel like a cocky primadonna who's too good to get my hands dirty.

But that's not it.

I helped my dad at his retail shop from the time I was 12.

I got my first job on my own as soon as I turned 14 and was made third key within a month. I held a job all through high school, all through college, then did two internships (one unpaid, one paid min wage, both were about 4 months long). I took an entry level job at the next place so I could work myself into the position I really wanted. Then, after going to school again, I started my own business, working part time while I built it.

I've paid my dues, damnit. I don't want to file and fax and lick someone's shoes for $9/hour. I was making a hell of a lot more than that just eight years ago.

Okay... this turned into a rant. Sorry!