Job Search

A friend of mine received a termination notice last month. A disaster for him because he's got all sorts of financial problems. For the last 3 weeks, we (several other friends and me) have been frantically trying to help him find another position. So I've been spending all my time online, working on his CV and cover letters, registering him on all sorts of websites etc.....We've all been running around calling everyone we know, trying to pull strings to get him employed asap.

It's been draining and frustrating because after all this, all we managed to get is one lousy offer in Al-Ain which wouldn't be enough to help him survive i.e.(eat and pay rent) - let alone keep up with his loans and credit cards etc...

Tomorrow is his last day at the old job. As of next Sunday he is officially unemployed. And I am tired. We're all tired of waiting and hoping everyday that someone will call him or answer even one of the hundreds of emails we sent on his behalf. And if we're tired, imagine how he must feel.

Funny how hard it is to find a job when you have so little time. It's not like the guy is a bum. He's a civil engineer. True, he's young and doesn't have a lot of experience but how are you supposed to get experience if no one will give you a job? It's crazy how everyone only wants to employ people with 10 years of experience or something. Is it the field he's in? I don't know. I don't remember things ever being that tough in IT.

I am so sad for him. He's just a kid. And he has so many family responsibilities. And what is he supposed to do? I mean, it's not like he lost his job because he did anything wrong. He lost it because the project he was working on finished and the company doesn't currently have positions in any other project for someone 'with his experience'. And they admit that he did a great job. So great that the work finished well ahead of schedule which ironically, resulted in his being let go before he had time to find another position. So he got fired for getting the job done and getting it done well.

It's driving me crazy. I know I'm getting too involved but I can't help it. None of us can. He's the youngest in the group which makes us all kind of protective of him. And it always made me sad that he has so much to deal with at such a young age. I mean, the kid is turning 25 on the 31st of this month. That's like total babyhood in my book. His father is dead and he has a mother and 4 younger siblings back home who are 100% dependant on him to survive. He hasn't told them yet that he's out of work.

Last night he broke down and cried infront of me and D. Of course it made us both cry too. The kid reminds me of my little brother and I can't bear to see him so scared.

My Personal Hate Hate Hate List

1) Clients who micro-manage: Why do people hire consultants at exoibrant rates only to refuse to listen to them and insist on deciding even the most insignificant detail themselves even when they plainly don't know what they're talking about??!!!

2) Dirty old men: Enough said.

3) People who ask you to do them a favor and then when you do it, never bother to say thanks but instead start criticizing how you went about it. The question that springs to mind is if they can do it better than why ask you? Do they think you've got nothing better to do than solve their problems?

4) Women who only pretend to be your friend so they can flirt with your husband and then have the nerve to lecture you about things like your ankles showing while you're praying or the fact that you hold your fork in your left hand.

5) People who offer unsolicited pity and compassion because you've been married for over a year and you still don't have kids. And people who ask you everyday if you're not pregnant.

6) Uncomfortable shoes that look good but maim your feet when you wear them.

7) People who persistently direct profanities at you even after you've made it clear you don't find this charming or funny and even though you never use that kind of language to them. Which part of I find this offensive is so obscure and difficult to grasp?

8) Having to wear contacts on tired, red, inflamed eyes because you can't see enough to do any work otherwise. Why can't I find the perfect pair of glasses? And why do I have a mental block against being seen in glasses?

9) People who double-park. And people who insist on parking their cars so close to yours that you can't open your driver's door - or get in if you manage to open it - and you wind up having to crawl in through the passenger's door. I HATE HATE HATE bad parkers!

10) People who won't stop trying to bribe you. Don't they realize that if you were corrupt you'd have jumped at the first hint rather than wait for the 155th? Am I the only one who finds the constant suggestion that I am cheap/corrupt/dishonest insulting?

Corruption is so mainstream here that such people actually expect YOU to be tactful to THEM for fear you might hurt their sensitive feelings by refusing to accept a bribe from them!