Confessions of a Job Seeker

 Late last year while I was visiting friends in a sunny locale, I decided that I wasn't going to be an office drone for much longer. I was getting tired of doing highly repetitive work and dealing with corporate culture in general. I cut ties with my former employer at the end of the following month. I realized that I liked working from home and decided to pursue that avenue. 

It hasn't been easy, but I've found a few good opportunities that keep me busy. I'm spending less on work clothes and the daily commute and I can actually get out and enjoy nature when I want. Doing the same thing for 4+ years made me realize what I was missing out on. 

Looking for work is a full-time job. It's something that I've had to focus on. I've always been good at setting goals and sticking to my calendar. However, the things I can't control in life are usually what frustrate me the most. With that in mind, here are a few things that I've learned during my pursuit of a meaningful career:

1. Communication is a two-way street. One of the biggest challenges I've faced is being ghosted by potential employers. Not hearing back after an application isn't a big deal for me. I'm more concerned about the lack of communication by companies after I've interviewed with them. After all, it takes a few seconds to send a brief message. Ghosting candidates who can do the work and are genuinely interested in the job that you're offering isn't cool. 

A few months ago, I had what I thought was a good interview with a local firm. I was informed that I'd hear from them by the end of the week. When Friday came and went without a response, I reached out. I got a message a few days later saying that their search process was over. I knew that I didn't make the cut, but they didn't follow through on their promise to let me know about their decision. That's what irked me. 

2. Applicants don't like jumping through hoops. Some employers ask a lot of external candidates. They have to apply online, submit their information, take a personality test and maybe go through a series of interviews. I don't like duplicating work, which unfortunately is something that several organizations do. They want you to fill out their application, including questions that can already be answered by the information that's already on your profile and/or resume. If something's optional, I'm going to skip it. I don't have time to enter the same data multiple times in multiple places. Keep things simple. People's attention spans are short, and if they don't have to fill in optional items, they probably won't.

3. Never work for free. There have been a few instances when I've been asked to complete writing or editing assignments for prospective employers. I don't mind doing that, as long as I'm fairly compensated for my efforts. If a task requires more than an hour to complete, candidates should be paid for their work. There's nothing worse than taking time out of your everyday tasks to complete an assignment only to be rejected, unpaid for your work or worse yet, learning that your creations were later implemented by the company that rejected you!

4. Take the process seriously. I've had a few interviews with people representing organizations who really seemed like they could care less about the particular interview. I remember one interview that I had with a HR rep, who seemed to be much more interested in playing with her hair than actually conducting the interview. When I asked her a few job-specific questions, she told me that she couldn't answer them. She didn't refer them to anyone in the company who could answer those inquiries either. I wasn't surprised to not hear from the company again for several weeks, but after reading employee reviews, I feel like I dodged a bullet. It wasn't a company I would have been happy working at anyway.

5. Recruiters need to pay attention. I get messages from recruiters several times a week. Most of them don't really seem to listen to what candidates are looking for, and many of them are terrible at following up. I get that they have certain spots to fill, but trying to get me to take a job that's hundreds of miles away from where I live simply isn't realistic. If you are a recruiter, please take the time to listen to and actively communicate with the candidates that you're contacting. 

Well, that's all I have for now. I could go on for days, but I don't want to get carried away. Until next time, take care and have a great week!

Birthday Blahs

 Well, another birthday has come and gone. Celebrated a milestone birthday the other day. Had as much fun as I could, even though I didn't particularly start the week feeling like celebrating.

The week began like normal. Early on, I had a family issue that left me in a negative frame of mind. It was something that was out of my control, but of course it had to happen during my birthday week. I tried not to let it affect me too much, but it wasn't something that I could easily ignore, either.

I tried to keep the person in question out of mind as much as possible. When the birthday rolled around, I went out to lunch with Mom at one of our favorite restaurants. I was pleased to see some wonderful birthday greetings from friends and relatives on my social media pages. I went to a big league ball game that evening, and even though my team lost and didn't play well, I still enjoyed going to a game on a nice night. I also bought myself a few souvenirs while I was there.

Yesterday, I was looking forward to going to lunch with a few friends. I think that I invited about 40 friends via social media to a low-key lunch. I had never created a social media invite for anything before. A few people let me know that they weren't going to be able to attend, and I was fine with that. I didn't invite a lot of people, and I didn't invite anyone from out of state. I also knew that a few people already had plans that weekend, which I understood as well and I didn't invite them for that reason.  If I didn't have the family thing going on at the time, I probably would have followed up with people who said that they were interested or didn't reply to the invite. I'm sure that there were people that I forgot to invite, but I did share the event a few times, so that anyone who wanted to go would be welcome to do so. 

When it was time for lunch, only one friend showed up. I was disappointed, but tried not to let that show. I had a great conversation with my friend, and I feel like our friendship got stronger. I'm glad that we've gotten to know each other much better than we did when we went to school together. I'm very happy that we make an effort to be in each other's lives.

Afterwards, I ran an errand and treated myself to a movie. I turned down an invite by a friend who couldn't make lunch to listen to live music last night because I just wasn't feeling up to it. I was kind of worn down from the week, and I was tired too. I started feeling tired during the movie, but I apologized to my friend and offered to go out to lunch with them at another time.

I know now that it's fairly common nowadays for people to bail on birthdays and other special events. I've read several articles and blog posts where this has happened. This surprised me at first, because it's contrary to how I was raised. When I was little, being invited to and attending someone's birthday party was a big deal. You were expected to attend and bring a gift. It seems like birthdays kind of get progressively worse when you get older.

I still had a good birthday in spite of all that happened. I took the weekend off from work and I'm going to reevaluate my associations with the friends who didn't respond to the birthday invite. I'm also learning to show more appreciation for the people who did reach out to wish me well and put a smile on my face. Maybe I need to concentrate on the quality, not quantity, of the friends that I have. I don't think that I'm going to plan any more get-togethers, unless it's a meal with family which is something that I do for all of my birthdays. I'll also probably be less likely to attend or respond to events from people who ignored my invite. Some of them may need to be downgraded from friends to acquaintances. 

I'll still concentrate on following my dreams and doing more of what I want to do. I have a few concerts on tap, and I'm looking forward to seeing a few friends from other states there and some of my favorite bands. It'll take a few days to forget about the negative and focus on the positive. The family stuff will sort itself out over time. 

Well, that's all for now. Time to do more reading, writing and enjoying my favorite entertainment programs. Until next time, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another. 

Bucky's Rant - Summer 2022

 Hi everyone,

It's been a while since I've had time to write in my personal blog. Been busy with freelance articles and trying to find a good full-time job. A lot has happened since my last post. Thought I'd take a few minutes to rant about what's been going on lately. Here we go!

1. We have a gun problem in America. The tragic mass shooting on July 4th in Highland Park, IL was the 309th mass shooting in the U.S. and the 95th mass shooting since the incident in Uvalde, TX back in May. We've already had more than 1,500 mass shootings in this country since 2020 began. 

Other countries have gun ownership, violent video games, people with drug and alcohol issues, mental health concerns and other issues. Yet we consistently have to deal with mass shootings every week. People are scared to go out in public for this very reason.

We also have more guns than people in America. We have politicians who refuse to do anything to introduce or support gun reform laws because they've received significant campaign contributions from the National Rifle Association and other pro-gun groups. It's interesting reading posts made by politicians who blame everything BUT guns for mass shootings. They really let you know where their own personal interests lie.

It's beyond time to take gun violence seriously in the United States. No civilian should own a weapon that is capable of carrying bullets that can rip through bone, tissue and internal organs. These weapons are not intended for anything but seriously wounding or killing intended targets. Many avid hunters that I know are wondering why anyone would need this kind of gun anyway. It's time to ban assault weapons and require that gun owners pass a safety course and background check and take out liability insurance. If a gun that they own is used to wound or kill someone, they should be held responsible, whether they pulled the trigger or not. 

2. Donald Trump is not a nice guy. As the January 6th committee hearings have continued, it's become increasingly obvious that the self-proclaimed stable genius is nothing more than a sore loser. He tried to have the election results overturned and attempted to incite an insurrection, which resulted in injuries to 140 U.S. Capitol police officers. He also established a phony election defense fund that earned him about $250 million from his gullible followers. I'm still amazed that anyone still supports this awful excuse for a human being. 

3. The U.S. Supreme Court is anything but impartial nowadays. The recent Roe v. Wade reversal showed us that the current Supreme Court doesn't really care about what the majority of Americans want. I'm against the decision, because I've always felt that a woman's reproductive rights were her own business. It reverted abortion to individual state laws. A ten year old girl in Ohio was raped recently, and denied an abortion in her state. Her parents took her to Indiana to have an abortion, but that state is also making reforms which may make abortion illegal there before long.

For ectopic pregnancies and certain types of miscarriages, abortion is the only way to save the mother. Allowing abortion in cases of rape or incest is also being disallowed in certain states, which makes it easier for men to take advantage of women who are under age or not able to fend off their abusers. I'm also concerned that the Roe v. Wade reversal also sets a bad precedent for other cases. Justice Clarence Thomas has also suggested that rulings regarding contraception, same-sex relationships and same-sex marriages be reevaluated as well. This could lead to those decisions being reversed, which would set our country back even further than ever.

4. Inflation is a global problem. I have to laugh whenever I see someone blaming President Biden for inflation, when prices and inflation are up all over the world. There are many reasons for this, some of which solely fall in corporations' laps. Many companies are raising prices and making record profits while individuals and families struggle to make ends meet. 

Presidents have very little influence on prices or inflation, yet they always seem to be blamed for inflation anyway. This is nothing new. It's very frustrating to see one party propose legislation to combat inflation, only to have the other party criticize those measures and vote against them. I'm very tired of the us versus them ideology in American politics. I'm not Democrat or Republican. I vote for candidates based on their record. I want to see results instead of just opponent bashing. It's time to put aside petty political differences and work together to solve problems constructively. 

5. Separation of church and state matter. Contrary to what Lauren Boebert and certain others may believe, the United States was founded on secular values. Our founding fathers realized the importance of separating church and state. They didn't want one particular religion to have an unfair influence on government.

Unfortunately, it seems like there are too many people that feel like we need God in our schools and our government. I grew up Catholic, but I'm not devout or anything like that. I feel that it's important to believe in something, and that something will probably be different for everyone. You can't impose a certain religion or belief on someone else. Churches and religions should not be allowed to influence Supreme Court decisions or any other laws or rules. 

6. The world is still full of hate. I'm thankful every day that I grew up in a family of people from different races, religions and sexual orientations. It taught me to appreciate others for who they are as human beings. I always felt bad when I saw someone being picked on or made fun of just because they were different. We're all different. If we were all the same, life would be rather boring.

Sadly, racism, sexism and homophobia are still running rampant. I've read threads where people denigrate trans people who want to compete in sports. When I was a kid, we let anyone play who wanted to. We didn't care about race, sex or anything else like that. That's how things should be. Break the barriers and remove the categories and classifications. In my opinion, there should be leagues that let men, women and trans people all compete at the same level if they have the interest and ability to do so. May the best athletes prevail. 

Two years ago, my state endured one of the worst tragedies in our nation's history. George Floyd was no hero, but no one deserved to die like he did. I still find it hard to believe that there are people who think that Floyd died solely from fentanyl poisoning or that the cops did nothing wrong. I'm also struggling with the fact that a black man in Ohio resisted arrest and was shot more than 60 times by police officers. That same week, Highland Park shooting suspect, Robert E. Crimo III, a white man, also resisted arrest and was captured peacefully. There are too many incidents where white suspects are treated better than people of color by law enforcement, which leads me to believe that racism is still alive and well. It seems like we've forgotten or ignored many of the lessons of the past. 

Well, it's time for me to hop off of my soapbox. Some people will agree with what I've had to say, and others will dispute or refute it. They may be angry. That's fine. I'm all for civil debate. I draw the line at insults or degradation. You can make your point without trying to bring someone else down. Until next time, have a good week and don't forget to be kind to one another. 

 

Enough!

 Over the weekend, there were two shooting incidents in the United States which resulted in 11 deaths and multiple injuries. Gun violence happens so often in our country that we've become desensitized to it. It's a problem that can't be ignored any longer.

As of May 15th, 2022, there have been 198 mass shootings (where four or more people were injured and/or killed, except for the shooter) in the U.S. That's more than 10 shootings per week and more than one per day. There were 693 mass shootings in the United States in 2021 and 611 mass shootings in our nation in 2020.

Some people have been blaming television, movies and video games for the rise in violence. I had Star Wars and G.I. Joe action figures and vehicles when I was a kid. I also had toy guns and played video games such as Doom, Duke Nukem and the Grand Theft Auto titles. None of that ever made me want to shoot another person or even own a gun, for that matter. Of course, back then, I could go to the video arcade, attend school, roller skate and hang out with my friends without worrying about mass shootings, either, 

Mental health has also been brought up. Mental health is obviously important. People who shouldn't have guns or other weapons shouldn't have access to them. It's also time to consider background checks, safety training and ensuring that all firearms are unloaded and stored safely when not in use. 

Several Second Amendment and National Rifle Association (NRA) proponents have suggested that people who are opposed to gun violence want to take their guns away. No one wants your weapons. People want responsible gun ownership so that mass shootings will become a thing of the past. 

Every time a tragedy like this occurs, we see people extend thoughts and prayers to the victims. That's fine, but thoughts and prayers won't bring back people who were killed by a gun. They also won't prevent such acts from happening again. No one wants mass shootings. No more innocent lives need to be lost. It's beyond time to start taking gun violence seriously. If you're as concerned about this subject as I am, feel free to contact your state senator or representative. Start a conversation. It can't hurt to try.

Well, that's all that I have to say for now. Thanks for reading. Until next time, have a great day, everyone!

Bucky's Favorite Super Hero

My favorite cartoon hero has always been Popeye the Sailor. I grew up watching his cartoons religiously. I liked that he was the underdog and stood up against bullies. I started drawing him and his cast of characters, which I can still draw to this day.

The first comic book hero that I grew to admire was the Incredible Hulk. I loved the live-action show that starred Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno. The Hulk also stood up for underdogs, and made sure that the villains in each episode got what they deserved. I always felt bad for Dr. Banner, because he never knew where he would wake up next or what the Hulk had done. The sad outro piano theme by Joseph Harnell symbolized the kind nature and misfortunes of this misunderstood gentle giant.

I had a few Hulk toys, coloring books and games. My mom even made me a homemade Hulk costume for Halloween one year. All she had to buy was a plastic Hulk mask. The rest she created with items that were already at home. 

I didn't start reading super hero comics until I was about nine years old. My first non-kiddie or science fiction comic book was Marvel Two-In-One #76. That issue featured the Thing with guests Giant Man and Iceman who went up against the Ringmaster and his Circus of Crime. From there, I started reading more of Marvel's popular titles, including the Incredible Hulk. As I started reading more issues and growing my collection, I got to understand Bruce Banner and his emerald alter ego.

My favorite story line was written by Bill Mantlo and illustrated by the amazing Sal Buscema in the early 1980's. Banner finally gained mental control over the Hulk and was able to control the change. It was a good premise, one which led to an eventual pardon by the U.S. government. Unfortunately, the good days didn't last long. Banner was soon tormented in his dreams by the Dr. Strange villain Nightmare, and he eventually gave up the fight, allowing the Hulk to become a brainless, savage behemoth. 

The Hulk became such a danger to the world around him that his former Defender teammate Strange had no choice but to exile him to another dimension. The rise and fall of such a powerful character came out about the same time as Mantlo and Buscema's Skrull/Dire Wraith war in another Marvel mag, ROM: Spaceknight. 

As much as I like Spider-Man's origin, I've grown to appreciate the Hulk's beginning more. To me, the Hulk has been the physical manifestation of a person's anger and rage. I know all too well what it's like to have those types of feelings and emotions bottled up until they can't be contained any longer. 

Any good super hero story also has a key family component. In the Incredible Hulk #312, readers were able to get a glimpse into Banner's family life. Mantlo and artist Mike Mignola introduced us to Banner's parents, and we got to see where his softer and darker sides originated. 

There have been several incarnations of the Hulk since his debut in 1962. There have also been several other gamma-powered heroes and villains, such as the She-Hulk, Skaar (Hulk's son from another planet that we first saw during the Planet Hulk storyline), the Leader, the Abomination and others. The Hulk and Bruce Banner have been through just about everything a fan could imagine, but we keep coming back for more.

Heroes like the Hulk, Spidey, the Avengers, the X-Men and others give us hope. They're fantasies but they usually deal with problems and moral dilemmas that many of us can relate to. Diving into a good comic book series or graphic novel can keep us entertained and take our minds off of the outside for a little while too. Sometimes that break is very necessary.

Well, that's all for now. Until next time, have a great week, everyone! 

Scam Alert or If It Seems Too Good To Be True, It Probably Is

 Looking for jobs online is easier said than done. There's a lot of clutter to sort through. It can also be difficult at times to determine whether or not a job posting is legitimate.

I've identified several scams over the last several months. Here are a few tell-tale warning signs:

1. Email accounts that are not associated with a particular company. 

If you see an email address that's from Yahoo or Hotmail, for example, odds are that the job posting is a scam. Real job postings originate from actual companies. They should also have a contact form or contact information that you can use to verify if the person that you're receiving messages from actually works there.

2. You have to pay to get a job.

You should never need to pay a company or service anything to work for them. An employer will pay YOU for your time and effort. Sure, there are certain agencies that offer access to opportunities via paid memberships. You can pursue them at your own risk. Some of them may be worthwhile, while others could only be listings for jobs that either aren't available by the time you can get to them or they're just more frustrating than they're really worth. 

3. Interviews are conducted by text apps.

I've encountered a few scams where the interviewers have asked me to communicate via WhatsApp, Telegram and other text-only services. If you can't hear a person's voice or see their face on a Google, MS Teams or Skype interview, they've probably got something to hide.

4. The compensation is above industry average.

Take some time to research the average salaries for the positions that you're applying for in your area. If a job offer comes across offering far more than that amount, it's probably a scam. As I've stated in the title of this article, if something seems too good to be true, it probably is. 

5. You're asked to pay for or provide different equipment.

There are a few phony jobs that require certain programs and accessories. Read the descriptions and pay attention to them carefully. For instance, if an employer mandates a software program from 2009, it's not legit. Modern companies update their software regularly. 

A company may also ask you to pay for certain items for which you'll be reimbursed. The catch is that they want access to your bank account, credit card or other potentially sensitive information. This should be a huge warning sign. No legitimate company will ever ask for that data or have a candidate pay for the tools they need to do the job. Real jobs will provide the necessary training and equipment to employees at no charge to them. 

6. You qualify for multiple positions.

Have you ever applied for one job, and then received a response stating that you're qualified for multiple openings at the same company? I've seen this more than once. The latest scams offer as many as fifteen to twenty different jobs. This can take you by surprise, especially if you've applied to more jobs than you can remember. 

When in doubt, email or call the company that is supposedly sending you this offer. If you don't get a response or if the person that you talk to confirms that it's a scam, delete that email. Better yet, block the contact and report it.

These are just a few things that I've noticed recently. Working from home is challenging. It's hard enough trying to find reputable jobs with all of the scams that exist. In time, you'll know what's real and what isn't. Trust your gut instinct. If something feels or sounds wrong, you probably have very good reasons to question it. 

Well, that's all for now. Until next time, have a great week, everyone!

Writers' Rights

 I've been writing professionally for 20 years. It's a great creative outlet. I've received a lot of praise for my works, which is very humbling. I love being able to write about topics and causes that I'm passionate about.

Choosing to pursue writing as a vocation was challenging. I didn't know where to begin. I found a few freelance sites, and started ghostwriting for others for a while. I'm not particularly proud of everything that I've written but it was a learning experience that I'm thankful for. It got my foot in the door for some good opportunities. 

If you want a career in writing, you have my full support. GO FOR IT! Don't let anyone tell you that you can't do it. With that in mind, here are a few things to consider:

1. Don't write for free. Unless you're writing for fun or volunteering to write for a non-profit, you should be compensated fairly for your work. After all, you're taking time out of your day to work for organizations. It's okay to set your own prices and ask to be paid what you're worth.

This includes writing samples or test assignments for employers. Personally, I think that any work that takes more than an hour to complete should include financial compensation. Otherwise, you're just devaluing yourself. Also, the more that you work for free, the more others will come to expect it. 

2. Don't ghostwrite. If you want to make a name for yourself, don't ghostwrite works for others. Ghostwriting got me started in freelance writing, but it isn't a long-term career path for many (unless it pays really well). I'm thankful for the clients who have insisted that my name be added to any articles that I've written for them. Some companies may even ask you to create a profile which can help you get your name out there. 

3. Know your worth. After you've been writing for a while, you probably know how much your time and effort that was put into writing is worth. You can name a set price for each article or your daily output. Personally, I  prefer to set a price for how much I can write on a daily basis. After all, I've got bills to pay, and prices aren't decreasing.

4. Get credit where credit is due. One of the biggest frustrations that writers face is not being properly credited for their work, I remember a situation years ago where I was asked to rewrite marketing articles for a company that I worked for. I significantly revamped and improved the pieces that had been written by an intern. My colleagues were impressed by the final products You can only imagine my shock and disappointment when I found out that copy contained in the final brochures had the intern's byline on them. I wasn't given proper credit or recognition, which was one reason why I'm glad that I no longer work for that organization. You deserve full credit for any articles or other content that you spend time writing or revising.

Well, that's all for now. Writing can be frustrating, but if you love it, don't give up. There are plenty of customers and companies that reward hard work and like to showcase upcoming talent. Be persistent and work at your craft every day.

Until next time, have a great week, everyone!