difference between unemployed & unemployable

Lots of smart economists and policy makers have been debating whether the problems in the job market are primarily cyclical (that is, temporary, and related to slack demand) or primarily structural (that is, reflecting a deeper problem in the economy, such as a tougher mismatch between the skills employers want and the skills workers have)... That kind of discussion misses an important point: Cyclical unemployment can become structural unemployment because perfectly good workers become less employable the longer they are out of work. From my point of view, I'm taking a different, street level look at this... A recent survey showed that as many as 100,000 graduates are currently still unemployed.

A friend of mine that's an HR director had a conversation and she is not surprised at the high unemployment rates. "There is a lot of difference between the Gen Y employees now than employees before," she said. "In the past, the older generation grew up being told that they need to get a job and work their way up, even if they have to take two buses just to get to work every day." It is now the employees market, she said. "Employers are desperate. It's the truth. Employees can pick and choose the jobs they want." But the KICKER is Gen Y employee is demanding and have NO work ethic. "They want money, they want lots of time to themselves, comfort, and they feel that they have a right to say what they feel and think. They want the easy life, they don't want to work their way up and they are not willing to make sacrifices. I'll explain why I say this: The first: I've had graduates come in and the first thing they ask me is the location of the workplace. They will then ask me if there is transport there (either public or company) and if I say no, then they will not even consider taking the job." She cites one example of a mass-hire by a very well-known company: This company wanted to hire over 100 fresh graduates, but of the 100 they offered, only 18 accepted the job offer. The rest had turned it down mostly due to transport issues or hours, or naturally money.

"They ask me: Is it 9 to 5? They will tell me that they do not want to stay back and work overtime, and they do not want to work weekends. A large majority of graduates are like that and it worries me. I want to tell them the realities of life, and that nothing ever comes easy."

What am I suppose to wear? Should I shave? Can I have braids (or dreads)? Public Piercing? and of course, Tats? In-person interviews, at least, have rules. Brush your teeth. Don't swear. But phone interviews? Are kind of open as long as you get rid of that morning FROG in your throat... Do NOT Ask can we conduct the interview over Twitter or Facebook Another huge, huge problem that needs to be looked into immediately is the command of language, especially English. "The fact is: Almost all companies want candidates who can speak English well, or at least well enough. Things in our education system should have improved but they seemed to have gotten worse to the point where I wondered how they graduated in the first place. Some candidates can barely understand a word of English. Some of them just don't think about the importance of a good command of English until they come out to the working world and see the reality."

If your interviewer does not ask you to sit down, don't. Don't just come in and sit down without being invited to. Or ask if you can, if the interviewer forgets. And give a firm handshake. The handshake is more important than you think.

A limp handshake and a slouched demeanor screams sloppy, unorganized or worse, disrespectful.

d (arThe Conclusion

It isn't that there are no opportunities out there. It is whether the candidates want to seize them and get the job. So many websites like Jobstreet.com, JobsDB.com or Yahoo! Jobs give useful tips on how to behave during an interview or how to write the correct resume.

And there are positives to the Gen Y employee that all employers are coming around to accept: They are more outspoken, braver, and not afraid to tell you what they want.

So don't let this be the good advice that you didn't take, and learn from the mistakes in this story to snag that job you want.

So what do you guys think?

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