It's A Hellish Time To Be Unemployed.

It's a hellish time to be unemployed.

"AI" has enshittified already-terrible ATS (applicant tracking system) software, making it even harder to get your resume seen by a human.

Text-generated AI spam applications means that new jobs are being posted for 2 days before being closed because they're being flooded with hundreds of fake applicants.

HALF of hiring managers admit they think it's acceptable to post fake jobs, and two fifths say they've done it in the past year.

So it's no surprise that nearly 4 months after being laid off, my job hunt is Not Going Well. And today I broke 3 digits on job applications!

My job hunt in 2022 was hellish - 127 job applications and 17 companies interviewed with to get my last job. And yet, I'd give just about anything to go back to THAT job landscape and not this enshittified nightmare fuel hellscape.

There's been this promotion running at Loblaw-owned grocery stores (one of the 2 major chains in Canada) for several weeks where the cashiers have been asking if you want any "limited edition" Marvel trading cards. And I guess everyone's been saying no, because today...

So naturally I had to check in with my 12 y.o. when I got home.

Me: Okay, C. I need you to confirm something for me as a marketer. How long has it been since anyone in your class cared about the Avengers?

C: [stares at me blankly for several seconds]

Me: Do you not remember?

C: ...kindergarten...????

Which goes to confirm my theory that this whole promotion was some out-of-touch C-level executive going THE, UH, MARVEL... SOMETHING... UNIVERSE? WE'RE DOING THAT. KIDS LOVE THAT SHIT, and then MULTIPLE corporate departments of people being too afraid to tell this guy that he's an out-of-touch moron.

I'm now a marketer, but a long time ago, I used to work for a company that did this type of promotional printing, and I can guarantee that:

At least 3 different departments in Loblaw had to sign off on this

Disney's legal department made everyone who touched this project at any point hate the entire thing from top to bottom.

Somewhere between 20 and 30 people ended up wanting to psychically incinerate the exec who thought of this by the time the promotion launched.

Some middle-level marketing manager is crying about how they're going to create vanity metrics to measure that won't make this look like a complete and total waste of time and money.

So yeah. This whole thing is deeply hilarious to me, specifically, from top to bottom.

Part 8 on ao3

Got this form rejection email from a job I applied to back in July:

Go to update my job hunting spreadsheet, see that they ALREADY REJECTED ME A MONTH AGO. Which feels very

so that's fun

One of the dudes at my kung fu school is being really sweet and earnest in trying to support me about starting HRT, since I've been worried about how people will react.

(To be clear, everyone was chill and supportive when I came out as trans and changed my name three years ago But being NB, I know that there are going to be folks who are weird in a well intentioned but clueless kind of way)

Anyway, he just sent me this message and. Like. If a 50+ white guy martial artist can be like this, it gives me hope that maybe it won't always be this terrible.

The text:

Thought of you the other day watching Star Trek Voyager.

And the Vulcan IDIC.

Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations

From ChatGPT:

The Vulcan IDIC, or "Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations" is a concept from the Star Trek universe, specifically from the Vulcan culture. It represents the idea that the vast array of differences in the universe, whether in terms of species, philosophies, or cultures, is a source of strength and beauty. The symbol of the IDIC is a circle overlaid with a triangle, with a gemstone in the center, representing the harmony of diversity within unity.

The IDIC is a core value of Vulcan philosophy, emphasizing the value of understanding, respecting, and embracing the differences that make up the universe, rather than seeking to eliminate or homogenize them. This concept signs with the Vulcan principle of logic, as diversity is seen as a necessary component of a complete and logical understanding of the universe.