You Never Get A Second Chance To Make A First Impression

For those of you who have been following my blog (or my life for that matter!) you know that I’ve been waiting for my TSA background check to go through. Well, no good news today either. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. After calling to check yet again, and having the wonderfully polite automated voice tell me that the background check was still in process and to please try again later, I did a little research. What I found was not comforting.

When the TSA is operating normally, it can take THREE WEEKS for your background check to clear. With them telling me there was a freeze and they couldn’t tell me when it would be lifted, I have NO IDEA when I’m going to be able to start this job. Yet the bills don’t stop coming.

And just to ice that cake, T has had no luck either. Even at the day labor temp place, if you’ve been there before, you get the jobs, and if not, well…sorry.

T’s main problem is that he can’t get someone to just give him a CHANCE. He spent 3 years as a stay-at-home dad, because it was cheaper than him working a minimum wage job and us paying for daycare. (And where we were at, there weren’t many jobs that were more than minimum wage, and none that you could get without experience.) Yes, that was our choice, but it was the only choice that made sense for our family. Before that, he did odd jobs here and there, a lot of things online (graphics, basic web site stuff), but nothing you can really put on a job application or resume. He didn’t really “need” a full-time job, because I had a good job, and things were taken care of.

So it looks on paper like he’s never had any real work history. And to top it off, the one “real” job that he had fired him for ridiculous reasons.

Can you tell any of this to a potential employer? Nope. Not even a staffing company or fast-food joint will listen.

Here we have an able-bodied, hard working father looking to at least HELP support his family, and NO ONE will give him a chance. He wants to work. Like yesterday. He wants to start a career. He wouldn’t mind getting a degree, but right now, with our financial situation, that’s not an option. Our bills were due like yesterday, too.

So I thought I’d put it out there.

If any of you are in the Portland/Vancouver area, and are or know somebody willing to give a hard-working husband and father a chance to be the man he wants to be, comment here or shoot me a message on Facebook.

He has ridiculously good computer skills. He has general labor skills. He’s done warehouse and production work.  He can pass a drug test and background check. He has a vehicle. He’s smart (and pretty funny, if I do say so myself), and can learn anything quickly and easily. And right now, he’s willing to do ANYTHING. If only somebody would give him the chance.

He’ll even shave off his beard if you want him to. And that’s saying a LOT.

They say a large percentage of getting a job right now is who you know. Well, we don’t know a lot of people down here yet, but through the wonderful world of the internet, I know you. And you know people. And they know people…

So shoot me a message. Hell, if this works, I may start a blog for others looking to do the same thing. Everybody needs a little help sometimes, and I’m all about returning the favor!