Fired for Now: Getting fired, laid off, and hired again

I’ve often been critical of companies or public figures here on Fired For Now for their behaviour or practices in the context of the recession.

This post is different. Below are real comments made on Twitter — or tweets — by ordinary people. I am blown away by the judgment, lack of sensitivity and sheer ignorance these comments show.  It’s one thing for those making multi-million dollar bonuses to be removed from reality, but when it’s taking place at the cubicle right next to you?

You all go up on my wall of shame.

[p.s. If you happen to be one of these … Continue Reading

It’s no secret that job loss can lead to depression and despair. When things seem unmanageable with no end in sight, it can also lead to a tragic ending. Yesterday, the Associated Press published a story about two brothers, third-generation car dealers Gregory and Randolph Graham, who are now dead following the slow collapse of their car dealership in Ligonier, Pennsylvania.

As the article explains, “Gregory, 61, went out to the dealership lot in the middle of the night last month, set fire to some of his vehicles and died of a heart attack next to the burning wreckage. Then, over … Continue Reading

Lululemon is pop culture’s answer to wearable spirituality. You don’t have to be spiritual. You don’t even have to do yoga. Pull on a $200+ Lululemon yoga outfit and voila – you’re surrounded by an aura of faux enlightenment that Lululemon parades on its shopping bags with its “manifesto” which is really just a random collection of sayings like:

“The pursuit of happiness is the source of all unhappiness.”

“That which matters most should never give way to that which matters least.”

Or this rather strangely-worded one:

“Children are the orgasm of life. Just like … Continue Reading

The idea of keeping up with the Joneses goes back long before the comic strip of the same name that popularized the phrase back in 1913. Comparing ourselves to others is a core part of forming our self-image.

And I can tell you one thing. I’m finished with it. Or, I hope, well on my way.

For a very long time I bought into several middle-class benchmarks that were supposed to validate where I am in my life.

Things like career. Home-ownership. Salary. Position. Savings. Investments. Possessions.

These are the symbols of success we’ve collectively accepted. Failure to methodically knock these … Continue Reading

Applying for jobs can be a numbers game. But what do you do to stay on top of the numbers?

When you start sending out dozens — or hundreds — of applications, it can be an organizational challenge to keep track of them all.

A couple of days ago, a reader by the name of Mike Marom got in touch with me to tell me about an online application he’s developing to do just that.

It’s called Becomed (becomed.com). Becomed helps you manage all your applications in one place. Also your resumes and your cover letters. (Of course, you’re customizing all your … Continue Reading

About three weeks ago I wrote a post about Google’s $6.3 million payout in bonuses to their senior management team. At that time I took some major heat for putting them on my wall of shame – not here, but on Open Salon where I also occasionally post.

Many felt that my outrage was unwarranted given the success of Google. The majority felt that since Google has been so successful as a company – and certainly in no need of government assistance – the bonuses were fair and reasonable.

But something’s … Continue Reading

I need to take a moment to call my own industry onto the carpet once again. But this time I’d love to get your impressions to determine if my impressions are off.

This time the ad in question is a new TV commercial from Gatorade featuring NBA star Kevin Garnett. It also features another Kevin who no one’s ever heard of. Just an ordinary Kevin who’s an amateur swimmer.

The commercial cuts back and forth between the two different Kevins, trading lines from their own points of view…. Continue Reading

Andrea & Sophie

The old expression used to be “What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.” The 2009 version of that may be “What doesn’t kill you, makes you happier.”

If you’re just newly unemployed, you may look at that with skepticism. Please don’t misunderstand. I will never minimize the hardship of losing a job. It can be brutal. However, it can also be transforming. I know I have come through the last year with a renewed understanding of what’s truly important to me and what I would … Continue Reading

Of course it would happen. But these shirts make me smile.

T-shirts are like walking personal billboards. If you wear a big brand logo across your chest, that says one thing. Wear a shirt with a statement, it’s entirely different. Enjoy. (And if you want, buy them, and others, at Zazzle.com.)
… Continue Reading

When I lost my job last November, I immediately cut back on my spending. Everywhere.

Last weekend I wrote about my fall from grace when I caved and went to a movie after months of frugality.

But as I’ve also said, there was one area I never really took the hatchet to. And that was my home food shopping. I figured since I’d stopped eating out, or really going out at all, I could at least feed us well at home still.

I’m now paying for it. I’ve gained weight. My pants are … Continue Reading