I wonder how common this is in the minds of interviewers

http://www.theonion.com/article/company-flat-out-asks-female-candidate-how-much-mi-50963

Interviewers in Onion parody go for broke and bring up the sprog thing. I wonder how many think this during the interview in real life

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onion
Do you imagine this being the kind of thing where you’re biding your time until you save up enough money to be a stay-at-home mom, or are you planning to go hard until you’re 35 and then have a baby and scale back to part-time? Be straight with us: How much time you got left on your clock?” Sources confirmed that after Heard left the room, the recruiters privately joked that the minute they promote her to head of clinical research she’ll probably announce her pregnancy.

thats just disgusting to me, i get asked how i thought was rather bluntly questions that dart around the obvious grey area/ iliage questions such as these, sometimes interviewers even straight up ask if i have kids.

but this, if i was asked this in a job interview, i dont know how well i'd respond due to shock and insult, even if i did say clearly that i am not having children, who asking that would seriously believe a word i have to say? might as well just ask if i've had a dick between my legs lately or not and if im using protection, because thats about as personal as such a question feels to me.

even though i dont want kids, am not having kids, and would love to have been born barren for good measure, thats not something i should have to prove to a stranger in an interview. that being said, i can understand that a bunch of previous generation moos have ruined that company's outlook on hiring females, and probably caused such a question to be involved, BUT COMMON, unless your asking every dude who interviews, "have you been splashing sperm around willy-nilly that might cause you to be distracted and useless due to child support payments taking you for every penny you plan to earn for the next 18-25 years depending on how many and how old they might be", unless they also are known to ask men that, how fuckin dare they say such a thing to a woman.

sorry, sorry, im just so livid because i've spent 2 fucking years applying for over 1500 jobs to date, even during periods of extremely poor health, with a great cover letter, resume, personal presentation, clear speech, relevant skill sets, all the little extras like transportation, and NOTHING, not one job, and i honestly think it has a lot to do with the fact i present as having a uterus, therfore i might breed any second if not currently inpig, so argh, shit like this just sets me off so bad.

end current rant, i sincerely apologise for any/all missed spelling errors, i corrected what i could pick up on, I've been up all day/night/day, i cant find my glasses and this shit set me off so hard and fast, i'll take my ranting offline for a while to settle down.

@exile: I don't know about where you are, but here in USA, smaller companies will hire a CF woman. Smaller companies here don't really pay maternity benefits - it does not matter if you breed or not - they just replace those who breed because those who breed don't get paid for the time off. Most wanna breeders stay away from smaller companies here.

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exile
sorry, sorry, im just so livid because i've spent 2 fucking years applying for over 1500 jobs to date, even during periods of extremely poor health, with a great cover letter, resume, personal presentation, clear speech, relevant skill sets, all the little extras like transportation, and NOTHING, not one job, and i honestly think it has a lot to do with the fact i present as having a uterus, therfore i might breed any second if not currently inpig, so argh, shit like this just sets me off so bad.

end current rant, i sincerely apologise for any/all missed spelling errors, i corrected what i could pick up on, I've been up all day/night/day, i cant find my glasses and this shit set me off so hard and fast, i'll take my ranting offline for a while to settle down.

I have noticed since you joined this board that all of your posts have an unusually high number of spelling, grammatical and capitalization errors.
Unfortunately when you are communicating in a written medium such as this board or resumes, people do judge such frequent errors.
In this board, I frequently pass over your posts due to the high number of errors making it very difficult for me to read your posts.

When I was in a hiring position, all resumes with errors got thrown out immediately.

Perhaps you might be willing to share why you have so many issues with the written language and we could help with suggestions.
My first suggestion would be to always turn on the spelling/ grammar corrections in any word processing and believe the corrections most of the time.

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Techie
@exile: I don't know about where you are, but here in USA, smaller companies will hire a CF woman. Smaller companies here don't really pay maternity benefits - it does not matter if you breed or not - they just replace those who breed because those who breed don't get paid for the time off. Most wanna breeders stay away from smaller companies here.

over here, smaller companies can be ruined by female employees that leave to breed, so smaller family owned company's dont put females on point blank, the bigger company's must still hire under equal opportunity law, but once their quota minority is met for race and gender mix, its clearly a white males only hire.

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cassia
I have noticed since you joined this board that all of your posts have an unusually high number of spelling, grammatical and capitalization errors.
Unfortunately when you are communicating in a written medium such as this board or resumes, people do judge such frequent errors.
In this board, I frequently pass over your posts due to the high number of errors making it very difficult for me to read your posts.

When I was in a hiring position, all resumes with errors got thrown out immediately.

Perhaps you might be willing to share why you have so many issues with the written language and we could help with suggestions.
My first suggestion would be to always turn on the spelling/ grammar corrections in any word processing and believe the corrections most of the time.

i had my resume professionally made because im not stupid enough to trust my computers spell checker, however as for on here, it depends if i use my tablet or computer as to how well spell check works, my tablet is shit at it, and frequently inputs the wrong letters or auto corrects to the wrong words, so i usually have to run back over it and fix a lot up manually.

as for grammar and punctuation, you can kindly thank my English teachers,
1 primary school for taking the artsy approach to it's "close enough is good enough"
2 my English tutor who felt my dad screaming and belting me for getting answers wrong to the point of fearing trying to learn at all, may have been the root of my learning difficulty
3 the "I'll just sit on my desk every lesson and tell you about how my date went instead of teaching you English" teacher i got for all of high school
4 my remedial English teacher who didn't understand why i was in her class with a passing grade, so didn't waste her time teaching me when others needed help.

as they are the building blocks, prior to the serious advances I've made since those days on my own, mostly thanks to seeing how something is corrected and trying to remember to spell it that way next time around, i did have quite a fast accurate typing rate for the last decade, however when you type roughly the same 300 different documents up everyday, overtime those most common phrases are remembered, i worked in computers, so not a lot of those common codes or words apply to daily life and vice versa, i also say a few particular words a certain way, and like them read just as if i talked in person. (kinda, sorta, gunna)

you might be amazed to know i used spell check on every single post I've made to date, since it never shows anything wrong with my punctuation or grammar, save for the odd extra space, spelling error or missing capital, and i correct it before posting, i clearly dont see how i type to you and other readers as an issue,

but of course since you and many other people on here tend to just "pass over" my posts, i cant for the life of me see how you would even have noticed enough to be trying to call me out on it, hell i didn't even finish reading your post before i hit reply but i still answered your questions somehow didn't i.

i dont pretend to be great at spelling, i know some shit about some topics, most of the time i comment its because i want to chime in with my two cents on the matter, other times, just like other members on here, I've gotta get me a good rant in to stay sane, related to the topic. while i dont have learning disabilities like a few members on here have mentioned before as a possible reason for "me fail English? thats unpossible", no, its one of the few things i suck at.

since being a member on here, i am trying to improve with every passing day a new word or sentence structure, like the ability to suddenly use (for the most part) "their, there, parent, woman" correctly with the correct spelling, i'm still working on how to use "were" properly. my computer however seems to be amune to the point of not mentioning sentences or paragraphs that are wrong.

i could go on, but you've already called judgment.

An average person who is serious about finding a job has his stuff checked! Always!

The only people who apply for a job with errors are certain people sent by the job centre
- they don't want to work but they have to apply for XX jobs to continue to receive
the social welfare so they apply in such a horrible manner that nobody would hire them.

@ cassia: even the best resume won't help over here when you have an uterus!

Exile, I read your posts, but your non-use of capital letters for beginning new sentences is very distracting. I don't really notice spell/grammar errors. :hello

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mrs. chinaski
...even the best resume won't help over here when you have an uterus!

I work for a very large company, breeding is highly encouraged. Hiring women right out of college is the norm. Not only breeding is encouraged, it is celebrated. Every time someone has a kid, an email goes out to every employee in the area which congratulates the mother/father and brother/sister of the new arrival. Maternity leave is paid and highly encouraged. Company also gives mothers/fathers "work/life balance" (read - fuck CF people) and family benefits are fully paid for by the company. Having a uterus, for a large American company, that is a huge plus. Using the uterus is highly encouraged.

Another thing that they do at my work is that they cover ALL forms of female birth control 100% percent. Surgical sterilization for women is also covered 100% and there is no deductible. USA has a bad history when it comes to women's rights, but no matter what fundies do, women's right will prevail here.

@ Techie: What??? That's incredible!

I started a job with a new company when I was 27,
I got an unlimited work contract. The HR manager
gave it to me because it was my 1st proper job
after university and I was single + they needed
me because of my mother tongue.
I quit the job after 3 months due to my BF
and they hired a 35yo woman. She got only a limited
contract for 6 months for the very same position!!
It was clear why...

I can only think about one reason for the conditions you described.
There is a high fluctuation in the industry you work and the
company hopes that people stay holding the same job.
A "mommy" and "daddy" will rather stay than a CF person.

@emmaj, Thats cool, I'll try to remember to caps more, Im sure I've said it before, If i dont know something's wrong, How can i improve if no one says anything?

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mrs. chinaski
An average person who is serious about finding a job has his stuff checked! Always!

The only people who apply for a job with errors are certain people sent by the job centre
- they don't want to work but they have to apply for XX jobs to continue to receive
the social welfare so they apply in such a horrible manner that nobody would hire them.

While i am on welfare, part of my requirement is to search for X number of jobs per fortnight and i have to spend 1 day a week at an employment agency where they reverse market me to employers and follow up any interviews i cant get feed back on, to keep getting welfare. The main difference is that i want to get hired, I only apply for jobs that i have relevant skills/experience for, I dont waste time applying for jobs that waste employers time to read, I know a lot of people who want to stay on welfare and they constantly clog up places with what i call "dummy applications", They dont have any interest in the job they applied for, Their just meeting the quota required per week and even then, I've heard some fighting their case down in centerlink about how they shouldn't have to apply at all :drool.

I dress ready to be sent off on short notice for any successful reverse market interviews, Meanwhile a bunch of scrubby guys rock up around the time of the job search group, apply for a couple of jobs, and a few weeks later i find out they got jobs. It makes me honestly not want to even try sometimes, because guys like that can just walk into an interview in thongs, worn-out shorts and a dirty singlet and get hired.

I apply for jobs i find newly listed online, in the paper, through word of mouth or just job vacancy's listed on establishments. For each application i research the company and staff, so i can get a good idea about what would be expected if i worked there. write a custom cover letter detailing how I'd be suitable for the position listed, Detailing relevant skills/experience, additional qualifications or ability to drive/own a car,

Double check my resume to see if anything needs updating, send them off, follow up with a call or email within 3 days, to make sure they've had time to read it. This is only for when i dont get called first, Then i either have an interview or not. If i get an interview i dress appropriate to the level of business attire that would be expected of me for that establishment, I run over a few common interview questions for practice, arrive slightly early, am patient and friendly but not stupid friendly.

Complete my interview, i either call them or get called first within 3 days, nope, so i swing by if i can in my own time to suss out who the new person is, 9 times out of 10, its a guy. That 1 out of ten female, is usually fresh off the school bus and as bubbly as sparkling wine, Since im the responsible reserved type, older and more experienced = cost more, i cant compete with cheap bubbly.

I have actually considered once or twice uploading my resume and most common form of cover letter onto Bratfree in more the library section to see if anyone had ideas on where i could stand to improve parts, except i dont feel that proof reading someone's resume is really part of what Bratfree is about, so i haven't pushed for it to happen.

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mrs. chinaski
@ cassia: even the best resume won't help over here when you have an uterus!

Pretty much true, in some ways, I'd really love it if i could get sterilized and include a confirmation letter from the doctor in my resume if it would help me to get hired, As wrong as that sounds, It honestly feels that way. These days its not even about what you know, Its who you know, I'd more likely get hired regardless.

On average there are about 15-20 new jobs listed each week that im suitable for, so i apply for each of them, i personalise each one like its the only one that ever met my eyes, after so many for so long, i have refined my approach to the point i will get at least 1 interview per week, i know what to say for all the standard frequently asked questions, but the ones i get asked most are:

do you have kids?
where do you see yourself in the next ten years? - this is usually asked after clearing up a rough idea of my age.
do you have a partner?
whats your home situation, do you have a partner, kids?
are you married?
why did you leave your last job?

I underlined the only two that remotely relate to a job and my ability to perform it, i dont swear, down play my achievements or talk in negatives like i cant do something, i talk about what i can do, what my strengths are and even worked out how to plug my weakness as a strength when asked what my 1 weakness is, since i actually want to get hired sometime soon. 4 out of those 6 i listed, are just for conversation and personal ability to relate to the interviewer.

I never decline to answer even though i dont have to answer personal questions like that, and thats why it burns me up so much that this company in new York is putting more importance into wether or not the female applicant is going to breed or not, over whats actually important, her skills, personality and experience. Even if they ask her and she gives an honest answer, its unlikely they will trust and employ her.

America tends to set the for font example that Australia likes to follow close behind, so if questions like that become more common in America, you can bet Australian female unemployment will stay close behind.

@ exile. From what you write about your "application routine", you do everything right - a customized cover letter,
a call few days later, appropriate clothing, on-time.. Everything is as it should be IMO.

I met people with "dummy applications". It's all bullshit. They were people who were unemployed for many, many years. It was clear that they had barely a chance to find a job. They themselves knew it. Yet the job centre forced them to apply again and again only to fulfill some bureaucratic regulation.

CV: is there someone who worked in HR who would like to take a look at exile's CV?

This "9 out of 10 a guy, 1 out of 10 a girl from school bus" is here too.

I think the best chance is to go with a temp agency. I made good experiences with temp agencies
when I was studying. When I went there and looked like a sane person, I got a job :-) But the times
were different then...

"These days its not even about what you know, Its who you know" - this is definitely a factor.
Btw. this reminded me of Terry Richardson and his famous quote: "It's not who you know, it's who you blow."

The job market is very difficult. More and more people compete for less and less jobs.

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mrs. chinaski
@ Techie: What??? That's incredible!

I started a job with a new company when I was 27,
I got an unlimited work contract. The HR manager
gave it to me because it was my 1st proper job
after university and I was single + they needed
me because of my mother tongue.
I quit the job after 3 months due to my BF
and they hired a 35yo woman. She got only a limited
contract for 6 months for the very same position!!
It was clear why...

I can only think about one reason for the conditions you described.
There is a high fluctuation in the industry you work and the
company hopes that people stay holding the same job.
A "mommy" and "daddy" will rather stay than a CF person.

I would say that the turnover is about average where I work. Breeder pleasing is very common in big companies here. My workplace is not the only one. Birth control coverage is also a standard among many companies and Affordable Care Act directs big companies to offer health insurance that covers birth control. Most workplaces that do well financially will dole out cash to parents like there is no tomorrow. They are happy to hire women of child bearing age because they want breeding. Now, being CF and single - you will get a job, but you may work a crappy schedule in some cases because parents get all the good spots. It is not like that where I work, but in some places it is.

Here is a paradox. I have worked at places that offered crappy insurance and birth control for women had co-pay. Breeding was not as common as breeding is where I work where birth control is free. It seems like people use birth control to simply space the sprogs out, but it does nothing to reduce the number of sprogs.

@ Techie: That's all so weird...
The situation here is different. It's also a paradox:
Nobody wants to hire a woman 30+ because she could breeed.
But, if a woman remains CF, she gets hostile reactions.

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mrs. chinaski
Btw. this reminded me of Terry Richardson and his famous quote: "It's not who you know, it's who you blow."

(Happy sigh) I needed that laugh

@Techie
Actually I've met quite a few women during the up-skill course i did last year to boost my chances of getting work, in privet on the topic of not wanting kids birth control came up, and when i said i used BC pills, they immediately asked how many guys i was cheating on my partner with? Claiming they wont touch the things because they believe it promoted infidelity and they wouldn't want their partners to think they were cheating.

All i could think of was "the fuck did i just hear?", needless to say i didn't stay in contact with any other females after the course was over, met a lovely gay couple though, get alone swimmingly with them.

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exile

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mrs. chinaski
Btw. this reminded me of Terry Richardson and his famous quote: "It's not who you know, it's who you blow."

(Happy sigh) I needed that laugh

@Techie
Actually I've met quite a few women during the up-skill course i did last year to boost my chances of getting work, in privet on the topic of not wanting kids birth control came up, and when i said i used BC pills, they immediately asked how many guys i was cheating on my partner with? Claiming they wont touch the things because they believe it promoted infidelity and they wouldn't want their partners to think they were cheating.

All i could think of was "the fuck did i just hear?", needless to say i didn't stay in contact with any other females after the course was over, met a lovely gay couple though, get alone swimmingly with them.

Now, that's fucked up. I have never heard of women say that kind of insanity over here. Maybe back in 1960's, but not today - this is 2015. I can see some unofficial jokes, but to say that at an interview, I smell legal action. It may also be that I work in a large city that has over 5 million people. I think cheating on a partner is nothing new here, happens all the time, nobody is ever surprised by it. Some women are pretty open about their personal lives, others are not so much. Nobody really cares.

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mrs. chinaski
@ exile. From what you write about your "application routine", you do everything right - a customized cover letter,
a call few days later, appropriate clothing, on-time.. Everything is as it should be IMO.

I met people with "dummy applications". It's all bullshit. They were people who were unemployed for many, many years. It was clear that they had barely a chance to find a job. They themselves knew it. Yet the job centre forced them to apply again and again only to fulfill some bureaucratic regulation.

I used to interview people myself at one point, mind you the questions were very different, the applicant would often also have to prove their skills if it was a technician job going. I'd been employed for 10 years since high school, so i hadn't had to do job interviews or a resume myself, had zero practice.

I'd like to consider temp agencies, but they do cost a bit more than i can initially fork up, and i already owe on hospital bills to relatives who demand i pay it from half my welfare, if i had the money I'd probably opt to do some volunteer work so i could refresh my references and have a reliable recent work track record, I did about a week of voluntary work before in April and just having that company's name on my resume has brought in a lot of interest, which is really great, plus i got to experience what it is like working for a bigger name company during peak hours.

I know in the job i did interviews for, they had a policy that i couldn't hire anyone fat, because management didn't like them constantly sweating or sitting down, im size 22, barely sweat, dont smell and always make sure to dress in a way that complements my shape.

I dont have any recent photos, but i made my sim up to be pretty much a spitting image, with an exception the height of those heels being exaggerated, this is how i would dress for administration or hospitality jobs, give or take the company and position, i have a few other outfits that aren't a plain black blouse, that look either formal-casual or business formal, depending on if the company promotes free dress or professional corporate.

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exile
I never decline to answer even though i dont have to answer personal questions like that, and thats why it burns me up so much that this company in new York is putting more importance into wether or not the female applicant is going to breed or not, over whats actually important, her skills, personality and experience. Even if they ask her and she gives an honest answer, its unlikely they will trust and employ her.

The entire 'article' this thread is about is from a satire site, The Onion. There is no company in New York that actually asked these questions and had a genuine news article about it. It's complete parody. In fact, if there was a company that really asked those questions in that manner, I'm sure they'd have been be sued to kingdom come by now.

With that said, I know how close it comes to the truth sometimes, because that is a part of effective satire.

As for the questions you are asked in interviews about breeding, I'd honestly either completely decline to answer - citing illegality (because it IS illegal here, I don't know about AUS) (Me: "Oh, since that is illegal to ask under YZ law, I'll have to decline to answer that. If you ask again, I'll have to seriously consider reporting you to the workforce commission/whoever is in charge of dealing with that.") - or I'd just answer the question they *should* have asked in the first place. (Interviewer: "How many kids do you have? " Me ::confused blinking at interviewer:: "And after I left this job, I spent X months/years learning A, B, and C skills by doing J, K, and L.") Eventually, they get the hint. And the best part is they can't exactly fault you on it when they get called later to ask what went wrong in the interview - THEY were asking unethical (at best) or outright illegal questions.

Will it get you the job? Probably not. BUT - it puts YOU in the place of power and THEM on the defensive, instead of the other way around. It makes you quit second guessing every answer you gave to those kinds of slimy questions. And when they don't call, because they wouldn't anyway and we both know it, you know exactly why - because you aren't a pushover they can manipulate. And you can feel better about not working for them in the first place.

"Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live, it is asking others to live as one wishes to live." - Oscar Wilde

I dare say my spelling and grammar are pretty darn good.

Exile,

I was going to ask if you were Dyslexic, your explanation makes sense.

I was wondering because I was going to suggest 'tech' or 'biz' oriented work. And you can't transpose numbers of course. But if you don't have a Dyslexia problem, it shouldn't be an issue.

Can you think in the abstract?
This could be an interview question, perhaps -

I have been cleaning out my 'home office' and old computer peripherals. Including one 'printer' that was stupid heavy and basically like a small copy machine. It's not that old either, and not what I would have chose, but it came free with some 'new computer package'.

It scans and copies, does basically the same as a copy machine. Will continually 'photo copy' from the scan part, like a copy machine. It has software 'for the system' and you can file your docs in whatever other programs too.

This machine is pointless - tell me why. And not from any 'new' technology either - it was pointless from the get go. No, you don't have to know really much about computers at all either. I don't.

This machine is pointless and redundant. If you have a scanner. And a basic printer. Why?

@ exile:
The outfits are good and appropriate.
Do you have to PAY for the registration at the temp agency?
Here it's for free!

Honestly, I don't believe in volunteering in general. I believe that every work
has value and therefore it HAS TO BE PAID unless the person really wants
and doesn't mind to work for 0 $.

I don't like that charities are asking for volunteers.
When you look at their bosses, they are loaded.

I live in a small city. We got refugees here and even the municipality
is asking people to volunteer for them - like helping the refugees
with paperwork, language etc. The mayor himself asked people
for help in local news. They are all cheapscates.
The unemployment rate is very high here. What about creating
jobs? No, everyone should come and work for nothing.
Even the mayor works for free, right...

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Zzelda
Can you think in the abstract?
This could be an interview question, perhaps -

Im an inside the box thinker, since sometimes the most simple logical idea can be the most effective.

Even though my background is tech savvy, im trying to move on from the IT sector, i know this is a great chance to phrase my response to your posed question as an interview response, but for right now I'm going to pitch the most logical response that stands out to me, bare in mind, i am sick and friggen tired, and spit balled this response of the top of my head (imagine the clarity of a good days response).

You got the printer as more or less a freebie, you likely would not have purchased said printer if it wasnt part of the computer package, unless you have use for daily scan, copy, fax and print features, it isn't really worth the space it consumes to keep, ignoring current advances in phone technology that leave scan/fax/copy features in the dust. The fact is you likely dont need the device unless you actually need to print anything, even then, there are much smaller, high quality cost effective basic printers on the market it could be replaced with, again only if you actually have use for such a feature in the first place.

Since what you've said suggests that it was never of use to begin with, the real question should be "why didn't you negotiate on the computer package to swap it out for a more useful device to your needs for similar cost?"

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mrs. chinaski
@ exile:
The outfits are good and appropriate.
Do you have to PAY for the registration at the temp agency?
Here it's for free!

Honestly, I don't believe in volunteering in general. I believe that every work
has value and therefore it HAS TO BE PAID unless the person really wants
and doesn't mind to work for 0 $.

Yeah we do, its about $100 up front, then some smaller monthly administration fee to be kept on the books, so more like a cheap gym membership really. Honestly i dont like volunteering much either, but i do get the upfront hands on experience, fresh references and idea of what different places might be like to work at, which has seriously helped refine which industry's i apply for, since i have to keep a lower stress level due to my IBD condition, working somewhere with a high intensity go-go-go attitude or highly physical work can make me sick from the stress, so it was worth the few short times i did volunteer, just to know what my body can take.

i dont honestly believe a place that gets me for free would pay for the same services, but other companies are interested in someone currently or very recently working, as opposed to forever unemployed people, it shows initiative and drive to want to work.

@ exile:
when YOU get something out of volunteering then go for it.

I know volunteering as a one-way-street. Vultures trying
to use people for 0 $. Like the municipality I wrote about.

Registration fees for temp agencies are not bueno :-(
That's a lot of money for someone who doesn't have any income :-(

Exile, I'm all too horribly aware of what it's like, to type on a tablet. That said, if your autocorrect doesn't flag your mistakes, you need to bin your current dictionary, and download a fresh one. The same goes for your computer.

As for spelling and sentence structure, there are books. Lots of books.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
" ... what's one more once you've already got two shedding on the couch?"

Exile, I'm typing this on a table right now. After typing the reply, I review the post before hitting the send button. There are errors, however I make a point of correcting them before posting here, or anywhere. My auto-correct suggests the funkiest words, but I ignore it.

You might consider studying English spelling and grammar rules on your spare time.