Too bad this is the legacy of Carly Fiorina. Six CEO's later and they are still in the cut costs and make crappy product mode. They would get a much bigger market share if they made quality products again.

I have years of experience in programming and management yet 99% of the time HR kicks out my resume because I do not have that BS in Comp Sci. Sorry I was self taught! I had a friend working at a bigger company that recommended me so I actually got an interview. The dept head liked me, got great responses in each of the interviews, then got an email from the dept head saying they filled with another candidate. Found out from my friend they found a guy (H1B) that they could work 6-7 days a week for less than half the salary they were discussing with me. Companies want CHEAP! I have been offered salaries under $18k a year for 6 day work weeks.

Actually hated it.. It had over 120% employee turnover one year. The Operations Manager was actually a woman who got the position because of looks. She would get someone from our department to do her powerpoint and excel spreadsheets for her for her bosses.

But I worked for several other software companies here in Florida that had the same rule. I actually left the software industry for retail sales for less pay but MUCH less stress and hassle.

An employer I had a few years ago stated that any electrical device plugged in at work premises would be "theft" and you would be fired and charges pressed against you. No cell phone recharging, no lamp, no fan, nothing that plugged in. You plug it in and they catch you = lose your job and get arrested. Seen the Operations Manager have security pull someone from their desk and walk them out the door for plugging in a cell phone and then putting it in a desk drawer to try to hide it.

I would never just ASSUME something like a electrical outlet or water or anything is OK to use just because you can reach it.

Would you park in someones driveway and decide to wash your car because HEY they left a hose right there where you can reach?
Would you just take a plant from someones garden because hey you can reach it from the sidewalk?
Theft is theft.

Well I think we were not viewed so much as employees as "things". We HAD to show up for Christmas dinner for them halfway through December. It was NOT optional you HAD to show up. One year my supervisor hosted and his house was maybe 5000-6000 or so square feet with a huge hand laid brick driveway that he JUST had done. Another year one of the owners had it at his house. No raise that year but he had his home theater redone and big wall of McIntosh audio for his theater.

I should have left when I was told even though I was salaried that every time I worked less than 40 hours a week I would be docked a minimum of 1/2 a vacation/personal day. I was 20 minutes late one day and lost half a day. Did NOT matter the last week I probably worked 55-60 hours not including working 10+ hours on documentation at home EVERY weekend.

My last job the district manager changed and threw out all the promises of the last one. Told me he did NOT care what the last guy said and that he did NOT care how good I was with the business that people skills were more important than being knowledgeable. Top it off he started a GOLD STAR AWARD where we got GOLD STARS for doing an excellent job where we got gold star stickers by our name on a post it board in the employee lounge. I complained about being treated like a kindergartener and that's when the demotion started. Took me off the top of the promotion list, moved me to part time and shifted my office to another one 45 minutes drive from my home vs the one I was working at that was less than 5 min from home.

Why would a GAME improve a situation? I had one employer who thought taking us IT department to a paintball match would be fun. Was told by a fellow employee DO NOT shoot at the boss, the last guy who did was fired for it. Boss shows up with this super expensive automatic paintball marker and rest of us get single shot pistols. It was management vs the IT dept. Wanna guess what happened to every IT guy who actually shot at management? I was let go and a friend who accidentally hit the foot of a supervisor was demoted for "demoralizing the company with his attitude" because he was actually firing AT the opposing team.

I guess that is what is "effective management" in todays world.

Right now I know Racetrac and Murphys USA gas stations kept only managers as full time and rest are downgraded to part time no benefits. I asked the district manager for the Murphys here how are his employees going to survive. His answer? Get another job.

So to survive you will have to have 2-3 part time jobs just to make the same as 1 full time job and still have NO benefits. I have heard most of the bigger stores around here are doing the same thing. Managers = full time, everyone else is going part time.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/bitly-preview/

Shows full URL. Rule 1 don't click on URLs to unknown websites ESPECIALLY at work! :)

I interviewed with a company that monitored people nationwide with the ankle bracelets.

Job was for network technician responsible for all computers/sat links/ect. Also was to make the receptionists coffee and copies as she needs and be her gofer.
6 days a week. With possible 7 days a week. Salary. $18k a year. No bonuses/perks. Oh and if the system messes up and someone gets hurt. Guess who is the fall guy?

I basically RAN from the interview.

That only works in major population areas. I am 40+ miles from the towers of everything but the VERY local/religious channel towers. I would need a 75+ foot tower with directional antenna to get fox/cbs/nbc/ect. Great thing is the local govt doesn't allow that tall. So I am stuck with either comcast (went thru 3 boxes in 3 months with them burning out) or dish or direct tv. Those are my only options. Oh and for internet its either comcast or DSL from the local phone company. Which no one else provides dsl on (no bare wire lease). Heck you can't even get DSL without getting local phone service which is $40/month. For low end DSL and local phone service its $97/month.

I had Comcast Cable TV and Internet service.. No TV for 3+ months. Had over 12 visits from different techs over the 3 months. Replaced cable box 4 times, Replaced repeater on pole, replaced line to house, I redid line from outside to tv, comcast tech redid line as well, Signal was just unwatchable. Told Comcast to cancel.

  3 months after I turn in my box I get another bill for $180 saying I owe it for the time I DID NOT HAVE SERVICE THAT I PAID FOR and for the another month after I canceled. I called and oh its a MISTAKE you only owe $30. You will get a bill in a week. TWO MONTHS LATER another bill for $180. I hate Comcast with a passion and am seriously thinking of getting a lawyer.
Got a call from COMCAST saying IF I DON'T pay the $180 they will turn it over to a collection agency and to the credit bureaus.
$180 to pay for service that I already paid for and didn't have. What reality do they live in to think that makes sense?

Last salaried job I worked was Tech Support and OnSite Installation. Was SUPPOSED to be a 8-5 job but i was expected to be there working at 730.. and did tech support in office till 7 sometimes... but every time i had a doctors appt or was late.. i got dinged half a day vacation or comp time. BUT I was also expected to fly anywhere in the USA on installs with less than 3 hours notice (made for fun flight checks.. every time my bags where checked they were inspected!) My beef was i was expected to work a MIN of 40 hours no matter how much I got done but got forbid i was 15 min late.. there went half a day vacation time. How exactly is that legal? I work for myself now.. I have to thank them for driving me into being self employed!

6 months because that is all the cars are allowed to be on the road in the USA before they are destroyed or shipped back overseas if they are imported and not DOT approved. "Proof of export or destruction must be submitted to this office not later than 30 days following the
end of the period for which the vehicle has been approved to be admitted to the United States." http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/CARS/RULES/IMPORT/TempInfo.html

Based on my personal experience.. thank you.. you are fired. Worked for about a year and a half documenting fixes/workarounds/protocol for setting up software/hardware and doing QA work on both. Soon as everything was pretty much documented (I was actually working on the last document) I got called to a conference room and was told I was being let go and when asked why I was told "lets not get into this." WFT??!? But that is life. You help your employer eliminate your position why would they keep you around? they just saved $X thousands of dollars a year.. thanks goodbye!