Today’s economic downturn is reminiscent of the problems of the early eighties, when there were equally high levels of unemployment as in 2009-10. Thirty years ago Britain experienced a severe contraction in our manufacturing base, so that a high number of industrial and similar jobs disappeared or were very hard to find. I find it instructive to study the parallels between that earlier recession, and now, in terms of the varieties of bogus vacancies that were offered, and are offered again today, many these being sales positions, which nobody would have any interest in, if real vacancies were not so scarce.
And yet, there are contrasts between the two downturns, as a result of the development of Internet business and a variety of worthwhile online jobs to be had now, which had no parallel in the 1980s. While the idea that people can work from home has not only just emerged, the Internet greatly increases the possibilities for doing so.
To be sure, you can find worthwhile positions selling things or working for yourself, but it is crucial to distinguish good from bad jobs, and shun jobs selling something dubious. Once in the eighties I went for an interview with a company purportedly setting up a new business directory. My job would be to go to businesses getting them to pay for an entry in this. I suspected that the directory itself did not really exist and never would, and declined the position. I never heard of the directory again.
On one occasion I enquired about a position marketing investment products, and was invited to turn up at a hotel for an interview. It is standard practice for companies to rent hotel space for the purposes of interviews. But when I arrived there, I discovered this organisation in fact had their office in a hotel room. Before I could even sign a contract with them, I would have to sell five policies, to my friends and family. In other words, they had no interest in me, merely in selling their product to people I knew. You will not be surprised to learn that I have that one a wide berth.
In addition there were the door-to-door sales jobs which I tried out. The majority of people find doorstep salemen to be a pest, and I found it a markedly dispiriting experience. Householders may find numerous nasty ways to inform you they are not interested. I also tried my hand at selling by phone, which had the benefit that I could work from home, but that was worse still than doorstep selling. People find it a lot easier to put the phone down on somebody than to shut a door against them.
The sales vacancies are less common now because many areas have been declared ‘no cold calling’ zones, and a lot of the telephone selling jobs have gone to India. However, this year I went for a job in telephone research, which I predicted would be better because I didn’t have to sell something. Regrettably, I discovered that hardly anyone I phoned was willing to answer my questions, and many just hung up on me immediately. I threw in the towel after just one day.
So, with employment opportunities still extremely scarce, are there any worthwhile alternatives? After I tried out a lot of dud jobs I then considered Internet business opportunities. You will find some promoted on the online jobs sites, but there are also websites dedicated to the field of Internet business itself. Such positions enable you to work from home, so there is no need to move to another part of the country. Some positions might necessitate a small investment, but I can speak from personal experience that online jobs are definitely preferable to trying to sell something door-to-door or by phone. Since I entered this area myself, I haven’t personally looked back.
