I always thought that a janitor was one of those jobs that "Americans didn't want to do"

[Crazy Dave]

700 plus applicants. Here in my town it would get about 200 even if it were for $8 an hour.

Sorry, forgot link: http://www.cantonrep.com/news/x1569321039/Stark-s-hottest-job-Janitor

[SheilaT]

1. Keep in mind that

"jobs Americans don't want to do" is code speak for "Jobs that don't pay enough to live on".

Of course, in this economy people who formerly had decent paying jobs are willing to take almost anything.

[Giant Robot]

2. That janitor makes more than I do

and I have a Masters degree. I'd do that job for the raise!

Where I am at, which is a mostly poor rural area of Michigan, a school social worker position went out and it received 80 applicants. For a job that requires a Masters degree. In a small population area. Times are getting more and more desperate.

[DollyM]

3. I hear you there . . .

My husband and I both have Master's degrees and can't find jobs. I am so tired of getting in interviews and hearing about how many (70 plus) people sent in resumes and how I should feel privileged to have got an interview. As if that were something! What I have found is that they want people with Master's degrees that have 25 years experience, are 30 years old and will work for $8.00 an hour. It is an employers market that is for sure. My husband is 55 years old and every day he is without a job is just another nail in the coffin. (He worked for a college for seven years and we though he would retire from there and the college lost the grant he was working under and let go everyone employed in the program.)

[grandpappy]

4. Don't feel bad

I lost my job at the age of 50 and went to school and got my degree and I'm still looking for work. Something will come along. Unfortunately for me where I live I'm too old and with to much experience for most of the jobs that I applied for. After over 3 years of looking and so many resumes that I can't count I said the heck with it and swallowed my pride and took any job that I could find. They don't want thinkers just doers that are dumber than dish water. I was even so low that I went to work at Micky D's. After a 1/2 hr in that place I walked out (didn't like the idea of putting the hamburgers in a pan that the sausage from breakfast was in without being clean) YUK.

The only jobs around where I live that pay any amount of money are medical jobs but your better have a degree from a good college with 20 years of experience. The local hospital won't even hire they're own grads due to the poor education that they get from the hospital run school. Just saw an ad the other day for a youth mentor (social worker) must have doctorate and 10 yrs experience $14.25 per hr. I'll bet they get a lot resumes on that one.

[Crazy Dave]

6. I took some medical courses last year only to find out that...

...with the exception of doctors, just about any and all medical support staffing is heavily discriminatory against hiring men. Especially middle-aged men. I actually had a human resources person interviewing me be honest enough to tell me that.

[Crazy Dave]

5. I'm really saddened to hear about your situation and that both of you are unemployed

I recently had an employer toy with me for two months and two interviews only to find out he was only using me as leverage with his current employee to get him to work longer hours and take a pay cut. The guy actually was asshole enough to tell me that too. He said his employee finally agreed to go on salary from hourly and work ten more hours a week therefore he wouldn't need to fire him and hire me instead.

[Sal Minella]

7. I certainly hope you patted him on the back and praised his cleverness and thrift.

Can't believe he actually told you that. Dis. Gust. Ing.

[Crazy Dave]

11. I'm really glad that I'm not working for a jerk like that now that I know the truth

Good luck to you and yours :hi:

[old mark]

8. I worked as a janitor for several years. It paid our bills and gave us health

insurance, and was not the worst job I ever had by far.
I found it refreshing in that I did not have to associate with the management people I didn't like to begin with. I also found out who my friends were - many people who knew you for years totally ignored you when you were cleaning a floor.

mark

[jmowreader]

9. It's Massillon, Ohio...

According to Fortune Magazine (don't have the link, sorry), the Massillon-Navarre metropolitan statistical area is America's fastest-dying urban area. Offering that kind of money for ANYTHING is going to attract shitloads of applicants.

[tonysam]

10. It's a School District Job, That's Why the Flood of Applications.

The article says the job pays $15-$16 an hour plus benefits.

Public employment, because it supposedly has greater job security (a laugh in my experience), ALWAYS gets a ton of applicants.

My guess is the district has somebody in mind already, but they have to advertise the job.