I was reading through the LA Weekly, what same may call an alternative paper. The LA Weekly lists everything from the investigative exposes to the best art and music venues, restaurants, as well as a plethora of strip and massage clubs. The point being that most of the advertisers in the LA Weekly are in the service industry.
So, anyway, while reading through the paper, under Opportunity Rocks n the classified section, I noticed a large ad for an up and coming job fair, in Los Angeles. The job fair catered to recruiters and applicants in the service industry. Bartenders, cooks, house keepers, managers, baristas, and retail sales personnel. Those kind of jobs.
Not long ago, the city and the world was rife with job fairs for executives. Long lines and dozens of resumes were in hand as people waited for their short, speed date interview with a prospective employer. Everyone was all dressed in their business specials, suits, dresses, all the serious power looking garb that might give you the edge on the other job candidate. But no more executive job fairs. Now it’s a job fair for the service industry.
Two things crossed my mind. The first being in this lousy economy, with restaurants hurting, and with the McDonalds and Dunkin’ Doughnuts of the world competing heavily with Starbucks, there didn’t seem much need for people in the food, home and night club service industries. Every time you turn around there is some news article about people eating home more, not going out to clubs, to entertainment venues. From the looks of it, perhaps it would be more convenient if we returned to more Puritanical times. Then at least the reduced personal budget could best reflect the lifestyle.
Apparently I was wrong about the hiring. That or recruiters were planning for the future. Or maybe the recruiters are out there fishing for a better degree of service personnel, as in former executives who have fallen out of their jobs and onto hard times. That would make the background checking and the preemployment screening very interesting, indeed.
“Where did you go to school?”
“Harvard.”
“So why are you applying for a job as a barista?”
“I was born to pour espresso.”
Another thing I did notice about this particular job fair. Where the executive job fairs where usually in a convention center or the whatever large room at some hotel, this services industry job fair was on the roof of a commercial parking garage. Under a tent.
It is just one more indicator of how much and how quickly times have change.
Check them out before you hire.
