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If You Hate Your Job and Want to Get Paid For Your Hatred

Work in Hell — 2010-02-22T15:24:00Z

Don't keep that anger bottled up! Do something like see a professional - or tell us about it. Yes, we are still new but in the words of Willie Clinton 'we feel your pain' so don't think that your confessions will go unrewarded. Can't give you much but let's say that cup of over-priced, sometimes-tasteless java is on us. Plus, it's safer than risking an assault charge, which I've been tempted to do many-a-times.

If you want to be anonymous, that is fine. If you want your employer to remain anonymous, this is fine as well but it is more fun when it's a company that most people would put their mother on the corner for a chance to work there.

If you have greater aspirations towards earning money, here is an op courtesy of craigslist.org

Wal*Mart No Longer Has a Reason to Hold Anyone Hostage

Work in Hell — 2010-02-10T02:19:00Z

Sam's Club (part of the Wal*Mart family) has a strange way of letting the public know that they,too
have been affected by the recession,courtesy of The Onion.

I threw that asterisk back in there because even though they tried to take it away as part of their "image upgrade'".... oh hell, I just felt like it.

Love Hellgirl

Bad Boy School of Business

Work in Hell — 2010-02-04T00:49:00Z

Maybe he's not the greatest rapper or producer. His need to be in Bad Boy recording artists' videos back in the 90s was a bit much. After shelling out $30-35 for a bottle of Ciroc, you may still prefer Absolut or Grey Goose. And the damn list goes on...making this dude a mogul whether we like it or not.

For nearly 20 years, Sean Combs has been a mastermind at marketing, which is like the gasoline that gets a business going. If you have a lot of regular unleaded (aka marketing strategies), you can go far. If you have just a little premium (1-2 pricey ads) in your tank, not so much.

Now, take it for what you will but Mr. Combs is sharing his wealth of business sense in the form of classes.

As long as the curriculum does not include How to Marry Your Baby Mama, it should be informative.

Hippie Boss From Hell

Work in Hell — 2010-01-20T22:34:00Z

Since I've been away for a while, I'll throw in a little extra ...

Back in the 90s, I was one of those idiots who applied at every agency that would take me. I was still in my 20s but it was a waste of life and now deeply regret not sticking to my original career intentions. Anyway, they sent me to this here today, gone tomorrow place deep in an L.A. industrial park that sold those gaming cards. I didn't like it but forced myself everyday to make it work.

Though it helped me build a graphic design portfolio of sorts, there were still other things left to be desired. One was the office manager's need to make it known that she was bi. Not just verbally but making out with both her husband and female lover in the main office, the bathroom we ALL used, the warehouse....you get it.

Another was the disorganization when it came to assigning duties. A smart person would just fall into place as needed while looking for something else but like I said, I was already an idiot for voicing my concerns.

And the place was pretty rank. There were two dogs who were constantly all over the place - and in everything. To read more about canines from hell, click here.

At the epicenter of most things weird was my boss, Matt. Now dude was cool when it came to discussing music and art. In fact, he hipped me to Salvador Dali when he picked up a print to go in my corner because he felt it was a fit. Yet, his thing was to let live and let it go wherever it wants to. As I'd been working for a while, this got under my skin worse than poison ivy and made no secret as to why. My reward for being so vociferous was a less-than-stellar evaluation and my resignation wasn't too far behind.

That sight closed to give more attention to a storefront that catered more to nerdy teen boys that could work a nerve almost as bad as he did. Oh yeah, and he love to boast about being from the Bay area!

Resources to Get You Out of Working Hell(ish)

Work in Hell — 2010-01-20T22:19:00Z

Hellgirl here coming back from an obviously loooong vacay with some resources that may help out your current situation. Though this site is called WomenforHire, I'm sure that you three-legged beings could benefit just as much as us ladies (especially since we still only make about 83% of every dollar that you earn.)

Love,
Hellgirl

When Pimp Hands Go Bad

Work in Hell — 2009-12-20T00:36:00Z

Playing a pimp is just one of the many jobs that this comedian has had over the past 10 yrs. Though his style is built on the pimp persona, he was genuinely funny until a series of arrests ranging from drug possession to unlawful entry seemed to have temporarily derailed his career. Anyhoo, if you're thinking 'Wow, just like Pryor or Lenny Bruce', WAIT THERE'S MORE!

According to this article, seems dude was getting his personal assistant to front her own $ for all business-related traveling expenses for nearly a year and NOT PAYING HER. Now she's suing the actor/comedian. Good luck with that since mug shot appearances don't pay upfront.

Why Hoe-ism Will Always Be Recession-Proof

Work in Hell — 2009-12-07T22:24:00Z

This woman is crying because her last date was like fighting a tiger - and nobody wants to put her on TV or a magazine, give her some money or pay her cab fare!

I was watching the tube over the weekend and in being too lazy to get a DVD and put it in the machine, I was captured by these words 'More women come out claiming to be Tiger's girlfriend.' Why I was truly captivated I'll never know but when I saw Superhead was going to put in an attempt at .02, I was immovable.

Tiger, Biggie, Bill Maher. Examples of men nobody would care about if they worked at the post office but my point is that more than three years after that Video Vixen book was published, people still care about what she has to say (NOT). If you somehow don't know who she is - high school dropout, former video ho dancer and former porn star (not quite Heather Hunter or Jenna Jamison status but she did make some dude cry with her skills) who wrote a tell-all about one (or two) hit rappers and a few known athletes sex habits. Unlike Pamela Des Barres (I'm With the Band), she's told the story over, over and over and has now re-invented herself as a sexpert.

I'm working on getting a video clip now but for the moment ladies, don't subject yourself to sleeping towards a Coach bag or job stability...get a good PR person to let the world know that you are an "expert" and what you have to say is very important. Otherwise, you wouldn't be on Fox News with Geraldo.

OMG! Guess Who Forgot to Pay Their Taxes

Work in Hell — 2009-11-27T15:26:00Z

Need 79K?

Attention California residents! Don't be surprised if you have to "help out" with this one!

5U93ZZTFF2DA

Steve Wilkos, a Big Turkey or... Voice of Reason ?

Work in Hell — 2009-11-25T19:42:00Z

5U93ZZTFF2DA

Sans the hair, I see a striking resemblance!

Can't find the episode online now but I'm watching (by accident) The Steve Wilkos Show. He has this dude on who is suspected of molesting his stepdaughter. Steve asks dude what he's doing at home to begin with. Guest explains to Steve because he was once a pathological job-quitter (it happens to the best of us), he can't get something going in today's economy.

Steve then chastises him for not working. I'm pretty cautious about passing judgment on someone who is unemployable - sometimes it does take until about age 30 for things to click (dude looked to be in that age range). The possibilities are there - just not for every individual. For example, a person who sells houses or works in health care (non-entry level jobs) may not have time (or mental capacity) for the wisdom of Steve Wilkos.

Maybe if dude could find a former politician-turned-talk show host to attach themselves to like a parasite since they never had much of an acting career to speak of, one day he will be "worthy".

The 'New Boss' Interview

Work in Hell — 2009-11-11T20:48:00Z

"Say what now?"

When I saw this Yahoo! article, I thought 'How the hell do you avoid your boss?' Now, I had one supervisor who was away most of the time but when I transferred to another site, I realized she'd sent me over 300 emails - in less than four months of working for her!

Over the years, I've developed a short list of things (i.e. working for women who are mid-level management is better than those in upper management) to avoid like the plague. Even in this economy, I've had to dig into my mad money account to avoid a potential disaster with bosses that had me seeing red upon first sight.

In over 20 years of working various jobs, I've had a few supervisors candid enough to admit during the final interview that they can be bitchy or really stress that end of the month audits do not bring out their best side. One even said "You shoulda asked somebody."

OK

Here's a list of questions that prospective employees should be able to ask during any interview (especially the second interview) without fear of not being hired or abruptly asked to leave. I know it's ridiculously idealistic and will probably never happen but the holidays are coming and some of us are going to enjoy some turkey (SPAM-style, that is) while we look for that job.

************************************************************************************************************************************************

EMPLOYER QUESTIONNAIRE

How do you really relate to people you don't like or find ~~physically unattractive~~ repulsive?
How many hours do you spend actually working when you take the day off to work at home?
How did you really get your job?
Are you in the habit of making racial (or gender) sensitive comments?
Do you value your position because you worked hard for it or because you slept with the right people?
Do you take drugs?
Do you think your position gives you the right to bully others not brave enough to take legal action?
Have you been involved in a work-related matter where an attorney or union was involved?
What is your educational background?
Did you at one time, have serious show business aspirations and almost made it but failed so badly that you had no choice but to resort to punching a clock for the rest of your life?

(I'm in L.A. and #10 does happen - OFTEN.)

The Office Diva

Work in Hell — 2009-10-29T00:19:00Z

A diva (as in Dumb, Ignorant, Vicious Asshole) in any situation is about as necessary as a vaginal bleaching. They say 'the older, the wiser" but when it comes to the office diva, their bragging rights are the fact that they are old or have been on the job longer than you.
Now I'm not talking about the multi-tasker, natural leader or office troubleshooter. I realize that even in 2009, women managers go through hell. Who I'm talking about is that ~~bitch~~ secretary or clerk that loves to hear themselves talk 24/7, nosy as hell, let their kids (or "granbabies") run through the office like they know Access and just feel they are the emeffing queen. Though some got and maintained their job based on who they slept with or had a union step in when it came to confrontation. The sad thing is that not only are they delusional about their greatness but rarely to they have anything of value (tangible or otherwise) to show for the fact that they gave you a long session as to how to answer the phone or run the copier.

Freelancing can be rough but I'll eat chicken and beans if it means not running into this person anytime soon.

A Possible Work Resource...Maybe

Work in Hell — 2009-10-22T01:16:00Z

Today, I got an email stating that oDesk has finally decided to place a minimum amount on the jobs they post from potential buyers. Now, I'm new to the whole outsourcing thing but I understand that there can be an advantage to hiring workers that were born in the States - depending on the job, that is. My point is that it shows in the pricing.

Now if you are a programmer, you may laugh or cry at the thought of making $10/hour. Well, think about those of us that used to make way more as administrative support in a corporation and now we see oDesk ads that pay less than $1/hour. Or worse, a client wants to pay $25 for 20, 500-word articles about bass fishing but they originally asked for 10, 250-word articles about vacationing for the same price (which is already low but for the moment, seems better than what the content mills are offering these days). Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against oDesk and I'm real glad they put their foot down because I'd rather get a rejection than a runaround any day. I'll sing more praises when they put a word count cap on writing samples.

Resources to Save Money

Work in Hell — 2009-10-14T21:12:00Z

If you want more of this in 2010, check out these nice, clean discounted books from Amazon.com.

"Large Marge" and the Possibility of Missed Opportunties

Work in Hell — 2009-09-24T17:33:00Z

Back in 1987 was a strange time for me as my mom got married to some dude she knew for only six months and we had to move and I pretty much had to drop out of college (well, I didn't like it either).

So I had to get a job and quickly at that. In my random search, I ran across a small company called Sams-U-Drive. They had a few in the L.A. area but this one was at the southwest corner of Pico and Sepulveda on the Westside. While I appreciated diversity (White, Black,Latino) in the workplace, the one thing I would see as a warning sign was turnaround. Every week, it seemed like someone was being termed and hired on like clockwork and after two months, I became no exception. They don't teach construction equipment in school (their business was rental and sales of equipment and tools) so they should have stuck w/folks with knowledge or at least people who had been working for a minute. Anyway, the one thing that made my damn day was Marge, or Margie. She was a middle-aged type who probably knew all the words to the Doobie Brothers (before Michael McDonald) and had an 8-track tape of ELO or Bachman Turner Overdrive. Yep, she and her sleepy, low-budget Farrah-flip were stuck in the 1970s. What scared the $hit out of me then but cracks me up now is how she would chain-smoke from the time she arrived to whenever. Whether she was on the phone, chasing someone down in her size 15 Dittos (with flared legs and what we now call muffin tops hanging over the waistband) or yelling at someone kind of reminded me of this person.

Yeah, she pretty wretched and I don't know what turn her life took but it is a testament as to why it's important to get your career going ASAP. Even if you get sidetracked, nothing is worse than having to go to a shitty job where you make almost nothing, men are clearly hitting on you and even after you endure whatever, they go belly up (maybe, they moved IDK).

When Money Gets Tight...Do a Talk Show?

Work in Hell — 2009-09-17T14:55:00Z

As most of us are still feeling the burn of the recession, there are a few people doing something strange to get that change.

At one time going on a talk show, was one way to get a quick $200 but even I'm surprised at the alleged actions of one former model-turned-talk show host.

Would you sell out at this level just to pay your light bill?

Five Ways to Tell When It's Time to Leave (For Good)

Work in Hell — 2009-09-09T22:10:00Z

         <<<< [INSERT YOUR BOSS' PIC HERE]

Yes, it is hard out there finding a new job or changing a career. The economy is tough, companies are cutting corners like crazy and the recession is leaving many in financial straits.

On the other hand, you don't want to conduct an employment search from the pen or knowing that someone has a legit restraining order against you or just the fact that your attorney is on speed dial. So before you become really unhinged, here's a short checklist of determining when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em in the wonderful world of work.

1.     You have vivid details (written down or not) on how to torture your boss. Not kill them but to visualize the agony, step by step.
2.     You started your "diet" on the day of the big company (or your department) pot luck. How food can be so social to where it can affect your job has always been beyond me - what you eat, how you eat and what you bring. We all know it's easier just not to participate but unless you are the proprietor or just have access to some serious company secrets, do this with new job in hand or have the money together to start that business.
3.     Refusal to do basic maintenance of company property (i.e. sharpening pencils, calling to have to copier serviced, cleaning your phone receiver, etc.). This only works in government agencies. Anywhere else is considered being the weak link or not-the-team-player.
4.     Not just taking an extended lunch but bragging about where you went. I kid you not, before there was any real need for a stimulus, people were going to the movies, the motel and the only person they did not want to know was their spouse. Nowadays, people are taking extramarital dates to keep their marriage together. Hell, bills don't pay themselves.
5.     Starting a fire (at your place of employment) so you don't have to go in for a while. I'm from California, what can I say?

To All Those Who Thought They Were Sh#t Because They Yelled Into a Microphone and Got Paid!

Work in Hell — 2009-09-01T22:16:00Z

I'm sure this dude is a nice person but back in the day, this AND THAT DAMN 3 FT FLAT TOP GOT ON MY NERVES!!!

After a career as a DJ, the one Black comedian they'll allow to perform in East L.A. nightclubs, those supporting actors that have just enough lines to get a credit and now he's a pitchman (I don't think he's a salesperson but you never really know) for some random mens' suit place in Carson, CA

Lil Wayne, Soulja Boy and others, this MAY BE YOUR FUTURE

Good Morning America Gave Steve Harvey a Job! Booooooooo!

Work in Hell — 2009-08-19T19:56:00Z

Courtesy of Daniel Nieven

I've got nothing against this dude. I don't listen to his radio program because he hasn't been funny since Def Comedy Jam back in the early 90s and def not interested on his take in relationships (platonic or not) because he always seems to be at odds with someone.

Last year, he came out with the bestselling book, Act Like a Lady... Think Like a Man and many (like Oprah) are jumping on his bandwagon without doing their homework. Now, I need a job myself which is why I won't repeat what is reported in cyberspace but he is on wife #3 and wife #2 is suing him for lack of support. I won't get into the details since it is not my marriage.

Anyway, I picked up this book and basically what it is are dos/don'ts that either a woman's father or older male relative will tell her by the time she's 21. It's so elementary that even women who grew up without a male influence get "it" by the time they hit 30. Sad to say but there are a lot of women out there who are not only growing up without a real father figure but their mothers are still practicing wack dating habits as they head for the convalescent home. Mr. Harvey is tapping into this demographic of women who think it's OK to go on Jerry Springer to air out dirty laundry (think about it, Springer's been on for almost 20 yrs now) - unfortunately there is a lot of money to be made!

Since everybody's scrambling to make a buck these days, folks are quick to make judgments based on the almighty dollar and not common sense research.

If Good Morning America's got that kind of green to throw away then I've got a proposal -

In the past 30 years, I've been on about 12 diets, have an insane love for bacon, weed and butter. Currently, I wear a size 18 dress, can I be your nutrition expert?

Or better, most of the dudes I've dated are broke, have serious issues and have no real personality. Since I vowed to never again settle for less than I deserve, how about a segment on dating?

Love Hellgirl.

Co-Workers From Hell - Pt.1

Work in Hell — 2009-08-14T20:12:00Z

Before my position was eliminated recently, I had to share an office with this a-hole who thought he was the greatest thing to happen to the entire organization and felt we should kiss his pinkie before speaking to him. Now, not only was this dude not that great at his job but his "music is my true calling", left a lot to be desired as well. Every morning was like a dozen cats in the office scratching the walls. When one supervisor was actually bold enough to tell him to "tone it down", not only did fake ass musician get a 'tude but then he went from banging mindlessly on the desk to tapping his feet on one of the plastic runners but humming, too. Dude sounded worse than these people below! x5wj6cmrn3

Now these people were sick enough to desecrate one of the best Quincy Jones productions ever (Strawberry Letter #23 by Brothers Johnson),now think about having to hear Prince, The Doors, Van Halen, Tito Puente and many other greats being sounded out 9 hours a day on cheap furniture.

When Working Online Becomes Hell

Work in Hell — 2009-08-05T16:45:00Z

I've been at this for a while and I've not only met some cool people out there in cyberspace but found good resources for making extra money. As the chance to relocate away from La-La Land is becoming more of a reality, I've been kind of aggressive in my search for supplemental income until that great (or acceptable) opportunity comes through that is synonymous with lower living expenses.

Anyhoo, this past week was not a great one as one client who wanted a 400 word informative article, accepted it immediately, then gave a not so great review which blocked other opportunities. I've been with this content company for a while and have had pretty good communication as far as satisfaction with all parties has been concerned but this review took me out of my previous ranking which means fewer opportunities to get paid. So far I haven't gotten feedback as to why they would wait more than a week later to say they were happy. Damn doofus!

Also, I used to do mystery shopping and data collection for numerous marketing companies and made a nice side income but now everyone is jumping on that boat. I did write a few articles based on mystery shopping that I'm still getting residuals for but I think my bright idea is backfiring big time. There is a company that wants price verification on 50 items, note whether they are or are not organic, store brand, etc and now they want to get technical about the sizes! And you have to be discreet about getting this information,BS! These jobs now don't pay enough today (gas is back to about $3/gallon - again).

Thank God my grandmother taught me how to save!