After a I wrote a story about an upcoming job fair on Long Island, a reader responded with his war stories from the job-hunting front, including some job fairs.
His tales of a woe show that the current job market can be brutal.
That reader, Robert Banks, 64, of Dix Hills, lost a high-tech consulting job just over a year ago. He hasn’t found a once since.
“The job market is very upsetting,” he said.
He thought his age might be a factor.
“I was thinking that I was not hired because of age discrimination,” he said.
And then there’s the matter of salary. He approached a tech company at a job fair. But he was surprised to learn the company was offering just $12 an hour.
“Low salaries are a major problem with companies on Long Island,” he said. “If our companies would offer at least $15 an hour then it’s worth a shot.”
If you have a job-hunting story you’d like to share with Newsday, drop me an email at carrie.draffen@newsday.com.
--Carrie Mason-Draffen