Manpower Over the Weekend

Over the weekend, we were asked to explore the job searching website entitled, “Manpower.” I first typed in Madison, WI to see what employment opportunities are located in the 25 miles radius area. The website generated a list of 15 jobs of which 11 of them were located in Madison, WI. All of the jobs listed didn’t really interest me, however, I thought it was fascinating to see the types of jobs that were included. Most of them had to do with manufacturing. This struck me because we’ve learned countless times how the post-industrialism brought about a change from the manufacturing industry to the consumer industry. The jobs listed included “Seasonal Warehouse Work, Production Helper, Assembler, General Labor/Line work and Plastic Molding/Assemblers.” I guess, although we may think this industry is in the decline, it most certainly still prevalent. When I looked at the requirements for the “Call Center Representative” I was surprised to see that there were very minimal requirements, just a bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience and 1-2 years of related experience or Master’s degree.  With the technological field, I just assumed requirements would include more mastery in technology.

Next, I searched my hometown of Watchung, NJ and found 132 jobs in the area, but none in Watchung. Some of these jobs included: “PT Telemarketer-Mandarin Chinese (which would require the candidate to be knowledgeable, Inventory Clerk, Assembler and Business Travel Counselor.” It makes sense that my area would have more employment opportunities available because I’m only 20 miles out of New York City, so a lot of the jobs listed were in the NYC area. I would probably never use this website when looking for a job because it seems pretty specific on the jobs it pulls, more manufacturing related, which is a field I’m not qualified or interested in, however, it is a great place to make connections if one enjoys this area of expertise.