Manpower Search- Julia Zureikat

     I began my Manpower investigation by searching jobs around the Madison area. I was surprised to see that only two available job postings were listed within 25 miles of the city. One was a temporary translating job in Fond Du Lac, WI, and the other was a permanent position as a packager in the same area. I would not be interested in either of these positions. The job position for the packager entails “standing for 8 hours, lifting 30 lbs, and wearing steeled toed shoes.” You must also pass a drug screen and a background check. The translator position was under the education and training category. This job seemed more desirable because it consists of working with children and parents during the school day. I then searched job positions within a 25-mile radius of Lake Forest, IL. I did not find any available positions that were located right in my hometown. Instead, the listings were offered from suburbs around my area. These included contract jobs instead of temporary/permanent jobs that were majority production workers, supply associates, coordinators, and assistants. I would be more interested in these jobs compared to the jobs in Madison because the job qualifications include “proficiency with Intranet and Internet and strong knowledge of Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint and Word a plus.” I finally looked at job offerings in Seattle, Washington because I know alumni that have graduated from UW with my major and have been relocated there. Seattle could be a potential career location for me in the future, and I therefore wanted to see what they had to offer. The job listings in Seattle were also contract jobs instead of temporary or permanent jobs. They were similar to the positions offered in the Chicago area such as sales representatives, technicians, and associates. In the Seattle positions, I would also be expected to have basic technology experience in applications such as Microsoft Word and Excel. 

This weekend’s assignment definitely taught me a few things. First, I learned what Manpower is and its goals for those seeking a job. I also learned that there are so many packaging, production, and assembling jobs available that lack educational qualifications and seem like they would hire anybody. The last thing I learned was how important basic technology skills are to a vast range of jobs. I feel like I have taken these skills for granted and never realized how much they will help me in the long run.