Why Clooney and his posse should protest unemployment in U.S. next

While actor George Clooney, MLK, III, and other high profile civil rights folks were being arrested in D.C. for protesting injustice in Sudan, I was attending a job networking session in metro Atlanta facilitated by an unemployed lawyer who also holds advanced, human resources management credentials. Many highly qualified and skilled, unemployed and underemployed people are attending similar seminars and are trying to keep hope alive despite the fact that their job prospects are bleak. Twenty million people living in U.S. "employment transition hell" are in crisis and perhaps need to protest at local career centers which receive federal funds for putting people back to work. Instead of offering "retraining" to laid off workers for non-existent jobs, career centers should be focusing on stopping corporate HR departments from using insensitive doorkeepers and resume bots to weed people out of work opportunities. We have got to get real: --The unemployment rate is not 8.3 percent; it's actually 20 percent (according to "You're fired!" Donald Trump) and higher in some communities and ethnic groups. --Although 90% of jobs are not posted, for every one job, there may be 500 applicants. HR departments are actually spending more time handling the process of turning people down than hiring workers. --Obtaining additional skills, certifications, and certificates help institutions of learning financially more than job seekers. --Companies want to maximize profits while hiring the least amount of people. --Corporate profits are more important than human resources. --Some companies don't hire people because they don't fit the company "brand". --Some insurance companies deem some potential employees high risks which equates to no job offers being made by some companies. --Discriminatory HR practices are rampant but seldom challenged. --Certified HR professionals are trained to weed people out. --Starting a new career for some is virtually impossible because of age, psychological baggage, prior convictions, and skill in discerning truth. --Pre-employment exams to determine a person's character and integrity are being increasingly used instead of meeting applicants face to face or checking their references. --Getting a new job is a waiting game, and prospective employers don't like to be hassled. It often takes six weeks or more for a new hire to get through the employment process after an initial application is made. The average person only has two weeks worth of savings in the bank. So what must be done: PROTEST, DEMAND CHANGE, AND PRAY.  ©2012 Tomi Johnson. All rights reserved.